So I'm back at work in Afghanistan... fun I know :(. So I still have this feeling of tightness around all the treated areas... still not sure what it is or why I feel this way. I was told I need to start massaging the treated areas to help break up the liquid put into my body to replace the fat to help the skin retain elasticity. As we used to say in the military.... just one more thing!!!! The first couple of days back at work have not been bad. I am looking forward to returning to the gym here in about a week... just because I want to start doing some light (really light) weights. To be fair, at this point in my assessment I think a better investment than doing the vaser would have been to take the same amount of money and invested in a personal trainer. Although it probably would have taken 6 months to a year to achieve the results I think it would be better overall for the body and mind. I will update again in a week once I get into the gym and tell you how it went. Right now I am not overly impressed with the end results (but then again, those end results arn't supposed to be visible for another month and a half).
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Thursday, August 29, 2013
2 Weeks to the Day
So it has been 2 weeks now since the operation. I have been going out and having fun without any problems. I still have this weird feeling though... like I feel a kind of tightness over the areas I had treated. When they removed all of the fat, they replaced it with some sort of liquid that is supposed to slowly remove itself from my body - the idea is that the liquid will go away at the same rate as if you were to lose the fat naturally in an attempt to keep the elasticity of the skin. It is very strange. When I push into these areas with my fingers, I can actually move the liquid around and kind of reshape myself. It is supposed to take a full month for the liquid to go away and for all of the swelling to subside. As a result of the ability to move the liquid around and me sleeping on my side, one side of my body has changed pretty drastically compared to the opposite side. It looks very strange in the mirror. That's all I have for now, but I wanted to make a new post as it has been some time since the last and also give others the knowledge of the incredibly tight feeling around the treated areas. Im not sure how to describe it really... I don't know exactly where the feeling is coming from (if the skin itself or from inside) as the skin still feels weird to the touch in most areas... almost still numb but its hard to say.
Monday, August 19, 2013
The Recovery Part II
So this is what... almost a full 4 days after the operation now. I took off the medical tape that was strapped all over my body as an impromptu type of compression shirt. The trick is to make sure you get this shit as wet as possible with water and I decided to add a little KY to the mix as well as it is a very interesting feeling pulling this stuff off your body (especially when your skin feels numb). I decided to take some photos today as well so this is the first set of post-operation pics and with the amount of swelling that I am currently experiencing are not all that impressive :(. Although I can report that my 'equipment' is not bruised hahaha - nothing below my belt is bruised at all.
I can say that I have this really weird feeling. I feel like I am in someone else's skin right now and it is such a creepy feeling. The skin is very numb all around the abdomen and I am now suspecting that the Ab Muscle is as well and that it is not bruised like I had previously suspected. I had thought maybe the way the bandages were put on my body had caused this sensation but after 6 hours of them being removed I still have this numb feeling all over the skin. Some parts of the skin (between the front abs and the obliques) are completely flat and appear to be in its final state and that part looks good to me, but the abs and sides are so swollen progress is very hard to see. I still have some deep purple bruising on my sides (shown in pictures) and dont expect them to clear up for another week or two (around the same time I expect the swelling to start to subside).
I am moving around much better. I went shopping this morning and am going out for a couple of drinks tonight on Soi 7. Nothing too crazy, just a few beers with some friends - very low key. There is no way I want to get any ladies too interested because having someone touch my stomach (which is VERY sore) would induce much more pain than I would be interested in having at this time. I had considered stopping by a BJ bar though but I decided health needs trump carnal needs. I plan to be back on the track after a full 7 days post-operation though and will continue to update the blog (probably every other day) until the final results are in.
If you compare the current pictures to the pre-op pics I am sure you will tell a very large difference but the doctor has assured me that my current results are nowhere near the end after a full month of healing time. He went so far as to suggest that because he had removed ALL of the fat in the stomach area, the end result will be six pack abs (and having those for life as the fat will never return to that area - unless I gain a significant amount of weight see 20 KG). Speaking of KG, my pre-operation weigh in was 109 KG and my current weight is 103 KG. And I am completely ashamed to say that during the last few days on my back the only food I have consumed is whatever is deliverable (McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut), but in much reduced quantities as previously.
