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*Treatment results may vary
Week 2
My previous concern of the dent on my right butt cheek is no more, thank goodness! I suppose it was just something strange with the swelling. My butt is rounder once again.
On day 6 I felt so good that I went on a +3 mile walk with my dog, then walked to the supermarket, then strolled around and went shopping, then went home and cooked. I was on my feet a lot and clearly overdid it, as my legs swelled up immensely.
Day 7 was my first time getting a massage. Instead of a gentle lymphatic massage, I got some crazy kneading action from the masseuse, and was grimacing in pain. It was worse than the lipo! Afterwards I felt much better and managed to walk around some more. However, I woke up very uncomfortable and in pain in the middle of the night and had to take a Vicodin.
Each day there is less pain and less swelling, however the bruising began to take on a lovely purple maroon color. So glad it's pants/leggings season right now!
I really saw a difference in my silhouette beginning day 9 (pics attached). Right now I'm on day 17 and frankly, it feels weird to have significantly smaller thighs, despite being significantly heavier than I usually am (I was 130 going into the procedure, I am 132 today, and usually feel and look my best between 120-125). I am now worried that my love handles and lower ab looks wide, and that I'm turning into a rectangle shape (maybe I should have done my flanks too?); it's probably also due to the fact that my waist and love handles looked much smaller relative to my huge gross saddlebags, and now that those are gone, I'm seeing what overweight me minus saddlebags looks like. I'm hoping it's because I'm out of shape, and can't wait to do more aggressive exercising once I can.
I can fit into a couple pre-op "fat" pants (mainly yoga pants and one or two "fat" jeans), but my lower ab/high hip area is bigger now (probably because I'm swollen and gained weight?) and I have a hard time buttoning anything up. It's difficult for me to differentiate between gaining weight and having a swollen stomach. I'm just observing that my stomach is bigger than it was pre-op, though I haven't been eating more.
Still wearing compression garment, legs still get swollen if I've been standing or walking a long time. Stopped using pain killers by day 8 or so (days 1-5 I would take 3 Vicodin, day 6-7 I took 1). Got stitches taken out day 11 or 12, incision sites healing well, going to start putting scar stuff on it soon.
Have one small issue with my inner thigh -- see day 16 pic, look at inner thigh, nearest my underwear. There are 2 wavy areas on my left leg. Will ask the PS when I see him again for my 1 month post-op appointment.
On day 6 I felt so good that I went on a +3 mile walk with my dog, then walked to the supermarket, then strolled around and went shopping, then went home and cooked. I was on my feet a lot and clearly overdid it, as my legs swelled up immensely.
Day 7 was my first time getting a massage. Instead of a gentle lymphatic massage, I got some crazy kneading action from the masseuse, and was grimacing in pain. It was worse than the lipo! Afterwards I felt much better and managed to walk around some more. However, I woke up very uncomfortable and in pain in the middle of the night and had to take a Vicodin.
Each day there is less pain and less swelling, however the bruising began to take on a lovely purple maroon color. So glad it's pants/leggings season right now!
I really saw a difference in my silhouette beginning day 9 (pics attached). Right now I'm on day 17 and frankly, it feels weird to have significantly smaller thighs, despite being significantly heavier than I usually am (I was 130 going into the procedure, I am 132 today, and usually feel and look my best between 120-125). I am now worried that my love handles and lower ab looks wide, and that I'm turning into a rectangle shape (maybe I should have done my flanks too?); it's probably also due to the fact that my waist and love handles looked much smaller relative to my huge gross saddlebags, and now that those are gone, I'm seeing what overweight me minus saddlebags looks like. I'm hoping it's because I'm out of shape, and can't wait to do more aggressive exercising once I can.
I can fit into a couple pre-op "fat" pants (mainly yoga pants and one or two "fat" jeans), but my lower ab/high hip area is bigger now (probably because I'm swollen and gained weight?) and I have a hard time buttoning anything up. It's difficult for me to differentiate between gaining weight and having a swollen stomach. I'm just observing that my stomach is bigger than it was pre-op, though I haven't been eating more.
