Zap That Fat! - Vaser at Riverbanks, UK

Tomorrow's the day! I'll be having vaser liposelection to my upper and lower abdomen and flanks (sides) by Dr Ravi Jain at Riverbanks Clinic in Harpenden, UK. I'm both excited and nervous. Excited because I can't wait to get rid of my horrible, pudgy stomach. Nervous because I am taking a gamble as to how it will turn out. I feel as though I have chosen my surgeon carefully, but after that what can you do? Your're in their hands. Just have to keep your fingers crossed I guess.

About me, I'm female, 36 years old, 5'5" tall and I weigh 10 stones 4 lbs (which I think is about 65kg). I'm the first to admit I'm overweight at the moment, but even when I wasn't I've always disliked my middle area. I haven't had a flat stomach since I was around fourteen years old. I have a job which involves sitting at a desk between 8.30am and 7.30pm Mon-Fri, and after that I tend to prioritize household jobs, preparing dinner and watching an hour of TV before bed, rather than exercising. I do a reasonable job at sticking to a low-carb diet (I avoid bread and pasta at all costs even though I like them a lot and I eat very few sweet things), but I do enjoy a large glass of wine with my dinner each evening. I'm generally active at the weekends, long walks, playing with the children etc.

So, I figured that I have two options if I want a slim mid-section: cut out the few pleasures in my diet forever and work out every day after a long shift at work; or pay a surgeon to permanently remove some of my fat cells to give me a smooth, flat contour. I've gone for the latter - wish me luck!!

So let's start with the procedure day. I arrived at 8.30am and after about 45 mins, Dr Jain took photos and marked me up and I then went for a pre-op discussion with the anesthetist ahead of being sedated. Wearing disposable underwear and compression stockings I was laid down on the operating bed and I remember nothing after that.

I awoke to hear dr Jain telling me that the procedure was done and had gone well. He then left the room and the nurse and anesthetist helped to me to sit up and try to get me into the compression vest, garment and an adult nappy. This was a nightmare. I was anxious and my teeth were chattering non-stop, which the nurse kept telling me was the sedation. I was very unsteady on my feet and felt extremely faint. The garments were really tight and the whole experience was unsettling. I was guided into a reclining chair in an adjacent recovery room. I had some water to drink but continued to feel anxious and faint. My husband came to keep me company, I think this was around 2pm. The nurse looked after me and was absolutely fantastic. I had a generally horrible time post sedation and the area that had been treated was very sore. I remember crying and feeling enormously grateful my husband was there with me. Over the course of the next three hours in the recovery room I fainted, vomited all over the floor and wet my nappy when trying to have a wee on the loo, so all of the horribly tight garments had to come off again in order to change it. I think I had the maximum pain relief allowable: paracetamol, tramadol, ibuprofen and codeine. I had been at the clinic for 11 hours by the time I could go home.

Getting in and out of the car was very painful and walking was difficult. My husband helped me into bed, gave me a sleeping tablet and I managed to get 6-7 hours sleep, with a break half way through for a wee and more painkillers. Just a note on having a wee: it's almost impossible to do alone. The vest prevents you from leaning forward and the garment is very tight with the nappy underneath. The only way to go is to have someone sit between your legs, pulling the nappy to one side, holding a surgical bottle to catch the flow. Hideous!! Be sure to have a very good friend on hand those first few days.

It's been a tougher few days than I'd anticipated. The area that has been vasered hurts more that I thought it would and my mobility has been way more restricted that I thought it would, partly due to the best and garment, partly due to soreness. I needed help to go to the toilet, get in and out of bed, get in and out of the car, put my shoes on etc. The drains, two in the front and one between my bum cheeks, also take a bit of getting used to. I had a headache for the first couple of days, possibly a side effect of the sedation. I took antibiotics and painkillers three times a day.

I had bought 10 aftercare sessions for 1,000 GBP when I paid for my procedure. This was recommended by Dr Jain who said that the final outcome would be dependent on following their aftercare plan of manual lymphatic drainage massage, ultrasound treatment and pressure suit treatment over the first week following the Vaser. My first treatment was the morning after the procedure. This was my first chance to see my body without the garment, and even with bruising, swelling, drains etc I could see a big difference! My stomach was flat and I had a waist! I could feel muscle below the skin! What a relief! Dr Jain came by and reassured me that the procedure had been very straightforward and it was progressing well.

The treatment is a mixed bag. The therapists are wonderful, very friendly and helpful. The ultrasound is very pleasant, as is the 30 mins in the pressure suit. The manual lymphatic 'massage' is agony! I'm doing my best to stick with it, but MY GOD it hurts. It's effective at pushing out the swelling liquid that forms apparently, and thus avoiding seromas and other lumps. Here's some pictures...pretty grim bruises, beware!