Monday 9th April- 2 Weeks On Before & After

Monday 9th April- 2 Weeks On Before & After

So, here it is, my first of many D-Day’s where i compare my body of today with my body of two weeks ago.

Only last night did i sleep without my compression garment on for the first time since my surgery, and I’m surprised to say, i actually rather missed it.

I’m to wear it for a further 2 weeks (but only for 12 hours a day now) and then i can go on to shape wear.

Anyway, i digress!

SO..... I gingerly made my way to the spare room and got back into the underwear i wore for the first set of photos 2 weeks ago.

I feel a little dismayed as they didn't feel any different on. 

Anyway, I stood there and posed in the same positions as before as my hubby snapped away.

Given how much i was repulsed by the first set of photos two weeks ago, i was nervous about looking at these new ones. What if i looked just as awful? Does the camera ever lie??

Left: BEFORE Right:  2 WEEKS AFTER

I brought up the images of me two weeks ago and me today.

I poured over them, scrutinising every detail.

And then i cried.

Left: BEFORE Right:  2 WEEKS AFTER

I looked amazing! 

From the front, my muffin top had gone down substantially, i had a more defined waist and killer curves!

From the side, i had a gorgeous curve to my back now and my tummy was far smaller!

Left: BEFORE Right:  2 WEEKS AFTER

 

From the back, gone was my lumpy back fat and muffin top and facing me was a smooth, curvaceous silhouette.

I was completely and utterly thrilled! 

This is only week 2! Imagine how it will look next week, and the next, when the swelling continues to subside!

(You don’t need to wonder as next week i will post before and after pics, 3 weeks on!)

Tuesday 27th March- 1 Day Post Op

Tuesday 27th March- 1 Day Post Op


I got all of about one hour’s sleep last night, what with tossing and turning and being unable to move. On top of that, what with the issues with going to the loo, my night was nothing short of farcical!

I woke up at 6am when my Mr’s alarm clock went off (he’s off to work today) and i decided that i needed to get up. I simply couldn’t just lay there any longer.

My god was i stiff! It hurt like hell, but I slowly hobbled my way out of bed and dragged myself downstairs, plonking myself on the sofa before immediately taking my painkillers.

I was so desperately uncomfortable in all my padding that i took the terrifying decision to change my dressings.

I let my painkillers kick in, then gingerly made my way to the bathroom.

What the hell was i going to be confronted with? Swollen, bloody, bruised flesh oozing liquid everywhere? Huge drains stitched into me that looked revolting?

I could feel my heart racing.

I took a moment to give myself a talking to and closed the door, plastic bin bag, towels and clean padding and wadding in hand.

I slowly and nervously undid the hook and eyes on my garment, sick to my stomach at the thought of what possible sight may await me underneath.

I breathed a sigh of relief as i finally released the garment and saw myself packed with dressings.

Layer by layer i slowly removed the heavy, fluid soaked pads until there was nothing left but me and my body.

I held my breath as i looked up at the mirror, bracing myself for the worst.

I needn’t have be so scared. Far from it being some horrific, bloody scene, i was merely confronted by me. Granted a somewhat dirty, stained and pen-covered me, but it was just me.

There were no horrendous bruises, no blood stained marks, nothing. Just me, albeit a far slimmer version me.

(As always, please see my designated Vaser Lipo Diary Tab if you wish to see more graphic photos)

My waist was slim and my flanks now formed a delicate smooth curve as opposed to the lumpy heap which only yesterday had sat on top of my hips.

My 1st Before/After Photo! Left: Pre surgery Right: 1 day post surgery.  See more HERE

 I'm not ashamed to admit I may have shed a little tear of relief and happiness.

I felt overwhelmed by the feeling of comfort and freedom from being released from the tight constraints of the garment.

This feeling didn't last long however, as I knew I had to put it back on.

I dressed my open wounds and covered my drains with more dressing and found it infinitely easier to put my garment back on now without so much padding.

While the garment is still very tight, the absence of the extra pressure from all the layers of padding and dressings was definitely a welcome relief.

I had been told that it is really important to ensure that after this procedure you drink lots of fluids to help flush out the toxins in your system and aid recovery.

Consequently, I'm spending the majority of my day undoing and doing up my garment to visit the loo.

In-between one of my toilet trips I received a call from Dr Comins , which took me rather by suprise.

He was calling to see how i was, not one of his nurses, him, personally, which i found really nice and extremely reassuring.

I told him that I was in a lot of pain, to which he replied that he wasn't surprised.

I asked why that was, at which point he told me that during the procedure, while I was under sedation, I kept waking up and saying ‘’ouch’’.  

He told me that they had had to pump me with enough morphine for a man twice my size to keep me under.

He told me that there was the possibility that the painkillers he had prescribed me (cocodamol) may be ineffective in controlling my pain levels due to my liver metabolising the drugs quickly and my ‘’obvious strong constitution!" 

I did giggle and text my husband to tell him he was basically married to an ox!

