28 Years Old, No Kids, Very Active. Lower, Upper, Flanks. San Antonio, TX

Im 28 years old, very active but could never achieve a flat stomach that ive dreamed for. Ive been on the fence about lip for awhile now. I probably have read every review out there and all the reviews vary. So either this was going to be the best money Ive ever spent or the worst. I'm almost afraid that since i have big hips that my shape would turn out weird. So i decided finally to take the plunge and get my lower, upper and flanks done.

My procedure took 3 1/2 hours and it was pretty awful. If i could redo this i would make sure i had general anesthesia instead of local. They numb your stomach with tumescent fluid and then suction the fat out. Well some places didn't become numb and it hurt very bad, i was in tears a few times. The Dr was nice enough to go back and numb the area again before starting over. The worst area for me was around my belly button. No matter how much fluid he put in that area it never really got numb. After, he had me stand, there was blood gushing down my legs. He wanted to make sure i was even and suctioned around where he thought i needed to. I honestly thought i was going to hit the ground since i was given Valium and Norco to take. After the doctor was done, the nurse helped me get cleaned up. She measured my stomach to see what size garment to give me. She ended up giving me a small, Ive never worn anything small in my life and boy was that garment tight.
As soon as i left the doctor’s office i threw up and it hurt my stomach bad. I knew i would end up nauseous so i asked for a prescription for zofran before hand and im glad i did. I ended up sleeping a few hours when i got home, i placed a shower curtain and a towel down on my bed before i slept and when i woke up i was drenched in fluids. The pain was manageable since I was still pretty numb. That night I ended up taking a walk around the neighborhood even though I was pretty high on pain killers, it felt good to get up and walk. My garment and abdominal binder were drenched in blood and fluids so I washed them that night. I had my bff change my dressings and help me but my garment back on. You definitely need help putting it on, so make sure someone is with you for the first 24hrs. I slept for about 4 hours that night, I usually sleep on my side, pretty much impossible.

God, I think I’m regretting this very much. I’m so swollen, I could cry. I know you’re supposed to be swollen for a few days but I didn’t think it would be this bad. I’m bigger now then I was before surgery. I hope it goes away. This morning I went on a 2 mile walk since the MD said it would help me feel better. I find standing and walking feels a lot better than sitting down. Because once you sit down its very hard to get up. The pain is pretty intense so I’ve been taking pain killers around the clock. I’m not leaking as much as I did yesterday. The garment and abdominal binder still feel pretty tight.

I'm still swollen in some areas and very tender to the touch. They suggested i get a lymphatic massage but having someone massage my stomach makes me cringe just thinking about it. Yesterday i decided to not wear the abdominal binder so my clothes for Christmas wouldn't look bulky and my body was hurting after a few hours (very bad idea). Ive been walking everyday, it seems to be helping. Walking around feels great, its just sleeping and sitting down that still hurts. I went back to work on Day 3, if you can take a week off, you should, especially if your job isn't a desk job.

I feel like my sides are uneven but maybe they will even out after time. Some areas i can tell a slight different and other areas look the same. Its only been 6 days so i can just hope for the best.

Some of my pictures are missing so i uploaded them again.
I finally hit the 6 week mark and I'm so glad i don't have to wear the garment anymore, that thing was brutal. The first month was really rough for me, i was extremely sensitive all over my abdomen, when someone would touch me or i ran into something i would cringe. It was really tough sleeping at night since i sleep on my side and that just wasn't going to happen after this procedure. When i had my month check up, i was really worried that certain areas had large nodules, MD said it was normal. He also recommended getting a massage but if i didn't do that to put a rolling pin in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and roll downwards on my stomach. Weird i know, but i think it helped.

But now im finally at the 6 week mark and things are much better. I'm still sore around my belly button and on my sides but the sensitivity isn't as severe. I went back to the gym and finally started back running and the only thing is, it hurts my stomach to run. So ive been wearing my abdominal binder while running and it keeps me secure, works great. Some day's i feel i look the same in the mirror and other days i can see a change. Ive been getting a lot of compliments lately that i look skinnier, so I'll take it. The scars are very noticeable, I'm wondering if they will eventually fade away. I really hope so.