The actual abdominoplasty surgery takes a couple of hours. After a tummy tuck your doctor will expect you to remain in post-operative care for at least 24 hours so that you can be monitored for any complications. Despite being an elective surgery abdominoplastys are considered a big as open heart surgeries.
After a tummy tuck, make sure that you adhere to a strictly schedule of rest and recuperation. Let your management at office know in advance that you will not be able to attend work for a stipulated time. During the first week after a tummy tuck you can expect to be in pain and have your body swollen. However, your doctor will definitely prescribe some form of painkiller medication for you.
Also you will have to make peace with the fact that you will be restrained to staying on your bed for a few days post the surgery. After a tummy tuck, restrict your physical activity and take up walking as the only means of getting your blood flow back to normal. This will also help in preventing the formation of blood clots.
Once you are free from the bandages and you find your movement a bit more natural, your doctor will recommend a special form of underwear. After a tummy tuck, this underwear will help compress the abdominal area and this will help bring down the swelling. Be prepared to wear this for several weeks after the surgery.
After a tummy tuck, you may take several weeks to heal and during this time, it will be natural for you to feel fatigued. You may also find patches of numbness around your abdomen. All of this will pass with time. Plan your tummy tuck procedure well for you cannot immediately get into a bathing suit after a tummy tuck.
well i had my tt, with lipo all around my mid section and a breast lift on march 21, 2012. I am 4 weeks post op today….im all most walking completely upright and still pretty sore.my tummy looks so flat and so much bettter than before , but it is so frustrating that i cant quite get back to work. people keep asking when i will be able to get back , but i cant even walk right yet ,so i cant commit to getting back to work yet. i didnt want my coworkers knowing what i had done, so i told them i had a female surgery . the whole thing for me IS Very uncomfortable . i wish i was a faster healer like some of the women on here. sigh. i eat healthy i take vitamins i dont drink soda or coffee i love water.But my body is doing what its supposed to .i still ave alot of swelling , i guess thats normal.,Peace Blessings and Love to everyone going through this . i have wanted this for along time , DONT let ANYONE tell you this is the easy way out because its not!!! No pain no gain i guess. yes and i walk every hour to 2 hours for 10 minutes.. its still a seemily slow process for me.But I wouldnt change my mind about doing this . I am Sitll glad i had this done ! <3 xoxo good luck
Hey Sharon. Thanks for the great response. I am glad you are happy with your results. I have decided to have the op. I am going to stop being chicken and take the plunge. I am ready to go back to being the way I used to look and I have decided to deal with the pain. I am going to just hope for positive things. The way I have decided to talk myself through it is by reminding myself it is a blessing to be financially stable enough to have a tummy tuck. A lot of women that I work with or even a lot of my friends want one but because of bills and finances they are unable to use the extra funds to get a tummy tuck. Five years ago or even three years ago I would not ever be able to afford a tummy tuck. The time is right for me and if I don’t get it now I will always look back and regret what would have been. Wish me luck ladies.
Well guys I’m now 15 days ost op and I feel really good. My car is healing well and I’m sleeping well also. I think what helped me was that my surgeon used glue instead of stitches or staples. The glue acts as a barrier and protects the incision. He is gave me antibiotics for seven days which I believe helped prevent infection. If the nhs did this ( which they won’t because of money) I believe there would be a lot less infections after ops. I’m going back to work on Monday 23rd April and I am more than ready. I think I have been very lucky ready some of these posts but I just did everything my surgeon told me. Good luck to anyone having this done And anyone currently recovering x
omg, i am going to actually schedule my tt tomorrow for probably in the next 3 weeks, i am scared and excited, scared of the pain, not being able to stand up right or not being able to do things, im scared of the swelling also. i just want to make it thru the first week post op and think i will be okay. Is the pain horrible?
