POSTED UNDER Vaser Liposuction Reviews
Vaser Lipo 360, arms & chin - very tough recovery not to be taken lightly!
UPDATED FROM MissAus
2 months post
7 Weeks Post Op
I have passed the magical 6 week mark, and whilst things have certainly improved, I am still not fully recovered. I would say I feel like I am 80% of the way there.
The stiffness in my back has loosened up considerably, however I still have the stiff feeling down my sides and that burning feeling when I stretch. My body still feels sore in the lipo areas when pressure is there, it feels like muscle soreness. It's not stopping me from doing anything or really impacting my life, but worth mentioning anyway. I am still really numb in just about all areas except for my arms. Some feeling has started to come back across my torso, but it is really reduced sensation. Some areas are still 100% numb including under my chin.
A lot of the dips, waves and minor unevenness that I could see during the first month has really evened out and gone away.
I am still very worried about my abdomen. It doesn't actually LOOK that bad, my side profile has definitely improved and the waviness is nowhere near as aggressive as it was 3 weeks ago, but the scar tissue is still there. It feels really bad. Running my hands over my stomach it feels hard, lumpy, bumpy and wavy. I really hate it. I have a hard band of scar tissue that runs across my lower abdomen, it's almost like wearing a small bumbag under my skin. It sticks out and is rock hard. I also have scar tissue around my bellybutton down one side, which has created a shelf like appearance running across the top of my bellybutton and feels like I have a big lump on one side. Massaging has not improved these areas even 1%.
I did have some lumps and bumps that were obviously swelling / inflammation - those have gone away. Scar tissue, that I started developing very early on, feels totally different. I have virtually zero hope that this will resolve itself. My surgeon uses diluted steroids to improve scar tissue, I have had one round so far and it has done nothing. I am not sure that looking good is worth having a deformed feeling abdomen. It feels so unnatural and wrong.
I have continued to get smaller as swelling has gone own. I have lost 2.5 inches off my waist.
The stiffness in my back has loosened up considerably, however I still have the stiff feeling down my sides and that burning feeling when I stretch. My body still feels sore in the lipo areas when pressure is there, it feels like muscle soreness. It's not stopping me from doing anything or really impacting my life, but worth mentioning anyway. I am still really numb in just about all areas except for my arms. Some feeling has started to come back across my torso, but it is really reduced sensation. Some areas are still 100% numb including under my chin.
A lot of the dips, waves and minor unevenness that I could see during the first month has really evened out and gone away.
I am still very worried about my abdomen. It doesn't actually LOOK that bad, my side profile has definitely improved and the waviness is nowhere near as aggressive as it was 3 weeks ago, but the scar tissue is still there. It feels really bad. Running my hands over my stomach it feels hard, lumpy, bumpy and wavy. I really hate it. I have a hard band of scar tissue that runs across my lower abdomen, it's almost like wearing a small bumbag under my skin. It sticks out and is rock hard. I also have scar tissue around my bellybutton down one side, which has created a shelf like appearance running across the top of my bellybutton and feels like I have a big lump on one side. Massaging has not improved these areas even 1%.
I did have some lumps and bumps that were obviously swelling / inflammation - those have gone away. Scar tissue, that I started developing very early on, feels totally different. I have virtually zero hope that this will resolve itself. My surgeon uses diluted steroids to improve scar tissue, I have had one round so far and it has done nothing. I am not sure that looking good is worth having a deformed feeling abdomen. It feels so unnatural and wrong.
I have continued to get smaller as swelling has gone own. I have lost 2.5 inches off my waist.
UPDATED FROM MissAus
1 month post
One month post-op
Recovery is still almost unbelievably slow and tedious. Even though I am sure I won't be, it is starting to feel as though I will be stuck like this forever.
I had felt like some of the stiffness in my back was starting to finally loosen up, I kept reading recommendations to get back to exercise, so I tried a 15 minute low impact workout. Big mistake. The next morning I woke up and my back and abdomen felt like they did at week two, extremely tight and stiff and back to feeling like wearing a full corset under my skin. It's not painful, it just feels extremely uncomfortable and unnatural. Pretty much everywhere I had lipo is still completely numb, I am worried that I will be stuck with 3/4 of my torso numb forever. I am still "sore" just about everywhere and very tired. Stretching and massaging - which I have been doing every day - feels like it is doing quite literally nothing. I am not getting less stiff. I am not getting less sore. I am not getting any of my nerve feeling back. The only area to see significant improvement in stiffness is my arms. When stretching my back, it feels like a ripping burning sensation.
My stomach has flattened out *slightly* as the swelling goes down, I still have a wavy abdomen from the side profile. It feels disgusting, hard and lumpy and like I never want to be touched again. Front on and in clothes I look great.
At this point I am trying to stay positive and not sink into utter despair about what I have done to my body and what I am putting myself through. I am sick of being uncomfortable 24/7. The compression garment is fine to wear during the day, it actually feels better with it on, but it's starting to massively irritate me at night.
