40 Yo post full tt, Getting saddlebag area treated with Sculpsure

So this afternoon I completed my first SculpSure treatment. I couldn’t find a lot of info for treatment of the area I’m having done so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have to laugh thinking I would just lay there and read a book. We started off with taking before pics and then I laid down on my side to have the right side done first. Three panels were attached and it was tricky getting all the contacts to stay in place. It was several minutes of adjusting before the machine could start. The first four minutes is a warm up and it starts off feeling like a blast of cold air. It then gradually starts to feel warm and for me (can differ for everyone) there was a zappy, tingly, crampy sensation that eventually became too much for me. The goal was to reach 1.4 but sadly I was barely tolerating .9 - so much for me thinking I tolerate pain well. Gena was wonderful and got me cold compresses for the area that hurt the worst and even fanned me. I honestly thought I was going to have to stop treatment but then I remembered how in childbirth relaxing through contractions made them less painful. Same principle worked here. At around the 10 minute mark one of the sensors lost contact and another few minutes were spent trying to get all the contacts to engage and for the rest of the time it never felt uncomfortable again and I only felt coolness. I even asked if it was working because there was no discomfort. Gena said I was actually at 1.1 which was quite surprising.
When the 25 minutes was up and she unattached the contacts and my skin felt very cool like an ice pack had just been on it. She gave me a little break to go to the restroom and while it felt a little tingly nothing hurt and I felt confident about going back for the left side. She placed the contacts in a slightly different spot for my left side and had my legs straightened out more which kept the contacts in place for the entire 25 minutes this time. I knew what to expect and when I started to feel the nerve like pain and cramping I just forced myself to relax and was able to tolerate it the entire time with no cold compresses needed. I will say it is not a pleasant feeling just when you think you can’t take it anymore there is a cold blast and you are able to recover before the next heat up begins. Around 10 minutes in I think our bodies adjust to it and it is not quite as painful. But for me, the left side still wasn’t comfortable or pleasant like the remaining 15 minutes were on the right side.
With all that said when I touched my skin on the left side after she took the machine off it didn’t feel quite as cold as the right and I almost immediately felt a deep soreness and tenderness. Driving home I was surprised how uncomfortable I was and how strong the discomfort was but only on my left side. Right side the skin feels like a slight sunburn but there is no tenderness or soreness.
I was very happy that Gena called me two hours after I had left the office to check on me so I could explain how I was concerned that one side hurts so much and the other does not at all. She told me it was completely normal and assured me that both sides did have the same treatment.
She said that women that get it on their lower abdomen will actually feel like they did thousands of crunches so the intense soreness makes a little bit more sense for me now I just wish it wasn’t so uncomfortable. Or maybe if I had the same amount of discomfort on both sides it wouldn’t bother me as much??? Not sure. I think I’m just paranoid that I didn’t get as strong of a treatment on the right side.
She said I could do ice packs which I have been doing and I took two extra strength Tylenol but it barely took the edge off. I will probably take a couple of Advil before bed. I can already feel the difference with swelling on my left side where I don’t really feel it on my right. Part of me wishes I had put the procedure off as I have family coming in town tomorrow but maybe they will distract me from the discomfort. :) if anything we can have a big laugh if my butt looks twice as big this week from swelling ;) I am to massage the areas twice a day for 5 to 10 minutes and drink tons of water. I will update again tomorrow I am really hoping it doesn’t feel quite so tender on my left side! She did warn me that the tenderness can last up to two weeks :/
I go back again in two weeks for a skin tightening treatment and then I’m supposed to have my second session in five weeks. Right now I am just looking forward for this pain to go away on my left side.

I can’t tell you how relieved I was last night to have the pain become mild and now this morning be completely gone! Not only do I have family coming but it’s my birthday and yesterday I was thinking I may be in pain with ice packs all day. :) Not the case! There’s just a mild tenderness if I push on the area. This I expected. There’s a little pocket of swelling on my left side, last night and a little this morning I can see a small area that looks like a collection of fat. I believe another review described it as a whelp which is a great description. Right side (which never had post treatment pain) doesn’t really show swelling or the whelp area. I definitely “feel” like the left side got treated and I am very curious what the results will show!
In 5 weeks I will get second treatment done and we can discuss any different placement of the sensors. My last bit of advice would be because of everyone having different reactions I wouldn’t schedule this procedure right before a special event or vacation, schedule at least a few weeks before.