What to Expect When Recovering from a Tummy Tuck
Will you be getting a tummy tuck in order to remove the loose skin on your body? If so, you'll want to know what to expect when you start the recovery process at home.
Immediately After the Surgery
Your surgery will be done in an operating room while being under general anesthesia. When it is finished, you'll be moved into a recovery room. Nurses will monitor your vital signs to ensure that you are recovering properly, and to make sure you are comfortable. You'll stay in the recovery room for a couple of hours, possibly have a small amount of food to have something in your stomach, and then start moving around.
While you will feel some pain in the recovery room, know that the anesthesia is still working on your body. Everything may feel tolerable in the moment, but you will start to feel discomfort as the anesthesia wears off.
24 to 48 Hours After the Surgery
You're going to start feeling more pain once you return home since the anesthesia will be completely out of your system. Those first couple of days after the procedure will be the toughest to go through. Your body is going to be swollen, you'll feel pressure, and you'll experience bloating. Be aware that these are normal side effects of the procedure, which is why you should rest in an upright position so that you do not lay flat, such as in a recliner.
Try to get up and walk around occasionally to improve the circulation in your body. This will help prevent blood clots from forming and bring more oxygen into your body. You should also stay very hydrated since you likely will not feel like eating. It's incredibly easy to become dehydrated because water is leaving your blood and getting into your tissue when you're bloated. If your urine is not very clear then you're not drinking enough.
1 to 2 Weeks After the Surgery
You'll start feeling better a couple of weeks after the surgery. You won't be able to start exercising at this point, but you should be functional and be able to walk around your home. It's normal to have pain at this point, and may even still be using pain medication at this point. The incision from the surgery is also going to cause you to want to hunch over, which is fine. You shouldn't be stretching, as this can cause the incision to get stretched out.
You'll then visit your doctor for a postoperative visit, who will give you further instructions on your recovery.