OMG. I had surgery 4 weeks ago and I am still very miserable. I am in so much pain right below my chest in the middle(where your internal stitches begin) I feel like I should be feeling better by now. I am not quite sure how anyone can go back to work shortly after surgery. Even though my results look excellent maybe I am exp some post op depression =( I am a very active person and the laying around is killing me. Its so hard right now, but I am certain I will be so thankful I was able to do what so many mothers want to do. It will be worth it. My advice to anyone is to do it if you can. Just be prepared physically and mentally cause as someone mentioned this is very far from the easy way out. Good luck to all! God bless =)
Well Ladies, I have read some of your stories and responces and am getting Lipo and a Tummy Tuck in 2 weeks. I’m excite about the over-all out come of having it done but nervous about the recovery time and about getting back to work. Wish me luck. And thanks for telling about your experiences. It helped.
Had tt lipo and old implants that had returned replaced. Yes it is painful and after 4 1/2 weeks it is still very painful. As others said I really expected to recover a lot faster. Take your time I had a friend that is at week 8 and had breasts removed due to cancer she is doing well even with draining issues so here’s to week 8
Bali makes a great bra to sleep in and wear with no wires very comfortable and spanks work as well
Good luck too those about to undergo it is really worth it
Happy 55 to me
Hello, My name is Jeannie I had my tummy tuck with Lipo and Breast lift on 03/26/2012….I am 4 weeks post op, and I am feeling more and more like my normal self. I returned to work 9 days post op. Everyone in my job may new I had surgery but they really didn’t know what kind …Everyone was helpful in helping me out with picking something up or reaching up high for something. It was ruff by the times. I got home I was so exhausted. I should have taken more time off work to heal ,but I am much better now. I have been walking straight upwards 3 days after my surgery… I am happy with my results
10 days left til my lipo and full tummy tuck. I’m really excited. But definitly buying homeopathic arnica for the healing process and recovery time. CAN’T WAIT!!…. Even though I’ve waited for 8 years…..
GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU FOR CALMING ME DOWN!
I am only 3 days post op and have been worrying if i will ever stand up straight again!! THANK YOU THANK YOU! Now I can calm down and look forward to recovering completely and at the end still be 5′8″!!!! Lots of love to all and good luck to everyone in recovery!
I am due to go in for BA full TT and lipo on 4th may. Less than a week to go and I am getting very nervous about recovery. How long will I be in extreme pain?
Hi! I Just had TT, lipo and BA on Monday, April 23, 2012, I am 5 days out and I feel great!! I knew that there was going to be a lot of pain, so go in thinking that and you will be okay. I saw my doctor yesterday and he said that I am not the norm whatever that means. I have always bounced back quickly from surgery but not really sure why. But we all know/knew that there is a lot of pain and I think that is key. I stopped taking the pain meds the doc gave me on Wed other than to take first shower and to go to bed I am still on Tylenol which my nurse friend said to take because it will help the body heal, so I am taking that for that reason because I am really not in any pain. I do get pains here and there but nothing to warrant taking prescription meds. I have taken it easy which is very hard for me but I know in the end I will be happy! And so far, I am. For all of you who are going to do this, you will be happy and so what that we are uncomfortable for a week or two in the long run we are going to be so HAPPY!!!!!! I wish everyone the best of luck! For me, I really hated that I had to pay money to get my body back (well, it is better now than before) but no matter how much excerising I did it made no difference on my stomach area whatsoever and the only people who can relate are the ones who have been there or are there now! Again, GOOD LUCK TO ALL! We all are going to feel so much better about ourselves!!!
The truth of the matter is, everyones recovery time is different. Some recover better in the first 3 days opposed to another who just can’t get the first hint of relief until five weeks later. I advice taking homeopathic arnica (3X or 3C) for the healing process for a more speedy recovery. Your surgery is on the 4th as mine will be on the 7th. I will be starting arnica here on Monday to start it working a whole week pre-op and 2 weeks post-op. Just pray about the entire surgery process as well and you will be just fine.
