more skin talk

I had laser lipo performed on my lower abdomen yesterday. I'm going to share the experience with you and if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. All information we share is confidential.

First of all I am still pretty sedated so my thinking is not clear yet.

Secondly I have no interest in discussing the rights and wrongs of doing lipo or any other cosmetic surgery procedure. I believe we are all free to make our own choices and this was my decision. If you don't like it or believe it is ok to do it, then don't read about the experience, that is fine. We are all entitled to our experiences and opinions.

Third, I do not write this to condone or encourage others to have any form of plastic surgery done. Go back and read that sentence a few times.

It's also worth mentioning I am on narcotics now for pain and they tend to make me pretty bitchy. So those who want to debate the rights and wrongs, save your comments till my head is clear.

I had that typical post partum pocket of flesh in my lower abdomen. I walk daily and my diet is blueberries, raspberries and bananas with yogurt twice a day (with granola and seeds) and a protein lunch. I also surf or go out and paddle or swim at least four times a week. The pudge wouldn't budge. Both my OB doctor who is not trying to sell me plastic surgery procedures and two surgeons told me the pudge won't likely budge due to my age of 38 and because the muscles in my stomach have separated during pregnancy.

I have been researching lipo and mini tummy tucks for 2 years now. A doctor in Hawaii performs laser lipo. You can read up on it on multiple sites. The recovery and results are typically much faster than those achieved with traditional lipo. I did not want to be in bed for a week so I was willing to pay the extra cost for a fast recovery.

After a consult and assessment it was determined that only my lower ab needed help, which was fine with my bank account. I paid cash up front as I refuse to pay interest on anything these days. The cost of everything including consult, surgical room, drugs, garment, and post op care was about $4100.

Here is what happened:

Pre-surgery pictures are taken of the area to be lipo'ed. The nurse gave me an ambien and valium and then a shot of Demerol and Phenergan in the ass. I was completely relaxed but awake. The doctor came in to see if I had any questions and he did some markings on my lower tummy.

I wore a paper gown that was open in the front. They took me to another room that had what looked like a dentist chair but completely flat..draped with clean paper and cloths. The surgical techs asked me what music I liked and turned on an ipod, then started stuffing pillows under my feet and making me comfortable. I believe only my abdomen was exposed. The tech swabbed my stomach with a sterile solution, probably betadine. I was completely in the chill zone, felt relaxed and at ease. No fear..in fact just excitement.

The tech put up a tent shield so I could not see what was going on..I asked to watch but she said no. The doctor came in and started giving me small shots around the abdominal area. He touched me in various places and I could not feel a thing. He confirmed for me that redheads usually require more sedation. I think that is pretty funny.

He made a small incision in my belly button and I could feel pressure on the abdominal area..occasionally a pinch but nothing unbearable. I was pleased with how relaxed I was..it was almost pleasurable in a massage kind of way..the music and warm blanket and gentle pressure. I asked him if he could keep that thingie hooked up to me permanently so I could eat ice cream. No such thing as portable lipo machines darn it.

I lost track of time but it seemed like from the time I was in the chair until I was getting dressed was about an hour. I felt sedated but could still talk, the tech took me downstairs in a wheelchair as a precaution.

I was nodding off in the car on the way home (no I wasn't driving). We stopped off and I devoured half a burrito, no problems at all. My stomach was still numb and I felt pretty good. When we got home I still had balance problems and I went to sleep for two hours. Woke up and knew I could go right back to sleep but got up since it was advised that I should walk.

Met my friend in Waikiki and helped him eat half a small pizza. My tummy was totally numb. I have a compression garment on that is slightly uncomfortable but not a biggie. I had some mild abdominal pain, no worse than cramps. I was able to walk ..in fact we went to the beach and hung out till almost midnight.

When I got home I wanted to see my stomach. The bump or the cliff overhang is gone. It is swollen and looks like I'm a couple weeks post partum..the skin is very swollen and there is bruising. But it's flat. I'm not allowed to shower till later today so I checked my incision site which is nothing more than a small stitch inside my belly button. Slept with the garment on..took another percocet and the pain is totally bearable.

This morning the swelling has gone down quite a bit but it's still there. It can take a few months for the skin to retract again..that's fine it's similar to childbirth. I'm still woosy from pain pills but I can walk and bend over slowly. Pain is tolerable. I'm on an antibiotic and arnica to help with bruising.

I have had that pudge for two years, i was very self conscious about it since I'm at the beach a lot and ..well used to dance. I'm only 38 so it's too soon to be happy about having a fat stomach. I would do this again in a heartbeat. My plan is to continue with my healthy diet and exercise. In fact now I have the motivation to do more. I'll be able to pull on jeans and not have to hide the pudge with a large t shirt.

Again..I'm sharing this as information, not to encourage anyone else to do it but because I am a nurse and part of my job is educating others. I do not mind sharing my own experiences and being honest about what you can expect if you do decide to do something. Our society has many prejudices and I often feel that women (and men) would talk about things more if they felt safe from scrutiny. So, if you email me I will keep what you say confidential and I'll share with you to the best of my ability what I can.