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*Treatment results may vary
Progress - slow and steady
About one month ago, I had my six-month follow-up with Dr. H. It was super positive and made me feel better about my progress. It was clear things were improving, but that I still had inflammation and potential for even better results. There still seems to be a centralized pocket on my stomach, it's unclear if this will continue to go down. Like always, my conversation with Dr. H was honest - while he was optimistic, he also mentioned what we could do if I don't make any additional progress. Very thankful for Dr. H and the progress and care that's been taken. The progress is clear with these pictures!!!! I look forward to seeing what the next few months bring. I am scheduled to go back in another 3 months. And again, no pain or discomfort now! As I said... slow and steady :)
No real update
I don't have much to report. It's becoming easier and easier to get back to normal, intense workouts. My doctor was pulled into surgery, so my appointment was canceled. Then the rescheduled time didn't work for me. I haven't heard back from the receptionist in over a week, so I do not know when I'll go in for my next appointment. I'll try and post pictures again soon.
For as long as I can remember, my upper arms have...
For as long as I can remember, my upper arms have always bothered me. When I was younger, they were more muscular but with age and time they've become "softer". I have noticed people looking at them and it always makes me uncomfortable. I was even wearing cardigans in summer to "hide". Dr. Hyman was confident he could reduce the size of my arms. He explained that I would have barely any scars. He also explained that he wouldn't be too aggressive with fat removal because the skin can appear loose or saggy.
At the last minute, I decided to add in the stomach lipo. I never used to gain weight in my stomach when I was younger. In my early 20s, what I gained, I could easily loose. In the last year or so, it became stubborn belly fat that I couldn't shake. Dr. Hyman performed surgery on my lower abdomen - parallel to my belly button, above my hip bone. He also said he addressed some of the sides of my hips. I wasn't as concerned about the outcome and let him suggest a plan.
These two procedures were performed on the same day, as well as the surgical excision of two tattoos (different post). The surgery went easily and my incisions and scars are tiny. A total of six incisions, one centimeter each - four on my abdomen, one on each arm near my elbows. My biggest complaints after surgery that day were that no one informed me I couldn't go home by myself, which resulted in the doctor having a nurse escort me home. Also, no one provided me a pain prescription in advance, nor did the nurse help me fill it - so I had to hobble to the pharmacy, still leaking from surgery. People were staring.
The first couple of days were very hard. In fact, I sat in bed, in pain wondering why I even did the surgery. It was that uncomfortable. My right arm was worse than my left arm - bruising, draining, everything. My abs felt so tight that I had trouble sitting at my desk, and cringed every time I sat up or moved in bed. I wore compression, post-surgical garments 24/7 (minus showers, gentle massage) for at least six weeks. It's much easier to keep something on your stomach, than on your arms. My doctor seemed surprised at the amount of pain and discomfort I experienced when I went in for follow-ups.
My stomach pain passed after 2-3 weeks, minus some knots that hurt to touch. However, I did experience a lot of centralized swelling beginning around this time. It almost looks square on the front of my stomach. I also noticed that my lower back, hip area was larger than before. I don't know if this was swelling or more exaggerated as the area right above it was smaller. I experienced this severe swelling until about four months in. This also looked like weight gain, as there was so much swelling and I was still experiencing pain working out - which meant working out less.
My arm pain lasted A LOT longer, probably about four months. Whereas, the swelling was far less. Instead there were more knots and unevenness versus swelling. If anyone even grazed my arms, I wanted to cry. This made a lot of things challenging, as you don't realize everything you touch and do. And the bruising lasted at least two months, which meant covering up my arms all the time.
When I went to the doctor for my three-month follow-up, the doctor was surprised at my swelling and size. He asked if I'd gained weight (which my GP had just confirmed I had not). He mentioned creating "a shelf" for me on my abs- but I do not know what that means exactly (I will ask at 6 months), and hope that it's not contributing to the shape of my stomach (under belly button). He was also surprised that my arms still hurt to touch. He seemed equally disappointed at my results, which was a good thing in my eyes - he didn't sugar coat anything or lie about my progress. It also meant that I wasn't exaggerating about the progress I was making. He said we would re-evaluate at six months and suggested we may even need to do some corrective surgery, as well as check my weight.
At 5.5 months, I am moderately happy with the results in terms of how I look in some clothes, especially when wearing body shapers like spanx. My arms are definitely thinner and have a better shape - the skin/fat does not hang down, instead it's a "straight line". I only experience pain if I do something more strenuous like lift weights or, strangely enough, when I'm on my period (nerves? lymph nodes?). I am still concerned about the shape of my stomach (misshapen), very square and strange (to me). I am not used to the indentation below my belly button. I am not comfortable with my appearance unclothed, but remain hopeful this will improve.
