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Talksurgery adheres to the Health On the Net Foundation's Code of Conduct
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Abdominal Liposuction
Pros:
stomach is now flat, can tuck my clothes in, feel and look better
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Cons:
uneven results, revision surgery
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Cost:
$2,500
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Healing time:
3 months for total recovery
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Pain-o-meter: Not specified
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My whole life I was skinny, but had a bulging gut. I hated it, and always tried unsuccessfully to hide it. At this point, which was seven years ago, liposuction was just getting to be known, and a colleague of mine told me that she had liposuction on her thighs and it changed her life. It is amazing after that, how quickly I saved up the $2,500 for the procedure.
I woke up after the surgery at my doctor's private clinic, and was so out of it, that unknown to me at the time, I proposed marriage to my surgeon out of relief for being alive. (the nurses told me later -all in giggles). From that point on, I was surrounded his 24 hour nurses. I stayed there for 2 days, and they administered round the clock care. It was great. I left two days later in a cab, still relatively out if it, but in not too much pain, I was able to get into my apartment, where I snuggled up in bed and stayed there. But the bandages could not be removed after a week, and this is where the problem was. My doctor told me that after a week, I would have to remove the bandages myself and put on some kind of girdle contraption, which would stay there for a little longer.
As I slowly undid the bandages in the bathroom, I came a whisker away from fainting. Usually I am good with blood and gore, but as I unwrapped the bandages, it was a different story seeing it on myself: they left a bloody, smelly mess, but that was only part of the problem - the other part was that after seeing my round belly for so many years, all of a sudden, I was staring at a black and blue flat pancake. The room rushed around me, and I had to sit down for twenty minutes on the toilet to stable my breath while my little brother knocked furiously at the door because he had to get in to pee.
This bloody and black and blue mess lasted for over three weeks, and my stomach looked tight and unnatural. When the bruises started to fade, there was still swelling, bad swelling, for 3 months, and then it started to subside and take on a natural look. But the job was uneven, and I had to go back to get a mini-procedure to get the job evened out, which was inconvenient. Now it's fine. The only thing is, is that if you are trying to get the surgery on the quiet, forget it - your boyfriend or husband will know.
I started looking normal about 5 months after the procedure, and 7 years later, my stomach is flat, and it looks completely natural. I remember the days that when I looked down, I couldn't see my toes because of my round tummy, and thank the medical industry for finding a solution to this problem.
Here are more details:
How results differed from what I expected:
Not specified
Biggest fears pre-procedure:
Not specified
Healing aids used:
Not specified
Number of doctors consulted:
2
Number of years I thought about having the procedure:
6
Had an elective procedure before:
Not specified
Complications or follow-up procedures:
the job was uneven, and I had to go back to get a mini-procedure to get the job evened out, which was inconvenient
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This information is not to substitute for professional medical advice. You
should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or
disease without consulting with a qualified healthcare provider. Please
consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have
regarding your condition.
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Gender:
Female
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Age:
Not specified
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Ethnic group:
Not specified
Education:
Not specified
Country:
Not specified
State/Province:
Not specified
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Caucasians are more likely to have checked for skin cancer in the past year than African-American (45% vs. 17%)
(Source: American Society for Dermatological Surgery)
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