Still wearing compression garment, legs still get swollen if I've been standing or walking a long time. Stopped using pain killers by day 8 or so (days 1-5 I would take 3 Vicodin, day 6-7 I took 1). Got stitches taken out day 11 or 12, incision sites healing well, going to start putting scar stuff on it soon.
Have one small issue with my inner thigh -- see day 16 pic, look at inner thigh, nearest my underwear. There are 2 wavy areas on my left leg. Will ask the PS when I see him again for my 1 month post-op appointment.
Day 3 & 4
-Day 3
Third day post-op was much better in terms of tenderness, swelling, and pain. I am drinking about a gallon of fluids each day, but find that the area between my lower abs and upper thighs are still swollen; I must be retaining fluid there. Things that are still hard to do: bend my knees, sit on the toilet without favoring my right thigh, stand for a long period of time without getting swollen. That being said, all those things are easier to do than even the day before, and I am waddling a lot less. Pain was managed with two Vicodins, and the NSAIDs the doctor prescribed.
Although my PS advised waiting until the fourth day to shower, I saw that many people were able to shower on day 2, so I went ahead and showered late in the evening. I saw my thighs in their entirety for the first time since I've had the procedure. Bruising was not that bad (some areas are magenta, some are greenish, a little are dark purple), I would say about 1/3 of my thighs (inner, outer) are bruised, along with all of my inner knees. Touching my thighs for the first time was also weird too -- hard and swollen, yet tender. The water felt nice though. I gingerly applied arnica gel after I toweled off.
I was shocked upon coming out of the shower. I looked at my backside and all the happiness I felt from seeing my shape change from the front was immediately negated by the lumpy, dimpled appearance of my back thighs. I have cellulite-like dimpling from my butt all the way down to my knees...ugh. Hoping that it is just uneven swelling and a reaction to the lipo. My PS said my cellulite would improve marginally, but did not say that it would get 1000% worse! I know that lipo *can* make cellulite worse, but that some lumps and bumps post-op are normal and will diminish over time, as we heal, so I'm hoping it's the latter. Went to bed pretty sad and disappointed.
-Day 4
Every morning I wake up feeling great, as that's when my body is the least swollen. By the evening, I feel like sausage wrapped in too-tight casing, kind of frustrating, but I guess it's expected.
Pain and sensitivity from the swelling is less today, I can bend my knees further and sit on the toilet with less discomfort. Standing up for more than 30 minutes makes me swell though.
The increase in dimpling has been really bothering me, so my plan of action is to get a foam roller, and roll across my thighs as soon as I'm up for it. I'm also going to get a lymphatic massage, probably early in the upcoming week. Additionally, I'm going to start lifting some dumbbells tomorrow, and do some light treadmill walking. I want to de-swell and get in shape as soon as possible!
One other thing, I noticed that there is an increase in a dent on my right buttock, post-lipo...a bit bummed about that. I'm having a hard time taking a picture of it, but I read a description of someone on RS who had a botched lipo job and she described the look as if someone "punched" her butt cheek, and it left an indent. That's exactly what I'm seeing. I know my right buttock had this before, but it seems more pronounced now...hoping that will change when I begin to work out again.
Third day post-op was much better in terms of tenderness, swelling, and pain. I am drinking about a gallon of fluids each day, but find that the area between my lower abs and upper thighs are still swollen; I must be retaining fluid there. Things that are still hard to do: bend my knees, sit on the toilet without favoring my right thigh, stand for a long period of time without getting swollen. That being said, all those things are easier to do than even the day before, and I am waddling a lot less. Pain was managed with two Vicodins, and the NSAIDs the doctor prescribed.
