Modified Routine During Surgery Recovery

TheGaudyMagpie

Hi Everyone,

I had gallbladder surgery about a month ago and during follow up the surgeon told me to avoid lifting exercises until any pulling/pain was gone, which could be up to six months. She said when I do start, to do low weights and high repetitions. I'm cleared for walking and hiking. Before getting sick I hiked regularly at a moderately difficult level and I am working on building back up to that.

I do still have some pulling and pain, but my arms are very noodly right now and I'd like to find a way to get some strength back into them. I've been struggling with the gallbladder disease issues for months now, but before that I was doing bodyweight exercises and seeing some nice improvement. Does anyone have any suggestions for upper body workouts that don't affect the core much and would minimize any pulling? I don't have a gym membership right now (because I didn't see the sense in one when I'm restricted for so long), but I was wondering if machines are my best option right now and I should join one.

Thank you in advance.

esjones12

Listen to your body and your doctor. Rushing back and pulling things out of place is not a good idea and will only delay you in the long run. Your core is pretty important to all activities, it keeps you stable and allows you to perform things properly. Performing things without proper form will only lead to injury.

TheGaudyMagpie

I can exercise to tolerance per the doctor, so I'm trying to find something that is mild enough that it doesn't do a lot of pulling. If it doesn't pull or cause a lot of pain I can do it. I'm thinking things like bicep curls, if I stabilize on something. I recognize I can't do things like press, and I won't for the full six months, but I imagine there are things where the muscles in the arm are relatively isolated.

For what it's worth, walking and hiking do cause some pain, and I've been cleared for those without limitation. It's the exercises that run the risk of pulling internal stitches that I need to watch out for and it's been pretty much put on me to determine when the pulling is enough to run that risk.

jenlaw71

EEK!!! Was your gall bladder surgery done laproscopicaly? I am scheduled to have mine removed on teh 7th of July and I'm hoping for this surgery I am only down a couple of days - unlike the 5 weeks I suffered through earlier this year for another surgery - which a complication from that one led to the discovery of my gall bladder being FULL of stones...........

TheGaudyMagpie

Yes it was. Mine was badly infected so I was in the hospital for a few extra days. Even so, I was not down for long at all. I was admitted on a Thursday evening, had the surgery on Saturday, left the hospital on Monday and was back to work the Tuesday of the next week (it could have been Monday, but that was a holiday). The guideline for return to work is a week to a week and a half, if your work is sedentary. Your doctor might clear you for earlier if you feel well and your work is easy. You'll still be sore, but it's not debilitating.

I'd say that the first three days or so were not particularly fun, but after that I was mobile. I went to a county fair two weeks after the surgery and walked for hours. The restrictions are very specifically related to lifting and exercise that strains the abdominal area. I'll still be sore after a long walk, but nothing some over the counter pain reliever can't fix.

Really, it wasn't so bad so don't worry. If you have any other questions you want to ask me about it, feel free.

Edit: Don't be alarmed at the hospital time. With a scheduled surgery, you may or may not even stay overnight. Most of my hospital time was getting the infection under control.

Panda_Poptarts

Probably not quite the same, but I had a unilateral oophorectomy last July. It was primarily laproscopic, but they opened a portion of my c-section scar, which sucked. I was down for about 6 weeks, but after 2 weeks was able to add in some minimal exercise.

I started with light cardio, and was able to do some (slow pace) rowing on a water row machine. What about basic curls? Can you handle that?

Tweaking_Time

DON'T RUSH IT! You body needs time to heal.

Although I did not have my gall bladder removed, I have had the laparoscopic surgery twice and one open surgery. I was down for 18 months straight and still can't/won't lift heavy. I was off of pain meds in 48 to 60 hours after each surgery, but recovery takes time. I did find I could cycle, walk, hike much sooner than I could lift.

Find out what you are cleared to do and stick with that.

jenlaw71

TheGaudyMagpie wrote: »

Yes it was. Mine was badly infected so I was in the hospital for a few extra days. Even so, I was not down for long at all. I was admitted on a Thursday evening, had the surgery on Saturday, left the hospital on Monday and was back to work the Tuesday of the next week (it could have been Monday, but that was a holiday). The guideline for return to work is a week to a week and a half, if your work is sedentary. Your doctor might clear you for earlier if you feel well and your work is easy. You'll still be sore, but it's not debilitating.