I was somewhat disheartened by this news as i really did need some pain relief. My body felt heavy, sore and bruised, but i hoped to sleep most of the day to avoid the pain i felt while conscious.

I’m not up to writing much, but I'm back at the clinic tomorrow to have my first lymphatic drainage massage, something which seems impossible for me to comprehend as i can barely tolerate my body being touched let alone massaged!

Once again, i find myself scared...

Still, i only have to look back at the photos of me on the day of my surgery and the ones i took this morning to be reassured that it’s going to be all worth it.

Monday 26th March- Procedure Day Part 2

 Monday 26th March- Procedure Day Part 2

The next thing I remember is laying on the table and looking at the clock on the wall.

Two hours has passed in what felt like minutes.

I had two nurses wrapping padding and what seemed like endless amounts of wadding around me then strapping me down into my compression garment. It took two of them to do the tiny claps up over all the bulging padding.

At this moment, I'm in no pain and feel fine, just a little woozy. I’m surprised, i thought id be in agony right about now.

I’m sent back out to the bathroom to put my dark, loose fitting clothes on that i bought with me.

 

 I opted for these comfy pyjama bottoms and floaty top from Elle Macpherson Initmates from Simply Beach. 

 May i also recommend that you wear flip flops too, as it’s unlikely you’ll be able to bend down to get your shoes on!

I come and sit on the sofa and call my husband who is at that point, doubtlessly browsing the golf section of Harrods.

My mouth feels dry and i ask for some water. My husband appears and the nurses come and ask me how im feeling.

Im more interested in hearing how much fat they got from me! They tell me in litres, but that means nothing to me so I ask them politely if they could weigh it.

 I'm told they removed 7lbs of fat and other liquid from me which I'm pretty chuffed about! I poke my head around to see the result of the 2 hour procedure, and it’s pretty gross. I can’t believe all that stuff has come from me!

Suddenly I feel over come with sickness and ask for a bowl as I think I'm going to be sick.

As if out of nowhere the anaesthetist is suddenly at my side and tells me to lie down while he proceeds to inject an anti sickness drug directly into the muscle in my arm. Yes, this did hurt.

Sure enough, within 10 minutes I feel ok.

It was at that point that Dr Comins told me they had had to use an awful lot of morphine to keep me in my sedated state- Enough for a man twice my size. More than once i had apparently woken up, screeching ‘ouch’!

I of course don’t remember any of this, and Dr Comins was surprised to learn that im not a hardened drinker, and perhaps, my liver is just rather quick at metabolising the drugs they used!

As i began to feel more lucid, i started to feel sore, bruised and a little battered, but ultimately O.K.

I'm given an appointment to come back 2 days later for a lymphatic drainage massage at their clinic in Knightsbridge then another one to have my drains taken out and for another massage on Friday. 

Woah! I think. ‘Drains?’

Then i remembered Dr Comins telling me about having drains stitched in to the holes left by the Vaser incisions  to help with draining the excess fluid out of my tummy and hips.

Granted its not a great photo, but this is what the drains looked like- small, plastic like flaps

I wasn’t going to think about these drains too much for now, I’d deal with that later!

I left the clinic around 30-40 minutes after coming round and hobbled to the car.

The car journey home was bearable but my garment felt outrageously tight. I knew this was to be expected, but the sensation was not one i had prepared for.

I had brought with me a black towel to sit on, as i had read on the net that some people leak quite profusely in the first 24/24 hours (hence the dark clothes to go home in), so I thought a towel would be quite necessary to prevent unfortunate stains on our car seat.

Turns out i didn’t need it (thankfully!)

Once home I was in a lot of pain as the sedative had clearly worn off. I took some of the painkillers I had been prescribed and tried to get comfy, which needless to say, I couldn't.

I managed a few mouthfuls of dinner and went to bed, laying on a dark coloured spare sheet and absorbent sheet provided to me by the clinic in case of ‘seepage’ again.

At about 10pm I realised I needed a wee, and let me tell you,  what a Palarva this was!

I waddled down the stairs and into the toilet, my hubby waiting outside. 

I undid the gusset part of the garment to be confronted by what can only be described as a giant, adult nappy. I couldn’t help but giggle.

I pulled my ’nappy’ down to go for a wee, but in doing so my garment began to ride  half way up my body and over the plentiful rolls of padding.

My GORGEOUS, skin tight compression garment- note, this photo was taken after removing all of the initial padding
the following day- I was too out of it to think to take photos on the day of the procedure!

 It had to be pulled back down over the padding and secured again. I’m not going to lie, this was simply agony and I ended up needing my Mr to help me tug it down as I couldn't get through it on my own.

Later on in the night I needed another wee (Yes i have the bladder of a small child) but decided not to wake my Mr and so i tried to go to the loo by myself.

The  though I of having to go through all that again made me shudder, so this time i simply undid the garment and while standing,  (I’m so sorry mum!) peed in a pot.

 I know i know, but it was much easier and much more painless!

The rest of the night was spent sleeping sporadically when I could and waking each time i tried to move positions in my sleep.