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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Cool Sculpting Experience

Ok, so I spent a good part of Tuesday afternoon having my fat frozen. Yes I had my cool sculpting appointment. It was very strange but I think I dig it. We’ll have to wait and see the results first. Let me explain. The procedure is being done at my surgeons office by the nutritionist and receptionist there. What it is supposed to do, is freeze fat cells in a particular area, causing them to die. Then over a period of 2-4 months your body will naturally flush out the dead cells, leaving you with few fat cells in that part of your body. This is not intended for weight loss! This is intended for those areas with stubborn fat that diet and exercise don’t seem to touch. Now Momzilla did this with me and they were very honest with her during her consultation and suggested that if she wanted to see real results she might want to go the plastic surgery route. But she says she is a big chicken so want wanted a nonsurgical option to make her clothes fit a little better. They say you can lose 10-20% of the fat cells in the area you have the procedure on. But it isn’t going to make you drop a lot of weight. My mom and I share the curse of saddle bags, no matter how thin we are or how little we weigh. So we thought this might help. I will also caution you that it is expensive and not covered by insurance. Since I am getting married in a year (OMG I’m still not used to that, I’m getting married!) Momzilla offered to pay for it for me.


So I arrived at the office for my appointment. They only have one machine and Momzilla was still on it, so I went back and sat with her for her last few minutes. It was really weird to watch them remove the machine. Now I am wishing I had taken some pictures but I didn’t think of it at the time. After they massaged Momzilla’s cold spot it was my turn. I pulled on some short shorts and hopped up on the table.

First they marks on my upper, outer thigh to show the where the ends of the machine should touch and where the center should be. I don’t know how to describe the machine. It is hand held with programing buttons and has a hollow portion in it. They put this cool gel cloth over that spot and smooth it out. It is very cold! Then they put the machine up to the marks and hit a button that started the suction. Now they say that this is painless. It is not! They say it feels kinda like a mammogram but I’ve never had one so I don’t know. On a pain scale I would say it was a 7 or an 8. Really, nothing us VSG patients can’t handle. It’s enough to make you go OWWW! Then it stays for a couple of minutes. After that the pain is gone. They prop the machine up on a pillow and help you get into a comfortable position. Then I just sat there and watched TV for an hour while the machine worked it’s magic.

I was amazed by how much this thing managed to suck up into it. I mean I could actually see through the clear portions to see the marks they had made. It is a really weird feeling. The suction is what makes this work so you have to becareful not to break the suction. Meanwhile you just sit there while it cools down the fat that it sucked up. I don’t know how they do that without hurting your skin but it is fine. After the first few minutes of pain and discomfort you don’t’ feel anything. The area is numb. So you don’t really feel how cold it is either.

After your hour the machine massages the area for a couple of minutes. Then the operator releases it and pulls the machine off of your “Stick of Butter” as they call it. It’s an area that was sucked into the machine that is now red and raised and kinda looks like a stick of butter. The operator massages this area for a few minutes and it goes down and back to normal on your leg. You can still see a red area but that’s it. It’s crazy if you touch it with your hand afterwards. That spot is so cold! I have no idea why you don’t feel it. The area does hurt a little when they take off the machine and massage it. It just feels like a bad bruise. The whole thing can cause some bruising too. I have a few bruises. Momzilla has a few more because she bruises more easily. Next the whole thing gets done to the other leg. I would say that I spent about two and a half hours at the doctor’s office. Afterwards I put regular clothes on and went to the grocery store. Just like nothing happened.

The next day I felt a little bruised but not bad. Now I just have to wait and see how my body expels the dead cells. I can’t wait! I really hope it works! I’ll admit that while I had my one side hurting after having the machine removed and they went to do the other leg I was a little nervous. I definitely held my breath when they put the machine on. But at the same time, I kinda want to do it again! I think this has the potential to be addictive like piercings and tattoos. If it works that is. I was thinking about it the next day and wanted to experience it again. It’s a really weird sensation to have your fat sucked up in that machine. I can do it again to a different area. Or if I want to do my outer thighs again, I can in two months. Momzilla is planning to go do her inner thighs next week. I am contemplating my knee fat. I have icky bags of fat on the sides of my knees and I hate them. But I will wait to see if this works before I pay more money for it.

Cross your fingers for me! If anyone has any questions about Cool Sculpting, Feel free to e-mail me!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Cool Sculpting and some news

Hello Readers!


So I must inform you of a new development. I’m engaged!

Yep, Coach finally popped the question and made it official. We will be getting married next June.



Now that that’s out, on to more sleeve related discussion. I’m still stalled, which is frustrating. But I am very excited. My surgeon’s office sent me a brochure about a new procedure they do called Cool Sculpting. It’s very interesting. I went to an informational on it last night. It was so cool. Basically they use this machine that sucks in the fat and then freezes it. It chills that area so that the fat cells freeze and die. Then over the next few months, your body gradually expels the dead cells. It’s supposed to help with those areas of stubborn fat that just won’t go away, despite diet and exercise. It is also a non-surgical alternative to liposuction. They say that the area will lose 10-20% of the fat over a two to four month time period. I watched a woman who was having her inner thighs done get the machine taken off one leg and moved to the other. It doesn’t hurt, It may be a little uncomfortable for the first few minutes and then there is nothing. After they remove the machine the skin is a little red and that’s it. Each treatment takes an hour and one treatment is all you need. But you can do more if you want to increase the results. It’s a little expensive and insurance doesn’t cover it. But I think it will be worth it. The dietitian at the office preforms the procedure.

I’m getting it done next week. And Mommy dearest (hereby to be known as Momzilla because she is driving me crazy with wedding planning) is paying for it. I am going to have my outer thighs done. My thighs are where I collect all my fat. It’s always been that way. The dietitian seemed really positive about the results I can expect. She was pretty honest. She recommended that Momzilla look into cosmetic Surgery but Momzilla really doesn’t want that. She is a big chicken and doesn’t want surgery. So she is going to have the procedure too. But I’m not sure how well it will work for her. I’m really excited about getting it done next week. It will take two hours, one hour per leg. If it works like it is supposed to, I may do my inner thighs and/or my arms. I think my inner thighs are going to need cosmetic Surgery. I have a lot of extra skin on my inner thighs and some flabby fat. So I will probably need the skin removed and a little lypo. But I am going to wait until I hit my goal weight. And then I will consult with the plastic surgeon. I am really hoping this works get rid of those terrible saddle bags that have plagued me my entire life. I’ll let you guys know how it goes. For those of you that want more info, here is a link that explains it.

http://www.coolsculpting.com/