Although my PS advised waiting until the fourth day to shower, I saw that many people were able to shower on day 2, so I went ahead and showered late in the evening. I saw my thighs in their entirety for the first time since I've had the procedure. Bruising was not that bad (some areas are magenta, some are greenish, a little are dark purple), I would say about 1/3 of my thighs (inner, outer) are bruised, along with all of my inner knees. Touching my thighs for the first time was also weird too -- hard and swollen, yet tender. The water felt nice though. I gingerly applied arnica gel after I toweled off.
I was shocked upon coming out of the shower. I looked at my backside and all the happiness I felt from seeing my shape change from the front was immediately negated by the lumpy, dimpled appearance of my back thighs. I have cellulite-like dimpling from my butt all the way down to my knees...ugh. Hoping that it is just uneven swelling and a reaction to the lipo. My PS said my cellulite would improve marginally, but did not say that it would get 1000% worse! I know that lipo *can* make cellulite worse, but that some lumps and bumps post-op are normal and will diminish over time, as we heal, so I'm hoping it's the latter. Went to bed pretty sad and disappointed.
-Day 4
Every morning I wake up feeling great, as that's when my body is the least swollen. By the evening, I feel like sausage wrapped in too-tight casing, kind of frustrating, but I guess it's expected.
Pain and sensitivity from the swelling is less today, I can bend my knees further and sit on the toilet with less discomfort. Standing up for more than 30 minutes makes me swell though.
The increase in dimpling has been really bothering me, so my plan of action is to get a foam roller, and roll across my thighs as soon as I'm up for it. I'm also going to get a lymphatic massage, probably early in the upcoming week. Additionally, I'm going to start lifting some dumbbells tomorrow, and do some light treadmill walking. I want to de-swell and get in shape as soon as possible!
One other thing, I noticed that there is an increase in a dent on my right buttock, post-lipo...a bit bummed about that. I'm having a hard time taking a picture of it, but I read a description of someone on RS who had a botched lipo job and she described the look as if someone "punched" her butt cheek, and it left an indent. That's exactly what I'm seeing. I know my right buttock had this before, but it seems more pronounced now...hoping that will change when I begin to work out again.
Post Op Day 1 & Day 2
- Day One
I did not sleep well on the night of my surgery. Even though I was exhausted, I could not fall into sleep, and it did not help that my husband was snoring like crazy. Additionally, I was too scared to roll onto my sides (I am a side sleeper), so I laid completely straight the whole time, which made me feel like I was in a coffin. I was not in pain, but I was definitely not comfortable either. I got up in the morning and forced myself to eat a little something because I was told to take the medicines after breakfast and after dinner. I had no appetite, but managed to eat an egg with a little cheese. I did not count how much water I had before 10AM, but from 10AM until 1:30PM, I drank almost 2 liters of water. I was worried because I did not feel the need to urinate, though my stomach was swollen from all the water I was drinking. Moreover, I had extreme dry mouth, and was feeling a bit lightheaded. I left for my first post-op checkup at 2PM, got to the clinic at 2:30, and was told I would be having my bandages removed, dressings changed, an antibiotic injection, and then put on my new compression garment. I was feeling okay until the nurse got to a particularly sticky bandaged area, and I yelped in pain because it was near the incision site of my inner thigh. After that, it quickly went downhill. I started to sweat profusely, felt like I was burning up, then felt extremely nauseous, my hearing was going out, my vision was getting blurry, my breathing was getting very shallow, my mouth was parched, and I had a hard time talking. The nurse rushed two other clinic helpers/English translators back into my exam room, and they immediately checked my blood pressure. I heard gasps, and one of the staff members commented on how white I was. My blood pressure had dropped to around 90/50, which is dangerously low. The nurse wheeled in an IV drip and the thought of more needles poking me made me feel even sicker (I absolutely hate needles). I think they also wanted to give me a catheter to drain all the fluid I was retaining as I couldn't urinate. Both ideas were making me so ill that I just begged them to let me lie down and rest for a few minutes to calm down. I was moved to another room with a bed and told them I just wanted to take a 30 minute nap. I drifted in and out of sleep, but after resting for 30 minutes, I felt so much better. I was able to urinate (a little), finish taking off the dressings, have the antibiotic injection, and squeeze into the compression garment (which took 2 people to help me put on!). I think the combination of the lack of sleep, dehydration, and the trauma that my body went through not even 24 hours prior just did me in. I felt terrible because I must have seemed like a drama queen, but I've never had anything like that happen to me in my life before. I've passed a kidney stone, had a kidney infection, had a thyroid biopsy (ick), and came out okay, but the feeling of my blood pressure dropping so low so quickly was terrifying in a different way. I never want to experience that again!
