tummy tuck questions

hey girls!  i've learned so much from lurking on this forum for the past few weeks....thanks for all the information you share!!!

i've got my tummy tuck scheduled for 9/6/11 and just wonder how long the swelling usually lasts.  i've donated all my larger clothes and refuse to buy bigger ones for this surgery....all my clothes now are fitted....no elastic anywhere......except for my yoga pants.

planning to be off from work about 4 weeks.  just wondering if i'll be back in my clothes by then.  what do you think?

and....after my RNY....the adhesive on the bandages made me break out in a terrible rash.....since then i tend to break out even if i wear a bandaid....any suggestion on what i need to do about that??

and.....when did you start to wear the compression garment?  immediately after surgery?  and how long do you need to wear it.....3 months, 6 months??

thanks again for sharing all the information!!

I am not too far out, but here goes:

I fit back into my clothes immediately, even swollen, and I don't do baggy clothes- at 2 weeks my Jean shorts are loose on me.

Make sure your surgeon knows about your previous allergic reactions, and they will adjust accordingly.

I woke up in my compression garment- not binder- and was told to wear it 4 weeks straight, only off to shower (not off at ALL the first week). Then I can wear it as I am comfortable.

Good luck!

I cant answer much of your questions as I am just 2 weeks out now.

I plan on living in dresses for a while.  I like you do not have "work clothes" that are not fitted so I think I will be okay in dresses and most are long dresses so they will cover the undergarments.

I woke up from surgery in my garment.  I have read about stage 2 garments, but I can't image putting this on without the side zipper so I have decided to stay with the stage 1 garments and just drop down a size.

As for the adhesive, I sit in the same boat so the day after surgery when they said we needed to do dressing changes and they had transpore tape I thought oh no!  The nurse sad that we could use paper tape.  It was been WONDEFUL!  I have gone through a couple of rolls in the 2 weeks and I have not broken out at all.  (I have been taking BEnedryll on a regular basis to control the itching.)


Hopefully, others who are further out will answer as well!

I'm one month out and I'm between 1-2 sizes bigger than I was before surgery. My shirts fit fine, it's just my pants/shorts. It's summer so I've just been wearing athletic shorts w/ a drawstring, but I go back to work Sat. and my work shorts don't fit !!!!! Hopefully I can find an old pr from when I was losing weight.

I didn't change size - which is suprising since he removed a giant chunk of flesh!  ;0)

I found all my clothes fit better in the front - flat.  The waist pulled up where it was supposed to be.  I was off work for almost 3 weeks - when I went back to work I was allowed to move down to a less heavy duty binder - I used "Flexees" camis.  That made my clothes fit better.  I wore the stuff that was a bit larger at first, mostly so that the waist band wouldn't push on my stomach area.

But all my fat clothes were GONE and I did just fine at work.

I am four and a half weeks out...still in my binder 24-7. Only allowed to take it off to shower, I see my Dr. for a six weeks check up, at that point he will tell me if I can stop wearing it or not. I am not back in my regular clothes yet. I can fit my jeans on and they are loose but the feeling of them sitting on my hips is too uncomfortable. I am living in my yoga pants due to where my incisions lie. He went further back on my hips and they are still really tender. I also had lipo and am really swollen so it feels best in elastic waist pants. I didn't go out and buy anything new or bigger. I am fine in my same size pants because they are now too big.

I have a desk job and went back part time about 2 1/2 weeks post op and found it very difficult. I am still only working 4-5 hours 4 days a week. I go home put ice packs on my hips and get the swelling down. The prolonged upright sitting is still hard on me.

My nurse told me a lot of people have reactions to the tape or steri-strips. Make sure you let your Dr. know, but I was told Benadryl is a lifesaver. I take it every night before bed just to keep the insane itching away from the binder and healing. It works wonderfully, and helps me sleep!

Thankfully I wear scrubs to work (again an elastic waist, loose fitting) so that wasn't a concern for me. Now at four and a half weeks out I am feeling like I could make it all day. So next week I will start back to my 8 hours day. I feel confident it will be fine. I still don't have a lot of my energy back so I am sure I'll be very tired when I get home.

Best of luck to you, I hope this was helpful! Keep us updated, your day is gonna be here before you know it!!!

thanks so very much for all your help!  it means more than you'll ever know!  getting nervous but excited at the same time!!  still feeling a bit guilty for spending the money for the tummy tuck with the economy the way it is....but.....it's just money...right?  oh my gosh....i'm a stinking 52 year old grandmother!!!   i've never done anything like this in my life!!!!  what a hoot!!  hubby has been nothing but supportive through all this.....he's awesome!  but i certainly don't get any support from my co-workers....they just roll their eyes when i say something about the tummy tuck and i've been told by some that i don't need one....but these are the overweight co-workers.....the ones who also roll their eyes when i say something about exercise or running a 5k......

oh well.....same crap....different day, i guess!!!

thanks again for all your input!  its been a great help!  i go to the cardiologist friday to get my EKG that the PS requires......

The yoga pants should be fine.  I went to walmart and bought cotton knit PJ capri bottoms - one size larger.  They worked fine - laundered well - easy and cheap.  I also got some mens tank type tee shirts - two sizes larger for over dressings.  It was easy to soak blood & drainage from them.

I wore abdominal binder for one month and then a fleexes "waister with shoulder straps (it had stays and hook & eyes up the front) for month two.  Now I don't wear anything.

Tape takes my skin off - causes tears.  On belly I used scant amount of paper tape and then carefully pulled on firm control briefs (mine were Bali brand) to keep compression.  I pulled these briefs over the waister.  My incision was fleur de lis - so there was a vertical incision from pelvis to between boobs - if you only have horizontal incision you won't need the upper tummy compression.

I also had brachioplasty at the same time.  I was off work for almost 4 weeks.  I have a desk job and only work 3 days a week.  I could only do 1/2 days for the first week back.  Now at 11 weeks post op - I'm still "pooped" when I get home.

I was able to get into pre-op pants when I stopped wearing the binder.  Dresses were OK even with the binder on (empire waist cotton knits - everything was hidden.)

Best wishes.