How Much Sleep Is Too Much Sleep After A Tummy Tuck? (photo)

After surgery the body investors energy in healing the operative site. Patients often feel listless and require excess sleep. Sleep is much as you wish but you should but periodically to exercise the extremities.

It's common to feel more tired than usual after a tummy tuck, especially in the first few weeks post-surgery. Your body is working hard to heal, and pain medications can make you feel more drowsy. However, since you're more than two weeks out from surgery and still feeling extremely fatigued and sleeping most of the day, it might be worth exploring a few factors:
1. Pain Medications: Certain pain medications, particularly narcotics, can cause excessive drowsiness. If you're still relying on them heavily, this could be contributing to your long periods of sleep. It might be time to discuss with your plastic surgeon about adjusting or weaning off these medications.
2. Hydration and Nutrition: If you're not staying well-hydrated or getting proper nutrition, it can make you feel more tired and sluggish. Make sure you're drinking enough water and eating nutrient-rich meals.
3. Drains Still In: Since your drains are still in, it suggests that your body is still actively healing, which can also contribute to fatigue. Drains help remove excess fluid, but having them in for an extended time can be a sign of ongoing recovery that might make you feel more tired.
4. Activity Levels: While rest is crucial, too much inactivity can slow down your recovery and make you feel even more fatigued. Light walking and gentle movement are important to stimulate circulation and prevent complications like blood clots.
5. Signs of Infection or Other Complications: If you're experiencing symptoms like fever, increased pain, or abnormal drainage, this could indicate an infection or another complication, which can also lead to feeling excessively tired. It’s important to watch out for any other signs and notify your plastic surgeon if something feels off.
Since you're concerned and still experiencing this level of fatigue after two weeks, it would be a good idea to reach out to your plastic surgeon. They can assess whether this is normal for your recovery or if something else might be contributing to your drowsiness.

I think it is normal for some people to require more rest than others following this type of surgery.  Especially if there has been some additional liposuction added.  At 2 weeks out, your body is still recovering from the physiologic stress of the surgery.  I tell my patients that there is a "hidden" expenditure of energy created by the tissues trying to heal themselves, and the greater the area affected, the more of your energy this may "sap."  Having said that, I also tell my patients to try to wean themselves from the narcotic pain medications as much as possible, especially during the day, because those certainly can contribute to somnolence and lethargy.  Try to substitute extra strength Tylenol for  a dose of your narcotic medication and see how that goes.  I tell my patients to avoid Motrin and other similar drugs until the drains come out, just so we don't have any issues with bleeding due to effects on platelets.  Make sure you stay well hydrated, and eat enough calories to keep your brain functioning too.  Again, your body is requiring additional calories to heal, especially protein, so don't starve yourself.  Don't go crazy either, but keep up with the demand.  In summary, I wouldn't worry too, too much about this right now.  Start slowly getting off the narcotics and finding things for yourself to do during the day.  You may still find yourself "hitting the wall" and needing a mid-afternoon nap even at 6 weeks or longer, so don't be surprised if you don't bounce right back and run a marathon at a month post-op!  Good luck.