So I finally finished up after being at the clinic for 2 hours, and an aid accompanied me to get a taxi. She also told me that pumpkin is very good for inflammation and swelling, and asked me if I had any pumpkin juice. I said no, so she took me to a pharmacy and helped me purchase some. I'm supposed to drink 3 packets of pumpkin juice a day, for 9 days. I googled this and it seems like it's only commented on/related to Korean plastic surgery, so I'm not sure how well documented this is, but hey, it tastes good, so I'm not complaining.
I got home, slept for 2 hours, woke up when my husband got home from work, ate a small dinner, drank some Powerade, took my medicines, took the Vicodin, went to bed.
Day 1 Summary: Dehydrated, didn't sleep well, almost fainted in office at post-op visit, felt better the rest of the evening. I feel very stiff and swollen, certain areas are quite tender, such as the inner knee and outer thigh of my right leg. From what I can see, bruising is minimal, but I wasn't able to take a pic.
-Day 2
I noticed that my legs were much less swollen this morning, and I was delighted to get up and look in the mirror and see my new shape. It's always a pleasant surprise skimming my hands down the sides of my hips/outer thighs and have it feel so much smaller. I'm quite happy so far with that aspect of the procedure. I think you can see a difference in my shape already through the picture I posted, even though I am wearing thick sweatpants in my "after" pic.
Going pee is always a struggle. I've noticed that I urinate very slowly, and whenever I initially stop peeing, I feel like I have more to pee, so I will sit there for a minute or two, and then lo and behold, more urine comes out, faster too. I'm not sure if it's because I am sitting funny on the toilet (I'm favoring my right thigh, so I lean on my left thigh, and sit at the very edge of the toilet because the backs of my thighs are tender too), or if it's because stuff is just out of whack down there...just something I've noticed. My stomach is still swollen and a little firm, also not sure if it's from the amount of water I'm drinking, or from the lipo (I did not have my abs done though).
Had a light breakfast, drank lots of fluids, noticed that my knees feel so tight and uncomfortable in the compression garment. I lounged around, but got up at least once an hour to walk around. Pain is bearable, but I am definitely still very stiff, swollen, bruised and tender. It's hard for me to bend my knees, which makes changing, putting on shoes, etc. difficult.
Went to clinic for second post-op dressing change and antibiotic injection. My husband took the day off work to help me and he accompanied me to the clinic and ended up wowing the staff with his piano skills. There is a large grand piano in the lobby of the clinic, and my husband, being a very talented piano player, enjoyed playing the piano for everyone. The surgeon's wife gave him sheet music to play, a clinic director printed out more sheet music, and everyone took out their cell phones to record him. They even asked us to stay and eat some sweet potatoes they were roasting, yum! When I was given the antibiotic injection, I could hear my husband's piano playing, which was definitely calming and helped me get through any anxiety I had, so that was a nice treat. I don't like getting up/sitting down, so I mostly stood while my husband played, I think I shuffled around for a good hour or so. I felt fine, so I was shocked to see that my knees swelled up to the size of my thighs during the taxi ride home! My right foot was also so swollen that my flip-flop band left an indentation on my foot...gross. I went home and immediately propped my legs up in bed and rested. Overall, the swelling tonight seems to be worse than the swelling yesterday, as my legs feel really puffy and I find myself having to move much more gingerly. I am walking like an arthritic, limping sumo wrestler or penguin, waddling, shuffling, and not able to bend my knees, and am favoring my right leg.
