Tummy Tuck: Stories

34 yo, 5 ft tall - never thin - struggled with weight gain and loss throughout life. Tired of seeing 'belly' only everytime I looked in mirror. Dr. confirmed that I had way too much excess skin for my short stature and that a tummy tuck was the right decision.

COULD NOT BE HAPPIER and i'm only 11 days post op!

I am on day 13 post op and feeling great! I have only had to take one pain pill in the last five days and that was after I attempted to sleep in my bed for the first time.

I drove for the first time today to go get my hair done. Backing up the car was the only real challenge in driving...and the bumps in the road!

Follow the dr.s advice for recovery! They know what they are talking about! Enjoy the opportunity to rest! Life will catch up soon enough.

Tips for prepping for recovery: I prepped my bathroom for all of my known needs. I moved a portable shelving system in there and put everything I needed on the top two shelves so I wouldn't have to bend over: hairbrush, towels, washcloths, toiletries, a hand held mirror, changes of clothes, socks and granny panties! Yes granny panties! I purchased one pack of gigantic cotton underwear which was a godsend because I could wear them over the binder and drain tubes. Once the tubes were out I didn't need them anymore but they were definitely worth it!

I also stocked up and put lots of rolls of toilet paper within reach. I moved a small chair in the bathroom to be able to sit after showers.

In the kitchen I made sure I had stocked up on my favorite vitamin water, sandwich makings, soup, yogurt, pudding, etc. Easy stuff to get on my own if I needed to. The key was making sure it was all on the top shelves of the fridge for easy access! water is key so I always had two by my side. I purchased bendy straws which really helped the first few days when I couldn't sit up to reach the water.

Next to the "bed". I slept on the couch so all of this was in my living room: a small basket with all of my meds; prescription and OTC pain reliever, colace, cough drops, chapstick, handheld mirror (key for looking at incision or stitches when or if something feels funny), flashlight (seems silly but the light switch seems miles away and if you need to see something in the dark those miles can be painful!) I also had benadryl and lotion because I tend to itch a lot during recovery from any surgery.
I covered my couch with a sheet and all of the pillows from my bed as well as a neck roll.
Next to my couch I ran an extension cord with my phone charger so I could reach it at any time.
I charged my camera before surgery and kept it in the bathroom to take 'after' pictures before each shower.

My parents were great and stopped in each day to help with dishes, laundry, garbage, etc, but with everything above I was able to function comfortably on my own. Hope this helps!