MY EXPERIENCE: Smart lipo abs and flanks

Want to feel good in my skin and in my clothes as I turn 40. Getting smart lipo on my abs and flanks. Currently just have a mommy belly from having my son many years ago. Some skin elasticity issues...not too bad but there. Currently a size 6 with hips, thighs and a butt...but want that belly GONE. Everything else can stay.

I am currently in the waiting room all marked up and ready to go as we speak for my procedure. So far the meds have me a little too coherent so I've asked to take another Xanax so hoping the kicks me up a notch here shortly. Couldn't be more excited about my procedure and the final results. I will post pics and updates daily because everyone else's transparency has been so helpful so would like to pay it forward.

Pray for me y'all!!!

I'm 5'4 and about 145 typically...but gained about 10lbs of COVID weight like many others (ugh). I like all other areas of my body even when I gain weight...but I gain most of it in the tummy...the worst place in my opinion. I think women of all sizes are beautiful when proportionate.

I went to one doc who had terrible bedside manners (others have said the same) and didn't seem to listen to me when I told him my expectations and kept saying "I don't think you'll be happy...you need a tummy tuck...look you". Meanwhile I'm thinking..."I've seen MUCH worse than me and I'm still in a size 4/6 so why is this jerk making me feel like I'm severely obese and a lost cause!?! This was even after I told him I didn't expect to be prancing around in a two-piece and also didn't dislike my body enough to go through something so invasive...I just wanted it flatter even if my above belly wrinkle from childbirth was still there...I wanted to feel and look better in my clothes. So I said..."boy bye" (insert eye roll).

I went to another doc who was so kind and positive. And said..."this is going to be easy...and you might get a little skin tightening around this little area above your belly button". We looked at some pics together and while he didn't make promises...he felt that my results would be better than I even expected'. So I left feeling much better and we set a date.

I went in for my bloodwork a couple weeks later with the plan to have the procedure mid-March so that I'd be all healed by my 40th birthday trip. Bloodwork came back with high platelet counts and low iron...I'm anemic thanks to my stupid fibroids that I know I have (Insert tears). I was devastated. So he wanted me to be on an iron supplement for a month and we'd try again. Fast-forward one month after religiously taking my iron pill and vitamin C to help it absorb....got my bloodwork done again. It came back a little better...but still not in the average range. (Insert more tears and anger) He wanted to try 6 weeks more of supplements...meanwhile the clock is ticking for my birthday trip in June. But I appreciated is concern for me and didn't want to rush it for an 'elective' surgery. During the next 6 week I continued with my supplement and also began a diet just in case smart lipo wasn't happening so I wanted to trim a little belly weight off on my own even if it meant I'd lose my butt too. 6 weeks later after praying over the blood as she took it away...it came back in the normal range! HALLELUJAH!

I purchased all the pre-surgery items they requested and didn't drink alcohol for 7 days prior and drank a ton of water as directed.

My surgery was planned for noon so I took 1 Xanax and 1 hydrcodone and hour before arriving as directed. I felt a little calmness but not as much as I wanted. I wanted to be loopy and not realize what was happening. That wasn't the case for me but I wasn't nervous AT ALL ironically.

I got undressed and the nurse took pics. Then my awesome doc came in and talked me to go over everything again. Next he marked me all up for my abs and flanks (though he didn't think they were that bad...but I wanted to make sure the weight didn't come back there after the tummy fat cells were gone). He asked how I felt and I said "fine but I feel too alert". So he told me to take the 2nd Xanax and I did.

We moved into the OR and they asked me what I wanted to listen to. I said "spa sounds" because I wanted to fall asleep. Then they asked my favorite artist...and I say Beyoncé. So Beyoncé radio it was.

As the procedure began they first number me in 5 places...felt like bee stings. Then he started injecting the numbing liquid. Not painful....just felt weird…but the flanks hurt a bit more. Pretty soon my belly felt like a was wearing a heavy armored vest and they were working on that. Didn't feel like my tummy. I know that sounds weird...but that's the best way to describe it. So there we were...all of us, the doc, the nurses and me singing to Beyoncé, Jay-z and many others while he sucked the fat out. 1200 ccs to be exact which he was happy about. It took about 3 hours but felt like less. So maybe I was in and out after all. He stitched me up which I didn’t feel at all and drained the excess fluid out. The nurse put the binder on me and let me sit in the recovery room for a short time. My husband pick me up and we were on our way home.

When I got home I felt great. No pain whatsoever. I was just moving a little slow probably because of the medicine. I immediately laid down and waited for dinner to be ready.

By about 7 o’clock my husband came in to wake me up and that’s when things went downhill slightly. I felt lightheaded, I felt nauseous and was in a bit of pain, was leaking and was very sore. I immediately got back in bed while my husband came in to feed me a few bites of food…how sweet of him! He helped me change clothes because they had fluid on them and I took my pain meds and went back to sleep. I’ve woke up around midnight and was in pain again so I ate a few crackers, took more pain medicine, and went back to bed and slept solid for the night. I must admit that I did wake up a couple times and got excited that it was finally done—woot, woot.

When I woke up at about 5 AM the pain was coming in hot!!!! I was very sore and could hardly move. I took more pain medicine and got back in bed and now I feel fine! So the moral of the story is…do NOT let the pain medicine wear off.

More updates to come! Pray for me y’all.

Ok, so definitely not as sore as yesterday but still very sore and moving slow…but moving. I have to bend and sit veeeery slowly. I haven’t taken meds since yesterday. I’m trying to avoid anything because I’m still a little nauseous and afraid of why happened yesterday with becoming violently ill.

On a positive note…I saw those flanks looking good yesterday when I took my binder off. Woot woot! My center tummy is still very swollen. My incisions are so teeny tiny that I expect them to be non-existent in a couple days—it’s truly remarkable, I must say.

All in all, I’m doing fine and looking forward to each new day to feel a little less sore. The hardest part so far is finding a comfortable place to sit and sleep. Laying flat on my back is best…but that gets old after a while. I keep saying that I wish I had a beach chair. LOL Not sure how I think I would be able to get in and out of it, but that position would be comfortable. Maybe a curved chaise lounger would be nice.

I’m also kinda sick of the binders and wondering if a faja would be more comfortable. Might try a mild one.

On a one to ten scale, yesterday’s discomfort was a 7/8, today I’m at a 5. So progress. :)

I will post pics soon, I promise. Feel free to ask any questions.