Tummy Tuck - 1 week post-op

Ok so everyone was right.  All of the blogs I read and the recovery stories I read and ALL of the people I talked to about their recovery experiences were right!  The first week of Tummy Tuck recovery is absolutely brutal!!!  The pain in unbelievable and you really do sit and tell your self you made the worst mistake of your life and wonder why you did it.  The swelling doesn't do much to ease your mind either.  I had originally planned on leaving my moms house and going home at day 4 but when day 4 came there was NO way that was gonna happen.  I couldn't even imagine going home. I stayed at my mom's for the entire first week.  My best friend came and picked me up from her house after a week and drove me home then stayed the night with me to take me to my 1 week post op appt the next morning.  then stayed with me the whole day relaxing with me and making sure I didn't do very much.  But that evening was my first night alone.  I was pretty nervous about it.  It really wasn't all that bad because all I did was lay on the couch and watch tv and got up as little as possible except to go tot he bathroom or to get something to eat.I guess it was just the thought of if I needed someone there was nobody close by to help me.  It still takes about 20 mins for me to get from the couch to the bathroom and getting up off the couch is really difficult but I found that the couch is MUCH easier than trying to get in or out of my bed.  I have a very high bed and even with the step stools acting as stairs it is too much.  You really use those ab muscles for EVERYTHING! At my 1 week post op appt I was able to have my drains removed but only because they were blocked and not draining right anyway.  So Dr. Dahan informed me that I was most likely going to be coming in regularly for aspiration of the fluid in my stomach but that since it was numb I wouldn't feel it.  OK!!  I will take the needle over those dang drains ANY DAY!  Those drains sucked, and no matter how much everyone said the removal of the drains didn't hurt and would only be described as weird and uncomfortable, they were WRONG!  that hurt! I didn't enjoy that at all! I was sooo happy to have them out and deal with office visits every few days instead.  Though the first day they were out was strange.  the drain holes were gushing fluid for the first several hours of being back home.  It was strange but I guess it was expected considering how blocked the drains were so there was a lot of fluid in there trying to escape.  so I just grabbed some tissue and put it over the drain hole and applied lots of pressure to my belly till the tissues stopped filing up with fluid.  then I went back to bed on the couch.  Good thing none of that hurt. ;)