When I compare the pictures myself I am quite happy already but looking in the mirror still provides me with nothing but disgust. I am having no issues wearing my compression shirts (had to get Nike Pro Combat shirts) as a little over 2 years ago I was used to wearing them as while in the military I wore the tight Under Armour compression shirts to the gym and under my uniform to keep the skin dry. I can see how this would annoy most people who have never worn them previously.
I can say that I have this really weird feeling. I feel like I am in someone else's skin right now and it is such a creepy feeling. The skin is very numb all around the abdomen and I am now suspecting that the Ab Muscle is as well and that it is not bruised like I had previously suspected. I had thought maybe the way the bandages were put on my body had caused this sensation but after 6 hours of them being removed I still have this numb feeling all over the skin. Some parts of the skin (between the front abs and the obliques) are completely flat and appear to be in its final state and that part looks good to me, but the abs and sides are so swollen progress is very hard to see. I still have some deep purple bruising on my sides (shown in pictures) and dont expect them to clear up for another week or two (around the same time I expect the swelling to start to subside).
I am moving around much better. I went shopping this morning and am going out for a couple of drinks tonight on Soi 7. Nothing too crazy, just a few beers with some friends - very low key. There is no way I want to get any ladies too interested because having someone touch my stomach (which is VERY sore) would induce much more pain than I would be interested in having at this time. I had considered stopping by a BJ bar though but I decided health needs trump carnal needs. I plan to be back on the track after a full 7 days post-operation though and will continue to update the blog (probably every other day) until the final results are in.
If you compare the current pictures to the pre-op pics I am sure you will tell a very large difference but the doctor has assured me that my current results are nowhere near the end after a full month of healing time. He went so far as to suggest that because he had removed ALL of the fat in the stomach area, the end result will be six pack abs (and having those for life as the fat will never return to that area - unless I gain a significant amount of weight see 20 KG). Speaking of KG, my pre-operation weigh in was 109 KG and my current weight is 103 KG. And I am completely ashamed to say that during the last few days on my back the only food I have consumed is whatever is deliverable (McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut), but in much reduced quantities as previously.
When I compare the pictures myself I am quite happy already but looking in the mirror still provides me with nothing but disgust. I am having no issues wearing my compression shirts (had to get Nike Pro Combat shirts) as a little over 2 years ago I was used to wearing them as while in the military I wore the tight Under Armour compression shirts to the gym and under my uniform to keep the skin dry. I can see how this would annoy most people who have never worn them previously.
Friday, August 16, 2013
The Recovery Part 1
So the procedure was done on 8/15/2013 late at night (roughly 7 pm to 11 pm Thai Time). I stayed the night in my private room, and left the following day 8/16/2013 around 5pm back to my condo in Jomtien (next to Pattaya).
It is now mid-day on the 17th. The body is very bruised (dark purple) at the bottom of the love handles and lower abs area. I do not see any bruising on the chest. I would really not be interested in taking a photo yet. My functionality is pretty good, I got up this morning twice under my own power (although it took me holding my leg and kicking my leg down to sit-up as I cannot use my ab muscles yet) and once with the help of a friend just pulling my arm. All 3 of those were from a laying down position. I got up and went down stairs for some breakfast (and had no problems getting out of the chair afterwards) although discomfort / slight pain while attempting to sit and get up. Same situation as previous - The standing, walking, sitting, laying positions are just fine, it is the changing positions that is where the pain comes into play - something that I hope to put behind me tomorrow or the day after.
Getting off of the toilet in my condo's bathroom was quite the challenge though in addition to some slight pain while trying to wipe (contracting the oblique)! Luckily my arm reached far enough that I could use the sink lip to pull myself up. Honestly I am just considering myself lucky that I didn't need to go number 2 up until today lol. I haven't felt much need to do any mirror par-oozing today, other than the quick checks of the bruising.
My friend is getting me some compression shirts today so I will start wearing those as now I am only wearing this what appears to be many strips of medical tape across the entire front of my body. I have noticed that I am smaller already, in the elevator mirrors this morning en-route to breakfast and am looking forward to a few days from now and longer still.
