33, Tired of Genetic "Ice Box" Shape- Liposuction to Waist, Flanks and Hips - Southlake, TX

I am preparing to have liposuction surgery on my flanks and hips and I would like to document my journey for you with details, measurements and photos to the best of my ability. After reading many reviews here on realself- I now know exactly what people are looking to see in reviews about liposuction. We are scared and anxious and want to see photos of people who look like us and document the experience in enough detail plus answer questions.
My procedure takes place on March 18th and will be done in a hospital and under general anesthesia. Many of the doctors that I visited while searching to find the "perfect place" told me they performed the surgery on site or right in their offices. Normally, I would not have a problem with this but I do have some medical issues in my past and I just feel more secure in a full hospital setting. For this reason, I opted against the "awake" liposuction with the local anesthesia. I know I am a baby when it comes to pain and recovery, so I am trying to do what may be the least stressful for me. I mean, I literally took a week to recover from the removal of my wisdom teeth. Good Lord.
I have been an athlete all my life and no stranger to working out and keeping fit. At one point, I was even a trainer and nutritionist. In January 2015, I had a seizure and was put on a very dangerous/ugly anti-seizure medications. One of the most "wonderful" side effects was that I gained 30 lbs in nearly 2 months. Because the weight gain was medically triggered, the doctor told me it would be harder to lose it and that I would most likely gain in odd places. That being said, I have acquired quite the "ice box" figure! Great. I am 33 years old and single, in good health and in the process of dating and trying to meet new people. Needless to say, this horrible body shape has caused depression, anxiety and lots of wine drinking! I tend to tone up well in my arms, back, chest, legs- even my stomach isn't normally too bad unless I have extra fat on me ( like now!). I don't feel that I need lipo on my stomach because I am 100% sure it can be flat with diet and exercise. However, the paddy area right above my bottom is a genetic nightmare that I have always faced. I nicknamed it " The shelf" when I was in college because I felt that the area looked as if someone had attached a shelf right above my bottom to set things on! Bleh. Even at my lowest weight, it's been a beast. You can see the shelf in tight tops, thin tops, body skimming dresses, swimwear and of course the dreaded Low Rise jeans! I am 5'8 tall and currently weigh 180 lbs- this is unacceptable and I am working on it( diet/exercise). I feel most comfortable around 155. Obviously liposuction will not have much affect on my weight, BUT the minimization of the hips and flanks region will take me a down a pants size or at the very least, make me look better in the current size that I wear. I was always one of those people who felt that weight loss surgery and liposuction was the " easy way out" but now that I personally have been subject to weight gain that seems to not want to budge- I am 100% on board. I will keep the review up to date as I go along. I feel currently very anxious about the pain of the recovery and the length of the recovery.

3/15/2016
Height: 5'8
Weight: 180
Waist: 33 inches
Hips: 43 inches

I’ve been doing the usual “anxious person” behavior of reading and re-reading my pre and post-operative instructions. I am a real stickler for the rules so I just like to have everything organized ahead of time. I don’t like stress or surprises. I still can’t believe I am getting this done. I’ve always joked with my friends about the lipo procedure but never thought in a million years I would consider it. I forgot to mention in my first entry that I am using the Alphaeon Credit services to finance my procedure. I have an account with Carecredit but I don’t have enough of a credit line with them and they wouldn’t offer me an increase. My credit is not awesome, so I wasn’t too shocked. So make sure if you are looking to finance, don’t just look at Carecredit! Alphaeon is great as well, nice introductory specials, low monthly payments and I was able to get a generous credit line to cover my full bill without stress or worry.
I am just ready to have the “surgery” part of this over with and be at home recovering. I know I need to settle down and be patient, but its impossible. I am glad that my doctor scheduled me as fast as he did because there is no way I could have handled this type of anxiety for months on end. I have a vacation coming up in May, so we will see how I look by then! If I am not ready, I will just wear a one piece swimsuit and have drinks so I forget about it!
I will add some more full before photos that are pre-op , so we can get a full before and after photo. I need to stop looking at other people’s lipo reviews so much, because they vary so much from one person to the next- I feel like anything could happen. Of course, we shall hope for the best!

I've got nerves. But I took these "before" photos and regained my courage I go in Tommorow at 7 am. I have all my prescriptions and recovery items ready Now I just wait and I can't even have wine ! Yikes Anyway In the photos you can see the "weird" and boxy butt shape and flanks area that I seek to correct Let's pray that the doctor can reshape this hot mess !