Some other comments/thoughts:
- I do not have much bruising or discoloration at all. I'm wondering if it will just take a few days to show up? I was expecting to have black/blue/purple/green thighs by now.
- I am taking arnica, Emergen-C, drinking Amazing Green Grass...thinking about adding bromelain, but not sure how readily available it is in Korea. Pineapple is quite expensive here too. I'd like to reduce the swelling as fast as possible, shuffling around is not very fun.
- My original consultant/English translator said I would only have to wear the compression garment for 2 weeks. Then the nurse told another translator that I would have to wear it all the time for 1-3 months, but that I should take it off in the evening. I'm pretty confused what I should do, and I forgot to ask specifically today, so I'll ask again the next time I go in (Sunday). General consensus is that a tight compression garment should be worn at least 2 weeks to 1 month, and then a lighter one can be worn after that, but that a compression garment should definitely be worn at nighttime.
I did not sleep well on the night of my surgery. Even though I was exhausted, I could not fall into sleep, and it did not help that my husband was snoring like crazy. Additionally, I was too scared to roll onto my sides (I am a side sleeper), so I laid completely straight the whole time, which made me feel like I was in a coffin. I was not in pain, but I was definitely not comfortable either. I got up in the morning and forced myself to eat a little something because I was told to take the medicines after breakfast and after dinner. I had no appetite, but managed to eat an egg with a little cheese. I did not count how much water I had before 10AM, but from 10AM until 1:30PM, I drank almost 2 liters of water. I was worried because I did not feel the need to urinate, though my stomach was swollen from all the water I was drinking. Moreover, I had extreme dry mouth, and was feeling a bit lightheaded. I left for my first post-op checkup at 2PM, got to the clinic at 2:30, and was told I would be having my bandages removed, dressings changed, an antibiotic injection, and then put on my new compression garment. I was feeling okay until the nurse got to a particularly sticky bandaged area, and I yelped in pain because it was near the incision site of my inner thigh. After that, it quickly went downhill. I started to sweat profusely, felt like I was burning up, then felt extremely nauseous, my hearing was going out, my vision was getting blurry, my breathing was getting very shallow, my mouth was parched, and I had a hard time talking. The nurse rushed two other clinic helpers/English translators back into my exam room, and they immediately checked my blood pressure. I heard gasps, and one of the staff members commented on how white I was. My blood pressure had dropped to around 90/50, which is dangerously low. The nurse wheeled in an IV drip and the thought of more needles poking me made me feel even sicker (I absolutely hate needles). I think they also wanted to give me a catheter to drain all the fluid I was retaining as I couldn't urinate. Both ideas were making me so ill that I just begged them to let me lie down and rest for a few minutes to calm down. I was moved to another room with a bed and told them I just wanted to take a 30 minute nap. I drifted in and out of sleep, but after resting for 30 minutes, I felt so much better. I was able to urinate (a little), finish taking off the dressings, have the antibiotic injection, and squeeze into the compression garment (which took 2 people to help me put on!). I think the combination of the lack of sleep, dehydration, and the trauma that my body went through not even 24 hours prior just did me in. I felt terrible because I must have seemed like a drama queen, but I've never had anything like that happen to me in my life before. I've passed a kidney stone, had a kidney infection, had a thyroid biopsy (ick), and came out okay, but the feeling of my blood pressure dropping so low so quickly was terrifying in a different way. I never want to experience that again!
So I finally finished up after being at the clinic for 2 hours, and an aid accompanied me to get a taxi. She also told me that pumpkin is very good for inflammation and swelling, and asked me if I had any pumpkin juice. I said no, so she took me to a pharmacy and helped me purchase some. I'm supposed to drink 3 packets of pumpkin juice a day, for 9 days. I googled this and it seems like it's only commented on/related to Korean plastic surgery, so I'm not sure how well documented this is, but hey, it tastes good, so I'm not complaining.
