Tummy Tuck Days 1-8

At this point I am one week post abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) surgery to remove extra skin after a 90 pound weight loss and maintenance. Based on my own research prior to surgery and now after, I have found that there aren’t too many blog posts out there detailing the days after surgery. This is something I would’ve liked to read about so, I figured I’d help some people out. 

Day 1: or the day after the actual surgery was probably the most difficult. If you read my post about the day of surgery , you know that I was very nauseous and spent the first night vomiting a couple times. Luckily, there was no output however, I was still incredibly nauseated. I spent the majority of Day 1 in my bed in a banana position, sleeping off and on, sipping ginger ale and eating saltines. I found it difficult to eat anything besides bread so that’s pretty much what I ate until dinner time when I ate something more substantial. I continued taking the pain pills every 4 hours just to keep pain at bay and luckily, didn’t have too much. This first day was fairly uneventful.

Day 2: Four Star Wars movies. Does that explain how the day went? I again spent the day in bed, and some on the couch, watching movies allllll day. I was still fairly nauseous but no longer afraid of getting sick.  The very low key day was well received and my body felt generally alright.

Day 3: Day 3 was an exciting day as it was my first pre-op appointment. I pretty much waited all day to be able to go outside! I was surprised at how difficult it was to put on any clothes other than very baggy sweatpants because of the combo of swelling+ the binder + the drains. The car ride out was AWFUL. I have never felt so sick and regrettably did not take any anti-nauseua medication before going out. Getting to the surgeon was exciting yet nerve wracking. I couldn’t wait to see what it would look like but was also nervous to see what it looked like, most specifically my belly button! I was surprised at how quick the appointment was. They took off my binder, looked at my stomach and stripped my drains before sending me on my way. The car ride home was worse than the car ride there so I immediately climbed into bed. I felt better being on solid ground and was able to take my first shower since surgery morning. I hung my drains on a string I fashioned like a necklace and hopped in. It was strange showering without much feeling in my hips/upper thighs and tegaderm tape over a significant part of me but it felt nice to be clean again.

Day 4: After spending most of the day relaxing, I was so excited when my aunt asked me if I wanted to come sit at our Crossfit gym while she worked out. I couldn’t wait to have some socialization. After that, I went to her house for her birthday and was able to hunch-walk around, socialize and eat like normal. It felt good to be out in the world again.

Day 5: After spending so much time up and about the day before, I couldn’t believe how pooped and sore I was. I spent most of the day laying in bed and napping along with watching movies and talking on the phone.

Day 6: I realized that it really was beneficial to truly just lay around so I spent most of the day doing this. In the afternoon, I was able to get out and get some dinner+dessert and Christmas shop for about 20 minutes. It felt nice to put on clothes and get outside. I was still pretty hunched over and draining a decent amount at this point so I was definitely wondering when that was going to slow down.

Day 7: A bit tired from going out the night before, I spent all day on the couch watching movies. By the evening, I was ready to interact with someone and do something so I was glad my boyfriend came down to have dinner with me.

Day 8 : Best day so far! I felt very normal minus some of the uncomfortable little pains near my groin. I was able to bake some cookies for Christmas, do a lot of work and eat and drink more normally for the first time.