Once you are done with your tummy tuck or the abdominoplasty, the next task is to get back on your feet. After the procedure you will be expected to be under medical supervision for around two days. The first thing to recovery after a tummy tuck is to ensure that nothing untoward occurs immediately after the procedure.
In terms of recovery after tummy tuck, your body will need at least seven days to regain a modicum of its original self. You will once again have to visit the doctor at the end of this period to ensure that the healing process is going on fine. Similar check-ups will take place after a month, then three months, half a year and then a year after the procedure has been conducted. This is how long the recovery after tummy tuck can take.
The scar that appears after the surgery is often a small one and not something that you need to worry about. It will be gone before you know it. There will be some expenses involved during the recovery after tummy tuck. You will need to buy analgesics for yourself. Some patients experience a bit of pain after this is administered but this is natural.
The commonly asked question is when can one get back to their normal life? This depends on the healing process and can vary from person to person. In all probability, you will be able to get back to work within a week of the procedure. But make sure that your abdominal area is under no pressure and you do not experience any tightness. You will have to completely avoid exercising. The only thing that you can do is some good amount of walking. This will encourage the blood flow throughout your body and this is essential to the healing process. Recovery after tummy tuck s fairly quick but needs to be done with adequate care.
Hi All
I’m in the UK and 4 weeks post TT. What is clear from reading the posts here is that everyone’s experience is slightly different and clearly the decision to go ahead with this type of surgery should be based on your individual needs, once you are aware of the risks and weighed-up against the likely result. Don’t base any decisions to go ahead or not on what you read here or anywhere else on the internet. Please dont compare yourself to others in the recovery stages either because there will always be people doing better than you and it just makes you feel worse during what is often a slow, emotional and frustrating healing process.
I must admit I have been very lucky because I didn’t have to pay for my surgery, it was done by the National Health Service after I lost 9 stone in weight and was left with medical problems caused by sagging skin. Before surgery I had to attend a seminar which explained the risks and showed some photos of TT’s where the scar is not symmetrical and the result isn’t perfect. We were also shown pictures of severe seromas, wound breakdown and infection (although they were quick to say that these are fairly rare). The nurse also exaplained that we should not expect a perfect flat tummy afterwards. So I went to this seminar and listened to them saying no sport for six weeks but still had it in my head that I would bounce back really quicker than that because i’m fit and healthy.
The surgery itself went well, and I managed since day 1 on Paracetamol and Ibuprofen. This is not because I can tolerate pain, it’s because opiate drugs make me puke (which is not ideal after a TT!). I would say that for me, it was more about discomfort than actual pain – my back hurt from not standing straight and my butt hurt from sitting more than normal and from sleeping in a sitting-up position. I was in hospital for just two days and the drains were removed after 48 hours. Having the drains removed was the most painful thing I have ever experienced but over fairly quickly.
I would say that I didn’t start feeling like the old me until about 3 weeks post op and the surgery took much more out of me than I had anticipated. I’ve been wearing my binder day and night and been taking it easy apart from a short walk each day (after the first week). I still get tired fairly quickly and still live in fear of sneezing, coughing or hysterical laughter! This week I have improved lots (mainly due to stitches dissolving and being able to finally sleep on my side again….bliss!).
My wound has healed fairly well but I do have two small seromas. In the UK the approach is to leave these in the hope that they re-absorb into the body, so fingers crossed on that score! I’m certain that these seromas are partly due to the drains coming out so soon after surgery.
I’m still very swollen and can’t fit into jeans a size bigger than before my surgery which is a bit dis-heartening but I appreciate that it’s early days really and I need to give it time. I’m hoping to be able to exercise again fairly soon – I’ve entered a half marathon in February to give myself something to aim for!
Good luck to all of you and thank you for the open and honest posts here. xx
Like you I lost a lot of weight I get tt in 10 days and I am frightened of the pain and discomfort. I too am having it done on the Nat Health as I have a bad hernia which also needs repairing.I also want to see my son perform 9 days after my op will I be able to sit in a theatre?
