Howdy Folks! I have been visiting another forum for about a week on this subject but I wanted to start my own forum as well to add another personal testimony for this particular area for SmartLipo. As with the other forum, I hadn't found many personal testimonials online about SmartLipo on calves and ankles, I hope this will help others considering this procedure. Please also visit SlimLegs forum at: http://www.realself.com/forum/smart-lipo-knees-calves-ankles#comment-190035 SlimLegs has been a HUGE help to me with support through her own procedure and process. Thank you Slimlegs!
Here's my story: I am 34, 5'1" and 102 lbs. I am petite but curvy, except in my calves and ankles. This is an area I have tried to exercise, diet and even had mesotherapy done to help bring shape into my lower legs but of course, nothing worked because it's my genetics. On both sides of my family the women have heavier lower legs, it was written in my DNA and I knew some form of liposuction was the only answer.
I have been doing an extensive amount of research on liposuction for about 6 or 7 years now for my "cankles" and earlier this summer I decided to pursue the SmartLipo path. The main attraction for me is the local anesthesia, I am freaked out by general. All my research led me to a Surgery date of September 21, 2011.
I'll catch you up to date as I am in Post-Op Day 4 today and will continue to document my recovery in hopes to help others.
9.21.2011 – Surgery Date
I was very nervous this day. I have never had any surgery outside of dental work and my only stitches have been with wisdom teeth, so this was quite an event for me. Once I arrived and was checked in at the front desk, I took a pregnancy test (understandable) and went into the pre-op room where I met with the nurse first. The nurse took my before pictures, weight, blood pressure and gave me the following: antibiotic, ativan (anti anxiety), percocet and an anti-nausea. She explained everything to me and why I was taking each item as well as asked me questions about antibiotics I can take and pain meds for my prescriptions. I was appreciative of her finding a pain med for me that wouldn't be to strong for my size and considering I do not take medication very often.
Shortly after, Dr. Shideler came in to draw on my legs and talk to me about the procedure. 20 minutes later, I walked down to the surgery room to get things started.
The nurses hooked me up to all the monitors (blood pressure, heart and finger) and a few minutes later, they asked me if I was nervous and to take a few deep breaths. I know this was being my heart was racing like crazing! They continued to talk to me to help calm me down and then the ativan started kicking in, thankfully.
The actual procedure itself was not bad at all. I would say the most uncomfortable thing was the beginning with the lidocaine solution. It was not necessarily painful but more of a massive pressure feeling; kind of like the feeling when you have your blood pressure taken on your arm. I was surprised that the cannula vibrated and it actually felt like a giant tattoo gun (I have tattoos) and it kind of felt like a deep massage with the vibrations.
The doctor and nurses were great, talking with me and explaining each step, they played music for me, made sure the room was warm and I loved being awake. The doctor would hold up my leg here and there for me to see the progress and I loved saying good-bye to the fat as it was being dumped into the container! My procedure took about 2 – 2.5 hours, which flew by quickly and I believe they ended up sucking out a little less than 2Liters of fat and other liquids (solution/blood etc). They put maxipads on my incisions, ace bandages (I have garments already at home) and off to the post-op room I went.
Post-op was great. The nurse was thorough on what I would be expecting over the next couple of days, gave me a little care package with extra maxipads, antibiotic ointment and "discharge" instructions, along with my doctor's mobile number.
I went home and rested with my legs elevated.
9.22.2011 – Post-op(PO) Day 1
I worked PO-Day 1 but only because I have the benefit of being able to work from home when needed. If, I had to go into the office, I would not have worked Thursday nor Friday. My legs still felt numb but I could definitely feel the deep soreness in my calf muscles. After sitting for a bit with my legs elevated, it felt like I had done 200 toe-lifts the day before. It's a very deep overall muscle soreness/tightness. But once I was moving a about for a few minutes, they would loosen up and feel much better. I am actually surprised that it isn't more painful but happy it's not! My incisions were left open to allow for drainage so I had to change my maxipads a couple of times during the day. I also had been told to put on my knee-hi compression stockings which then caused my inner knees to start swelling and bruise. After speaking with the nurse, I put on my full length compression stockings, this definitely helped with the swelling. I was swollen right away in the ankles but I could see the difference right I away! I knew this might change based on what Slimlegs has posted and what the doctor told me but it was awesome see a difference right away! I didn't want to take the percocet so I took Extra Strength Tylenol and was fine. I don't feel that I need a heavy pain med at all.
