walking....

How often do I need to walk and for how long... I am one week post op..... ???? I am not sure what I should be doing and what overdoing it is?

Hi,

I walked around the block. About 10 minutes of slow walking. Felt good.

My doc's advice was to do a little more walking each day, and to break it up throughout the day.

While I was still in the Castle, I made at least one round of my hospital floor every 2 waking hours starting day 2. That wasn't a big distance, but over just the couple of days I did it, I could make the "round" a little faster each day. It helped a lot with gas pain.

When I got home, I kept doing my own shuffling around when I wanted a snack or drink. When I started to wean off the Percocet, I got brave enough to venture out of the house. I had to go out our back door because the front is 6 steep steps to the street level with no hand rail. So, out the back, I worked myself up to a few times a day going out the back, down the alley to the dead end and back. Again, not hurrying, but working toward being more confident in my steps each time I went.

After a couple of weeks of that, I got brave and went the other direction on our alley, and around the block. The first couple of days I could only do that like twice a day. Then I'd be back to the recliner with feet up and an ice pack on my tummy.

By the end of 6 weeks, I was actually doing a mile a couple of times a day, and not shuffling at all. It wasn't a brisk walk, I could easily sing or keep up a conversation. I wasn't going for speed records, just trying to make sure I had the bowels working well and got mobile for going back to work.

It's all a matter of how steady you feel, whether or not you have a companion and whether or not you walked much before surgery. Probably not a good idea to take an energetic big dog for a walk for a couple of weeks. A big retriever can knock you off your balance and then you're pulling back too much with your abs. Also, wait on any jogging until the doc says it's okay to be jumping around that much.

Take it slow and steady... you'll get there. If you overdo, your body will let you know!

Welcome home Penny!

I'm at almost two weeks out. I am walking two blocks up, one block over, then back again. I could probably do more, but it's been so hot I haven't been pushing it. Now that it's cooler out I will go a bit further.

During my first week when I was still walking all bent over, my husband came with me to the end of the block and back, once a day.

Your body will know when it's had enough. Just remember when you are walking that you have to turn around and go back the same distance, so don't walk too far!

Thanks, guys, I was wondering about that myself. Off the computer now to go walk.......

Penula - you and shegeek could be email walking buddies, you'll both have the same weather every day. Once you're both cleared to drive, you could probably meet at a mall and walk in air conditioned comfort together!

I'm jealous - there weren't many New Mexico sisters a year ago, and there still aren't any from Santa Fe that I've noticed. We have these awesome walking paths here that are not steep and keep you from having to cross streets much. It would have been great to have someone to walk with!