UKC

Had a bowel operation about 7 weeks ago . tonight i went to go on my pull up bar , i could not even do 1 pull up due to it pulling on my bowels . Any tips to get my core strength back ,I know its early days yet but any help would be great , I have gone from 11 to nine and half stone . Any tips on weight gaining and getting my core strength back would be great . Has anyone had a simlar op and how long did it take to get fully fit , cheers Ian

In reply to ianj:

I had an ovarian cyst removed. I don't think I would have tried pull ups after 7 weeks. Let it heal bit longer and do basic gentle fitness and walking before you try to do abs work. I seem to remember 3 months was back to normal but its a long time ago so I'm not sure.

In reply to ianj:

not had a bowel op but had lots of bowel problems. Definately if you cannot do 1 pull up because your bowels arent ready then rest more, as frustrating as it may seem, do other exercise such as in the gym eliptical trainer or bike if you can.

going down to 9.5 stone means that you can start to re sculpt your body now and build back the bits you want and not the ones you dont,

Healing after major surgery takes time.

In reply to ianj:

If you've had surgery that's gone through abdomal muscle, wait 13 weeks minimum before doing anything.

I've had a bowel resection and it took a full year.

Haven't you had any physio advice?

In reply to ianj: Hi Ian

In 2009 I had my pulmonary valve replaced due to a congenital defect, I knew the op was coming, just not so soon. I had just spent 2 weeks in the alps climbing and felt very strong plus I was running 25 miles per week. Initial post op it was slow progress but I went walking each day and then got enrolled on an nhs rehab course twice per week which covered exercise and relaxation. It started off way to soft and calm for my liking and after being told to get off the running and rowing machines was not what I wanted to hear! I kept up the daily walks and after 2 months of rehab exercise, 3 months post op, i was on the rowing machine and running again. Not too soon after I was climbing again. All in all it was probably 4.5 months post op until I was 100%.

All I can say is take things steady and gradually build up the intensity, the nhs rehab course helped me tremendously, so I would ask your consultant or gp if one exists and go and do it! If not I would go and a very low key aerobic class etc but make sure you let the leader know where you've been.

Hope that helps

Davey

In reply to ianj:
Far too early at 7 wks I would say if it was major abdominal surgery. Take it easy, and don't try too much too soon. Suggest you talk to a Physio and get a staged program drawn up specifically for you. It will take time - longer than you may think.

Some five years ago now for me so memory a bit vague, but I seem to recall before 12 weeks my excercise was very light and it was after that that I could build up slowly. Started with gentle walking, Pilates, static cycling and used a wobble board. It was something like 5 mths before I could start to climb again - gently and at much lower grades. This built up and by around a year it was climbing as usual, and I did my best grades I've ever achieved at the 15 mth mark.

In reply to ianj:

Think in terms of a year, not weeks!

In reply to JayPee630:

Thanks guys for all your advice , it was a major op . Looks like it will be a slow process ,

In reply to All the advice I got was to do a few miles walking everyday .I have got to go back to be checked over in February think I will ask what sort of keep fit I can do .

In reply to ianj:

Wife a consultant surgeon in this area, will ask and revert.

In reply to ianj:

Sorry to hear about the op. Last Feb I had 30% of my colon removed and sport a scar from hips to chest straight up the middle as keyhole went to full open surgeory. Like you I was mad keen to get back out and about and tried to get myself back out on the bike and up to speed again as soon as possible (even tried to shift wardrobes round the house a couple of months after). Anyway the long and the short of it is i tried too much too soon and ended up making the overall recovery time longer. Now im pretty much ok with most activities and can bike, climb, swim and play rugby. Swimming was the easiest to get into and the rest came from there. There is still localised pain and the down side is that it does get worse when its cold, however its livable with and no need to resort to pain killers.
The best advice is take yout time and listen to your body, in the long run taking it easy now will help you recover sooner. All the best with your recovery.

In reply to the sheep:

Thanks for the reply , my op began as keyhole then it was full cut . Like you I was trying to move things after , looks like I am going have to take my time with the recovery .

In reply to ianj:

I've never been able to do a pullup.
Has never stopped me climbing.

I would have thought a pull up would be a very intensive stress on the body, so go and climb very easy stuff instead.

In reply to ianj:


Me too, well, eleven months ago. Be careful as you risk an incision hernia - which is what I now have. There's no pain as it's quite small (for now) but it risks getting bigger.

In reply to jon:
Sorry to hear about that , hope you make a full recovery