I had felt like some of the stiffness in my back was starting to finally loosen up, I kept reading recommendations to get back to exercise, so I tried a 15 minute low impact workout. Big mistake. The next morning I woke up and my back and abdomen felt like they did at week two, extremely tight and stiff and back to feeling like wearing a full corset under my skin. It's not painful, it just feels extremely uncomfortable and unnatural. Pretty much everywhere I had lipo is still completely numb, I am worried that I will be stuck with 3/4 of my torso numb forever. I am still "sore" just about everywhere and very tired. Stretching and massaging - which I have been doing every day - feels like it is doing quite literally nothing. I am not getting less stiff. I am not getting less sore. I am not getting any of my nerve feeling back. The only area to see significant improvement in stiffness is my arms. When stretching my back, it feels like a ripping burning sensation.
My stomach has flattened out *slightly* as the swelling goes down, I still have a wavy abdomen from the side profile. It feels disgusting, hard and lumpy and like I never want to be touched again. Front on and in clothes I look great.
At this point I am trying to stay positive and not sink into utter despair about what I have done to my body and what I am putting myself through. I am sick of being uncomfortable 24/7. The compression garment is fine to wear during the day, it actually feels better with it on, but it's starting to massively irritate me at night.
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ORIGINAL POST
Vaser Lipo 360 + Arms and Chin. Very Tough Recovery - Lipo is Not Something to Take Lightly!!
I am mainly writing this review to shed some light on a tougher liposuction recovery for others who experience the same thing. So many of the reviews I read made it sound like you'd have your surgery, have some light soreness and swelling and skip back to work a few days later. I was not at all prepared for the range of sensations and difficulty
Days 1-5: absolutely horrible. I was incredibly sick from the anesthetic and pain medication and vomited for 48 hours after surgery. I obviously knew there would be some pain, but wasn't prepared for the types of sensations that I experienced during this phase. A feeling of such incredible tightness that made absolutely everything from sitting up, to rolling over in bed nearly impossible. I thought it was my compression garment contributing to this, given that I woke up in it and you can't take it off for 48 hours. Nope. When I took it off for my first shower it felt like I was wearing a corset under my skin all the way around my torso. I was barely able to bend or move or do anything for myself during this time. The tightness, pain and discomfort felt like it did not improve even 1% over the first 5 days or so. The drainage is also nothing short of disgusting, especially the first 48 hours when you cannot shower. Heads up ladies, you will smell like a turtle tank - it is GRIM. Not only was I leaking from the incisions, but I also had open drains in my bellybutton and lower abdomen which were like short straws that just leaked fluid straight out into the compression garment. Puppy pads on your bed are not enough. You need a waterproof sheet of some kind, puppy pads, adult nappies and an old blanket to use on top of yourself. The fluid gets on EVERYTHING. Most of my incisions had closed up within 48 hours, but the drains stayed in for a full 7 days and leaked fluid the entire time. You need someone to help care for you for an entire week. I was not able to sit on a couch or anything, that's how tight I was. It was either standing, or laying flat, no in between. As far as actual pain goes, it was well controlled with Panadeine forte, and I think it's safe to say that within 3 days pain had just given way to what I would call extreme discomfort.
Days 5-10. Still surprisingly miserable. I had my drains removed at day 7 which was a relief. I was still so incredibly tight and sore though. I tried to go back to work at 7 days and ended up going back home for another week. My advice to anyone doing full torso lipo would be to take two full weeks off work. The total discomfort was just unbearable and I still just felt ill. I had already started developing scar tissue / hardness at this point, a hard ridge across my bellybutton and a large knot of scar tissue on my lower left side. This was despite doing everything 'right'. Compression garment 24/7, light massages, healthy diet, walking around the house every couple of hours, not sitting (instead standing or trying to lie flat in bed). I was able to perch uncomfortably on chairs by this point, but that was about it. During the first 10 days a lot of discomfort was focused on my back, when I moved too much it would swell up and get extremely warm and uncomfortable. It was horrible. Icing it made things feel slightly better.
Days 10-20: Was around this time that I finally started feeling like I was getting a bit better. Moving and bending slowly started improving and I was able to lift my arms up etc. I returned to work at two weeks (desk job). I am still feeling tight and numb. I have started doing quite hard massages which are tolerable, most of the pain has totally gone, just some soreness in some spots. I am trying to do light stretching of my torso and arms multiple times per day to try and loosen up some of the stiffness.
Surprisingly the compression garment has not bothered me as I thought it would. Mine fits really well and is firm, but doesn't feel overly restrictive. For the first two weeks I actually hated taking it off to shower, you get so used to the feeling of support.
