tt on the 21 how much pain are you in after surgery?

i'm finally having a tummy tuck this coming wed. i was wondering how much pain i'll be in and how long until you can go back to work? btw the incision will be staight up the middle my surgen said he can get more with that incision  thanks

 I had a LBL and BL 5 weeks ago. I was in the hospital for 2 days and had a pain pump when I woke up. It stayed with me for about 5 days post op. I also was prescribed Vicodin. I didnt experience alot of pain - either because there wasnt much or because these things controlled it.  The doctor and nurses told me to be sure to stay ahead of the pain by taking the medication every 4 hours.  I followed this religiously. I found that if I went to 6 hours (usually because I had fallen asleep) I would begin to feel aches and the begining of pain.  I never really went over a 3 on a scale of 1-10 for pain.

I did experience a sense of uncomfortableness or discomfort. That binder can be annoying and there can be a general feeling of yuckiness while you try to get in a comfy position in your recliner chair to sleep.

I am recovery very slowly and still am not back at work. From what I read here on the forums, seems like I am an exception. It appears most people are back to work in 2 weeks, some take 3.  I am jealous of all of them!

Good luck!

I was just uncomfortable and very sore. Right after hey give you a lot of pain meds so it's not bad. Once at home I kept up with the Vicodin for about 3 or 4 days then just Tylenol for general soreness and back pain from hunching over and lying on my back so much. You will feel like a truck hit you, and yucky. But, you will be fine. I went back to work after 3 weeks and it felt perfect for me. My energy level had returned by the 3 rd week.

God luck

Had a Lower Body Lift. I was on Percoset for about a week. After that I took Tylenol PM just to go to bed. I went to work after 2 1/2 weeks. If I had to do it over again I would have taken the extra couple of days and went back to work at 3 weeks.

I still feel sore at times although it's very manageable.

Good Luck!!!

Mike,

How mobile were you after surgery? Did you need someone to take care of you afterwards?

Thanks,
Michelle

The first night I was not mobile. I think it was more of the anesthesia than anything else. I had the option of going home after the procedure. But I paid the extra money to stay in the Hospital overnight. Glad I did. Read my blog for more info.

When I got home. I was in pain so of course I took the pain meds. The meds make you very sleepy so I slept alot. I could move around go to the bathroom by myself and wash myself. Due to the drains you can't take showers.

Could not walk that much of a distance. I tried the third day I was home. I think I made it to the corner and had to go back to the house. At the week mark I was able to make it around the block.

You have alot of swelling and you get this feeling that your skin is stretching to the point if your not careful it may pop (never happened but that's how it feels).

My wife was a big help especially the first couple of days.

Thanks Mike!! Happy you are doing well.

Michelle

Congratulations- how exciting that it's just around the corner! 
 I had my LBL 6 weeks ago. The first couple of nights I was definitely in pain but that soon turned into more of an annoying pressure/ tightness. The swelling was really what made me the most uncomfortable. It took about 2 weeks to really be able to use my abs to help me sit up. I still feel sore where my muscles were tightened, especially if I cough or laugh, but it's not that bad. 
I got my surgery over a month long break from school and I flew back and started class just three weeks after. I developed rare and mild fat necrosis after surgery so my healing was a little slower than what it could have been. At home I had people around who knew about my surgery and could help me with stuff but at school I live alone so it was really hard to suddenly have so much to get done. It's embossing how easy it was for me to get fatigued... grocery shopping seemed equivalent to and hour of butt busting boot camp
I haven't heard enough about the vertical incision to know if / how the healing process is different. As long as the surgery and healing go well and your job doesn't involve running around or heavy lifting I doubt you'll be out of commission for more that 3/ 3 and half weeks. 

Good luck with everything!

thank you everyone i got home last night this thing around my waist kinda sucks i have to empty my drains 3 times a day until the 3rd of next month, they gave me vicodin i'm not in that much pain. thanks again  bobby

Bobby, 

Glad to hear that things went well for you and that you are not in too much pain. It's my turn next month, so I'm reading every account that I can find to try to find out what to expect. Feel better soon!