Hi, I am a newbie to this board. I am having a tt on 5/14 and I am excited, but nervous. I have my sons b-day party 3 days after surgery. My mom & sister will take care of everything, but I am hoping I will feel good enough to "hang out" for the day! Any questions I should ask my PS? Any information that anyone can provide me that you think may be helpful would be fantastic. I am also having my lap doctor move my port & change it to a low-profile. Can anyone tell me their experience with pain and going back to work?? Thanks in advance. :coolgleamA:

hmmm, 3 days post op? i dunno how much you are going to want to 'hang out'. that's about when the extreme discomfort set in for me.

you may want to read the feb/march plastics thread and that will give you a good idea of what we experienced.

Obviously, you should check with your surgeon.......but to me, 3 days after surgery may be a little ambitious to "hang out." You will likely have drains, and discomfort (especially if your muscles are tightened as is usual in a tummy tuck). As long as you have people helping you durign the party, your "hanging out" will probably just consist of relaxing in a chair.

So I should postpone his party until the following weekend. Thanks for the advice!

I can't make that decision for you. I generally tell my patients that they will feel like they were "hit by a bus" for the first few days, and at 1 week they will feel well enough to walk around and "socialize" without being too uncomfortable. I think that 2 weeks is a good estimate for how long it takes people to begin to feel like they are getting back to normal. These are just generalizations and everyone heals differently, and everyone has different levels of discomfort.

It is impossible to predict how you will feel 3 days afterwards - and alot depends on what the specifics of your surgery are (muscle repair, a lot of skin removal, aggressive tightening, whether or not your surgeon uses a post operative pain pump, etc.) While the decision to postpone the party is entirely up to you and your family, I suspect it will be much more enjoyable for you (and everyone else) if you allow yourself to heal more.

Talk to your surgeon and your family about what everyone thinks is best. Also, you might get some good feedback from other people on this site who have undergone the procedure.

I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery.

I agree with the doctor. It took me several days to get the full exhaustion affect from my tt. I am 2 weeks post op Monday and finally up and about more. Postponing the party is probably a good idea. Good luck with your tt.