Oh, this morning when I got out of bed the first time and had some pain doing so, I went out on my balcony to smoke a cigarette and I thought to myself - I wish I never did this. I think during those moments of pain those thoughts would be natural but those thoughts quickly removed themselves and I am happy I did the operation, I would just be more happy if I was already on day 5!
It is now mid-day on the 17th. The body is very bruised (dark purple) at the bottom of the love handles and lower abs area. I do not see any bruising on the chest. I would really not be interested in taking a photo yet. My functionality is pretty good, I got up this morning twice under my own power (although it took me holding my leg and kicking my leg down to sit-up as I cannot use my ab muscles yet) and once with the help of a friend just pulling my arm. All 3 of those were from a laying down position. I got up and went down stairs for some breakfast (and had no problems getting out of the chair afterwards) although discomfort / slight pain while attempting to sit and get up. Same situation as previous - The standing, walking, sitting, laying positions are just fine, it is the changing positions that is where the pain comes into play - something that I hope to put behind me tomorrow or the day after.
Getting off of the toilet in my condo's bathroom was quite the challenge though in addition to some slight pain while trying to wipe (contracting the oblique)! Luckily my arm reached far enough that I could use the sink lip to pull myself up. Honestly I am just considering myself lucky that I didn't need to go number 2 up until today lol. I haven't felt much need to do any mirror par-oozing today, other than the quick checks of the bruising.
My friend is getting me some compression shirts today so I will start wearing those as now I am only wearing this what appears to be many strips of medical tape across the entire front of my body. I have noticed that I am smaller already, in the elevator mirrors this morning en-route to breakfast and am looking forward to a few days from now and longer still.
Oh, this morning when I got out of bed the first time and had some pain doing so, I went out on my balcony to smoke a cigarette and I thought to myself - I wish I never did this. I think during those moments of pain those thoughts would be natural but those thoughts quickly removed themselves and I am happy I did the operation, I would just be more happy if I was already on day 5!
The Operation
So there I am all checked in and ready to go the day of my operation. I get some vitals taken, get some blood drawn, get some pre photos taken, height, weight, temperature, the whole deal, and then we go up to my private room to put on the shortest gown I have ever seen (although to be fair I am 6'3"). After a little bit of time, I get put in a wheel chair and sent down to get X-Rays. I think to myself, what in god's name do I need X-Rays for? But that thought lingers only momentarily as I realize the two X-Ray Tech's cant get the machine to power on. I sit there watching them flip breakers for what seems like 30 minutes before they go and get the grounds keeper (well probably the maintenance man) who of course is not in any type of clean hospital type clothing. After he fails to get the machine to turn on, I start re-assuring myself that I have not made a poor choice despite what I am seeing.
After maybe 45 minutes, someone else has shown up and has no problems immediately turning the machine on. Alright, we are back on the track despite being an hour late to the supposed time the operation was supposed to start. We knock out the X-Rays and roll over to the surgery wing. When I get to the operating room I am more than happy to see what it looks like. Everything nice and clean, everything looking brand new, more than up to western standards. The doctor is there and we start chatting while I am getting hooked up (although the nurses seem upset to have waited so long). The anesthesiologist gets me all setup and talks to me through the process and what to expect. The marker is put all over my areas to signify what is going to happen and then the cleaning of the body starts. As the nurse (who looks like an angel) does this the doctor jokingly says to me "she (the nurse) wanted me to tell you she doesn't have a boyfriend". I am feeling quite comfortable with the staff and especially the doctor.
I had my procedure on 8/15/2013 at around 7 pm Thailand time.
I wake up sometime later (not sure how long) in my private room where my friend is waiting for me. They took out 5000 CC's of fat in the abs, love handles, and chest all in the same procedure. I feel like I have done 20 million sit-ups and cannot use my abs to sit myself up. I do use the railings on the bed to pull myself up and while I am doing so I am feeling quite a bit of pain. I decline the morphine from the nurse as I have no pain while I am laying down, sitting up, or standing. See the pain is only in the process of changing to those positions... probably because the core of my body (all the ab muscles) are bruised from the procedure.
