Enlist your family and friends to help out with meals, cleaning, running errands, and watching the kids. Remind yourself that you just had SURGERY and you need downtime. You shouldn’t be making any important decisions or responding to serious emails while on pain medication. Sleeping a lot is normal (and encouraged!) during recovery. However, you will not be able to run the household or your career by yourself during this time. Your energy will return in a few short weeks. This notion can make for a frustrating and uncomfortable recovery process because we aren’t able to keep up with the demands and responsibilities of “normal” life during the first 2 weeks post-surgery. We do it all: From working, cooking, rearing children, exercising, to volunteer work. Carrie and I counsel patients about getting into the “recovery mindset.” Most of us modern women are busy and overscheduled. Set yourself up for 2 weeks of doing nothing but recovering. What is the fastest way to recover from a tummy tuck? EXPAREL adds to the total surgical investment, but the patients who have used it feel it is well worth the cost. Our patients who opt to add EXPAREL to their procedure report a 50% reduction in narcotic pain medication consumption versus those who do not. Oral pain relievers can cause extreme drowsiness, fatigue, nausea, and constipation in some patients. ![]() Not only does EXPAREL help patients get through the first 72 hours post-op with significantly reduced discomfort, but it is also great for patients who wish to limit the amount of narcotic pain meds they need to take. It is effective in managing pain for up to 72 hours post-op. This non-narcotic, non-opioid pain reliever is injected directly into the abdominal tissue, fascia, and muscles during surgery. Steinwald offer EXPAREL® for long-lasting pain control. In addition to using a no-drain tummy tuck technique and prescribing the best oral pain medications available, Dr. A game-changer in pain management: How effective is EXPAREL? Many of our extremely active patients get back to working out sooner and report stronger core strength as an added benefit. However, we advise patients to go back to working out slowly and back off if it hurts. Some report small muscle “zingers” with workouts or yoga, which is completely normal. Patients go back to working out at 4 to 6 weeks post-tummy tuck. Most women are walking upright and going about daily activities after just 2 weeks. ![]() The soreness diminishes after a week and you start to think less and less about it. ![]() Those muscles quickly become angry and fatigued from the layers of sutures placed to keep them tight. For about a week, they retaliate by acting sore and tired. Those stubborn muscles loved the roominess of your loose abdomen. Think about it this way: A tummy tuck is basically military boot camp for the abdominal muscles. ![]() Patients find normal activities such as standing up straight, walking up stairs, and getting out of a seated position or bed uncomfortable because the core muscles are sore after being sewn together from the breast bone to the pubic bone. The discomfort after a tummy tuck comes not from the incision, which will actually be numb for some time, but from the muscle tightening. How long does the tightness last after a tummy tuck? The truth is, nothing about the tummy tuck recovery is excruciating. Keep in mind that the human psyche is extremely masterful at dramatizing a painful recovery scene before we have experienced the event. Luckily, the pain during tummy tuck recovery does not outweigh the amazing results afterward, and men and women who’ve had the procedure give it a 96% Worth It rating on. Many patients worry about what to expect after a tummy tuck. Listen up! Procrastination is a big mistake! Why put off the future of a sleek, flat, bikini-wearing, defined stomach for a few weeks of discomfort? Understanding the truth about pain, taking advantage of modern pain management, and setting yourself up with ample recovery time and support will make for a successful recovery. However, many patients have become so frightened by the perceived “painful” recovery-that they end up postponing their procedure for months and sometimes years! We meet with women daily who want to eliminate sagging skin and a protruding abdomen and reduce the extent of stretch marks left behind after pregnancy or weight loss. We have talked with these patients before surgery and after recovery-and helped them push through their fears. As patient counselors at our plastic surgery centers in Denver and Golden, CO, Carrie and I have listened to many tummy tuck patients.
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