I got home, slept for 2 hours, woke up when my husband got home from work, ate a small dinner, drank some Powerade, took my medicines, took the Vicodin, went to bed.
Day 1 Summary: Dehydrated, didn't sleep well, almost fainted in office at post-op visit, felt better the rest of the evening. I feel very stiff and swollen, certain areas are quite tender, such as the inner knee and outer thigh of my right leg. From what I can see, bruising is minimal, but I wasn't able to take a pic.
-Day 2
I noticed that my legs were much less swollen this morning, and I was delighted to get up and look in the mirror and see my new shape. It's always a pleasant surprise skimming my hands down the sides of my hips/outer thighs and have it feel so much smaller. I'm quite happy so far with that aspect of the procedure. I think you can see a difference in my shape already through the picture I posted, even though I am wearing thick sweatpants in my "after" pic.
Going pee is always a struggle. I've noticed that I urinate very slowly, and whenever I initially stop peeing, I feel like I have more to pee, so I will sit there for a minute or two, and then lo and behold, more urine comes out, faster too. I'm not sure if it's because I am sitting funny on the toilet (I'm favoring my right thigh, so I lean on my left thigh, and sit at the very edge of the toilet because the backs of my thighs are tender too), or if it's because stuff is just out of whack down there...just something I've noticed. My stomach is still swollen and a little firm, also not sure if it's from the amount of water I'm drinking, or from the lipo (I did not have my abs done though).
Had a light breakfast, drank lots of fluids, noticed that my knees feel so tight and uncomfortable in the compression garment. I lounged around, but got up at least once an hour to walk around. Pain is bearable, but I am definitely still very stiff, swollen, bruised and tender. It's hard for me to bend my knees, which makes changing, putting on shoes, etc. difficult.
Went to clinic for second post-op dressing change and antibiotic injection. My husband took the day off work to help me and he accompanied me to the clinic and ended up wowing the staff with his piano skills. There is a large grand piano in the lobby of the clinic, and my husband, being a very talented piano player, enjoyed playing the piano for everyone. The surgeon's wife gave him sheet music to play, a clinic director printed out more sheet music, and everyone took out their cell phones to record him. They even asked us to stay and eat some sweet potatoes they were roasting, yum! When I was given the antibiotic injection, I could hear my husband's piano playing, which was definitely calming and helped me get through any anxiety I had, so that was a nice treat. I don't like getting up/sitting down, so I mostly stood while my husband played, I think I shuffled around for a good hour or so. I felt fine, so I was shocked to see that my knees swelled up to the size of my thighs during the taxi ride home! My right foot was also so swollen that my flip-flop band left an indentation on my foot...gross. I went home and immediately propped my legs up in bed and rested. Overall, the swelling tonight seems to be worse than the swelling yesterday, as my legs feel really puffy and I find myself having to move much more gingerly. I am walking like an arthritic, limping sumo wrestler or penguin, waddling, shuffling, and not able to bend my knees, and am favoring my right leg.
Some other comments/thoughts:
- I do not have much bruising or discoloration at all. I'm wondering if it will just take a few days to show up? I was expecting to have black/blue/purple/green thighs by now.
- I am taking arnica, Emergen-C, drinking Amazing Green Grass...thinking about adding bromelain, but not sure how readily available it is in Korea. Pineapple is quite expensive here too. I'd like to reduce the swelling as fast as possible, shuffling around is not very fun.
- My original consultant/English translator said I would only have to wear the compression garment for 2 weeks. Then the nurse told another translator that I would have to wear it all the time for 1-3 months, but that I should take it off in the evening. I'm pretty confused what I should do, and I forgot to ask specifically today, so I'll ask again the next time I go in (Sunday). General consensus is that a tight compression garment should be worn at least 2 weeks to 1 month, and then a lighter one can be worn after that, but that a compression garment should definitely be worn at nighttime.
Provider Review
Dr. Yoo