I am stating this because, tummy tuck surgery is NOT weight loss surgery and I came out of it only 6 lbs lighter…but the results… Morning of surgery I weighed 189 lbs…my heaviest weight since pregnancy. I love it, I feel like it is comfortable and I feel good in it. I took this photo the morning of surgery. I would say for me personally it was on par with my c-section pain. It hurts, you will need pain meds, but as long as you actually follow the doctors orders and rest and take those meds on a schedule, the pain is manageable. You have a large, hip to hip incision and they also relocate your original belly button to a new area of skin, while sewing your abs together like a corset, repairing any hernias and cutting off skin. I was standing straight up within a few days…many patients it takes weeks to do so.
Was it painful? YES! Is it manageable? Absolutely! I did also opt to have an extended pain numbing injection as I was told it greatly helps with recovery. I have had 2 c-sections and a laparoscopic total hysterectomy. My mom will tell you that I would cry wolf when I was a kid, but personally that was more for attention than for actual pain. I feel like I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I should state that I had what is called a drainless tummy tuck, so I did not have to deal with tubes and body liquids at all, and seems to actually be easier to recover from then what I have read from people who undergo the standard tummy tuck with drains. You can take it off for short periods but my doctor wants it on for a solid 4 weeks. You also are in a binder for basically 24 hours a day, which honestly is both wonderful and awful at the same time. The doctors do want you to walk around periodically and I was SO thankful to have this loaned walker to move about without worrying about falling. I slept in a recliner with a billion pillows and had a folding table next to me where I had a constant stock of saltine crackers, pineapple juice, protein drinks and medication. I lived in a nightgown and a dress for the first week and had compression socks on as well to avoid blood clots. I had 24 hour care for the first week of recovery and my children were either with my mother or aunt.ĭid I need the care? Probably not, as I slept for a solid week but it was SO nice to have my friends and family there to help me up when I needed to pee or to grab a glass of water or medication for me.
I will be writing a whole post about what you need as far as home supplies to recover from a tummy tuck but for now, I just am going to share about how my personal recovery was. I woke up groggy, was told I was their favorite patient they had had in a while and sent home a few hours later. I decided not to take a picture of that because I just felt like, I didn’t want to hate my old body and see it for the last time like that. They got me started on an IV, the anesthesiologist came in and spoke with me, my doctor came in and marked me up. The nurses were great and we had a good laugh when they gave me a pregnancy test only to realize that I had a hysterectomy 3 years prior. It is just me, awkwardly by myself, waiting to be cut open. It was weird because with COVID no one can go in and wait with you. The day of surgery I showered, and followed explicit directions not to eat and only drink the apple juice they prescribed and then I arrived at the surgery center. You can read more about why I decided to have a tummy tuck here and no it was not just for vanity Day of Surgery I am not someone that does well relinquishing control and in the current state of the world I am really struggling, but I knew I was going to need help and thankfully I had a team of amazing family and friends who were able to quarantine and take care of me but mostly take care of our kids while I recovered. I ordered all the things, had to have a COVID test because it is required before surgery and picked up prescriptions. I spent hours talking with people that had been through the experience before. I had 15 days between my consult and my surgery to prepare and wrap my brain around the things were going to be changing drastically. It has been about 2 1/2 weeks since I had my tummy tuck surgery and I am finally feeling up to sharing about the initial experience and recovery from a tummy tuck as well as some results!
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