Deciding to Do Liposuction - Scottsdale, AZ

I have made a decision to do liposuction.
Before coming to this decision I thought about it for about a minute... should I exercise more, can I eat better and the answer for me was yes, after I get Liposuction. I have learned so much on this site, reading, interviewing doctors and I hope I can help you all and document my journey in the process. I will start here by uploading my before pics. Surgery is scheduled for September 16. I'm so nervous!!

I have learned so much about this industry that I didn't know and I hope this helps you with your journey as well. Lets start with finding the right doctor to do your procedure. Rule 1: Look for a "board certified" doctor. Easy right?? Just go online and find board certified doctor, call in and schedule the consults, start the interview process to see which doctor has the most experience and you like the best and book the procedure .....wow was I wrong!!! Your first question to the doctor needs to be what are you board certified in? The answer your looking for a doctor that is part of the American Board of Plastic Surgery. That is the only board that will assure you that your surgeon's undergone rigorous training, testing, and continued medical education necessary to become and remain board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Most doctors will say yes I'm board certified but will not be specific in what. If the doctor says board certified cosmetic surgery or anything else other then a board certified plastic surgeon I wouldn't go with that doctor. For example I met with a doctor that said he's board certified. I said in what and he said cosmetic surgery. He was a gynecologist for 25 years and decided to move over to the cosmetic side. There is more money in that. Remember you want board certified plastic surgeons not board certified in anything other then that! Also, the myth that board certified plastic surgeons are more expensive is not necessarily true either. I Interviewed 2 doctors and one was Board Certified in Plastic Surgery and the other was board certified in Cosmetic surgery. The board certified plastic surgeon was $1000 cheaper which was shocking!!! Beware of the offices that sit you down, give you a sales pitch, make you watch a video...run! They will tell you their doctors are board certified and they are don't get me wrong...but just not in Plastic Surgery... And do you want to hear something even crazier? A lot of the doctors doing liposuction proceedures with you awake!!! The doctors that keep you awake will explain to you why you need to be awake for the procedure why it's better to be awake how much safer it is and how much better your outcome will be and how they can sit you up and move you around to make sure you look great. Then when you go to a board-certified plastic surgeon and they say no, that's not true. Of course with anesthesia there's always a risk going under but the doctors that don't use an anesthesiologist and dont put you under is because they don't have Hospital rights. There is too much liability to the hospital so the doctors that want to keep you awake during the proceedure usually have these accredited surgical centers that they use to do the work only because they don't have hospital privileges. Hospitals will not allow a doctor that is not board certified in Plastics to perform procedures in their hospital because the liability is too high. If your awake during the procedure it not because it's safer. There is a reason why the clinics, sonobello's etc...places are a lot less expensive. They just have a medical doctor that took a course in cosmetic surgery to do your procedure. They will be board certified also, just not in Plastic Surgery... buyer beware!!!!

I know that photos are one of the most important things to document on your journey. I think this is helping me come to reality that I'm really doing this and I really need my own photos to judge my results. I know we all have expectations of how we want to look but how am I really going to look? It so hard to picture what I am going to look like. I started all the homeopathic medications that have been suggested to me so I guess now I just wait for the big day!

Unfortunately I had to cancel my surgery for liposuction for today. I got a cyst under my arm by my armpit area and my surgeon said that it is too risky to move forward with the liposuction proceedure. He said to take the antibiotics and get better then he will reschedule my appointment. I was so excited and now I have to go through the emotional roller coaster again. I will keep you dolls posted.

OK, new update. My liposuction procedure date is September 6th. Excited but still nervous. I'm the meantime I heard about this great app! It's fun to use. It's called plastic surgery simulator lite. Look at the simulation I did for my neck.

My new surgery Date is September 6th. I have been reading about AB boards, foam etc...there are so many products out there. The board certified plastic surgeon who is doing my procedure said those are all gimmicky items. He said that if those items improved the results he would back those products. My doctor hand fitted me for my garment to make sure it's a perfect fit for healing and getting optimal results. He said to follow his instructions and don't get caught up in the infomercial like products.

I spoke to and interviewed a lot of doctors and this is the doctor that will be doing my proceedure. He is board certified in Plastic Surgery, staff is excellent, Dr Williams is friendly, patient and you never feel like your not a priority. Office is quiet, professional and very discreat. You will rarely see another patient in the office at the same time as your appointment because privacy and being discreet is very important to theme and their patients.

I still can't believe I did it! I'm 3 days post opp and still can't believe I went through with it. The doc said everything went well and he took out a lot of fat. I asked him to take a pic so I have it to share with all of you. I can't even tell you how easy my recovery has been. I am the biggest baby when it comes to pain and I have had hardly any pain. I feel a little sore but nothing like I expected. Keep in mind the doctor you pick matters when it comes to your recovery too! If your doctor is a board certified plastic surgeon like mine is, he's a pro's at liposuction and the better the doctor the better the recovery!!

I feel great today and the recovery has been really easy so far except for putting my garment on myself. So today is the 1st day I was home alone with know one here to help me. I have had hardly any pain and been moving around, cooking, working from home, just going about my day with little pain. I do take a pain pill every 4 -6 hours when I start getting a little sore, but I'm sure Tylenol or ibuprofen would be strong enough. I decided that I should have no problem putting my garment back on after I took a shower....oh ladies...was I wrong...I struggled and tried to get it on for about 20 minutes until I had to phone a friend to help me get back into it. It is clips and a side zipper, take my advise, for the 1st few days let someone help you!

So the day after my surgery, I felt so hungry! I was eating every 2 to 3 hours and for some reason I just couldn't seem to get rid of the hunger. I was munching all day. Grapes, toast, mozzarella, salami, ham, Prosciutto, Pirates bootie puffs...seriously what was wrong with me. I calied my doctors officell (which by the way is amazing) and Nicole the office manager told me that my body doesn't know the difference between being hungry and thirsty and if I drink a bottle of water, wait 30 min then I won't be so hungry. True enough finilly after wanting to eat every thing in site. I realize I'm just more thirsty then anything....drinks tons of water!!!

So I have read hundreds of posts, looked at 100's of before and after pics on this site and yet nothing really prepares you for your own results and journey. Rule number 1...be patient. Your not going to be instantly skinny, your body is going to look kinda weird and deformed, it is impossible to picture what your going to look like in 30 days and its normal to look and feel like a balloon for the 1stime few days!!! I knew all of these things based on the helpful posts all of you ladies write that help me so much. It's just so sereal when you looking at yourself. All of our bodies are different even though we may be able to relate to someone's shape and size we will all have different experiences. I personally am swelling a lot! I am round, weigh 10 lbs more theb normal and are retaining a bunch of water. The doc says this is normal and swelling takes a while so be patient. When the doc took off my garment the next day for my follow up appointment I looked weird shaped, looked like I have two stomachs now and started getting nervous. My plastic surgeon and his staff assured me this is all normal, it takes time, everyone feels this way and is scared and your not use to your body looking deformed. Your body will reshape, swelling will go down and in 30 days I will see a big difference in 6 months your final results, but in 30 days 80% ish of the swelling will be down. Here are the pics 24 hours after my surgery. Hope this helps you all on your journey as all of you ladies have helped me tremendously!!!

Here is what I have been using for my after Care in addition to the pain pills and my daily multivitamin. So far so good. Lots of swellings and more swelling but pain is not too bad. Just a little sore. Very minimal.