Tummy tuck for back pain, issues with seroma and wound separation, scar revision, 47 years old

Welcome to the community.  I found a great Q&A on the Exparel topic which you will find helpful. 

The back can be sore for a while after surgery.  I found that laying on the bed with my knees bent and feet flat, that this helped.  I was able to start doing this a week after surgery.  

Post updates often for us.

I am having a TT in November with the same surgeon. I am excited and nervous. After three kids, including a set of twins, my stomach muscles have separated. I asked him about Exparel, but he said he thinks I will be fine without it. I know of another woman on this board who had a TT recently and she used Exparel. She said it was great. Good luck!

Wish you all the best! I am also thinking about getting the surgery sometime in December. I have a severe diastasis recti (10cm). How severe is your muscle separation?

They used Experal on me and it worked wonders. Are you staying over night in the hospital? If so that will help with the first part of your pain management. Good luck!

How long is the procedure? For tummy tuck and lipo, I'm also getting fat transfer

Hi – I'm very excited for you! Today I am one week PO – and I have had a really unremarkable recovery. Everyone is different of course – I seem to be on the lucky end. I will try to help you with some of your questions…
#1 With help, of course, I was able to go upstairs to my bed right after surgery. I went downstairs maybe one time at PO2 and every day following I would go up and down the stairs more times. You will need help going up-and-down for the first few days but after about PO3 I was going up and down by myself to be with my family.
#2 I was determined to be in my bed right from the start. That is where I did most of my recovery with the help of pillows under my head, a pillow under my butt and several pillows under my knees. It is doable.
#3 My spouse also moves around but I put a huge body pillow between us to keep me safe. Lol
#4 I would not have found a hospital bed to have been worth the money nor a (#5) special chair or lift chair.
#6 I found that my sofa was easier to get comfortable in and easier to get in and out of than a recliner. It was a good change of scenery for me. After about a week the recliner would get easier because you can manage it yourself. But for the first few days I did not feel comfortable in our leather recliner.
#7 I have two dogs and they were both great! They can sense that you are not feeling well. When I sat on the couch I just made sure I was aware of where they were and that I had pillows next to me to keep them an arms distance away from me.
#8/9 For the first 2 days PO I needed help getting out of bed and I used the walker to go to the bathroom. I was able to sit on a regular toilet by holding on to the walker or to the sink. A necessity would be wet wipes! I don't feel that a toilet seat riser is necessary. I occasionally used a walker for the first 2 days op. I have not found the need for a walker after that. When I am up and walking a short distance I make sure that I am able to sit down if my back gets tired.
#10/11 My surgeon provided me a binder after surgery that I was to leave on for the first three days until I saw him in his office. At that time he checked my incision and told me to continue wearing the binder for another 3 days. At my 1wk po he said I could go to a tight Spanx but I feel more comfortable right now continuing to wear the binder. Maybe in a week I will try some of the tight Spanx that I have bought. My binder was a rap that would go around me and Velcro shut. When we got home from the hospital we marked where it was with a black sharpie so that we would know when we took it off how tight to wrap me when we put it back on. For the first week I suggest not wearing underwear – if you have a wrap style cg or binder it is easy to pee. I'm not sure how it works when you have a cg that goes down your thighs.
#12 The first time the cg came off was in the doctors office. The nurse did it very slowly because it is a strange sensation. When I got home the next day I took it off myself to shower. It is a two-man job to get it back on. It is not too painful but just tell your caretaker to be gentle. At one week I am able to put on my binder by myself. Of course the areas are a little sore – but it isn't too bad.
#13 List of what to have – stool softeners, ibuprofen or Tylenol, hydrocortisone cream, bacitracin, gauze pads or wound pads (my dr provided), lots of pillows, yoga or loose pants, button up shirts or zip ups, a TV tray by your bedside for your phone with chargers, remotes, reading material etc, a notepad to keep track of when you took your pain med/ibuprofen/antibiotics and also to keep track of when you emptied your drain and how much was in the drain bulb, Gatorade/water to sip on at all times , packs of wet wipes in all of your bathrooms? antibacterial soap for showers, a walker for the first few days
#14 Pain ( I had a pain pump for the first 3 days which I think really helped) Day1:4, day2:3, day3:2... When I say pain it is tolerable at all times- you will be very muscularity sore when having to move. So try to rest the majority of the first week . Stay on top of your narcotic or over-the-counter pain meds.
#15 I was very afraid of not being regular. For that reason I only took 3 pain pills in total. By the morning after surgery I went to 600 mg of ibuprofen every six hours. On POday 1 I took 4 stool softeners on PO2 I took 2 stool softeners and MOM. That was a painful day with a lot of gas pains but at the end of that day I had success! So my suggestion would be to get off the pain med as soon as you can comfortably. Have a walker or something to hold onto in front of you at the toilet for that first BM – it is painful. I had diarrhea for the rest of that day and the next day. But since that day I have had regular BM's (sorry for the TMI )
**My surgeon also said it wasn't as bad as everyone says. So I was determined to be a gold star patient – and I will have to say it was not as bad as many have experienced. One of the main reasons I think my recovery has been so smooth is the techniques my doctor uses. I only had one drain and it was completely airtight and stable. I did not have any leaking whatsoever from my drain, my belly button or my lipo sites. My incision aftercare has been so easy because he used surgical glue and dissolvable stitches. The only stitch I had to be removed was the one holding in my drain. Every day I just cover my incision with sterile gauze and put my binder on. That's it!
Sorry this is so long but I hope I helped you out! When you think of other questions don't be afraid to ask – these were all the same questions I had! Good luck to you