Hello, I had my sugery 5 Weeks ago and i am very dissapointed and depressed. i have not lost weight at all. i have gained like 7 pounds and thats with a healthy diet. i eat a lot of green veggtables and chicken. i stay away from red meat and drink lots of water. i go walking for about 15mins a day. i ave some pains on my keft side of stomach and stiches are all almost gone. i cant fit into any of my clothes and i look very loped sided. i am actually scared that the doctor did something wrong. can some one please help me
Hi I had tummy tuck nov 18,its pain full still hard to sit up and swollen gain 10lb but lost 8 since surgery am very happy with all my surgerys my dr is great I recomend her for it.her name is.angila baker at usc ca.like I say its ben 8days going good just follow dr order you will be ok.i had gastro bypass lost 116lb had arm lift breast impl and lift and tummy and thats all the rest work out in gym…..thank god am healthy now fo kids no more inslin or blood pressure pills thanks to my primery dr that help me get me to usc.for.all that.god bless her….
I had a tummy tuck and breast lift with implants on November 30, 2011. I lost about 120 lbs naturally over the course of several years and maintained the weight for several years. I had a fluer di lis tummy tuck. I go back and forth with satisfaction. The top part of my tummy did not get as flat as I thought it was going to. The Dr. said he couldn’t pull it too tight because the area where the vertical and horizontal incisions meet is too fragile. It’s a HUGE improvement from before but I am having trouble coming to terms with the fact that I’m never going to have a super flat tummy and I have been overweight my entire life until the past few years. It’s frustrating because I keep looking for after pics of tummy tucks that aren’t perfectly flat tummies but I’m not finding any. I can’t be the only one. Also, I have a nasty expanding infection where the two incisions meet. My surgeon is working to resolve the infection but it’s disheartening right now. He’s a good surgeon, chief of plastics at a major teaching hospital in chicago and internationally known professor, researcher, and lecturer. I think I have to come to terms with not being perfect.
Healing after a TT does depend on the person, and I can not imagine one being well enough to return to normal activity in one or two weeks. I had a TT w/ lipo of the hips 9 days ago and I am still not able to stand up straight, and have severe back pain due to tightness and some remaining swelling. I wish I was of the fortunate few that are returning to work in 2 wks, because I can not see myself doing so in the next 5 days like I was told or intended to. Good luck to all!
I had extensive TT Dec 30 and still have my drain. I am not in an enourmous amount of pain, which is QUITE a relief, as I had heard some bad stories. There is some bruising and my belly-button seems very high right now, but i understand there is still swelling involved. I am a little disappointed that I have to wait the full 2 weeks to go back to work, but until the sutures are removed I am bound to stay at home. How about that crotchless girdle from hell? I guess it serves a very important purpose. I am having a reaction to the Steri-Strips (I told them I would!!!), which is proving to be more painful than the actual suture line. I can’t wait until I am 2 months out and it will be so GREAT to have a flat or even semiflat tummy. It all feels a little tight, but I understand that is swelling. I am following Dr’s orders to a “T” so that nothing bad happens. I cant wait until this drain gets removed in a few days. Then I can wear panties again!!!!!!!!!! Good luck everyone and follow Dr’s orders for the best results possible.
I had my TT Oct 14, 2011 and I had lost 7 lbs from that and I was looking for some similar people like me, Alicia I too have a top part that is not flat and is very fatty and my doctor says somewhat the same as yours but I think the amount of money we have paid, I paid $11,435.00 for a tummy tuck and my arms and I go for my 3 mos check up on Jan 25th I am so not happy but I am not sure why or what can be done without more surgery….I have serious back skin as well I too look much better but feel I was shafted as well…..On my hips (which never quite seen before) he didnt take my incision to my natural crease so now I have two creases, with a gathering of extra skin….I will never be perfect and I am happy with me but my tummy tuck is not what I expected.
I’m 4 1/2 weeks post TT w/lipo. My recovery, now I know, was somewhat normal, but without these types of blogs, I think I would have been much more worried because of all of the issues (swelling, pain, itching, muscle spasms, back pain, not standing up straight, etc.) which are common place. One missing element that most individuals have in common is the lack of information provided to us for what to expect after the surgery. I wish I has someone to ask questions of, but the one thing that most people said was “It’ll get better.” So I am here to tell you who are looking for answers after your surgery, “It actually will get better.” I have a follow-up appt today, and it should go well. Hang in there, I am healing up well, swelling is going down, I can stand up straight (although still can’t stretch or workout), I can sleep on both sides and back (still not on stomach), I can fit into my pre-surgery clothes (but i had lost weight before surgery and clothes were big on me). I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and feel good about it. Thanks so all of you bloggers for the updates, so I am passing on the favor to the newbies!!!