Only 3-day post-op and really struggling.

I'm on my 3rd day since I had a tummy tuck, breast lift and arm lift and I am barely able to cope. The tummy tuck pain is almost unbearable and I can't stand for more than two minutes without feeling like I'm going to pass out. Yesterday it felt like my abdominal muscles hurt the most but today I feel the pain from the stitches more than anything. I am blowing through my painkillers but it has also left me constipated and a stool softener doesn't seem to be working.

I'm feeling quite helpless and my parents are taking care of me but they spend most of the time complaining that I did this to myself and I'm starting to grow both resentful and regretful. Not sure what kind of response I'm looking for here, just needed to vent.

What does your surgeon say? Mine was awesome and did not want me in pain. Maybe there is something else he can suggest? We all handle pain differently.

By day 5 I felt human again. Hang in there!!

Awwww I am sorry! I swear, it ONLY gets better from here on out! My first couple of days were tough too - the abdominal pain was the worst, and actually I had zero arm or breast pain. I just thought of it as "well he must have really pulled those muscles tight and I am going to have a nice flat stomach" - and voila! Here I am, 1.5 years later, 39 years old, once weighed over 350 lbs, and I can wear a bikini! So have hope - the pain subsides, the swelling too, the incisions heal, the scars fade, and you will be left with a transformed body.

Re: your parents saying you did this to yourself, I also had a lot of self-hating thoughts about how I let myself get so big that I needed weight loss surgery and then to cut myself in half like a Frankenstein. I have had to let that go, learn to embrace my new way of eating/living, and I focus on all of the amazing things I can and DO do now, that I couldn't as a super morbidly obese person. It made all of the pain and healing worth it, and I would do it again tomorrow if I needed to. For me, I felt that having plastics was sort of like an insurance policy - going through that pain and expense would (hopefully) keep me from gaining back 100 lbs!

So have hope, keep taking your painkillers every 4 hours and your stool softener, and don't even try to stand and walk yet if you are in pain. Lay against a wedge pillow if you have one, binge watch some Netflix, and shop online for a two piece bathing suit ;)

Good luck!!!

Great post! Thanks for your honesty. I am starting the process in a few months and that really helps.

Glad to hear how well you're doing now!

Things will get better. The first 4-5 days are a challenge but you will improve. Do try to get up and walk with regularity to help prevent clots and keep up circulation. pretty soon you'll start to see swelling subside and definition in your body and its really exciting. But definitely stay ahead of the pain. Keep those compression garments on and, for me, wearing a tank top under the abdominal compression garment as well as using feminine pads as a buffer between the garment and the stitches helped with incision pain and rubbing and skin irritation.

Get yourself some colace ASAP and start taking that to help with the constipation as well as lots of water. I ended up in urgent care on day 7 post surgery needing 2 enemas and doctor's "help" because I was so impacted. It was extremely unpleasant especially in that setting and dealing with drains, etc. It'll be a challenge until that first bowel movement and then should get a bit better. take the colace until you have a couple days of regular movements.

It will get better for sure. Just keep up with the pain meds as much as you need to stay ahead of it and get on that colace. Take care.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having a rough time. I said the exact same thing 2 days after my TT, WTF did I do. If you can just hang-in-there and continue taking your pain meds, it does get better. I know I couldn't sleep on my bed for almost 1-1/2 weeks. I slept in a recliner. It was so painful just to move around in bed. I'm now 7 months out and I totally forgot about the pain and feel so happy that I had my surgery. It will get better, I promise and you'll feel beautiful again.

Sorry you are having a rough time. Try and be patient with yourself-you will start to feel better soon.

THanks for all of your replies everyone. My surgeon is kind of apathetic and doesn't like to answer questions and I'm so angry about it but his secretary is great and pretty much told me a lot of what you guys are saying. I am taking a CVS brand of stool softener for now but I have colace arriving tonight along with a wedge pillow. I'm feeling a little better now and I'm just going to hang in there. Thanks for the support! Your responses really help!

Day 3 the swellling is the worst. Muscle repair is the worst forr sure.havinng breast and arms as well OMG. With tt I got stuck in bed a few times. Try Restoralax it really helps. I was surprised how difficult and how many ab muscles used just to pee. I've have complications with some surgeries and thought hell I did this to myself. I look at it as completing my journey. Give yourself timee to heal. It ggets better. Hugs

Wow, that's a lot of surgery! Hope you fell better soon.

I agree that you need to call the doctor, maybe for different pain medication? Are you icing?

Use some MOM with the stool softeners. You don't want to be straining.