Going back to work and pain.

When did you guys go back to work after a tummy tuck? and how was the pain afterwards? I had an amazing recovery from GBP, but I know this time will be different. Considering that they are removing a large chunk of skin!

Believe it or not, it's not the skin removal that's the issue.  Unless you have a complication, the incision heals very quickly and causes little problem or pain.  The drains (if your doc uses drains) are a pain in the butt, but also not really an issue.  If you're having muscle repair done - there's your pain!  The level of pain depends on how extensive the muscle repair is.

If it had just been the incisions, I could have been back to work in 2-3 weeks.  Because of the muscle repair, it was more like 5.  Some people have bounced back faster, some slower.  You just don't know where you'll be on the pain spectrum until after it's over.

Muscle tightening and repair can vary from person to person depending on how much weight you carried in your abdomen and for how long, whether you had pregnancies, fitness level other medical conditions, and age. So some people bounce back very quickly and others take much longer. Surgeons generally say 4 to 6 weeks to do a desk job, but potentially up to months for a heavy lifting job.

I have a desk job and can recline and put my feet up at work. I sit 50 feet from the bathroom and 30 feet from the kitchen at work, and i get dropped off at the door and walk 80 feet to my desk. so I went back very quickly - abut 2.5 week mark. I've had no problems aside from still being a bit hunched and moving slowly.

However you will have no idea about your own recovery time table until you get to that point, so plan for the high end And if you can come back earlier - yay! If not, don't pu**** You do not want to risk recovery.

A lot of it is not the pain - but the lack of energy and being hunched over - it takes awhile to stand straight again.  

I went back to work 8 days after the TT... I went back for 1 day, had a 4 day weekend (Thanksgiving) then went back to a normal week after that. I wasn't in much pain but I was still hunched over... told people I threw out my back... it took quite some time before I could stand fully upright.

The recovery after a tummy tuck varies from patient to patient and depends on the type of procedure. A tummy tuck involves one, some, or all of the following components:

1. Removal of skin and fat
2. Liposuction of the abdomen & hips
3. Repair of separated muscles (diastasis recti)

Patients who do not require muscle repair have the fastest recovery, while patients undergoing all the three components take longer to recover. The recovery period ranges from 2-4 weeks depending on the type of surgery that is performed and complications, if any.

I went with Sauceda in Monterrey Mexico, he's known for having very low pain procedures. I had 5 procedures at once and the lipo on my long thighs is the only part that hurt. I waited to return to work due to not wanting to jeopardize my incision or result.