Cosmetic Surgery Chat - SurgeryChat.org

Good morning ladies! I copied and pasted my post from way below just in case you aren\'t getting email notifications.For some reason my email notifications aren\'t coming through so I don\'t see if thee is a new post unless I check the board.

Barbara (see below)




Hi Amy and Linda ,
Welcome Amy. I\'m sorry to hear that you have joined our "club"! I had lipo from my trunk to my knees on March 31st.I am 5\'2" and weigh 125.Pre lipo I was around 122lbs. I was wearing between 2-4 and now I am 4-6. I work out 4 times a week and often after I have done a lot of walking, my legs feel huge and my clothes are tight.It took a long time after my surgery to even fit my pre op clothes.

When I saw my ps in mid June he said to come back in 2 months. I know that I will need revisions.For me there was no plan in place as to who would cover any costs of revision surgery so I am worried.Even if I just have to pay for the anestesiologist (sp?) and hospital fees it will be 1/2 the original cost.I am also not looking forward to the whole recovery process.

Could you have been able to talk me out of having lipo done even if I knew that this would happen? No, probably not.I doubt that I would have listened.
Right now I am miserable.I can\'t take my kids to the beach because my legs are huge and I have symetrical scars on my knees and legs.

I hope that all of our stories have happy endings!

Amy,I hope that your ps takes your concerns seriously.

Barbara

Hi Barbara and Linda - Boy what a day.  I should be a skinny little thing
 because my summer days are crazy with the kids activities from sun up until
 sun down.  Trying to throw my two Dr\'s appts. in the mix made it really
 interesting....
 
 Appt #1 - PS acknowledged that I definitely am bigger.  He said I promise
 I did do the lipo (not funny;-) He said that would not discuss revisions
 until the 1 year mark.  He thinks there is a lot of swelling in the abs,
 hips and legs and that someone people just take longer to heal.  Having the
 MTT at the same time also hindered the lymphatic system which contributes
 to swelling. Overall, he is supportive and understanding but wants to give
 it a lot more time.  Most interesting is that my weight gain is worse than
 I had thought.  When I moved to CA 3 years ago I weighed 117.  I am a very
 healthy eater and don\'t miss a day of exercise.  The scales now say 131.
 Up 14 lbs, 5 of that since surgery (YIKES!!)
 
 Appt #2 - Dr. agreed the weight gain was significant enough to suspect a
 thyroid cause.  I am fasting tonight and taking tests tomorrow morning.  I
 am praying this is what is going on.
 
 I feel strangely calm tonight even though I have no real answers or
 solutions.  I guess I am thankful that the PS said that there is swelling
 and it will get better.

Hi Amy,
Kind of a good news/bad news day huh? Did your PS tell you how the heck you know it\'s swelling? I can\'t tell on me whether it\'s fat or swelling. Sounds like you\'re taking the same path I am (I had my thyroid checked 2 weeks ago- all OK) Did your PS think think that you may actually need a revision or that he\'d be willing to do it? I don\'t think I can wait a year to have this fixed! Did your Dr do measurements before the surgery b/c mine didn\'t and I "know" I haven\'t lost any inches.It sounds likes he\'s implying that you are going to go down alot in size in a few months.Besides you had the MTT which I didn\'t, so your body experienced more trauma.Is there nothing we can do on our own to get the swelling down faster? Sorry for all the questions, I haven\'t seen my PS since starting the water pills (don\'t know if they\'re helping) It\'s always nice to hear what other doctors say!lol!
Linda

Hi Barbara - I am glad you copied and posted this because I didn\'t get the email notification.  I too hope our stories have happy endings.  How odd that we are all having such similar situations.  Do you think it is possible that the lipo machine was woking in reverse and actually put fat in;-)

I see my PS tomorrow.  I have my guns loaded.  I will post and let you know his reaction.  

Let me ask you one other question I thought of last night.  Prior to surgery did you have any circulation issues (cold hands, cold feet)?  I did and I was wondering if maybe this is impacting the recovery process.  Just a thought - I\'m trying to crack this puzzle.

Amy

Hi Amy ,
 
 Nope, no circulation problems for me.The best that I can figure is that I
 didn\'t get the proper compression garment until a week or so (maybe
 longer,I forget) after the lipo.Either that or he just didn\'t take enough
 out.I did everything that I was supposed to.
 
 I am trying to decide if I should go for revisions or just give up and
 count my losses. I am not going back until mid August at which point I am
 expecting my ps to say that I will have to pay for the anestesiologist and
 clinic fee which will be half again what I paid initially.That and the
 recovery all over again.
 
 Good luck with your ps and please let us know how it goes!:)
 
 Barbara
 
 
 
 Hi Barbara - I am glad you copied and posted this because I didn\'t get
 the
 email notification.  I too hope our stories have happy endings.  How odd
 that we are all having such similar situations.  Do you think it is
 possible that the lipo machine was woking in reverse and actually put
 fat
 in;-)
 
 I see my PS tomorrow.  I have my guns loaded.  I will post and let you
 know his reaction.  
 
 Let me ask you one other question I thought of last night.  Prior to
 surgery did you have any circulation issues (cold hands, cold feet)?  I
 did
 and I was wondering if maybe this is impacting the recovery process.
 Just
 a thought - I\'m trying to crack this puzzle.
 
 Amy

Barbara,
Don\'t give up on this, "someone" is going to have a happy result!!!
I don\'t think it was your compression garment or as as Amy thought circulation. I had a really tight compression garment right from the beginning, and I wore it (and still do at night) for over two months except when working and I wore a 2nd stage one. I think it\'s 1.swelling and 2. he didn\'t take enough or it\'s the way our 40 something bodies responded.
Did you PS actually say he would do more lipo? Because if he did I would definatly do it again.I am sooo p***** off that I\'m no smaller that I\'m going to beg my PS to do more! I have a terrible feeling he won\'t b/c the vibe I got from his nurse is that he doesn\'t do revisions.So if you get the chance do it! It can\'t fail twice can it??! Btw where do you feel large, is it everywhere or the legs only? (not that, that\'s not bad enough lol!)
*hugs*
Linda

Hi Barbara - I am glad you copied and posted this because I didn\'t get the
 email notification.  I too hope our stories have happy endings.  How odd
 that we are all having such similar situations.  Do you think it is
 possible that the lipo machine was woking in reverse and actually put fat
 in;-)
 
 I see my PS tomorrow.  I have my guns loaded.  I will post and let you
 know his reaction.  
 
 Let me ask you one other question I thought of last night.  Prior to
 surgery did you have any circulation issues (cold hands, cold feet)?  I did
 and I was wondering if maybe this is impacting the recovery process.  Just
 a thought - I\'m trying to crack this puzzle.
 
 Amy

Hey Amy,
How did your appointment with your PS go?
Linda

Hi - A MTT is short for a mini tummy-tuck.  It is a similar procedure to a full tummy tuck.  A small amount of excess skin is removed from the abdomen area in exchange for a horizontal scar in the pubic area.  Unlike a Full Tummy tuck, the belly button is not moved.   Hope that helps.