Discouraged, Disappointed....Regret .... Need some input

Let me check when I get home

waist 33 hip 43

Thank you Kim.  This has been more than helpful to me.

Anytime! Keep me posted after your surgery!

Swelling can last for a year or more depending on your body.  Just wait it out.  It all takes time.

UGH!  Swelling can last A YEAR???  I definitely didn't do enough research.  Well nothing to do now but wait.  And go buy some bigger pants... :-(

I know others have said it already, but it really is swelling. I had the same exact feeling as you did from about weeks 3-4 after my lower body lift in October. There was so much skin and fat taken off (over 20 lbs) that even with the swelling, my hips were down eight inches, but my waist swelled up to five inches bigger than it was before surgery. I actually cried at first because my butt looked flat and my lower back fat looked sooooo much worse. At about two months the majority of the swelling went away, and now at four months I only have a little swelling here and there. My body looks very differentnow, and my butt also "dropped" so I fill out my jeans very nicely.

I wore stretchy type pants for the first two months because none of my pants fit and I wanted to wait until the swelling went down to buy a bunch of new clothes. I bought a great pair of black modal drawstring pants from the gap that when paired with a nice sweater looked better than my average yoga pants. Now when I have swelling issues I wear dresses or skirts (with tights and boots since its cold here!) because they are much more comfortable than jeans. It took me a while to get used to my new body, and shopping was hard at first because I have a totally different body shape now. But soon enough it gets better, and you will be so glad you did this!

Angela,

Thanks for your input. I have really been struggling with what my body shape currently is 4 wks after surgery. I feel like I traded one awful shape for another. Your input keeps reminding me I really need to be patient and wait a couple of months.

Thanks again.

Give it time.  My surgeon told me not to even think about buying new clothes until 12 weeks from surgery.  I was in a size 10 before plastics, and still wearing them 1-2 months out.  After about month 3 I was in size 6's.

 

My pre plastics measurements were:

Waist 31

Hips 40

Thighs 24

 

After

Waist 27

Hips 37

Thighs 21

Joanne,

Thanks for your input. My surgeon just kept emphasizing the dramatic change, which did occur. However, he didn't address the issue of letting things settle for 3-4 months. I appreciate everyone on the blog sharing their experience and encouragement.  I need to work on the patients.

 

Thanks again.