I'd say that the first three days or so were not particularly fun, but after that I was mobile. I went to a county fair two weeks after the surgery and walked for hours. The restrictions are very specifically related to lifting and exercise that strains the abdominal area. I'll still be sore after a long walk, but nothing some over the counter pain reliever can't fix.

Really, it wasn't so bad so don't worry. If you have any other questions you want to ask me about it, feel free.

Edit: Don't be alarmed at the hospital time. With a scheduled surgery, you may or may not even stay overnight. Most of my hospital time was getting the infection under control.

I had a complication filled laproscopic complete hysterectomy March 30 - ended up with 3 tiny incisions plus belly button. I was completely down for 2 1/2 weeks and then lightly mobile for 2 1/2 weeks before I was cleared for work - took 2 more weeks before I was fully cleared 100%.

Yeah - my job is super sedentary. I've been told mine SHOULD be straight day surgery in/out same day as long as there are no "issues" - aka scar tissue preventing the scope from being able to go up from belly button.

TheGaudyMagpie

Hi Panda. Thank you for your input. I think I can probably handle some basic curls and I will probably start with that. I don't have access to a rowing machine, but I was thinking I might try rows. Again, I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and join a gym because it seems like I'd be better able to stabilize my core and isolate the muscles in my extremities if I had access to machines.

Hi Tweaking, the thing with clearance is that other than the walking/hiking without limitation and the no heavy lifting, exercise is to tolerance. So it's up to me. Believe me, I don't plan to rush it and I'd stop if anything seemed to be pulling too much. I just know that there are people here that have a lot of experience with training and might be able to suggest something that would focus on my upper body without requiring a lot of work from other muscles. If I try it and it doesn't feel right, well then I won't do it anymore.

Panda_Poptarts

TheGaudyMagpie wrote: »

Hi Panda. Thank you for your input. I think I can probably handle some basic curls and I will probably start with that. I don't have access to a rowing machine, but I was thinking I might try rows. Again, I'm wondering if I should just suck it up and join a gym because it seems like I'd be better able to stabilize my core and isolate the muscles in my extremities if I had access to machines.

I'm a total freeweight newb. I use machine weights pretty regularly. The water rower is the one that's attached to a fan for resistance. It's fun! You might also consider bodyweight exercises, too, like yoga and pilates, while you're transitioning back.

Cherimoose

TheGaudyMagpie wrote: »

I was wondering if machines are my best option right now and I should join one.

Yes. Machines are notorious for underworking the core, which is one of the downsides of machines. But in your case they're perfect. Just try to keep your abs as braced as you can to avoid hurting your back.

TheGaudyMagpie

jenlaw71 wrote: »

I had a complication filled laproscopic complete hysterectomy March 30 - ended up with 3 tiny incisions plus belly button. I was completely down for 2 1/2 weeks and then lightly mobile for 2 1/2 weeks before I was cleared for work - took 2 more weeks before I was fully cleared 100%.

Yeah - my job is super sedentary. I've been told mine SHOULD be straight day surgery in/out same day as long as there are no "issues" - aka scar tissue preventing the scope from being able to go up from belly button.

Oh yeah, the lap chole is way easier than that. The woman in the bed next to me had fibroids removed and she wasn't even allowed to drive for a month. The only prohibition I had on driving was that I had to wait at least 24 hours after my last narcotic pain reliever. I'm still a bit sore, but it's not bad. It's kind of like I had a good ab workout a few days ago. Just a sort of mild burning. My surgery was a month ago and I've been living fairly normally for weeks, except for having other people lift heavy stuff. My appetite has taken a bit to come back, and I can't eat as much (I process food more slowly). I'm also staying pretty low fat because all of the digestive stuff hasn't resolved. The bonus has been a quick 10 lbs lost. I had the complication of an infection, so yours should be a piece of cake compared to that and what you've already gone through.

Cherimoose wrote: »

Yes. Machines are notorious for underworking the core, which is one of the downsides of machines. But in your case they're perfect. Just try to keep your abs as braced as you can to avoid hurting your back.

Thanks Cheri. I have a Crunch nearby, which I've largely avoided because it's heavy on machines rather than free weights. It's cheap, so I'll go check it out next week. It gets hot here too, so I'll probably be happy for the cardio machines as summer progresses.