Exercising while recovering from surgery

little_wolfie

I'm having a tubal ligation next week and I expect to be in bed for 1-2 weeks. Is there anything I can do that won't strain my stomach to keep me from re-gaining the weight I've worked so hard to lose this month? Obviously there's not a lot, but I was thinking I might be able to use hand weights to build up arm muscle. Any other suggestions?

tayner

that is a hard one because your core is so important in nearly all exercises... talk to your doc who is doing the procedure... he/she should have some safe suggestions

hmo4

I have had several surgeries over the last 2 yrs so I know these things. Walk, and Ab exercises especially every 2nd day, esp. till the surgery. After, continue with the walking and talk to the Doc for when you can lift weights. Good luck!:flowerforyou:

JenUB

Don't be surprised if they have you up and walking the evening of the surgery. They don't give you much time to rest anymore.

I'm going to be having surgery soon as well. According to my doc, it sounds as if walking is okay--if it's not too strenuous--but any lifting is definitely out for six weeks. Don't cheat on the lifting restriction or you may end up with a lot of adhesions/scar tissue (inside). I've experience this before. For those six weeks, I plan to continue burning calories through walking. The lifting has to wait, though.

I think we just have to suck it up and use it as an excuse to take it easy on ourselves. I don't think we'll gain it all back in one or two weeks, unless we're really pigging out! :happy:

PatB52

I had a tubal ligation 27 years ago and I don't remember having to be in bed for a week or two. I remember that I took it easy the first day home and then was allowed up and walking the next.

That aside, I too will probably be having a different kind of female surgery this fall and am hoping that I don't lose ground. I plan on checking with the surgeon on what I can and can't do and when before the surgery happens.

I had foot surgery in October of 2007 and after about two weeks of keeping my foot elevated 24/7, I bought a chair aeorbics DVD and managed to lose 12 lbs. during the time I was on crutches and in a boot (9 weeks total.)

little_wolfie

It's a tubal + he's doing more stuff while he's poking around in there, so I'm not sure what the exact recovery time is. My mom has told me horror stories about her recovery so I'm terrified. It can't be worse than a C-section though ( I hope!) and I was walking around the day after I had mine, so hopefully I will be able to at least do laps in my recovery room. Not sure how my 18 month old is going to adjust to Mommy not picking him up for a while. Yikes!

Azdak

It's a tubal + he's doing more stuff while he's poking around in there, so I'm not sure what the exact recovery time is. My mom has told me horror stories about her recovery so I'm terrified. It can't be worse than a C-section though ( I hope!) and I was walking around the day after I had mine, so hopefully I will be able to at least do laps in my recovery room. Not sure how my 18 month old is going to adjust to Mommy not picking him up for a while. Yikes!

Hopefully, surgical techniques have improved so that your experience will not be like your mother's. Express your concerns to your doctor and follow his/her directions.

Keep in mind that any short-term fitness/body composition losses will be temporary and you will regain that fairly quickly. I would recommend against doing something that might jeopardize your long-term recovery just to try and avoid the short-term loss.

It's hard to face, I know (I have just suffered a hamstring injury and am dealing w/my own emotions), but I have been through a number of injuries and knee surgeries in the past 10-12 years and getting back to my former level has never been that horrible a process.

FireMonkey

It all depends what kind of surgery it is. A tubal is usually done via laparoscopy and you're up and about the same day. When I had a laparoscopic gall bladder removal it was done as day surgery. I was home that night, cutting my lawn a week after and back to work as an RN in acute care after two weeks. But I agree with previous posters; you absolutely need to talk to your surgeon about what restrictions you'll have to deal with. During that talk, you can ask about exercising as well.