A Couple Questions from a newly post-op . . .

Okay, so I am sure this has been asked before but humor me . . .

How long did you keep your TT drains? I am 1 week post-op and according to my surgeons criteria for removal I must have less than 20cc drainage in 24 hours and clear. I was hoping to be drainless before I return to work on Monday, but it is not looking good.  You think I would be better keeping them in since I am returning to work sort of soon? I don't want to swell like mad!

Did you gain a few pounds right after PS? I am up about 4 pounds - is this normal?

Can I get reccomendations on stage two compression garments? I want something smooth - I have to dress up for work everyday. . . .

This forum is awesome!!!!!
 

My tummy tuck drain came out at the one week mark. My surgeon takes them out around 10-14 days regardless to cut down on the risk of infection.

I had weight gain as soon as the swelling started. It's a pain but it does go away. I had most of my swelling in my upper thigh area, not in the tummy area.

I bought the Flexess girdle type of garments from Kohls. They were silky and comfortable but gave me the compression I needed. I wore it 24/7 until I no longer needed it.

I had two drains (one on either side of my hips).  The left came out 2 weeks post op, the right (little bugger) stayed until 3 weeks 2 days (not that I was counting)....

Yes, initially post op I was up about 4 pounds myself....but now that the major swelling/medications have gone away I am down 8 pounds from that (that factors in about 5 pounds removed)...so i am still holding onto a pound or two of swelling weight...which makes sense because its week before my period also which is always my "UP" week anyway....

I am still wearing the ab binder that the PS gave me, but I moved down to a smaller size....

Good luck!

I had 2 drains. One was removed after 7 days and the other after 10 days. Regardless of the color, my drains were removed when the output was low.

I immediately lost almost 11 pounds, which is the amount of skin and tissue that was removed. I haven't had any swelling to speak of, but wore my compression garment for 4 weeks almost 24/7. Now I only wear it at night 6 1/2 weeks after my extended TT.

The only problem, and it's not really a problem per sec, was that I had 3 very small spots that scabbed over but didn't totally heal. I found it was because my body hadn't absorbed the stitches , so Dr. Krieger removed them this past Tuesday and the spots are now almost totally healed.

I also started back teaching hour long Zumba sessions today and feel great. All this at 57 years young.

Diana

First, congrats! u are going to love it! All previous advice is spot on. I too used the binder for a long time, went to a girdle and settled on a waist cincher so I could go to the bathroom more easily. I bought mine online from Penney's. They do help keep the swelling down. The drains are a drag but my 2 wks passed pretty quickly.

Aloha and congrats!

I came home with 7 drains ( yep...SEVEN) plus a pain blocker catheter going in the middle hole.... so 1 middle abdomen exiting at my pubis (plus local anesthetic catheter going IN here),  R and L back that snaked to the front and exited by my pubis, R and L lower abdomen that exited at my pubis, and one from each breast that exited under the outer breast crease. I had a circumferential body lift, breast lift and augmentation to a B cup ( 300 cc in each side). My surgeon says that in 10 years, he has only ever had to put breast drains in twice when it wasn't a reconstructive suyrgery post mastectomy- and I was the second. Figures it'd be me. But he said I oozed alot ( despite having no history of bleeding tendancies and being off Vit E preop) so he put them in.

The backs were pulled first ( Day 3), the Breasts on Day 5, the front abdominals on Day 8 and the last middle abdominal on Day 12. BY the time they were pulled, each drain was producing less than 20 cc daily- most were less than 5. My doctor doesn't use binders or compression garments and I didn't feel swollen, nor was I packing fluid at my ankles - maybe he uses more drains than others but no binders? I was up about 2 lbs til Day 14 then suddenly dropped 7 pounds over the next week and have stayed there since so I'm about 5 lbs under where I was on surgery day ( I'm 6 weeks out now). I was cleared for yoga and stretching and lower body work at 12 days post op when the last drain was pulled, and cleared for everything including weights and cardio at 19 days post op as long as I ramped it up ( eg do 20 mins of cardio instead of 60, lift 5 lbs instead of 15, do 1 set instead of 3) for the first 10 days. I am now back where I was pre op except for the boxing- I'm trying that next week.

I feel very fortunate that I healed so quickly- and attribute that mostly to getting my protein in.  I upped my protein to 125 g /day for 3 weeks preceeding plastics, and will keep it up at least that high for the first 2 months post op. My surgeon also said I had very little subcutaneous fat when he took the skin off my belly - I asked him to weigh it but he said it was all skin, no fat and so he didn't weigh it. He did say he took 8 inches ( measured up and down) from the front and 6 inches from the back , then extended that circumferentially.

I counted on being off for 3 months- I am going back after 6 weeks and could have gone back after 3- but I cannot imagine going back after 2 weeks! You are a very brave soul! It wasn;t the pain- that was not an issue after the first few days. My main problem from weeks 3-6 was fatigue- I could have napped every single day!

Be well, don't sweat the weight gain, it's all fluid - when it's gone you'll weigh even less than you did pre op! Keep moving without overdoing it- stretching and yoga, save the cardio for when you are completely healed and take it slow. Good luck- XOXOLori