Just the Beggining...Not Sure This Was the Right Decision - Nashville, TN

I am 5'6", 180lbs female, 39 years old. My body weight fluctuates alot. I'm very short-waisted (~1 to 1.5" inches from the top of my hip bone to my bottom rib) so any amount of fat on my abs or back look amplified. Even when I was younger and a very skinny athlete, I had bra rolls. No matter how well I eat, exercise, etc. I was not able to make a dent in my abdominal or back fat. I gain a fair amount of muscle very easily and other parts of my body shed fat quickly. So I decided on April 19th to have the water-assisted lipo on my abs and bra rolls.

I did research before hand and saw very mixed results. I prayed that worst case scenario I'm just out some money and experience no health problems or injuries from this procedure. The procedure itself was not pleasant for me. I have a high tolerance for drugs. Despite the amount of local I was given I felt almost every jab over my abdomen. It was bearable, but I could tell I couldn't bear it for hours. The sensation was like someone pinching you over and over again hard. If someone does it once or twice it doesn't bother you, someone does it consistently for 20-30 minutes, it hurts. I listened to my own music the entire time. Most of the staff was very nice. Once technicican seemed to have a bit of an attitude.

After my abs, I was flipped over on my stomach to do my back. Surprisingly laying on my stomach didn't hurt. I didn't experience any discomfort while he worked on my back. Except where he "hit" a rib. I don't have a great deal of fat on my back, so it's not surprising he hit a rib. It hurt, but the pain subsided in a few minutes.

After the procedure they put me in the garment I trained alot. I was trenched when I got home. I was certainly ready for pain medication when I got home. I took one hydrocodone and got comfortable. When I tried to get up a few hours later it was very painful and I started to feel nauseated. I took two pills plus one pill they prescribed for nausea. The nausea went away and never came back.

I changed my dressings the next day, about 30 hours post procedure. Frankly, the garment made me comfortable and I didn't want to take it off to change the dressings. I lived with the wetness. I took a shower and rebandaged the incisions. There was some additional drainage, but not much. The bandage they used at the clinic gave me a horrible rash on my left side, slightly on my right. I think the rash was aggravated by the hooks running along the left side of the garment. I put hydrocortison on it and it stopped itching. I can't imagine someone going back to work after doing this.

I could sleep fairly well day 1, but when I woke up on day 2 I was in pain and took 2 pills went back to sleep. Followed by one more pill later that day. Day 3 I hoped on a plane for 5 hour flight, didn't need painkillers at all. I'm now at day 4 post op. I'm slightly sore, like I've been doing sit ups. No bruising whatsoever. Which is unusual for me, I bruise if I graze a table. One incision is still slightly "runny", the rest are completely closed. No signs of trauma. They look like little pinholes. I've been putting anti-scar cream on them. But they really are quite small. I sleep very comfortably on my stomach and sides. However getting in my car is slow...again feeling like i did 100 crunches. I can sleep on my sides and back. I do notice that when I get up or move from the position, the release of pressure results in some slight discomfort that goes away.

As for the results, I see none. I feel bigger than when I started. I'm guessing I didn't drain very much since my incicisons closed so fast. I read swelling is to be expected. I go for my one week check up in 3 days. The compression garment is rough on my arms, but really makes me feel more comfortable.

I went for a two month check-in. I hadn't really noticed much of a difference. The soreness had subsided by that point. We looked at before photos to compare the progress. He thought I was progressing nicely. I saw slight change, but not enough to be convinced this was a good decision. He told me I was about halfway through the "process". The first half is about healing from the procedure. The second half the skin is remodeling itself as it continues to shrink and to expect some continued soreness.

3 months later I continue to wear compression garments. I bought some new ones because the one they gave me doesn't work well under most clothes. I wear the garments 23 hours most days (3-4), 12 hours (1-2), and take a break one day a week. I did some research on how people have dealt with extra skin after weight loss. I take a supplement with biotin in it already for hair/nails, I started using Bliss products Skinny Girl Fat, Skinny Girl Sleep and Love Handlers. These products have ingredients that cause the skin to tighten temporarily. I notice this has some benefit on the abdominal area. I apply the creams then put on the compression garment. My bra rolls on the other hand I have seen no improvement at all.

Honestly, pants that used to fit fine before are now a little tight. The doctor said I have no more planned visits, but I can come back whenever I feel I like it. I'll give it another 6 weeks, if I still don't feel like I have had much progress I will go in again.