To attempt tummy tuck recovery alone?

[Cuckooclocks]

I’m seriously considering a tummy tuck to address loose skin after huge weight loss. The only thing that I’m worried about is recovery. I live in a 3rd floor flat with no lift. I would get super organised and make sure I have everything I need in advance but I’m worried I won’t be able to cope alone. No f+f I can call on. My surgeon said I would spend the first two nights at the hospital.

How long is your recovery likely to be? How would you get home from the hospital and up the stairs in the first instance?

I had a csection (so not exactly the same) and lived in a 3rd floor flat aswell with no lift, i used to bump a double buggy up and down daily, it was doable.

Recovery will be about 3 weeks off work. I would get a taxi home from the hospital and ask the taxi driver to take my small case up to my door and then slowly get myself up the stairs taking as long as I need

How are you being alone? I'd be as worried about my mental health and feeling lonely as much as practical matters.

I’m usually very good being alone..! I know I’d have a low point and would make sure I’ve got plenty to distract me and a relevant fb group or similar to have people who understand it to interact with.

I would say it would defo be manageable. Make sure you have stocked up on Netflix box sets and books, puzzles etc as much as possible to stop the cabin fever setting in.

What about cooking? Will be be able to pre freeze dinners to last 3 weeks? Can you do online deliver grocery shopping? Phone takeaways?

**in hindsight prob phoning takeaways and living on junk prob be last thing you want to do after losing all that weight!!! Hahaha sorrrryyyyy 😂😂

Onestep2 ha ha ha hilair! Yes I think I would probably take the time to plan a few books I want to read and boxsets. I’d definitely have the freezer stocked with home cooked healthy food and order any top up shops from Ocado.

I don’t know what a tummy tuck involves surgically but I can only compare to a section.

I had a section and could have managed alone just fine after being out of hospital. I walked out of hospital and stairs weren’t an issue, nor was lifting the baby or normal household stuff. Getting in and out of bed was difficult, but beyond that there was no reason I couldn’t have managed provided you take things slowly I think you will be fine.

Had this op. It’s very rough for the first month. I couldn’t do anything. Do live alone but had family staying, I definitely needed them. It’s much harder to recover from than a CS. Two years on though I am very happy and much more confident.

Sorry should have said I have had two CS so well placed to compare

Twinkie thanks so much. Did you have muscle repair? My surgeon says I likely won’t have it bc I never had a pregnancy. I’m hoping this will mean an easier recovery.

Well done on the weight loss, how much have you lost?

Another c section person here. I think you'll be fine if you plan like a crazy prepper (like me). With amazon and online food shopping you'll be fine. Top tips - buy one of those grabber stick hands things so if you drop something you don't have to heft yourself up to get it. Buy a tonne of loose baggy trousers and granny pants. Create an area around your sofa with phone chargers and pads and large bottles of water and painkillers so you don't need to get up for simple things.

Mainchanger ive gone from a size 20 to a 10. Most of that was years ago in my twenties (I’m 35) but went from a 14 to a 10 a year ago. No kids but lots of loose skin which I’m hoping to fix!

I honesty don't think you should do this. Could you check into a cheap hotel for the first week where there is a lift?

Having had a tummy tuck, you have to bear in mind that you have an incision from behind each hip right across your abdomen and all your stomach muscles have been severed. You have no abdominal strength at all and will tire very easily. It is a major operation and walking cross the room to the loo is as much as you are likely to be able to do. I certainly couldn't have climbed three floors of stairs in the first week after the operation.

After a week things are starting to heal and you should be fine to go home.

Sorry cross post while I was typing. If you are just having loose skin removal the recovery my not be as bad.

I had a double mastectomy and reconstruction using my belly fat so similar to what you're planning as it was muscle sparing. I was in hospital for 5 days (was told to expect to be in for 7-10 days).
Although I don't live alone everyone was out working full time so I just had to get on with it myself.
It's doable.

I had the same op as cherrytree63 and also left hospital after five days. A friend brought me home, carried up my luggage and checked up on me as and when. Walking around is encouraged, carrying heavy things isn't though I brought shopping into my second floor flat (no lift), I just avoided heavier stuff.

My mum had this done back in May. She massively underestimated how immobile and in pain she would be, I kept saying to her there is no way you will be up and about as soon as you think and I was right! Ended up moving her into mine as we have a downstairs loo and walking up stairs was agony, she stayed for two weeks and I had to help her even pull up her underwear after she used the toilet. It's tough going especially the first couple weeks. I'd say reconsider and get someone to move in you will need the support

Citrus, your hotel idea is something I will consider. I worry about what I would do for food though in a hotel as well as needing things like a wedge to keep my legs bent and a special back support pillow. It’s all stuff I will need to get back to my flat to use.

I've just been thinking back on my operation. Improving my core strength was suggested and I did do quite a few sit-ups beforehand, but wish I'd done more. I didn't have any of the back support pillows or knee cushions (and didn't miss them) but I found a v-shaped pillow useful for the first week or so. Since you have no F&F to call on, could you employ a cleaner or something similar in the immediate post-op period? I imagine they've suggested heavy duty spanx to minimise swelling after the op? I was. At 35, your recovery should be fast. What is your general fitness like?

Could going up the stairs three days after surgery damage anything or is it solely that it could be painful and tire you out? I'd find out the answer to that first before making any decisions.

Do you have a balcony or would you be inside for three weeks straight?

When I had knee surgery what helped me out was going outside, but there was a lift. I couldn't get in and out of the shower, struggled washing my hair. Do you have a step in shower?

MNOverinvestor my general fitness is good, very good low heart rate and I don’t drink or smoke so hoping that will help with my general ability to bounce back. I train 3x per week but will work on improving core - thanks for that advice! I will definitely get a cleaner and have her come 1-2 times per week. The surgeon said I would have to wear a support garment. His view was that I might need someone to get shopping in etc but the worst of it would be over whilst I was still in hospital. I might ask to stay 3 nights instead of 2.

Skybluee - yes my shower is a walk in which should help a lot. No balcony! The stairs might tire me out but I would take them one at a time and only do it every couple of days if I have to. I want the surgery in winter so I’ve got less fomo than I would in summer and also my support garment might get hot.

One other thing you may want to consider/ask your surgeon/factor in. My tummy tuck was on the NHS but, unlike my other operations, was a choice rather than medically necessary. For the first few days, I felt psychologically far worse than I did after the other (equally complicated) operations. I mentioned this to one of the surgeons and he said it was very common after elective surgeries - because you feel as if you've inflicted the pain on yourself. He said that this feeling would go in time and it did after about two weeks. NHS hospitals are very strict about you being picked up by a particular named person (even for some of my really minor operations). It may be that you're going private though so this might not apply. I had my operation in the summer and yes, the support garment got very hot...