Exercise in the weeks immediately after op..

Silvervixen79

Hi everyone, I am having an RnY op next month and am worried about losing my fitness. Basically I have gone from being so disabled by being sedentary that I could walk to the end of the block to building up to where I am now- going for a couple mile walk (power walking) a few times a week, swimming, aqua aerobics, zumba etc. Now I know that the hospital advises 30 minutes of walking a day immediately after op to prevent blood clots and get things moving but if you feel up for more- is it safe to do so? I am really worried about getting back into my old lazy sedentary lifestyle!

cabennett99

Follow your doctors advice. That said, don't over think this. It's a major surgery and your body needs to heal, so rest and hydration are your mist important priorities post-op. Definitely walk frequently, and in my experience you can make those walks longer as you feel up to to it. I started adding in weight lifting at about six weeks. As you lose weight and heal you'll start feeling so good you'll naturally stray to push it. Just don't worry about the short term loss of fitness.

cmchandler74

@cabennett99 is right - walk when you feel up to it and as often as you can as it will help speed your recovery, but don't overdo it. It's easy to pull stitching out and wind up back in the hospital if you don't allow yourself to heal properly.

NicoleL874

Really, from my experience (VSG) post-op, I got up and walked several times daily. When I got home, I did walk, and quite a bit, but my energy was not where it needed to be to sustain much. You are focusing on fluids, and not able to eat or drink much, so your energy fades quickly. As you are able to focus more on nutrition you'll want to get moving again! Take it slow and listen to your surgeon!

rpyle111

You will likely be encouraged to walk as soon as you are able in the hospital. Coming into the operation in good physical shape will only help the process I walked a ton the next day and was encouraged to do so (and teased about how often I was in the hallways). You won't lose much in the month or so post-op where your energy is likely to be really low.

Ultima_Morpha

I walked a mile the night I had my surgery. I couldn't sleep and calculated the distance of a lap in my hospital wing and kept track of every lap I competed. The nurses posted my calculation for other patients!

By a week out, I was able to do three miles total in a day at a decent pace.

I was back on my bike at 4 weeks.

Fully released to do whatever I felt up to at 6 weeks.

Listen to your surgeon and your body. Everyone heals at a different rate.

I know how you feel though, despite the loose skin and incredibly shrinking breasts, not being able to exercise is the number one reason I'm not ready to schedule plastic surgery.