49 Yrs Old, Smart Lipo on Full Torso - Minneapolis, MN

No pics today, just an update. I had my 2nd vela shape on Wednesday. She was able to be a little more aggressive this time than last, and I bruised a little bit, but nothing major. She seems very good with this--continually monitoring the skin temperature and asking how I'm doing. At this point I am going to say I think it makes a difference. I'm down (this morning, 2 days later) another pound and another inch around my waist -- down to a 30" waist, y'all! It's looking better too, not AS lumpy, and softer (kind of mushy right now). I'm still wearing the cg a lot and there is still swelling/fluid retention but it's improving. Sometimes I sleep without my cg (feels so good to have the d*&m thing off), but then I miss the support and it feels good to get the d*&m thing back on, so it's kind of love/hate, LOL! I'm also still doing home massage, about 1/2 hour at least once a day, sometimes morning & evening if my schedule permits. It's a lot of time commitment but it's an investment. Yesterday evening I started to get really sore--after effects of the vela shape?? In any case, I took some ibuprofen, which I haven't taken any of that for days and days now. That took the edge off and I was OK comfortable the rest of the evening and slept well.

More violent dreams, however, every night. Last night I was a karate ninja and whooped several people's butts. Who knew? I am having my hormones tested in another week and 1/2 (you have to be at a specific point in your cycle) and we'll see what's going on. I suspect too little estrogen is letting my testosterone bleed through too much. Yesterday I was trying to pull something out of a laundry basket to put it in the washer, and it was stuck, and I had to pull harder, and I growled at it! Couldn't believe I actually growled at laundry. Then I laughed at myself. But yes, I'm a wee bit aggressive these days! Laundry better watch out!

I will have updated photos on Monday, for my 1 month anniversary! At this point, just keeping on keeping on!

3 weeks today! Feeling much more comfortable, still getting the zingy feelings and the sunburn feeling, but those are fleeting, they only last a few seconds and are mostly in the evening when my body's saying it's had enough for the day. I am now sleeping without my cg (feels SOOO good to have it off in bed) and wearing it during the day because there is still swelling, and if I go without my cg when I'm up and about, it follows gravity and tends to settle in the lowest part of my abdomen and I certainly don't want that. Other than that, I'm getting my hormones tested in a couple of weeks (per my post earlier).

You can see in my pix why I don't take photos more than once a week. The progress is there, but it's not dramatic from day to day. I think the front shot now looks like I have a six pack (giggle--it's just swelling!) and I am down an inch around the waist and I think that really shows best in the side shot.

I organized my closet today and got rid of a bunch of clothes that are now too big and discovered a bunch of clothes that I now fit into, so for the next year or so, I don't need to buy clothes--I can just go "shopping" in my closet. It feels great!

I'm still doing massage daily and this Wednesday I go in for my 2nd VelaShape.

Good luck to everyone. As usual I hope my experience helps someone else, since reading others' helped me so much in my decision making.

I said above I used the progesterone cream and it didn't help, and if anything it got worse. What I forgot to mention is how it got worse. I woke up Friday morning crying, balling my eyes out. Not sure why even. No dreams attached to it that I can remember. Worried the heck out of my husband, and was very disconcerting. So that's what I mean -- the progesterone was not having the calming effect it had always had in the past and that's why I went looking for more answers and discovered the low estrogen connection.