If your tummy tuck and hernia repair were done with an overnight stay and your surgeon saw you the day after surgery, follow up in nine days may well be an appropriate interval for the next visit, as long as all the tummy tuck incisions looked healthy, all the drains had very little blood in them, and the tissues all had good circulation.
If your surgery was an outpatient procedure and you were discharged that day of the procedure, an earlier visit might be appropriate to check on healing, drainage and circulation.
I suggest that you call the surgeon’s office to clarify your concerns about a sooner post operative visit. A board certified plastic surgeon will take your issues to heart and address them to your satisfaction.
Your communication with your surgeon is an essential part of your tummy tuck after care. (David N. Hing, MD, Ann Arbor Plastic Surgeon)
Each practice has it’s own post-operative tummy tuck after care routine. I call the patient the very next day to check to see how they are doing.
Then, we usually see the patient in office 1 week after surgery. After that, the next visit is determined by when the drains come out. In order for the drains to be removed, we like for the drainage to be less than 25ccs in a full 24 hour period per drain. Once the drains are removed, we see the patient weekly for a month and then 3 months for pictures. I like to see my patients yearly thereafter just to see how they are doing. (Leo Lapuerta, MD, )
I alway call the patient the night of surgery and see them within the next day or two, depending on the patient’s discomfort. I think it is important to check on the wounds, pain levels, ambulation, drains etc. in order to avoid potential problems and to ensure a rapid and uneventful postoperative course. (Donald M. Brown, MD, Miami Beach Plastic Surgeon)
I see all tummy tuck patients either 48 hours or 72 hours after the surgery. (Leonard Tachmes, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)
As everyone says; its very individual. i too call all patients the night of surgery and we see them the next day. now a days i don’t use drains, so i personally may not see them till the fifth post op day, although I do peek in on them the next day.
It took me years to understand that my Job isn’t to just make you look good, it’s to make you feel good. That’s why we now do everything for my patients after a tummy Tuck, including shower, hair, nails, everything.
it requires a facility equipped with a post-op papering center, and that’s a luxury that my patients appreciate. (Ayman Hakki, MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)
There is no hard and fast rule for the time to see patients after their full tummy tucks. I admit almost all of full tummy tucks for at least one night post-op (I am lucky to operate at a hospital which significantly discounts the charge for overnight stays after aesthetic surgery).
If, when I examine the wounds and change the dressing the next morning, everything looks fine, there is no problem with waiting a week or so to see the patient back in the office. The distance that patients are required to travel also comes into play. If there is a concern or the drainage is a small volume, an earlier appointment can always be arranged. (John Whitt, MD, Louisville Plastic Surgeon)
Every practice will have a different routine, though we see patients about four days after tummy tuck. We do not use any drains so after the first visit, the next may be at the two week point, unless of course questions come up. Some might suggest a visit the first day after surgery, and we find that a phone call will suffice, and the car trip back in on the first day uncomfortable. (Peter E. Johnson, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)
I personally see patient 3-4 days later as I use a pain pump to help with the pain post operatively and this is removed. I then see them 2-3 days later to remove the tummy tuck drains. Every surgeon is different. My suggestion is to discuss things with your surgeon in advance and express your concerns. (Rick Rosen, MD, Norwalk Plastic Surgeon)
Personally, I always call my patients the night of their surgery and always see them the next day. No exceptions. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)
I used to see most of my surgery patients the next day. Many of them did not appreciate coming in just for my piece of mind when they were in pain and sometimes still nauseated.
Rarely did any of them have any kind of a problem for which I had to see them and, when they did, they knew it and could have called to come in. Therefore I decided that it was simply cruel to have them come in without any good reason and they were better off at home. Now I see all of my tummy tuck patients 3-4 days after surgery and their next visit is 3-4 days after that. Nine days after tummy tuck surgery for your first visit is simply too long. (James McMahan, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)