Hello All;
Today is an important anniversary for me. On this day last year, I had surgery for a ruptured appendix (!) and an intestinal malrotation. The basic explanation is, my appendix became infected, and at the same time (the doctors were never able to explain to me whether the two things were related or not) my large intestine had become twisted. During the 36 hours I spent in excrutiating pain at the hospital, my appendix actually ruptured.
I don't want this to become a horror story, so I'll add that the intestinal malrotation is pretty rare. Some of us are born with intestines that are not attached to the abdominal wall, and are at slightly greater risk of malrotation, but it's not at all common. It's so rare that a team of seven doctors spent 36 hours trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and they didn't have a clue until they started operating!
The upshot of all this is, after the surgery, I had a 12-inch incision...right through my abs!! I have been told that the incision was longer than the average c-section. It ran from just below my ribcage, right through my belly button. My abdominal muscles were cut apart. I was actually stapled together! I was happy to have survived, obviously, but the biggest question on my mind was...how long before I can work out again??
The doctors just indicated that I should take it easy and said that if I tried something and it hurt, I should stop doing that thing. Duh. I wanted a timeframe. 3 months? Six months? A year? To add insult to injury, my long-awaited Cathe DVDs (Butts & Guts, Drill Max, etc) had finally arrived after months of waiting, the day after the surgery. Curses!
Once I was able to walk around, pick up objects that weighed more than 5 pounds, and make it through the day without painkillers, I started researching. Unfortunately, since the condition is so rare, there were no blogs or studies indicating the average healing time for my procedure. I looked for info relating to c-section, but since the abdominal wall separates during pregnancy anyway, it's a complicated comparison to make.
And besides, how many people have catastrophic surgery and immediately start wondering when they'll be able to make it through all of CoreMax again?
So, I figured I'd post about my experience, in case anyone else ever has a similar question.
Before the operation, I ran, did lots of Cathe step and weight work, and worked abs at least every other day. For the first couple of months, I walked a little, but didn't try anything strenuous. I didn't want to take any chances of opening up the incision.
I began to crave a harder workout, but running and step work pulled a little on the incision, so I started cycling. This put no strain at all on my abs, and was good exercise. In case anyone is concerned that I was reckless, I checked with my doctor beforehand. He told me that the exercise was more likely to speed my healing time. Right on!
After four months, the incision was completely healed and the doctor said I could start working out my abs as long as I tok it easy. The swiss ball was out- stretching backward pulled on the scar too much. I did "easy" modifications of shorter ab routines, twice a week to start.
After six months, I had moved up to four times a week, and could do step workouts again. I didn't do any weightlifting, but I did leg routines with no weights.
After eight months, I was more or less back where I started. I could get through even the hardest Cathe workouts with no trouble at all from my abs. Now, a year later, I hardly think about the incision at all. It's totally healed, I can stretch backward on the ball (that took some practice, though!), I can push through even the most challenging ab routines, and I feel completely fine! I really think that getting back into exercise as quickly as possible really helped to speed the healing process along. And having those new DVDs still in their plastic wrap, tempting me, really kept me motivated to take it easy so I could get back into my routine.
Anyway, sorry that I wrote this incredibly long novel of a post. If anyone out there has had abdominal surgery and is wondering "When, oh when will I be able to work out again?" the answer is, you'll get there when you get there! But you will get there! I heartily recommend biking once you're "out of the woods"- it really works your legs, and is very easy on the core.
And of course, check everything with your doctor. While the docs couldn't give me a timeframe, they could tell me, during my post-op checkups, whether I could add in new things, like weights, ab work, etc. Take it easy, give yourself time to heal, and move as much as you safely can.
Best to everyone-
Dee
Today is an important anniversary for me. On this day last year, I had surgery for a ruptured appendix (!) and an intestinal malrotation. The basic explanation is, my appendix became infected, and at the same time (the doctors were never able to explain to me whether the two things were related or not) my large intestine had become twisted. During the 36 hours I spent in excrutiating pain at the hospital, my appendix actually ruptured.
I don't want this to become a horror story, so I'll add that the intestinal malrotation is pretty rare. Some of us are born with intestines that are not attached to the abdominal wall, and are at slightly greater risk of malrotation, but it's not at all common. It's so rare that a team of seven doctors spent 36 hours trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and they didn't have a clue until they started operating!
The upshot of all this is, after the surgery, I had a 12-inch incision...right through my abs!! I have been told that the incision was longer than the average c-section. It ran from just below my ribcage, right through my belly button. My abdominal muscles were cut apart. I was actually stapled together! I was happy to have survived, obviously, but the biggest question on my mind was...how long before I can work out again??
The doctors just indicated that I should take it easy and said that if I tried something and it hurt, I should stop doing that thing. Duh. I wanted a timeframe. 3 months? Six months? A year? To add insult to injury, my long-awaited Cathe DVDs (Butts & Guts, Drill Max, etc) had finally arrived after months of waiting, the day after the surgery. Curses!
Once I was able to walk around, pick up objects that weighed more than 5 pounds, and make it through the day without painkillers, I started researching. Unfortunately, since the condition is so rare, there were no blogs or studies indicating the average healing time for my procedure. I looked for info relating to c-section, but since the abdominal wall separates during pregnancy anyway, it's a complicated comparison to make.
And besides, how many people have catastrophic surgery and immediately start wondering when they'll be able to make it through all of CoreMax again?
So, I figured I'd post about my experience, in case anyone else ever has a similar question.
Before the operation, I ran, did lots of Cathe step and weight work, and worked abs at least every other day. For the first couple of months, I walked a little, but didn't try anything strenuous. I didn't want to take any chances of opening up the incision.
I began to crave a harder workout, but running and step work pulled a little on the incision, so I started cycling. This put no strain at all on my abs, and was good exercise. In case anyone is concerned that I was reckless, I checked with my doctor beforehand. He told me that the exercise was more likely to speed my healing time. Right on!
After four months, the incision was completely healed and the doctor said I could start working out my abs as long as I tok it easy. The swiss ball was out- stretching backward pulled on the scar too much. I did "easy" modifications of shorter ab routines, twice a week to start.
After six months, I had moved up to four times a week, and could do step workouts again. I didn't do any weightlifting, but I did leg routines with no weights.
After eight months, I was more or less back where I started. I could get through even the hardest Cathe workouts with no trouble at all from my abs. Now, a year later, I hardly think about the incision at all. It's totally healed, I can stretch backward on the ball (that took some practice, though!), I can push through even the most challenging ab routines, and I feel completely fine! I really think that getting back into exercise as quickly as possible really helped to speed the healing process along. And having those new DVDs still in their plastic wrap, tempting me, really kept me motivated to take it easy so I could get back into my routine.
Anyway, sorry that I wrote this incredibly long novel of a post. If anyone out there has had abdominal surgery and is wondering "When, oh when will I be able to work out again?" the answer is, you'll get there when you get there! But you will get there! I heartily recommend biking once you're "out of the woods"- it really works your legs, and is very easy on the core.
And of course, check everything with your doctor. While the docs couldn't give me a timeframe, they could tell me, during my post-op checkups, whether I could add in new things, like weights, ab work, etc. Take it easy, give yourself time to heal, and move as much as you safely can.
Best to everyone-
Dee