So far I have mixed feelings about my results. My actual figure now is basically perfect, I have a smooth hourglass shape and a much smaller waist. Unfortunately I am having problems with scar tissue / hardness all over the front of my abdomen. I have large bands of hard tissue causing my abdomen to look "wavy" side on. It feels really really bad to touch. Massage does not seem to be helping these areas at all, they are literally rock hard. I am incredibly anxious that they will be permanent. The nurses have told me that it is still too early to tell how this will resolve. I am still experiencing a weird feeling of tightness, though that has improved a lot, and numbness across nearly the entire area which I hope will resolve with time. I have a couple of areas where it has already become clear too much fat was removed, which will mean permanent dips. Slightly too much was removed from one arm near my elbow area, and on one side of my lower abdomen. Hopefully these won't be major cosmetic flaws as everything settles down.
I would strongly recommend getting yourself one of those giant u shaped body pillows, that made sleeping slightly more bearable during the first two weeks. I would also have ice packs on hand. Adult nappies are seriously a must, sounds utterly disgusting (it is) but they help catch the fluid that is leaking and keep you a lot dryer.
Days 1-5: absolutely horrible. I was incredibly sick from the anesthetic and pain medication and vomited for 48 hours after surgery. I obviously knew there would be some pain, but wasn't prepared for the types of sensations that I experienced during this phase. A feeling of such incredible tightness that made absolutely everything from sitting up, to rolling over in bed nearly impossible. I thought it was my compression garment contributing to this, given that I woke up in it and you can't take it off for 48 hours. Nope. When I took it off for my first shower it felt like I was wearing a corset under my skin all the way around my torso. I was barely able to bend or move or do anything for myself during this time. The tightness, pain and discomfort felt like it did not improve even 1% over the first 5 days or so. The drainage is also nothing short of disgusting, especially the first 48 hours when you cannot shower. Heads up ladies, you will smell like a turtle tank - it is GRIM. Not only was I leaking from the incisions, but I also had open drains in my bellybutton and lower abdomen which were like short straws that just leaked fluid straight out into the compression garment. Puppy pads on your bed are not enough. You need a waterproof sheet of some kind, puppy pads, adult nappies and an old blanket to use on top of yourself. The fluid gets on EVERYTHING. Most of my incisions had closed up within 48 hours, but the drains stayed in for a full 7 days and leaked fluid the entire time. You need someone to help care for you for an entire week. I was not able to sit on a couch or anything, that's how tight I was. It was either standing, or laying flat, no in between. As far as actual pain goes, it was well controlled with Panadeine forte, and I think it's safe to say that within 3 days pain had just given way to what I would call extreme discomfort.
Days 5-10. Still surprisingly miserable. I had my drains removed at day 7 which was a relief. I was still so incredibly tight and sore though. I tried to go back to work at 7 days and ended up going back home for another week. My advice to anyone doing full torso lipo would be to take two full weeks off work. The total discomfort was just unbearable and I still just felt ill. I had already started developing scar tissue / hardness at this point, a hard ridge across my bellybutton and a large knot of scar tissue on my lower left side. This was despite doing everything 'right'. Compression garment 24/7, light massages, healthy diet, walking around the house every couple of hours, not sitting (instead standing or trying to lie flat in bed). I was able to perch uncomfortably on chairs by this point, but that was about it. During the first 10 days a lot of discomfort was focused on my back, when I moved too much it would swell up and get extremely warm and uncomfortable. It was horrible. Icing it made things feel slightly better.
Days 10-20: Was around this time that I finally started feeling like I was getting a bit better. Moving and bending slowly started improving and I was able to lift my arms up etc. I returned to work at two weeks (desk job). I am still feeling tight and numb. I have started doing quite hard massages which are tolerable, most of the pain has totally gone, just some soreness in some spots. I am trying to do light stretching of my torso and arms multiple times per day to try and loosen up some of the stiffness.
Surprisingly the compression garment has not bothered me as I thought it would. Mine fits really well and is firm, but doesn't feel overly restrictive. For the first two weeks I actually hated taking it off to shower, you get so used to the feeling of support.
So far I have mixed feelings about my results. My actual figure now is basically perfect, I have a smooth hourglass shape and a much smaller waist. Unfortunately I am having problems with scar tissue / hardness all over the front of my abdomen. I have large bands of hard tissue causing my abdomen to look "wavy" side on. It feels really really bad to touch. Massage does not seem to be helping these areas at all, they are literally rock hard. I am incredibly anxious that they will be permanent. The nurses have told me that it is still too early to tell how this will resolve. I am still experiencing a weird feeling of tightness, though that has improved a lot, and numbness across nearly the entire area which I hope will resolve with time. I have a couple of areas where it has already become clear too much fat was removed, which will mean permanent dips. Slightly too much was removed from one arm near my elbow area, and on one side of my lower abdomen. Hopefully these won't be major cosmetic flaws as everything settles down.
I would strongly recommend getting yourself one of those giant u shaped body pillows, that made sleeping slightly more bearable during the first two weeks. I would also have ice packs on hand. Adult nappies are seriously a must, sounds utterly disgusting (it is) but they help catch the fluid that is leaking and keep you a lot dryer.
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