Recovery After Surgery Question

Hello Everyone,

Just another question about surgery. How did everyone manage at home after surgery. Were you able to be home by yourself or did you have to have someone stay with you. What was a typical day like? Were you able to do things like: make yourself meals, any laundry?? For those who work out - how long was it before you could go back to the gym?

Thanks in Advance.

Hi, I wasn´t at home alone because my hubby had to take care of our two year old, but was definitely able to look after myself and prepare some food etc. Not much else for the first two weeks mind you, even sitting in the garden tired me out.
After that we went for holiday in the hills and I did walk an hour or two once or twice a day, depending on how I felt. Still was getting tired quickly and needed lots of rest.
Good luck with your recovery, hope you will feel better soon !

My surgery was quite some time ago. I came home after 10 days but I was very sick before hand - I had a perforated bowel. I was alone most of the time as my live in boyfriend worked a lot. I was fine and able to care for myself, shower, make meals, etc. It is unwise to lift as it can lead to adhesions so I would refrain from chores like heavy laundry, vacuuming, etc. Walking is fine, but again, strenuous exercise is probably not a good idea. I remember tiring very easily too. It took awhile. My doctor would have sent me back after 6 weeks, but he wrote me out for two weeks longer so I could take a trip.

As others have said, avoid heavy lifting. However, you do need to walk a lot, even if it's just around the house or yard. To avoid adhesions and recover quickly, walking exercise is most essential. In fact, by the third day after the surgery, you should be walking around the hospital room or corridor if you can (it won't be easy, but you must push yourself). Adhesions begin to form just 3 or 4 days after surgery, and only by keeping your abdomen in motion can you avoid them. Yes, walking will tire you easily, so by all means take breaks. Just don't spend the whole day in bed or on the couch watching TV.

Tip: a portable mp3 player or FM radio provides some entertainment while walking, and gets your mind off the discomfort.

I was up and walking the halls about 12 hours after my resection. It wasn't too painful, the pain pump helped some. It felt really weird. The hardest part was getting in/out of bed. My surgery was laproscopic, with a 3 inch incision under my belly button.

I walked around a lot in the hospital and once I came home. I could take care of all my needs but I wouldn't have been able to take care of kids. I remember being very tired, I was still napping 6 weeks later when I had to go back to work.

Don't lift anything that even approaches 10 lbs. I ended up having hernia surgery 6 months after the resection and it was terrible.

What do you mean by "working out"? I would take it really easy with weights even when you are completely released. Go slowly, it will take you a while to get back to where you were pre-surgery.