Stupid question but can I cycle now??!!..

Hi everyone...
I'm 10 weeks TAH and want to get out and about on my bike again....Is this ok??
My tummy is still swollen and sore so not sure??!
Thanks and ((hugs))

I would wait until you aren't sore anymore. You need to know that, without any major complications, we are about 40% healed at six weeks, 80% at six months and it takes a full year for us to get back to 100%.

What did you doctor clear you for at your pre op appointment?

I'd say that by 10 weeks, if you feel up to trying to get back on the bicycle you should do so. If it hurts, you should stop.

I am not sure where some of the numbers come from that are passed around on this site so freely but there is absolutely no reason to believe it takes a year to heal completely. You should return to your normal life as you feel able unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise.

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Originally Posted by Lolabeth What did you doctor clear you for at your pre op appointment? I'd say that by 10 weeks, if you feel up to trying to get back on the bicycle you should do so. If it hurts, you should stop. I am not sure where some of the numbers come from that are passed around on this site so freely but there is absolutely no reason to believe it takes a year to heal completely. You should return to your normal life as you feel able unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise.

I didn't quite believe the numbers either until I went to push a cart in Sam's Club at about 5 and half months post-op. Trust me, I paid for that one for a whole week. I thought I was completely healed and poo-pooed the time line. I was wrong.

Thanks guys....The doc cleared me for everything at my 6 wk check despite the swelling and pain but I still feel unsure.
I'd rather be safe than sorry and not set myself back.
x

My Dr cleared me for exercise after 6 weeks (not even close for me yet unfortunately) and that includes my Body Flow class (Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi). I can't wait to get back to it, I miss it!

Danni, what is the source for those percentages? That really seems low to only be 40% healed? My Dr makes it seem like 6 weeks and all is well....Thanks!

@HSJLB - these numbers, as well as much other advice often passed around, come from a popular hysterectomy blog. None of it appears to be medically based and I can find absolutely no medical evidence to back these numbers up.

While I don't believe anyone is completely healed at 6 weeks - and my doctor stated there are still weight restrictions - I find it difficult to believe that it takes a full year or even 6 months for most women to heal.

I found the below on webmd.com. Not sure if this is fully healed or simply incisions. I would think, regardless of the incisions, all the internal stuff is mostly the same, so I think they really go by what type of incisions you have.

It's easy to see why women opt for laparoscopic hysterectomy. Why suffer with a big incision if you don't have to? Why have a month or more downtime if it's not necessary? Compare the three options you have:

The standard abdominal hysterectomy is major surgery with a big belly incision, and a slow, painful recovery. Approximate recovery time: Six weeks.

The vaginal hysterectomy can be done entirely through the vagina, or using a laparoscope (the laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy, or LAVH). Only women with a relatively small fibroid, small uterus, and no previous caesarean sections can have this. Approximate recovery time: Two weeks.

The total laparoscopic hysterectomy involves only small "keyhole" incisions, often made in the navel or abdomen. Approximate recovery time: Two weeks or less.

I am too a cyclist and I am 11 weeks post op from a TAH. I went for a ride at about 9 weeks, and I was sore after. I went a little far. I do plan to try again this weekend, but will take it easy. My dr cleared me at 6 weeks but did not specify which exercises were ok. If I hurts, don't do it. I was also told by a nurse friend that the inner incisions heal faster than the outer ones...

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Originally Posted by HSJLB Danni, what is the source for those percentages? That really seems low to only be 40% healed? My Dr makes it seem like 6 weeks and all is well....Thanks!

The numbers come from a number of comments that some doctors have given our members. I don't have a research based source for them. Other doctors say that we are healed much faster but most comments from the ladies on this site seem to not validate the faster healing. I can only go on my own experience where I said I thought I was completely healed at 5 and half months and I was proven very wrong. Pushing a heavy cart in caused me to have internal soreness for a week (my incision was not sore at all). If I was truly healed completely, I would not have had that soreness. Now I can do anything and not have any repercussions so I know I am healed. That took well over 6 months and closer to a year for me. Like my signature says, my comments are based on my own experience and what I have learned from others on this site.