Hello once again ladies. I had my surgery on Apr 24th. I did that. I am so proud of myself and I’m still here alive to tell the story. That means all those fears and horror stories did not come true that I was so paranoid about. I have been feeling great! The only bad thing that happened was on the day of and after surgery I was very groggy and nauseaus. There were a lot of foods I could not eat or even smell. I been mostly eating yogurt and real light foods. I haven’t had any pain. My dr gave me a pain pump and I don’t have to use the Vicodin they gave me at all. Yesterday I was cleaning my daughters room and the living room. I wanted to cook dinner too but my partner said no enough is enough sit yo a** down somewhere. I’m going back to work on Tuesday. I have been walking upright the whole time and even dancing in the mirror a little bit when I saw my results. Omg my stomach is flat. Im finally going to look like Beyonce and Nicki Manaj all rolled into one is all I can think about. I have a follow up appt tomorrow and I’m hoping I can get my drains taken out because I am so ready to take a real shower and not a sponge bath. I just want my belly button to get better and the appearance to look a little less swollen so I can start taken my lingerie picks and sending them off somewhere so I can be on Americas Next Top Model. Ok I got carried away for a min. The moral of my story is Fear will have you scared to take the next step and most of the time when you worry about something it almost never happens. Just a week before my surgery I was on here talking about how I was gonna cancel my surgery cause I was scared and now I’m happier than ever. Yes there are risks associated with the tummy tuck and I was one that over researched about the risks. However the benefit is way higher than the risk. Think about driving to work everyday. That is a risk because you can get into a big accident and never come home however going to work and making money is way higher and greater benefit than the risk associated with having an accident. If that makes sense. See your surgery in that light as well. I hope that my story is going to be uplifting and inspirational to anyone who has not had their surgery yet and give everyone something to think about although I am not trying to sway anyone’s mind in any which way. A tummy tuck is purely a personal choice and only you can make the decision. Good luck ladies to all who are recovering, scheduled, or thinking of having the surgery.
Good job Nisha. I remember reading about how you want to cancel your apointment. I’m so proud of you. I bet you look FABULOUS! My surgery is on Monday (05/07/12). Honestly, I CAN’T WAIT!!! I am so excited! I’ve really been looking forward to this for years and now it’s finally happening.. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Pray for me everyone. I’ll let you all know how it goes..
Hey Kelly. How you doing? Ready for Friday?
Hey Tracee! Good luck I promise this is going to be the best thing you have ever invested in. I hope you get everything you want and more out of your surgery. I can’t wait to read your post op story. Get it girl!
Thank you so much Nisha and for all the support. Monday is coming up pretty quickly and I really am very excited. I will definitly post all about it post op and I hope you are doing really well also. I’ve been praying for all of you and am so happy for all of us. Please keep me in your prayers and I will post back soon. Thanks again. YEA!! : D
Hi everyone, I just had a tt and lipo on the sides on May 1. The first days after surgery can be tough, I have had sleepless nights and feel somewhat constipated. Other than that the pain has been as expected and it’s getting better on a daily basis. I hope to get one of my drain tubes taken out on Monday. The result is unbelievable, so much worth going though all this. My surgeon and stuff were great also. Hope this helps!
I’m having my TT and lipo to my flanks in Dec. FIRST, I’m getting a breast reduction in July. I have a heavy journey ahead of me and I”m so, so nervous. Just wanted to know if any of you will be taking pics and posting them on any particular website. You all seem really pleased with the results!!! Just wanted to know if any are willing to share! I plan on putting my before breast reduction and after reduction/tummy tuck on youtube. Let me know what you think!
Well, I’m 3 days post op and I can feel myself getting stronger. I am constantly tired and wanting nothing else but to sleep but have come (I think) along way since that first day. That first day I will admit, was probably the worst day of my life (I’d have rather given birth again…) and on top of everything else, that same night after surgery, my first visiter was the old dreaded friend we all like to call our monthly curse, dropped by (FIGURES! LOL) all and all, am now feeling much better. Am taking all my meds and thank the Good Lord for vicodine and soma. Haven’t takin an interest on how I look just yet, but that will come in do time. For all of you going through this very same thing, keep your heads up. and keep praying… As Mary Tyler Moore would put it, “We’re going to make it after all”.