26 F, 150 LBS, 5"7 Often Mistaken For Pregnant. Abdomen and Flanks Liposuction - Salt Lake City, UT

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right but here we go. As a recent divorcee, I decided to undergo the procedure of liposuction. I was always VERY slender growing up but when I hit 24 I started gaining a lot of weight. But most of this weight is carried in my stomach as you can see in the before pictures. It sucked. I would constantly get asked if I was pregnant and when I was "due." I understand a lot of belly fat comes from diet and when I started eating healthier I noticed the numbers on the scale going down but my stomach stayed the same. The divorce happened and I decided to treat myself to something that will help me feel better about myself and getting out there again. I went to a few places to get quotes but most of them were out of my price range. Sono Bello did a great job with pricing as well as answering all of my questions about the procedure.

I should've been more prepared for what I was going into. The doctor had said that I would be getting local anesthesia so I thought I would take some Xanax to help with any anxiety and get a few shots here and there then be good to go. I was a little nervous but I thought I would be super loopy and unaware of what was going on. I wasn't. I remember.... half of it. Six shots were given but they were more to numb the skin for the micro-incisions for the medical tools to go through. The doctor then told me I would feel some discomfort at this point because they had to numb my stomach. I have not been in so much pain in my life. The tool they used reminded me of the tube they use at the dentist when they're like "CLOSE" and it sucks out the saliva. It felt like he was jabbing me and scraping my stomach like it was a dirt grill. I don't like being vocal in front of doctors but oh, I kept saying "ow," groaning, and breathing heavily. I also kept on apologizing for being vocal. The doctor said I was handling it well, noticed my discomfort and requested some pain killers which, I think, helped. After the right side of my abdomen was done I was more used to the pain so the left side wasn't as bad. Once I was numb, I was out. I don't remember anything else of the procedure.
I do remember the containers holding the fat/fluid. They looked like Jamba Juice blenders. They almost took out 5 Liters. I also vaguely remember being in a wheelchair, wheeled to my mother's car, and then being really hungry and wanting a sandwich.

After I got home my family was really great about making sure I got up to drink lots of water and go to the bathroom. The doctor advised I walk around a little bit every 2 hours. I couldn't stand up for a long time without feeling sick or dizzy but I could go to the bathroom and walk around my room a bit.

At the time I was in a little pain but still on lots of medication so it wasn't too bad. My back was SO bruised and my stomach was incredibly swollen. And then there was the changing of the dressing. I blew through the gauze like crazy. My mom was very adamant about it staying clean. I only bled all the way through twice which leaked through my corset thing and the 24 hour wrap they gave me. After about a day I only needed bandaids and by day two and a half they were are okay with out it.