Thank you I will be having this done in June was going to have it in December but got breast cancer and had a double mastectomy all is well so when he does my 2nd surgery I will get my tummy tuck. Did well with my 1st surgery

Oh....... my surgery is March 1st 2016 and I'm also having mastopexy and augmentation at the same time :o0 super nervous!!! How are you doing now? Was it worth it?

Plan on sleeping in a recliner for weeks. I was in one for 4 to 5 weeks. I had a wound separation though.

I purchased a raised toilet seat and shower chair, a walker and cane.

I used the walker for about 2 weeks, it helped me walk in a more hunched position as instructed by my PS.
Pain for me was very managable. I walked a lot after my 1st week or week and a half. Keep on top of your pain meds and muscle relaxers.
Beware of constipation. Even with stool softeners...the hemeroids and pain for me was worse than surgical pain. It took my breath away ...no drama here, honest truth for me at least.
Wear your compression garment tight and at all times. I am 10 weeks post op and wear compression 24/7 still. Actually my PS has me wearing extra compression because of fluid building up (seroma I guess. Have had to be aspirated 2x now and go again Thursday).
My wound separation is finally closed now after about 10 weeks post op.
All in all, I honestly didnt think the procedures were bad. I had flue de lis TT with lipo and breast reduction/lift with lipo and am thrilled with my results. Many compliments from people. I Just hope the fluid issue is resolved at this visit.
Hope you do well!

That was very thorough!

HI, I know just what you mean about the time creeping by once you decide to do it! I am going to Dr.Stoeckel too. I had a breast lift in February of this year, and going for a tt in January. I wish you the best!

I am 17dpo and doing well. I used the same surgeon that you are using. I used Exparel and experienced very little pain. I stopped taking pain meds 2dpo. Days 2 and 3 post op were the most difficult. I was not in pain, just uncomfortable and frustrated because I was having trouble sleeping. I turned a corner 4dpo and I get better each day. I have three young kids and it is always important to me to be available to them, but I knew I needed to take the first week for myself. My mom and husband have been very supportive and have filled in whenever I need them to. Six days post op I began to slowly get back into my daily routine. I am a stay at home mom, so I am able to rest during the day after I get my kids to school. I do have swelling at the end of the day, especially if I've been on my feet a lot.

For my pre-op I paid the remaining balance for the procefure, he walked me through what would happen the morning of, gave me instructions on what to do in the days following the surgery and answered any questions I had. He gave me prescriptions for pain, nausea and two other meds that he is using for a new protocol that should help with pain, but I never took those meds due to an allergy that I have. It was a relatively short appointment.

I'm sure everything will be fine. The surgery isn't easy, but it wasn't nearly as difficult as I built it up to be.

Just curious, how did everything work out for you.?