If you have had a tummy tuck... please help :-)

I looked around for my answers on the plastics board too.  This forum is so active - so I thought I would ask here.

I had a plastics consult today and am looking into how long I will need to recover from the "Inverted T" or Fleur de Lis Tummy Tuck.  I have so much going on here I am trying to juggle the timing of travel.

How long after your surgery did you feel like you could travel?  (plane ride or long car ride with associated walking/touring and business meetings).

Also how much time were you out of work. 

Thanks!!!

I had 360 LBL - skin only.. My muscles were very good. But it still took me a few months to feel like myself.  As I discovered later - a few surgeries before that procedure depleted my body from iron and other minerals.  Even though my numbers were normal - they were very low normal...I.e. Ferritin 11, B12 - 500, proteins 6.6.. 

It took me over a year to fully recover - and at the end I needs iron infusions and I am now on weekly B12 shots.  

The point of that:  please make sure your numbers are good to great...Be Very proactive.   Make sure your blood work is very detailed and complete... And include all essential data for optimum recovery.  I was semi normal after 2 months from surgery.. . My friends who made sure her numbers were better than " OK" was back to normal in 4-5 weeks.  And after 2 months she was fully functional. It took me a year to have the same energy she had after 2 months.

WOW

That is a long time. Thanks for sharing.

I had a Fleur de Lis with muscle tightening.  I took 8 weeks off work.  I was hunched over for about 5 weeks.  I slept in a recliner for 5 weeks.  Because I was hunched, my back hurt.  I was able to do small walks.  I mean small.  I tired quickly.  Forced myself to and tried to straighten out at the same time.  Not easy.  It's the muscle work that is brutal to heal from.  Straining, coughing, sneezing was terrible for a long time. I couldn't imagine doing long walks or car rides or busy days for the first 5 weeks.  For me, I needed to be able to sit down and rest, often.  But we all heal differently.  This is only my experience.  Good luck!

Giselle

I was off work 6 weeks but was still having pain when walking and trouble standing up straight when walking at that point. I could stand straight, but when I would walk, it was so tight and sore than I would find myself gradually hunching over.

Lifting and/or carrying luggage would probably be the worst part of travel.  I was not allowed to lift anything over 5 pounds for a couple of weeks and was not allowed to lift anything over 15(?) pounds for 8 weeks.

Keep in mind that one of the more common issues with the t-shaped tummy tucks is a separation of the skin (or even a necrotic breakdown) at the intersection of the two incisions.  If that happens, you may be either cleaning and packing part of an open wound for several weeks (or, much less frequently, for several months or may even need a wound vac).

Lora