Meet Chelsea Allen of Atlanta, GA. She is a 33 year old, single mother of twin 11-yr old girls, who is a singer/dancer performing with the band “Party on the Moon.” She is also an entrepreneur who owns a small auto parts distribution company.
- Lifestyle: Active; Professional performer who sings and dances on stage up to 3 hours per performance
- Diet/Exercise: healthy diet and exercises 4 times per week
- Problem areas: abdomen and love-handles
I had 7 and 8 pound twin girls 11 years ago, and I have just never gotten my body back. I was on bed rest for 6 months and that period of inactivity really allowed the weight to pile on. I am really frustrated that I spent my 20’s in a body that did not match me or my life, but at the time I did not have the support that I needed to really focus on what was going on with my body. Now that my girls are older and more active, I realize that I need to focus on myself for a minute so that I can give them all the support they will need from me in their teen years.
I have tried to lose the weight on my own with a healthy diet and working out 4 times per week, but after all these years of living life with my girls, performing on stage and running my business in this post-baby body, I decided to get help.
I’ve looked at surgical options, and since my problem areas are my abdomen and love-handles, I considered a tummy tuck or liposuction. I have been on two consults with doctors about the tummy tuck and just couldn’t see how I could afford the weeks of recovery time. I remember how hard it was to recover from my C-section and I wasn’t looking forward to another abdominal incision. But I wanted to make a change in my body, so I had a breast augmentation instead since the recovery time was less! At this point, I had just decided to live with my body for a few more years until I found the time to have the tummy tuck.
I considered GPSLipo after a friend told me about it and put me in touch with Dr. Kavali. I have decided to try it since it sounds like this procedure will fit my lifestyle and will not keep me off my feet, or off stage, for very long. Based on what I’ve read and been told, this procedure is minimally invasive, so I can get the results I want with almost no down time. I was afraid to hope for too much, so I told myself that if this GPSLipo didn’t work for me, that I could still always get my tummy tuck someday!
The day before my surgery.
This is me the day before my procedure. After 11 years, that pouch has to go!
On the day of my procedure, it was a really easy process. I arrived at the doctor’s office, changed into a robe, took the before pictures, and the doctor marked my areas that were to be treated: my abdomen and love handles. I was given a local anesthetic which felt like a pricking followed by a stinging sensation. Then I felt the sensation of being flooded with water… like I was being filled up with a water hose. The doctor told me they inject the fluid to make it easier to target the fat.
After the procedure, I went to lunch and then on to my girls’ soccer game.
Since I was awake during the procedure, I could feel the weird sensation of the doctor moving the cannula back and forth. The area around my C-section and my belly button were sensitive, but the doctor monitored my pain and if I felt any discomfort, she numbed the sensitive area. In my mind, I was nervous there would be pain when I least expected it, so I was sort of tense. To help me relax, I brought my iPad and watched a movie during the whole thing.
When the procedure was complete, the doctor inserted the sutures, and I sat up on the table. I did not feel woozy or anything! I put on the compression undergarment that the doctor gave me to help in my healing and skin tightening, got dressed, got in the car and went home. Seemed too easy to be true!
Later that afternoon, we went for lunch and then on to my girls’ soccer game. They won and I couldn’t believe how good I felt! I’ll write again to update how I look and feel on the day after the procedure.
