Abdominoplasty Recovery Time

A patient of mine recently inquired about the recovery time following a tummy tuck. I felt this was an important question, so I asked a few of my colleagues to weigh in with their personal experiences and observations.

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work". Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work". Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr. Williams recommends "taking ibuprofen 800mg every 6 hours for pain relief". Dr. Williams also recommends "avoiding heavy lifting for 3 months after surgery".

Dr. Smith says "I usually tell my patients that they can expect to stay in the hospital for 3-4 days after surgery and then need at least 2 weeks off from work." Dr. Jones adds "Drinking lots of fluids helps keep you hydrated but avoid too many liquids prior to surgery as it could result in vomiting". Dr.

Conclusion

Overall, I found this study to be both interesting and helpful. Overall, the article did a good job at examining the various complications that can be associated with surgery. I think it is important to note that according to the authors of this article, over 77% of people who had laparoscopic surgery recovered from their surgery successfully. Considering that nearly 1 in 5 people have appendicitis at some point in their lives, there is a lot of hope here.

Last updated: 12-02-2015

References:

Baudel JL et al., Laparoscopic excision versus open laparotomy for appendicitis: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.