bending

I had a tvh on dec 14, the doc told me no lifting more than 20lbs but never said anything about bending. Whats with the no bending I read about from everyone else?

Hi...for whatever it's worth, nobody cautioned me against bending, either...I only found out about that on this site, weeks after my TAH. I was emptying the dishwasher and doing laundry less than a week after my surgery...whoops. It doesn't seem to have done any harm, though.

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Originally Posted by pattys59 I had a tvh on dec 14, the doc told me no lifting more than 20lbs but never said anything about bending. Whats with the no bending I read about from everyone else?

mostly it hurts.. I had a lapararscopic (forgot the initials for the thing!) and when I bend into the washing machine to pick out that sock on the other side, it hurts.. I still cant bend over in the car to pick something up off the floor if it's by my toes, or very much on the floor. It just feels like I'm being squished together. I think that's the main thing.. you are squishing everything together, and causing adhesions possibly where they are supposed to be slippery together instead. So, be the queen bee and let others pick things up for you

Hi Patty

Tilly is right. Bending can cause adhesions. You have hundreds of internal stitches, and bending could possibly cause them to tear and bleed. When that occurs adhesions will grow. Over time this can be a permanent pain and can even be cause for further surgery. So for the time being relax, let others do the bending and lifting, and take care of yourself so you have a successful recovery and pain-free future. Be well!

My dr warned me not to bed over unless it was realy needed and at the knees for the first few weeks.
hugs
lisa

I had no clue I wasn't suppose to bend. I had tah/bso, the hospital didn't even give me a list or discharge instructions. my doc wasn't very happy about that.
What happens if you get adhesions? And... ummm... is it painful? Just wondering, because I do have pain on my right side, my doc thought it was normal, now I'm worried.

THANKS

Adhesions are essentially scar tissue caused by bleeding. You're much to early in your recovery to say it's caused by adhesions. You will continue to have some aches and pains for a while just as a normal part of recovery. The potential for adhesions is one of the reasons why we encourage pampering the princess for the prescribed amount of time. So keep relaxing, do what your doctor says, and you'll be doing all the right things to ensure that your recovery is the best it can be.

i've had at least 5 abdominal surgeries and i've never been told not to bend. i've been told to move as much as possible after all my surgeries. obviously, bending 100 times a day is not good, but bending over to pick things up is just part of every day living. i wouldnt worry about it as long as its done in moderation and doesnt cause extreme pain to do it.

Thanks GoodThoughts, I was getting concerned esp. since I did not get any discharge instructions

Dressed up in blue, thanks! It just occurred to me that I have had 4 abdominal surgeries, i never even thought about it. This one, by far, has been the most difficult. Not necessarily from the surgery, but mostly from other complications grrr

take gentle care and thanks so much for the info!