Is Tiredness Always a Factor After Tummy Tuck/Breast Augmentation Surgery?

Tiredness after surgery is a combination of several things, anesthesia and healing. The anesthesia effect resolves rather quickly, usually within the first several days to a week. The tiredness most attributable to healing can take longer.

Breast augmentation patients usually bounce back very quickly. Tummy tuck recovery can take a bit longer. Once the drains are removed, usually five to seven days you start to feel much better. At two weeks most patients are back to light activity. At three weeks, your will probably be a little tired around 3:00. Generally it takes most people four weeks to get their full energy back.

I use pain pumps after mommy make over surgery, and my patients have little to no pain.

If you have 24/7 help for two weeks, enjoy the vacation, you will do fine.

Surgery is a traumatic experience that requires your body to recover from, investing its energy to do so. It's emotionally taxing as well since for most patients it is a step toward making their dream a reality. For this reason it can be very tiring. Depending on your natural energy levels you may rebound easily and actually feel energized by the experience because you can now go out there and show off your results! Best of luck. 

generally people dont have full energy for 6 weeks or so. you probably only need the full time help for 2 weeks .  this is a tough surgery and you will need to be patient afterwards. leave youself time to recover. you will not be ready to run your kids around to all their activities at 2 weeks. you will need to cut back or get some help

This is a common combination of procedures. Most patients do feel some fatigue after a surgery of this magnitude - this is a combination of the anesthesia, healing, lack of exercise etc. in the post-op period. It is fantastic that you have 24/7 support for 2 weeks post-op. This is just what you need ! My advice is as soon as you feel ready, try to take a walk a couple of times a day, spend some time off of the bed/couch. Light activity seems to speed recovery.

 Thank you for the question. Yes I would say tiredness and sometimes significant emotional “mood swings” are very common after tummy tuck surgery.

Keep in mind, you are about to undergo a major operation which often involves a significant physical and emotional recovery. A few words of advice may be helpful:


1. Make sure you are doing the procedure for the right reasons (for yourself)  and that you have realistic expectations.  Be aware that an improvement in the “problem area” may not translate to an overall improvement in your life   situation.  You are bound to be disappointed with results of the procedure if your motivation for doing the surgery is not internally driven.

2. Time your surgery carefully; generally, it is not a good idea to have surgery done during or immediately after a stressful period in life (for example divorce or death of a loved one). The additional stress of surgery will undoubtedly be  more challenging to deal with if a patient's emotional reserves our already exhausted. Remember, that an improvement in your physical appearance will not translate to an improvement in your life situation.

3. If possible speak to patients who have undergone similar procedures and query them about the toughest times of their recovery period. Any practical hints previous patients can provide may be very helpful.

4. Make sure you are aware of potential complications that may arise how to reach your surgeon if necessary.

5. Make sure you have a strong and patient support system (several people if possible) in place who have time/patience to take care of you. Arrange for professional nursing if any doubt exists regarding the availability and/or stamina  of your caretakers.

6. Be patient with the healing process, understanding that it will take several weeks to months to feel “normal” again. It may also take many months/year to see the end results of your surgery.

7. Be prepared to distract your mind with things of interest such as books, magazines, and movies.

8. Expect less of yourself; do not go back to work, school or chores too early and let others take care of you (for a change).

9. Pick your surgeon carefully (a well experienced board-certified plastic surgeon) and trust in his/her advice. Keep in close communication with your surgeon and do not hesitate to communicate questions/concerns and the   emotional swings that you may experience.

10. Resume all medications that you were using preoperatively when cleared by your plastic surgeon and stop the use of narcotics and sedatives as soon as feasible after surgery.

11. Keep in mind the end results as you go through the tougher emotional times after your surgery.
I hope this helps.
 

The time to recover varies significantly from person to person and depends alot on your pre-surgical level of activity. The breast augmentation is much easier to rebound from than the tummy tuck. After the discomfort from surgery subsides, many patients due have a feeling of fatigue for several weeks. A gradual increase in your activity level will certainly help you to increase your endurance level without over taxing your body. 24/7 help is unlikely to be necessary after a few weeks.

The bigger the surgery, the longer the downtime and recovery. mommy makeover is a big surgery and will take you 6-8 weeks before you could get back to full activities. Keep in mind that your fitness level and health are also a factor here. 

Tiredness is a relative term. It depends on your fitness and the activities you plan on doing after surgery. Everyone has a reserve of energy. Some will have more than others will. Healing after surgery takes energy, especially a Tummy Tuck and especially if you add another procedure to it. This energy comes from your reserve. Therefore, you have a smaller reserve. If you had a very small reserve or you try to do anything requiring a lot of energy, such as working out, etc., you will feel tired. You can overcome this by building your reserve before surgery and by gradually increasing your activities after surgery. Most people are back to perfectly normal by a month or two.