Long awaited tummy tuck after 3 kids

I’ve been wanting to get a tummy tuck for a long time. After three kids I had a significant amount of excess skin and stretch marks. I wanted to wait until my youngest was 5 years old but she’s actually 10 now so I have put this off for a long time. Finally got to the point that I’m willing to accept the scar to have a more youthful stomach that matches the rest of my body.

I’m one day post op and feeling pretty good thanks to exparel. My surgery was very long, 9 hours for tummy tuck, muscle repair and lipo on stomach, flanks, bra roll and auxiliary. I was extremely nervous about the long surgery time but ultimately chose this surgeon because he is meticulous, and that’s why his surgeries take longer. I had surgeon quote me 1.5 hours for tummy tuck and it definitely showed in his results.

I won’t be able to take a peek at the results until tomorrow.

Pain has gradually been increasing but is manageable with Percocet. I would mainly describe the pain as a lot of soreness and tightness in my abdomen and occasionally I notice pain on the incision line.
I started with one pill the first night before bed and have been taking 1.5 every four hours when awake. This morning I woke up with significant pain because I slept from 11pm to 6am with no meds. I’ve been able to sleep a lot during the day and really well at night so I’m grateful for that.
I’m staying at my parents’ house while my husband takes care of the kids which is really helping with my recovery. They have a recliner that is much easier to get in and out of than a bed. Getting out of bed is pretty excruciating. I bought a wedge pillow set for the bed which is super comfortable and has let me sleep long stretches at night. I am normally a side sleeper and was worried about being able to sleep on my back but I’ve been sleeping great with this. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08SKXJ953?psc1&refppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I took a peek at the incision today to make sure it wasn’t red and I’m sharing a photo from
today as well as pre op.

Pain has gradually been increasing but it is very manageable with Percocet. First day I only needed one pill before bed and now I’m needing 1.5 pills every 4 hours (max dosage). Last night I slept from 11pm to 6am and woke up with a lot of pain since I had gone 7 hours without any medication.
I would describe the pain as a lot of tightness and soreness, only occasionally notice a sharper pain along the incision. My back hurts a lot if I try to walk too much without a walker. Would highly recommend a walker for first few days if you can get your hands on one, to take the pressure off your back. Surgeon says I’ll probably be hunched over for 3-4 days. I’m staying at my parents house and the recliner had been a Godsend as well. It is so much easier getting in and out of it compared to the bed.
For the bed, I bought a pillow set which I also highly recommend. I’m normally a side sleeper and was worried about sleeping on my back but I’ve been sleeping great with this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08SKXJ953?psc1&refppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
I had a drainless tummy tuck so that’s one less thing I’ve had to worry about. Been able to walk myself to and from the bathroom and not worry about drains.
I took a peek at the incision today to make sure it wasn’t red and all looks good. Sharing a photo from today as well as a before photo for reference. Will share more photos in a couple of days after I’m able to take a shower and remove the gauze.