04/04/07

  This is not the typical result and this page is not created to scare you from not having it done.  It is created so that you can educate yourself on the process and the actual dangers involved with the treatment.

If you did have it done and have negative experiences, we would love to hear from you.  Email us your story at chris@teamalini.com .  We have heard of two other women in our area and would love to help them with coping.  We have done research on the topic and can help you understand what happened.  If your story is like ours, you were left to deal with the complications on your own and we understand the challenges you faced.

If you are thinking of having it done, make sure you research the clinic that you plan on using for your treatment. 

1)  Keep in mind that the drug they use phosphatidylcholine deoxycholate, or PCDC is NOT FDA approved for this use.  PCDC consists of 2 FDA-approved medications that are also a natural part of our body chemistry. PC, or phosphatidylcholine, is similar to lecithin, found in our cell membranes, and extracted from soybeans for medical use. It has been proven to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides, and improve insulin resistance. DC, or deoxycholate, is a bile salt that we use to digest dietary fats. Small amounts of Lidocaine, a very common pain medication, helps to keep the PCDC contained in the areas being treated.

2)  Find out who does the procedure, is it an actual board certified physician, or will it be a nurse who has been trained in the process.  There is a difference, an actual physician is better trained to handle the more extreme possible side effects. 

3)  Extreme side effects.....yes Extreme.  You will be told or have been told that Abscesses and Necrosis are two possible side effects of the treatment.  If the process is not done correctly, or one of these conditions is not identified in time, massive bowel infections or skin issues can occur.  The clinics try to down play this because many of them have never seen it.  I have received emails from a German doctor who is part of a network of physicians performing Lipolysis and of 80,000 injections they have heard of one case of abscesses forming.  We have encountered three separate cases here in the Vegas area.  Each time the clinic did nothing to help once the problem got out of hand, the clinics failed to identify abscesses, the individuals suffered massive infections, which were caught in time by ER or surgery clinic visits.

4)  It should be mentioned, that the lumps which develop during treatment are soft, red and warm to the touch and can be painful.  These are the exact same symptoms of abscesses, a known side effect.  So how does the doctor decide between the two when making treatment options.  The fatty lumps could be treated with a 'cold laser' to help break them up, this same treatment accelerates the growth of an abscess.  So improper identification and treatment leads to worse issues.

The clinics claims to have no responsibility to the patient once this occurs because they include in their release forms as a possible complication that you were made aware of.  Are you ready to handle the financial burden of 3 weeks of bed rest as you recover from draining abscesses which could be one inch or more in depth at the injection site.  Is the clinic prepared to handle treatment for the abscess, do they know how to identify it?

If you want more details about our situation, the things we found out about the process or help in choosing a good clinic for treatment, feel free to email me at chris@teamalini.com