9.23.2011 – PO-Day 2
I was definitely more sore this day. I think partly from the lidocaine solution draining and wearing off even though they still feel numb but that is expected. I made myself get up and walk around a bit more on the second day to help with my tightness in my calves. I switched to Ibuprofen to help with the swelling and still have the pain relief. I didn't notice a difference between the Tylenol and IB with pain, they both did the same amount of relief. I was also surprised at how tired I was this day, I napped more than I did on Day 1. I was pretty much done with the drainage so I did not have to wear the maxipads anymore.
9.24.2011 – PO-Day 3
I have to say, day 3 was the best my legs felt. I was trying to be a bit more active with walking around the house and I even used the stairs! My muscles felt more loose yesterday than the previous two days. I also had a dinner party that had been planned for months that I attended. I was really nervous about how I was going to feel walk, etc but I did just fine. I still walked slow and a bit like a granny but it was fine. I was up on my feet a lot and noticed I started swelling more so I'll have to take it easy on Day 4. I did forget to mention that on Day 1 and Day 2, the clinic emailed me tips/expectations for the first 4 days post op, which I thought was very helpful. I also called my nurse on Day 1 and Day 2 with questions and she was very helpful.
9.25.2011 – PO-Day 4
So, I think I overdid it yesterday with the dinner party and today I am the most swollen that I have been. I also washed my garments today and while they are air drying, I am also letting my legs "air dry", which means I am swelling. I will put my garments back on shortly, the instructions are to wear the garments for at least 12 hours Days 4 – 10. My muscles still feel like they are loosening up and not as sore/tight as they were the first couple of days. My incisions are healing up nicely, so I hope to not have any scars. Since, I was quite active yesterday, I am going to take it easy today and keep my legs elevated for a bit but I'll still walk around to keep the healing process moving along. I also noticed I have a lot of bruising, which really doesn't surprise me, I already bruise very easily. I think taking Arnica is helping the huge bruises on my inner knees from the knee-hi stockings. I'll keep taking arnica to help with the bruising, they are nasty looking. 
Now you're up to date! I'll keep you posted on my recovery and please feel free to ask or message me any questions!
I'll continue to post pictures and recovery info. Have a super day!
Updated on 5 Oct 2011:
9.29.2011 – PO-wk 1
Hey there! I had my PO-wk 1 visit yesterday. Everything is healing on schedule. I notice I started a ton of swelling PO-Day 5 and yesterday was the most I have been swollen. I am still fairly stiff and tight but I notice the toughest times are first thing in the morning and at the end of the day after I’ve been walking around most of the day. I still have a ton of bruising and I still have the intense pressure and sunburn feeling in my legs. I run cold water over then in the shower and do some cold compresses here and there during the day and this helps the sunburn feeling. I was told this is caused from the swelling and the nerves repairing themselves from the procedure. My legs are are also still numb feeling but I gaining more sensation as each day passes. If anything changes I’ll post something otherwise I’ll post again on week 2! Take care!
10.05.2011 – PO-wk 2
Howdy folks! Today is my post-op week 2, YAY!!! I definitely feel much better than I did the first week, thankfully. Over the last week, I have noticed much of my bruising has healed but it’s still healing. I do not have nearly as much swelling as I did the first week, however, my feet and ankles still swell a lot by the end of the day. I had to buy two pairs of shoes that my swollen feet can be comfy in but thankfully they are still cute! The mornings are best since I am not nearly as swollen as the end of the day but this is to be expected. Getting up in the morning is easier, I still have that intense throbbing but over the last couple of days I have noticed it is not as intense and it lasts for maybe 15 seconds compared to the minute or two before. My muscles are also not as tight as they were previously, so the first few steps in the morning are not nearly as painful, they don’t feel as though the muscle is ripping but still some discomfort. The heat in my legs has also lessened. Running cold water over them twice a day really helps. My incisions are nearly healed and I can start to use scar cream soon. I have noticed the hard lumps they said I would see and started gentle massage, which is suppose to help this. I still have that “heavy” feeling with pressure but it’s not as intense as it was last week. I have also stopped wearing the heavy duty compression garments and have moved to wear light support, mostly during the day while I am most active. I am walking more normal than before but still not quite back to normal normal. I plan to start walking a bit more around my neighborhood and I’m going to start incorporating some of my workout around arms and abs that involved light leg movements this week.
