liposuction is as violent as it looks on tv. i had the rather unusual experience of being fully awake with only local anesthesia for this procedure. dr. bates told me he has only done this a couple of time with patients who a) request it be done in office b) aren't squeamish c) have proven they aren't going to freak out halfway through. i do NOT recommend this for everyone but i don't like the unnecessary risks of general anesthesia and obviously have a fairly high threshold for pain and gross. and let me tell you. it was gross. anyway, the first pictures are from immediately after. i felt woozy for the first couple of days, mostly because it's a fairly traumatic experience (jostling and jiggling and stabbing and sucking, oh my). the pain in the last couple days has been manageable. i feel like i got punched as opposed to stabbed. tender to the touch and worn out.
that syringe is as big as it looks. three stitches on the left side. hickman scar. bruising…fun!