Recovering and Awaiting Results - Newport Beach, CA

Well, I just had liposuction last Wednesday (01/05) and am very anxious to see how this is going to turn out. I'm 24 years old about 5'2 and 112 pounds. I've had saddlebags and fat rolls under my butt literally since I hit puberty. Those fatty areas seem to run in my family unfortunately (thanks, Mom!). I've always been thin and relatively active but could not escape the saddlebags and butt rolls. I actually think I looked weirder in high school at 87 pounds because I was so skinny everywhere else. Of course those areas expanded as I've gained wait over the years, but anyway, after some research, I finally got lipo to my outer thighs/under butt area. I had been to this doctor before to get breast implants in 2008. I am extremely pleased with his work and he has been very honest and straightforward with me about what to expect, risks, complications, results, etc. So here's my experience so far.

Day 1 (day of surgery)- Surgery went well. When I woke up I had some pain where the fat was suctioned, and the nurse gave me some meds to assist with that (yay!). The ride home was fine. Oddly, I wasn't that tired and narcotics tend to give me the munchies so I chowed down on a foot long turkey sandwich among other various foods and watched movies most of the night. I had a moderate burning sensation around my knees and inner thighs after a few hours, but I took the pain meds I was prescribed and eventually went to sleep. Sleeping was uncomfortable since I am not used to sleeping on my back with my legs elevated, but I did okay.

Day 2- The pain was worse, but that was expected. It wasn't horrible, but it was uncomfortable. I took off my compression garment for a second just to see. There was a lot of bruising on my inner thighs and a little above my knees, but that was about it. I could see the results a little already. No leakage whatsoever which I'm still thankful for. One of my doctor's assistants called to make sure everything was running smoothly. I told her about the burning and the pain. She said that was normal and to try to get up and walk around. My fiance' and I walked to a park just around the corner and watched people feed the ducks for a little bit. Of course I was still eating like a fat kid that day and taking the narcotics I was prescribed. By nighttime I was very bloated because I hadn't had a bowel movement and had been, more or less, stuffing my face. I'd been taking stool softeners but nothing can combat the power of Percocet, so I wasn't feeling too great by the time I went to sleep. At some point during the middle of the night I woke up to vomit. I think it was a combination of all the meds I was taking and being backed up. I was able to go back to sleep, but didn't sleep great.

Day 3- Worst. Day. Ever. I still hadn't gone #2 and was beginning to feel really nauseated, so I decided to stop taking the Percocet and take a laxative. Big mistake. Looking back, I would've rather stayed constipated. I stuck to simple things to eat all day (applesauce, bananas, toast, crackers, etc) but either it didn't settle well or I threw it up. Not fun. Of course, laxatives don't take effect up to almost 12 hours later, so I had the joy of being nauseous, feeling cramps, vomiting, and pain from the surgery all day. Finally, I was able to go to the bathroom. Sitting on the toilet was difficult due to the incision sites and the bruising and swelling, and pushing to go the bathroom made me vomit again. Ugh, I was so miserable. I survived, though, and was able to uh... clean myself out... thoroughly. I broke down and took a shower that night because I just felt so gross. I made sure to try to avoid the incision sites and dried off with a clean towel immediately afterwards. Sleeping was rough.

Day 4- Felt much better. I slept on and off all day and was able to go to the bathroom freely. I still was not taking the Percocet, and I was a little sore from sitting on the toilet most of the previous day but that was the worst part. Still ate light things and drank a ton of water and apple juice and just rested.

Day 5- Getting better still. I was able to get up and make food for myself and take a short walk without any pain medication. Still took it pretty easy, but managed to try on a dress I had been wanting to wear but felt self conscious. I squeezed it on over my compression garment, and it looked a little silly with that and my hairy legs, but I could already see an improvement. At this point I was mostly just bored and ready to get back to normal. It's like having a flu. You don't feel well enough to go back to work or school, but watching netflix and checking Facebook for hours on end just isn't cutting it.

Day 6- Which is today. The worst part about today is that I started my period, and it's a heavy one. Between that, the constipation, subsequent diarrhea, vomiting, the crotchless compression garment, not being able to shave and my general surgery look, I just feel ridiculous. This is definitely not a sexy process, but I can't help but laugh about it. I'm still sore and bruised, but not too bad. I'm able to sleep on my sides and sit down flat with minimal discomfort. I had an appointment today to get everything checked out. The nurse said that everything looked good and I'll be able to get my sutures out next week. My fiance' and I went to El Torito afterwards. My digestive system is still not 100% back to normal, but I was just happy to get out of the house. Everything looks good so far, though the swelling is really starting to kick in now. Looks like my legs have been through 'Nam, but I'm excited to see how this turns out. I'll keep updating.