I have never been one who sleeps on my back (always my side) so it was a rough night of waking up every 2 hours and returning to sleep. The staff had brought in the 5000 CC's of fat that they had removed and had it displayed in the room because apparently some people like to take it home. I told them this isn't Fight Club and I'm not making any soap (they didn't understand). The doctor came in the following afternoon to check on all the sutures and make sure I was good to go and do some explaining to me about post operation care, what I can expect to look like over the next couple of weeks, etc etc. What I was not told is how soon I can shower and will probably need to call him and ask because I am starting to have some funk.
For the record, I was told that bruising could last as long as 1 full month and that the puffy look (swelling) will reside and I will be able to see 100% of the results in as long as 2 months. Of course, the possibility exists that it does not take that long.
After maybe 45 minutes, someone else has shown up and has no problems immediately turning the machine on. Alright, we are back on the track despite being an hour late to the supposed time the operation was supposed to start. We knock out the X-Rays and roll over to the surgery wing. When I get to the operating room I am more than happy to see what it looks like. Everything nice and clean, everything looking brand new, more than up to western standards. The doctor is there and we start chatting while I am getting hooked up (although the nurses seem upset to have waited so long). The anesthesiologist gets me all setup and talks to me through the process and what to expect. The marker is put all over my areas to signify what is going to happen and then the cleaning of the body starts. As the nurse (who looks like an angel) does this the doctor jokingly says to me "she (the nurse) wanted me to tell you she doesn't have a boyfriend". I am feeling quite comfortable with the staff and especially the doctor.
I had my procedure on 8/15/2013 at around 7 pm Thailand time.
I wake up sometime later (not sure how long) in my private room where my friend is waiting for me. They took out 5000 CC's of fat in the abs, love handles, and chest all in the same procedure. I feel like I have done 20 million sit-ups and cannot use my abs to sit myself up. I do use the railings on the bed to pull myself up and while I am doing so I am feeling quite a bit of pain. I decline the morphine from the nurse as I have no pain while I am laying down, sitting up, or standing. See the pain is only in the process of changing to those positions... probably because the core of my body (all the ab muscles) are bruised from the procedure.
I have never been one who sleeps on my back (always my side) so it was a rough night of waking up every 2 hours and returning to sleep. The staff had brought in the 5000 CC's of fat that they had removed and had it displayed in the room because apparently some people like to take it home. I told them this isn't Fight Club and I'm not making any soap (they didn't understand). The doctor came in the following afternoon to check on all the sutures and make sure I was good to go and do some explaining to me about post operation care, what I can expect to look like over the next couple of weeks, etc etc. What I was not told is how soon I can shower and will probably need to call him and ask because I am starting to have some funk.
For the record, I was told that bruising could last as long as 1 full month and that the puffy look (swelling) will reside and I will be able to see 100% of the results in as long as 2 months. Of course, the possibility exists that it does not take that long.
The Change
So after about 2 weeks on the ground here in Thailand it was time to prepare for the consultation. Cut out the smoking and liquor and get down to business. I did happen to mention to a friend of mine (see Thai girl) that I would be going to BKK to get a surgery done. Well after much talk about it, we both went to a hospital that I had never heard of before that specializes specifically in plastic surgery (in BKK).
I was going to get my abs (upper/lower), love handles, and chest done. This location which was packed (and i mean PACKED) with Thai women whose ages ranged from 18 to 40 waiting for consultations from boob jobs to fake noses (that I'll never understand) looked like the best kept secret, as far as plastic surgery is concerned, in the area. I had the consultation and the doctor spoke enough English for me to understand everything (of course my friend sometimes had to translate some). The doctor even encouraged me to NOT do the Vaser Lipo on the chest telling me that doing it on the stomach would be enough for the results I wanted. I was not convinced however and told them despite his recommendation I would still like the chest done. After the consult we had to go visit the billing people who wanted to charge me 2700 baht for the consult and gave me a price of $8400 USD for the procedure. I was quite surprised with the amount but it was still $4000 USD less than what the internet people had quoted me previously.
