Slim Lipo on Arms 5/3/12 - Orlando, FL.

I have always been a little self-conscious about my large arms and people calling me "strong".. Even when I am in great shape, I am defenseless against the batwings. I think shapely arms do more for your overall appearance than a tight tummy (I will probably revise this statemet one day when I have shapely arms and a spare tire haha). Anyway, I inquired about smart lipo but couldn't bring myself to take the next step. Then I found out one of my friends had slim lipo and decided to do it with her referral. So I knew but didnt know what I was getting myself into, I had been thinking about it for years so I guess all the stars aligned to do it if I ever were.

My procedure was done in office under general anesthesia. After some measurements and a talk with the doctor (bad timing because I was getting woozy from the drugs). They took a pic and it was my turn on the table. The first step was injecting me with the numbing fluid which i think was the most painful part. A lot of poking holes in spots and injecting the metal thing to spread more of the solution. It fet like they were building a steel armband around my arm (you get creative whe you are woozy). I fell asleep for an instant and the doctor walks in to do his sculpting/removal. I did not find this pleasant and I can't say it didn't hurt, some was awkward, some spots I really felt. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a long procedure and the pain wasn't THAT bad that I would opt for general anesthesia should I do it again. Just awkward.

Alright, the surgery is over, here comes the part I'm afraid of and most looking forward to- recovery! The first night I came home and lied down, spending the evening mostly resting as I was woozy from the drugs. I leaked a little but nothing scary like I had imagined (I actually had a little stich so maybe that helped). The next morning I took a shower (probably earlier than I was supposed to) so I could wash the compression sleeve.

I finished my surgery about 24 hours from the time im writing this. I definitely have some pain, certain spots more than others but I am going to stick with Tylenol over the Rx stuff. It's more discomfort than constant pain like a headache. Some of my arm is definitely still numb and swollen so we will see how that goes.

I guess it's too early to tell results. Maybe it's the swelling but my arms don't look any smaller yet. The doc took 700cc of fat+fluid and I don't know if that's a little, a lot of average. There is quite a bit of brushing and knowing me, that will take some time to go away. One good thing, my hands didn't swell like they said they may.

I feel like I can function as normal, I have not tried lifting anything though and I know I am supposed to lay off excercise for 2 weeks. Tricky part will be hiding the compression sleeves :)