Tummy tuck in Medellín · Day 1 of 10
Day 1 after a tummy tuck in Medellín
You are in hospital. The team will help you up for short walks and show you how to look after any drains. The picks below are for your companion, all close to the clinic district.
Short answer
On day 1 after a tummy tuck in Medellín:
- Not today Lifting and straining · Exercise · Showers, baths and pools · Flying home
- With care Walking · Compression garment · Sleeping position
For your companion today: Coffee farm tour, Comuna 13 graffiti tour, Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero.
Today's rules
Walking
Get up and walk a little as soon as your team allows, usually within the first day or two and with help at first. You may not be able to stand fully upright yet; that improves.
Source: Kaiser Permanente · Acibadem International
Lifting and straining
For 6 weeks, avoid lifting anything that makes you strain, such as a suitcase, heavy shopping bags or a child. Let your companion carry the bags.
Source: Kaiser Permanente
Exercise
No abdominal exercises and nothing strenuous, such as cycling, jogging, weights or aerobics, for 6 to 8 weeks.
Source: Kaiser Permanente · NHS
Compression garment
Wear the compression garment all the time except in the shower. The NHS says it is usually worn for about 6 weeks; your surgeon sets the date.
Source: Kaiser Permanente · NHS
Showers, baths and pools
Showering usually starts 24 to 48 hours after surgery or once the drains are out, as your surgeon says. No bath for at least 2 weeks, and ask your surgeon before pools, the sea, hot tubs or the hammam.
Source: Kaiser Permanente · Acibadem International
Sleeping position
Rest with your upper body raised and pillows under your knees. Keeping your knees bent takes tension off the stitches.
Source: NHS · Acibadem International
Flying home
Not yet. Surgeons usually ask you to stay near the hospital for about one to two weeks before a long flight, and the CDC advises medical tourists to wait at least 10 days after abdominal surgery.
Source: Acibadem International · U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · NHS
Confirm with your surgeon. These are general activity limits from published aftercare guidance. Your clinic's written instructions always come first, and they may be stricter or looser for your procedure.
Day 1: you are in hospital
Follow the ward team. Walking the corridor when the nurses say so is the most useful thing you can do today. The picks below are for your companion, all within a short ride of the clinic district.
Coffee farm tour
A visit to a coffee farm in the hills outside the city: plants, picking, roasting and tasting.
A few hours on foot with breaks, some open-air walking, about 6 hours
Comuna 13 graffiti tour
Street art, outdoor escalators and hillside lanes with a local guide. Steep, busy and mostly in the sun.
A few hours on foot with breaks, mostly in full sun, about 4 hours
Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero
Fernando Botero's paintings indoors, and his bronze sculptures on the busy square outside.
Gentle walking, some open-air walking, about 2 hours
Rooftop bars and Parque Lleras
El Poblado's rooftop bars and clubs. Late, loud and built around drinking, often on your feet for hours.
A few hours on foot with breaks, indoors, about 4 hours
Nothing to skip today
Nothing on our Medellín list breaks today's rules. Keep following the food and care rules above.
Where to eat today
- Fresh fruit juices. Jugos of lulo, maracuyá, guanábana or mango, made with water or milk at any café.
- Sancocho or mondongo soup. Hearty chicken, beef or tripe soups with vegetables, served at lunch with rice and avocado.
- Buñuelos and natilla. Cheese dough balls and a soft custard-like dessert, in bakeries all year.
Put every day of this guide in your calendar, with your dates