10 days out and walking REALLY hurts

I am hearing every-one talk about how walking is helping them feel better. Before my TAH, 10 days ago, I also loved to walk, but now I have a strong sensation of pain in my abdomen, even if I walk very slowly. The lower left side feels worse, with a stabbling type sensation, but also my whole abdomen feels heavy and tingly. I have tried using a tensor bandage around my stomach to bind myself befor walking, and this helps a tiny bit, but still I'm feeling the stabbing sensation. This is very demoralizing. Is this just me?

I think you should call your doc. However, I must say even at my 10 day mark I wasn't up to walking a lot.

Why is this demoralizing??? You just had a MAJOR surgery. I LOVED my belly band from the hospital, and actually still use it when I am having a "bad belly day."

Please take it easy and I would call the doc in regards to the stabbing pain.

I would call the dr. just to let him/her know what is going on. But I think you are expecting too much. You are only at day 10. Do what you can and no more. When I started walking (outside of bathroom, bedroom to living room and back) I made it to my front door and back to my chair, mostly bent over. I thought I was doing great when I actually made it to a few steps outside onto my porch. Nothing about your recovery is demoralizing - you had major surgery. In the next few weeks, you are going to have lots of downers. I have had days where I woke up, felt GREAT and after showering and making myself a bowl of cereal, a two hour nap was in order..... Hang in there, we will all get through this!!!!

You're still early in your recovery. I wasn't able to begin to really walk good until about 3 weeks later. It even got better each week after that. You mention REALLY hurting...we all have different pain levels so what feels less to one may feel worse to another..so it may be best to give the doc a call if you have any doubts and let him check you out...better safe than sorry, huh?

Good luck. Remember you're very early in your recovery. Be patient and give it time. You won't feel real good until about 6-7 weeks...at least that was my best time. It gets better after the 4th week.

Good luck and keep the faith in God. He will give you healing. It just takes time and patience.

Hi farpoint
Welcome to Hystesisters! Try to be patient with yourself. I agree with the others, you are very early in your recovery. I didn't really leave the house for at least two weeks. I walked around the house and maybe out to the mailbox, but I didn't feel like doing much more than that. When I hurt I loved to use a warm rice bag on my tummy.

It's never a bad idea to ask the dr when something concerns you. It helps to have peace of mind. I hope your pain starts to get better soon.
's,Rita

farpoint, don't give up on the walking. Do check with your DR, just to be sure, but also consider if you tried to walk too fast or too far. You are still very early in the recovery process.

I was also a walker before my surgery, and I did walk right after. However, the walking you can do in the early weeks of recovery is nothing like the walking you did before. You must start VERY gently, with just a few laps of your bedroom or hallway every day. I started my first day home (3rd day post-op) with a single lap of my hallway, adding another lap each day. It did hurt some, and I did have a heavy, tingly feeling. I had to take very small steps at first. After each walk during the first two weeks, I went right back to bed to rest. About 3 weeks post-op, I began walking the length of my driveway a couple of times a day. I didn't begin actual "road work" until nearly 4 weeks post-op, and even then was walking way slower than my prior speed. I'm at 6 wks. now, and finally beginning to feel like my prior walking form is coming back.

The walking, even very slowly, will help you heal, promote good bowel function, reduce anxiety and help prevent insomnia. I'm in a constant balancing act with my weight, and I think that even the very slow walking helps my metabolism.

Good luck with this. I hope you will feel better soon.

I sure agree with everyone else, you are early in your recovery (I am also at 10 days) and your body has been through a lot. I had a C-section 27 years ago and believe me the healing from abdominal surgery took me a lot longer than my vaginal surgery has this time around. Be gentle with yourself and if you have concerns please do call your doctor. I had some unusual bleeding a few days ago, I am sure I've been up and doing too much because I feel pretty good and thankfully the bleeding stopped yesterday. I did call my doctor to be sure and he'd said to keep an eye on it and if it didn't stop to come in and see him. I am sure glad it stopped on its own.

We have to remember what we've been through and try to take it easy, a lesson I need to learn myself!

Thank you, every-one, for responding to my question about walking. After reading all the replies, I am thinking I tried too much too fast. On my second day home from the hospital, I was feeling fairly confidant that I could walk up the street, and I went for about 5 minutes (the literature from the hospital said to walk for about 10 minutes per day in the first week, but now I'm thinking it probably meant around the hallway, not a street hike This little walk did me in and I spent the next day mostly in bed. The following day, I was feeling a bit better, so did the walk up the street again. That was it!!!! Back to bed and after that, restricted to painful slow shuffles around the living room, only as necessary to relieve the gas pains!!! I'm now at day 12, and believe me, I have slowed down big time. I'm trying to give my body the time it needs to heed and I'm now listening to what it is telling me. I really appreciate all of your thoughts. I will call my doctor on Monday to ask about the left sided pain which I still have. Thanks!!!!

I think it all depends so much on your definition of walking. Pre-surgery that would me a few laps around my "block" we live on the side of a bluff, so 2 laps would be 2.5 miles 80% of which was at a 10% incline or over. 2 weeks post surgery, I braved the treadmill for the first time. I started at 1.5 miles per hour and kept lowering it to .6 miles per hour and last 10 mins with no incline.

I had 2 really painful areas on my left side all the time for the first month. It kept me from lying on my left side for almost 4 weeks and I am a left side sleeper. When I asked doc about it, he looked back at surgery report and said that would have been where they took some lymph nodes and another was where thing were stuck inside and they needed to do more scraping.

Call your doc, you answer may be as simple as that it is a point that something extra was done or it could be the sign of infection or hematoma. He should be able to help you sort it out.

Take it easy, I am 4 weeks after and two days ago I walked around the block for the first time. I nearly did'nt make it back home. I am still in pain especially at the right side. Don't push yourself, maybe you are a slow healer just like me.