Mini TT, Lipo of Abs, Flanks, Bra Fat, Saddlebags - Bladder Hell but Otherwise Not Too Bad! - Rochester, NY

day 9, and I'm at about 70%, which is a lot better than 10-20%! feels great to have the drain out (yesterday), and to actually be able to lift myself out of a chair and bed!!! also driving now, as i convinced the ps to give me a larger garment (i couldn't sit in the last one). so today has been a great day. it's funny how it's all relative, because i still am bruised as all get out, despite liberal application of arnica and lots of vitamin c, and i'm still in so much pain on my back of hips and thighs, but it's so much better than before, so i don't care so much! getting my tt stitches out in two days, yay! and got the ok to start working out next week, 2 weeks post op! incredible! now if my foot would just heal so i can move!!! i have a vacation coming up in france and i am determined to drop another 8 or so before then, so fingers crossed!!!

of course, now that i'm feeling better i'm wanting the boobies! lol

Photos coming soon, I promise! Wow, after reading about a million reviews here I decided to go ahead with my makeover, with much trepidation. I'm a 43 yo mother of two, 5'10", 180 lbs (but normally 172, been a crazy few months). I haven't had a chance to chart my journey as I've been laid up mostly in a lazy boy, but now I think it's worth sharing, for others. The dumb thing I did was do this 5 weeks post op from a pretty major foot surgery. It has meant that I'm more laid up than I'd otherwise be, as I can't be on my foot all day. I underestimated my foot recovery! The smart thing I did was decide not to do implants at the last minute, as it would have been too much at once for me, given my foot surgery. Plus, I was ok with my boobs, and would like to live with my new results for awhile. It's easier to put them in than take them out, right? The staff at my dr's office have been great, and the surgery was onsite. To say that I was paranoid out of my mind is a gross understatement. I was afraid of seromas, of permanent nerve damage, of my face blowing up with fat, etc etc. The surgery went very well, but, here's my brief and comical (but painful) acct so far- day 1- surgery went well, and dr told me he took 8 lbs out, wow! woke up with outer thighs on fire. had to stay at a local hotel to be near clinic, and I don't remember the ride there, but apparently I swore like he's never heard before. My outer thighs felt like they were skinned, set on fire, then beaten. That lasted for a few hours then the meds kicked in. Whew. Then it was manageable, UNTIL, I COULDN'T PEE! Very rare, never even researched this possibility, but my bladder shut down and that pain surpassed all other pain. Ended up back at clinic and got cathed, at peed 1.5 liters. They were stunned. day 2- slept only a few nights, as my back was killing me in the bed, and got cath removed at dr's, only to find out that I couldn't pee again. Relieved the nightmare of trying for hours to pee, only to be cathed again. Pretty uncomfortable feeling, as my urethra's pretty irritated at this point. Day 2 is brutal lipo pain, lots of percocet to manage it. Feels like I've been beaten down a dark alley! day 3- pain in half, thankfully. still bad, but not as bad as you'd think based on other reviews here. urologist told me that i have to keep cath in another day. noooooo! a lot of meds and meds to make me pee on my own, with pretty gnarly side effects. day 4 - cath out, peed on my own, thank god! but, no bm, so my hubby gave me a suppository, didn't work, followed by an enema. an experience neither of us would care to repeat, but the garment is so damned tight that i'd have given anything to have a bm. mind you, i've taken 2 colace a day, ex lax, miralax and tons of water and coffee at this point. it was my first bm since monday am, and i was grateful. day 5 - first shower. number one side effect of pee meds is dizziness. i blacked out, hellish shower. can't i have a normal day? at least pain is much better. drain starting to bug me!!! day 6 - starting to go a bit nuts, as my foot is preventing me from going too far. garment is so tight i can hardly breathe, nor can i sit down. so i'm either walking stooped over, or lying in lazy boy, which was the BEST money i spent. got it second hand, and i pretty much live in it, and sleep in it. also looked at my butt with a mirror. holy s***t i look hot! can't believe the difference! i'd say i'm down about two sizes, even with bloated as hell belly and hips. day 7- today. so, trying to walk to get things moving for bm (i'd do anything to relieve the tightness of this freakin garment), blacked out from pee meds on walked. with my gimpy foot it takes me 10 min to walk half a block! pretty funny, as i'm still bent over from incision. DRAIN is making me so insane that I'm taking pain meds to combat the annoyance of it. ps says he'll take it out tomorrow, a day early. hallelujah!!!!! I CANNOT wait, though I dread it coming out. It looks so gross to see that hole in my skin. so, pointers and tips and overall observations- - the first few days of pain are bad, but nowhere as bad as i thought it'd be. drugs manage it. stay ahead of the pain but honestly it was just day two that i really needed it, and i had a ton of lipo. i took percocet day 3 and 4, but just a tiny. tylenol and ibuprofen are enough. - get a lazy boy. a bed just doesn't cut it. craigslist will do it. it's day 7 and i can just now get out of the chair by myself, very slowly. - research your surgeon and make sure they're board certified ps or cosmetic surgeon. this is your body and a lot can go wrong. my surgeon is a brilliant artist, and i can tell i will be thrilled. - get a padded toilet seat!!!! they're not expensive and it's still very difficult to get on and off the toilet. - don't eat salty food!!!! you will blow up and feel even more like a sausage. eat food that's easy on your body, and that won't block you! - drink a ton of water, take a ton of arnica (i am barely bruised, and have gone through two of those pellet tubes, as per my naturopath) and vit c - make sure you have help. you will be useless the first few days. it's day 7 and i still can't bend over to the ground to pick anything up, and my house is a mess! my hubby has helped but we have two small kids and it's a lot to do! - do this if you are only willing to commit to diet and exercise. there's no way i will spend this kind of money and not protect my investment, and i can't wait to start going to the gym. don't pig out during recovery, eat healthy food and remember that this weight will go back on you if you don't work to keep it off! Even with my NIGHTMARE bladder probs, and I do mean nightmare, if I were just doing the lipo and didn't have foot recovery issues, too, I would say that this really isn't as big of a deal, pain wise, as I thought it would be, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. but I would caution people to have a ton of recommendations about their surgeon, first.