Your tummy tuck recovery, handled by a nurse

Most surgeons ask that you have a capable adult with you for at least the first 24–72 hours, since you can't easily get in and out of a recliner alone while flexed at the waist. An overnight companion is there for transfers, bathroom trips, and medication timing, so you're not managing those first nights on your own. Your surgeon's office can tell you more about what to expect for your specific procedure.

Your nurse does. Prestige RNs strip, empty, and log your drain output at the intervals your surgeon orders, and keep the written record your surgeon's office wants to see at your follow-up.

In a flexed, beach-chair position, with head and knees elevated, for as long as your surgeon directs, usually one to two weeks. Most patients use a recliner or a wedge-pillow setup. Your nurse builds the setup, helps you in and out safely, and assists with repositioning through the night.

Yes. Many patients feel unsteady the first few times they stand up after surgery, so your nurse walks with you to and from the bathroom and helps with any transfers you need, day or night.

That timeline is set by your surgeon and varies by patient, but most people walk hunched for a week or two, straightening gradually as your surgeon clears you to. Your nurse supports the short, assisted walks your surgical team recommends and helps you move at the pace your surgeon sets, without pushing past it.