I still feel like I experience mild swelling, but have read online that swelling can last up to six months and that final results of lipo may not be visible until 1 year post surgery.
I would need to get official photos from my doctor for posting true before/after but will share some of what I have. Apologies for my camera skills.
At the last minute, I decided to add in the stomach lipo. I never used to gain weight in my stomach when I was younger. In my early 20s, what I gained, I could easily loose. In the last year or so, it became stubborn belly fat that I couldn't shake. Dr. Hyman performed surgery on my lower abdomen - parallel to my belly button, above my hip bone. He also said he addressed some of the sides of my hips. I wasn't as concerned about the outcome and let him suggest a plan.
These two procedures were performed on the same day, as well as the surgical excision of two tattoos (different post). The surgery went easily and my incisions and scars are tiny. A total of six incisions, one centimeter each - four on my abdomen, one on each arm near my elbows. My biggest complaints after surgery that day were that no one informed me I couldn't go home by myself, which resulted in the doctor having a nurse escort me home. Also, no one provided me a pain prescription in advance, nor did the nurse help me fill it - so I had to hobble to the pharmacy, still leaking from surgery. People were staring.
The first couple of days were very hard. In fact, I sat in bed, in pain wondering why I even did the surgery. It was that uncomfortable. My right arm was worse than my left arm - bruising, draining, everything. My abs felt so tight that I had trouble sitting at my desk, and cringed every time I sat up or moved in bed. I wore compression, post-surgical garments 24/7 (minus showers, gentle massage) for at least six weeks. It's much easier to keep something on your stomach, than on your arms. My doctor seemed surprised at the amount of pain and discomfort I experienced when I went in for follow-ups.
My stomach pain passed after 2-3 weeks, minus some knots that hurt to touch. However, I did experience a lot of centralized swelling beginning around this time. It almost looks square on the front of my stomach. I also noticed that my lower back, hip area was larger than before. I don't know if this was swelling or more exaggerated as the area right above it was smaller. I experienced this severe swelling until about four months in. This also looked like weight gain, as there was so much swelling and I was still experiencing pain working out - which meant working out less.
My arm pain lasted A LOT longer, probably about four months. Whereas, the swelling was far less. Instead there were more knots and unevenness versus swelling. If anyone even grazed my arms, I wanted to cry. This made a lot of things challenging, as you don't realize everything you touch and do. And the bruising lasted at least two months, which meant covering up my arms all the time.
When I went to the doctor for my three-month follow-up, the doctor was surprised at my swelling and size. He asked if I'd gained weight (which my GP had just confirmed I had not). He mentioned creating "a shelf" for me on my abs- but I do not know what that means exactly (I will ask at 6 months), and hope that it's not contributing to the shape of my stomach (under belly button). He was also surprised that my arms still hurt to touch. He seemed equally disappointed at my results, which was a good thing in my eyes - he didn't sugar coat anything or lie about my progress. It also meant that I wasn't exaggerating about the progress I was making. He said we would re-evaluate at six months and suggested we may even need to do some corrective surgery, as well as check my weight.
At 5.5 months, I am moderately happy with the results in terms of how I look in some clothes, especially when wearing body shapers like spanx. My arms are definitely thinner and have a better shape - the skin/fat does not hang down, instead it's a "straight line". I only experience pain if I do something more strenuous like lift weights or, strangely enough, when I'm on my period (nerves? lymph nodes?). I am still concerned about the shape of my stomach (misshapen), very square and strange (to me). I am not used to the indentation below my belly button. I am not comfortable with my appearance unclothed, but remain hopeful this will improve.
I still feel like I experience mild swelling, but have read online that swelling can last up to six months and that final results of lipo may not be visible until 1 year post surgery.
I would need to get official photos from my doctor for posting true before/after but will share some of what I have. Apologies for my camera skills.
Provider Review
Dr. Joshua Hyman
Dr. Joshua Hyman comes highly recommended, though most of his reviews are about breast augmentation. He encouraged me to review my experience here. I would recommend Dr. Hyman because he is incredibly honest and friendly. He will give you accurate expectations and information about what to expect for your procedure. He makes you feel very comfortable. He also responds to emails directly and will fit you into his schedule whenever something comes up. I had some trouble with his office staff being unreliable and he personally resolved the situation - which is going above and beyond, considering the lack of care by most office staff and doctors in NYC. He provided me with a lot of post-surgical supplies so that I didn't have to buy anything. There was some missing information about post-surgery protocol, but Dr. Hyman did what he could to make everything OK. I appreciate the honest feedback from Dr. Hyman about my procedures and healing. It's clear that he takes time to review charts and pictures in advance of appointments, unlike a lot of doctors that walk in and then read your chart trying to remind themselves of who you are. Dr. Hyman is very honest and realistic.