I think some clarification is required at this point so the reader can understand the price. See first, if you are not Thai then you are charged more. Second, if you are over like 70 KG (I weighed in at 109 KG) you are charged more. Third, if you are paying with credit instead of cash you are charged more. Fourth, if you opt for general anesthetic instead of local you are charged more. Fifth, if you opt to stay in a private room post operation for 1 night you are charged more. So that is how we end up at $8400 USD.
I canceled my internet consultation and decided to go with this as all of my Thai friends (See Bar Girls) had friends of theirs get procedures done here as well with great results, so I decided to stick with Lelux Plastic Surgery Hospital.
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| Two Nights before operation - With clothes on I hide fat well. (except for in the chin haha) |
I think some clarification is required at this point so the reader can understand the price. See first, if you are not Thai then you are charged more. Second, if you are over like 70 KG (I weighed in at 109 KG) you are charged more. Third, if you are paying with credit instead of cash you are charged more. Fourth, if you opt for general anesthetic instead of local you are charged more. Fifth, if you opt to stay in a private room post operation for 1 night you are charged more. So that is how we end up at $8400 USD.
I canceled my internet consultation and decided to go with this as all of my Thai friends (See Bar Girls) had friends of theirs get procedures done here as well with great results, so I decided to stick with Lelux Plastic Surgery Hospital.
The Decision
So here I am, on my 6th holiday in Thailand and every girl I see (who I've known from previous trips) keeps saying the same thing... "You look different". That's just the nice way to say I've gotten really fat since the last time I was here. Now I had been considering getting some liposuction done (before I even arrived in Thailand) as one day I had a reality check as I looked down and saw the beginning of male breasts. Of course eating right and going to the gym were the correct answer to my problems but when you're working 96 hours a week the whole idea of preparing food yourself and getting to the gym for a workout every night becomes a pipe dream that is just an impossibility. While sure I know that if you want to do something enough you will make the time, and while I did not want to continue down this road that leads to obesity, male breasts, and never again removing my shirt in public, it just seemed so far out of reach.
Because that's just how the world works. We lose focus on things and only realize it once its gotten to such a point that it seems all of our efforts would be futile and fruitless. So I took the plunge, I amassed a great amount of research on the topic (instead of using that time in the gym obviously). I had read many reviews of hospitals and doctors and I had decided to book some consultations.
You see Thailand has become a large vacationing location for medical procedures and dentistry due in large to the cheap prices and the same standards of care and facilities as in the west. Of course doing a procedure in a foreign country (despite how many times you've been there) is something that is scary. But then again, I was a warrior... someone who laughed danger in the face, someone who had legitimate combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan... so I washed my fear away and preceded down the path that lay before me.
That path had a few consultations with companies (who need not be named) whose sole purpose in business was to market procedures to westerners looking for medical holidays. They wanted you to fill out a few forms, send in some pictures, and get a written consultation via e-mail. To be fair, they would do a consultation in person once you arrived as well (which in my opinion and situation, was due to poor photos and needing to determine if the price quoted was enough). So I made the booking.
Because that's just how the world works. We lose focus on things and only realize it once its gotten to such a point that it seems all of our efforts would be futile and fruitless. So I took the plunge, I amassed a great amount of research on the topic (instead of using that time in the gym obviously). I had read many reviews of hospitals and doctors and I had decided to book some consultations.
You see Thailand has become a large vacationing location for medical procedures and dentistry due in large to the cheap prices and the same standards of care and facilities as in the west. Of course doing a procedure in a foreign country (despite how many times you've been there) is something that is scary. But then again, I was a warrior... someone who laughed danger in the face, someone who had legitimate combat experience in both Iraq and Afghanistan... so I washed my fear away and preceded down the path that lay before me.
That path had a few consultations with companies (who need not be named) whose sole purpose in business was to market procedures to westerners looking for medical holidays. They wanted you to fill out a few forms, send in some pictures, and get a written consultation via e-mail. To be fair, they would do a consultation in person once you arrived as well (which in my opinion and situation, was due to poor photos and needing to determine if the price quoted was enough). So I made the booking.
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