Should I push the walking?

More questions from me!! I'm 2 weeks post-op. I feel like such a loser. All I do is move from the couch to the bathroom back to the couch to the computer to the couch. I have just gotten to the point where I can walk from one side of the house to the other without it killing. Should I push myself to walk more? I haven't ventured out at all. I seem to get 15 feet from where I was and it starts to tug and pull so I feel I should sit down. I want to heal the right way but I also don't want to be a wimp and scaredy cat. I'm not exhausted or anything but I feel like that's cause I'm not DOING anything.

Hi janice,
I think you should do only as much as you feel up to. Your body has been through a lot and it needs its rest! Small walks are great, and later if you feel up to it and says OK then increase as you are able...don't push, you'll wind up wishing you hadn't!
The hardest thing for me, and many of our sisters here I believe, is just not doing. We are all so used to go...go...going...that to stop is against our nature!
So, talk to the dr and see what s/he says. Mine was very adament not to do any type of long or exercise walks before 6 -wks. I listened and am glad I did. I feel great now, am starting to do things again and sleep well at night. It all takes time.
Good luck!
Hugs and Luvs,
Anne

Hi, I know how you feel ( not being able to do anything). But - no - do not push yourself, that's how sisters get hurt. Take it slow & easy. My dr stressed time & again - 6 - 8 weeks of rest & then slowly resume normal activities. If it hurts - don't do it! s

It may help you to know that the main reasons you need to walk are these:

#1 It stimulates your blood circulation and helps prevent blood clots from developing.

#2 It helps in getting your intestines to wake up and work

#3 It stimulates blood flow and thus promotes healing.

#4 It helps you feel better emotionally.

Short, frequent walks are better than one longer walk. What you are doing is fine. I walked around in the house and outside on level ground, just like you are doing for the first several weeks.

It is not a good idea to push yourself during your recovery. If you want to go on longer walks, you will know when you feel up to it. Even then, stay close to home in case you are suddenly fatigued, which happens often in the first weeks and even months. You don't want to be stranded somewhere, resting on the curb, in hopes of making it home eventually!

Hi, Janice!
I'm 6 weeks post TAH BSO, and I feel great--but I let my body tell me what it would or wouldn't let me do. I started back on my elliptical exerciser about 6 days post-op--very slow and easy, and it felt pretty good. Next day I was tired and skipped the exercise. My body said "ok" the day after that, and I was fine.

So--don't feel like a slug--let your body be your guide. If it says "walk," then walk, otherwise take it easy. Don't push it! Good luck--you'll be up and at 'em when you are ready :-)

My doc sent me home with instructions of 1 mile a day. I didn't do it every day, but tried I'm 8 weeks post.

i found that i actually feel better when i move around if only a bit than if i stay in bed alot. oh and btw, i found a great accomplishment to be to be able to stand up straight!!!!

my dh and dd took me to sams club and i made it thru the store in a quick circle (no looking, only get what you must have). i am beginning 4 weeks post, so that felt good to move, but i was tired when we finished!

The morning after my surgery, they had me up walking right away. Once they told me it would help get rid of the gas, I was up and down the hall as much as possible. If I had to go to the b/r, I would walk down the end of the hall to go. When I got home, I didn't walk up and down the stairs much, but when I did go down, one of daughters would walk up and down the block with me each day. We walked slow and had some bonding time! I got the dirty details of what everyone did while I was in the hospital. I continued to walk quite abit. Now I'm doing the walk away the pounds tapes. I just worked up to the 2 mile tape. Some of the motions I can't do, so I do my own thing. I think it helped me a great deal, to keep moving.

Hi! At two weeks my doc told me very firmly to start walking outside every day. I had been walking laps in my little apartment until then. It made a HUGE difference to go outside! I don't know if it was the fresh air, the new sights, interacting with the world, or what, but each walk outside did wonders. It was so refreshing! I started out just going one block and then coming back. You could just walk a few yards and then come back, if that's what feels right for you. My doc had reminded me that wherever I went, I'd have to come back, so I took it real easy. I walked a little more each day, and always very slowly. By four weeks post-op I could go to a restaurant a few blocks away, have lunch, and come back feeling great.

Best wishes -
- Flo

Well I went for a little walk with dh and my dog. I never thought I'd be slower than my dog!!! Although it was painful, it did feel good. Really having pains in the groin area (more to one side than the other). It feels like adhesions. Is this normal or are adhesions forming again already? I was one big mess of scar tissue so I am concerned about them.

I'm going to go a little farther each day. Got to push myself a little bit or I'll be on this couch forever!