Recovery after surgeries

Lodewyk56

Leading up to early June I considered myself to be in reasonably good shape for a man in his early sixties. I had lost 40 pounds in the last year, was riding a stationary bike 45-60 minutes six days a week, and I was getting between 15k-20k steps a day (per my Fitbit--my bike riding is included in that figure). I walked a lot and took the stairs at every opportunity.
In June I had what I thought was a minor accident at home, ended up in massive pain with immobility, and had back surgery in July, followed by two additional leg surgeries in August and September (all three were outpatient). I didn't exercise from June through early October.
I've frankly been shocked at how long the recovery has taken me. The original pain is gone but I have what can only be described as soreness/stiffness in my legs and hips that is akin to what a beginner feels after having exercised far too much. I'm also very weak in the back, hips, and legs. After working in the garden or mowing the lawn I have to rest quite a bit due to the weakness and pain.
I am making very slow progress in my judgment. I am back on my stationary bike 45 minutes, five days a week and just this morning started with some basic core work which I plan to do three days a week--hopefully building strength.
Am I expecting too much? Fortunately, I've only gained back 10 pounds which isn't surprising because in the boredom and gloom of recovery I ate whatever I wanted to as an emotional crutch.
Any advice in terms of expectations and recovery will be appreciated.

RAinWA

So sorry you've had such a rough time, but congrats on only gaining back 10 pounds!

Progress after multiple surgeries can be frustratingly slow (I've had 5 in less than 2 years plus recovery from an auto accident). The important thing is to not push so hard that you cause new problems. Have you seen a physical therapist for guidance on your recovery?

And 45 minutes on the bike when your last surgery was in September sounds like really good progress to me (but I'm not qualified to say that!). I'm month out from my last surgery and just getting back up to 30 minutes of walking.

Be nice to yourself and best of luck with your recovery.

HoneyBadger302

Returning to activity can be a royal pain, and definitely takes way longer than we think it should.

I badly broke my left leg the end of 2016 (12/3/16). I was completely NWB on that leg until 3/18/17, and had 2 more surgeries after that. I was able to return to "regular" workouts this past January (not quite a year yet since I made it back to the gym).

My left leg is still visibly smaller than my right despite focused lifting and strength building. I'm honestly beginning to think there's some atrophy you can just never fully recover. There is almost no information out there on recovering beyond a "functional" level - but for anyone athletic, moving beyond functional is our goal, and there is a serious lack of information out there unless you can afford and have access to a sports team medical therapist (which most of us don't).

Just keep at it, take it one step at a time, and don't rush things. Listen to your body. If your workouts are getting easy, add something new, but don't be afraid to ease up a bit now and then either.