I added two new pictures for my before and I updated with three pictures I took this morning when I am not as swollen.
I’ll keep posting as the weeks go by or if there is some major change. Take Care until then!
Updated on 5 Oct 2011:
9.29.2011 – PO-wk 1
Hey there! I had my PO-wk 1 visit yesterday. Everything is healing on schedule. I notice I started a ton of swelling PO-Day 5 and yesterday was the most I have been swollen. I am still fairly stiff and tight but I notice the toughest times are first thing in the morning and at the end of the day after I’ve been walking around most of the day. I still have a ton of bruising and I still have the intense pressure and sunburn feeling in my legs. I run cold water over then in the shower and do some cold compresses here and there during the day and this helps the sunburn feeling. I was told this is caused from the swelling and the nerves repairing themselves from the procedure. My legs are are also still numb feeling but I gaining more sensation as each day passes. If anything changes I’ll post something otherwise I’ll post again on week 2! Take care!
10.05.2011 – PO-wk 2
Howdy folks! Today is my post-op week 2, YAY!!! I definitely feel much better than I did the first week, thankfully. Over the last week, I have noticed much of my bruising has healed but it’s still healing. I do not have nearly as much swelling as I did the first week, however, my feet and ankles still swell a lot by the end of the day. I had to buy two pairs of shoes that my swollen feet can be comfy in but thankfully they are still cute! The mornings are best since I am not nearly as swollen as the end of the day but this is to be expected. Getting up in the morning is easier, I still have that intense throbbing but over the last couple of days I have noticed it is not as intense and it lasts for maybe 15 seconds compared to the minute or two before. My muscles are also not as tight as they were previously, so the first few steps in the morning are not nearly as painful, they don’t feel as though the muscle is ripping but still some discomfort. The heat in my legs has also lessened. Running cold water over them twice a day really helps. My incisions are nearly healed and I can start to use scar cream soon. I have noticed the hard lumps they said I would see and started gentle massage, which is suppose to help this. I still have that “heavy” feeling with pressure but it’s not as intense as it was last week. I have also stopped wearing the heavy duty compression garments and have moved to wear light support, mostly during the day while I am most active. I am walking more normal than before but still not quite back to normal normal. I plan to start walking a bit more around my neighborhood and I’m going to start incorporating some of my workout around arms and abs that involved light leg movements this week.
I added two new pictures for my before and I updated with three pictures I took this morning when I am not as swollen.
I’ll keep posting as the weeks go by or if there is some major change. Take Care until then!
Updated on 12 Oct 2011:
10.12.11 – PO-wk 3
Hey folks, today is post-op week 3! Moving around and swelling has drastically improved since week 2. I still have some slight swelling by the end of the day but it is minimal compared to what I was during week 2. My bruising is pretty much almost healed and my incisions are improving every day.
The intense throbbing in the morning has really decreased and I barely notice it in the mornings. I am also pretty much walking normal again; going down stairs is still tricky. I still have the hard lumps and I’m massaging 2 – 3 times a day; these are expected and may last for a few months.
Each day I see some slight improvement and definitely very happy I went through with this procedure.
I added a photo for my week 3 below. Cheers!
Updated on 12 Nov 2011:
PO week 4 – 7
Hey there! I apologize for not updating the last few weeks, it’s been super busy with the Halloween holiday!
The last few weeks have pretty much been similar. I can walk and exercise normally and when I’m on my feet too long, my feet and ankles still swell a bit but not so much that I cannot wear shoes. I still have some swelling at the end of a normal day.
I am still massaging my legs a couple of times of day. One of them is a lymphatic massage to help with the remaining swelling and hard spots. I notice the hard spots are starting to smooth out, thankfully.
I am very happy with my results thus far and cannot wait until the swelling is completely gone! I feel like I am in the home stretch but at the same time I have plateaued a bit with the swelling. This is probably why they say 3 – 6 months to see full results.
I wore a dress to work the other day and it’s the first time I have worn one without tall boots! I was super happy and I find myself excited to shop for dresses and skirts.
I posted week 4 and 6 photos. I’ll update with more photos next week as it will be week 8 post op!!!
Updated on 12 Nov 2011:
Oh and I still have not gained all the sensation in my skin below my calf. But I feel like it’s slightly improving on the inside and back of my ankle area.
Original review from realself.com