Strenuous Biking 6 Months after Nissen

I say go for it! Riding a bike is great exercise, and its fun.

I started doing some light workouts a few months after surgery, but ended up stopping. Since then I've been eating poorly and I've gained lots of weight. I've been eating anything and everything that I used to not be able to. This weekend I went for a bike ride, went swimming and then to the driving range to hit a few balls, and my body is sore EVERYWHERE, including my stomach. I think your soreness is just from those muscles not getting any use.

I wouldn't worry. Your surgeon has released you to do all physical activity. My surgeon has done the same. I may have mentioned this already, but he told me about one of his patients who moves furniture for a living. He had the surgery a few years ago and lifts god knows how much weight a day and is doing great. My surgeon basically said, if the surgery is done properly, there's no reason it should come undone due to physical activity. That's all I needed to hear.

I did a lot of exercise both resistance and cardio before and after my wrap, I would typically run upto 10k twice/three times per week and incline press around 80kg at least 3 times per week. I had no problems with this.

However I did burst my wrap completely 11 months post op lifting a bike into a car boot and I believe this was due to the following. I ate a reasonably good lunch with a couple of drinks and then lifted the bike into the car boot. The lift was awkward as I had to lift the bike over the lip of the bumper and lower it into the boot whilst at full arm stretch with a ike that was obviously reasonably heavy due to the position I had to hold the bike.

All I would say is take caution with weights after eating and consider how fluid you take on as both squeeze up when lifting as you hold your abs in and your wrap is at top of your stomach.

This is only my experience and opinion and I am not lecturing just trying to offer experience and advice.

The moment my wrap burst I had a sharp pain that initially died away but then got worse over the day and 2 days later I was admitted to hospital. I had problems taking a full breath with pain running through chest into the back. This took about 1 week to fully clear. I immediately had a lot of belching and had reflux again with some discomfort eating.

The problem I had was getting a correct diagnosis, I knew I had done something to the wrap but so many doctors are ignorant of this procedure and so it was one year before I had and endoscope that confirmed there was no sign of the wrap.

I now have a lot of symptoms, belching a lot with food refluxing into my mouth and things like general stomach aches, some acid, feeling of indigestion etc. I also had one very strange incident other day where a piece of watermelon just sat in my les, my les just seemed to remain open with the melon sat there. The symptoms are different to pre-operation in terms of my les seeming even looser. I am thankful for ppi's as they do cut out most of the acid.

I still exercise but not so much lifting and accept that some days I am just not up to it. I am due manometry and ph testing in late June and hope to have a redo soon. Good luck to yourself and as before my only advice would be to watch the food and fluid intake in terms of volume.

Hi Dave,

Although at 6 months most of your healing is done, your body still has more healing to do.  You're bound to have some discomforts and complaining from your insides when you move to such a strenuous (and fun) activity.  That said, I don't see a single reason why you should worry even a moment.

Your surgeon is confident in his/her repair and who else are you going to listen to regarding what you can do post op?  Bike riding is a great way to get exercise.  I remember when I first started posting on this forum.  There was a member who'd had a redo (the first had lasted 20 years) and he hopped on his bike at 2 weeks and took an long ride.  If I'm not mistaken, most was uphill.  I remember telling him that he was my hero!

Hey, if your doc tells you you can lift weights, go for it.  The really heavy weight lifting activity is the only one I question.  Lifting hundreds of pounds is a huge pressure on your hernia repair.  Common sense just makes me question the wisdom in doing that regularly.  But still, medical knowledge should trump common sense, right?  My son lifts regularly and I know it would be a terrible loss for him not to be able to do it.  So go for it...you've got to live your life.

Don't worry a moment about the bike related discomfort!  You're fine...just sore.  Your insides are still adjusting and getting reoriented to the changes that have been done.

Enjoy your new bikes!

Happy riding,

Denise

Hi, the surgeon I saw had done a considerable amount of Nissen Funds and practices private and NHS. I am not sure how many he has done but I do know he runs surgery twice per month in NHS and twice per month private and that on the day I had mine he was doing 2 others and he has been operting this for over 5 years.

I had no herniation only a very relaxed LES that hardly closed at all.

Anyhow I was told I could lift and exercise with no issues and that the way the operation worked would be that when I ate it would close the LES stronger as food is pushed into the area. When it burst and I swa the surgeon he told me that the operation had burst as their was no sign of it left and that although he could not be certain it was a high probability that it was from pressure internally (and not from gas). Given what I was doing when it happened we discussed and again whilst he could not say it was definite how it happened the circumstances (eating a meal with a few drinks and then lifting a heavy load) would suggest pressure on the stitches from the inside.

I must also point out that after the pain initially occured and symptoms returned abut 5 days later I was sick one evening and this was very violent with me bringing up blood, this was accompanied by severe abdominal pain and I think that this was basically the last of the operation failing. The impact of the last event I cannot determine how much influence it had as I could not get re-examined until 11 months after the initial pain (the hospital discharged me in pain with a supposed pulled muscle that I know was not and my surgeon was not happy at this).

I will try to get the operation redone as I am now suffering and will continue to train but as now at a reduced level.

Good luck.

Sorry reads wrong.

Symptoms returned same day, I was sick 5 days later in night due to reflux.

I had no sickness before this as I had no issues.

Uk in July 2010, it failed in June 2011. Why do you ask?

I lifted 20 lbs of dumbbells (10 lbs per dumbbell) with my old exercise routine, and rode bikes last weekend. I also ate a lot of Thai food. I did not lift anything heavy on a full stomach.

Now the surgical site is sore. Also I feel what feels like reflux again, where it is difficult to really get a good breath.

I have felt this before, when I went swimming 25 laps and ate spicy food.

Thoughts? Failed wrap or nothing to worry about? Would you advise I lift a little more weights today? Or hold off?

I'm at over 6 months.....approaching 7 months.......

Post Edited (Dave234) : 6/5/2012 3:09:43 PM (GMT-6)

I wouldn't rely at all on the opinion of a receptionist at a surgeon's office, as far as I know, there's no medical education required to be a receptionist. :) You want the surgeon's opinion. Try to get through to him and see what he thinks.

Jonh71, did you still get that *rrrrrrrRRR* sound/feeling in your throat after taking a drink of water or other beverage?

I had none of the issues you mention with swallowing but I didn't have that before either. I felt generally unwell and also like something inside me was moving, almost like my wrap was flapping. And I had the reflux with a lot of belching, in fact so much belching it was continuous.