Work out or not after ?????

Abundant · June 28, 2004

I read somewhere in this forum (can't find it again) that someone said their port was flipped or something like that so they are not going to do the treadmill anymore well I do four times a week for a half hour and had my first fill last week surgery was may 25th? Any thoughts on this? Is it okay to continue on the treadmill?:cry

La_madam · June 28, 2004

I was told by my surgeon to not start exercising until the 6th week post op to make sure I was healed properly. Every surgeon is different though

Penni60 · June 28, 2004

I waited for at least one full month prior to doing any strenuous exercising. I then started out doing the treadmill 10 to 15 min every two days for a week. Then worked up to my current 50 min workout every day.

DeLarla · June 28, 2004

Three weeks after being banded I was on the treadmill, incline level 2. During my 4th workout, I started feeling bad pain in my port area. Soon my port became badly infected. My surgeon performed a 2nd surgery to remove my port, and I'll need a 3rd surgery to replace it.

However, in no way am I saying the infection had anything to do with exercise. It was probably purely coincidental. Or maybe I really did pull something at the gym. It's just not worth it to take unnecessary chances.

When you exercise, the whole "endorphin" thing gives you a mental lift and makes you feel energized and active. After my workouts, I was energetic and rarely sat down to relax, till it was way too late. I was either going to get an infection for no reason, or I caused it myself, but I'll never know the truth.

Better safe than sorry. Take as much time as your surgeon recommends before hitting the treadmill. Or at least lower the incline and your speed.

New Hope · June 28, 2004

I had surgery when you did. By the 3rd week, my husband and I started taking 2 mile walks after dinner each evening (weather permitting). I really look forward to it. I went back for my post-op visit today. I also had a benign tumor removed at the esophagus/upper stomach juncture (right above the band placement). He didn't give me a fill because I'm losing well and he felt the area where the tumor was removed needed some more healing time. But he said I was free to exercise. Now the ? is will I really use that Yoga dvd I bought?

DeLarla · June 28, 2004

You could use the Yoga DVD to play Frisbee with your husband. Remember, walking flat to the park or around the block is different than walking on an incline. I was walking at a level 2 incline, while Lioness is walking at a level 4. Walking is great, but start mellow then increase.

New Hope · June 28, 2004

Lisa, that is so true!!! I haven't even stepped on the treadmill yet. I loved your "donkey in the well" story. A lesson of inspiration for all of us.

Lioness81970 · June 29, 2004

I just want to say that I had a flipped port - how it happened I don't know. I can honestly say that I over the last 3 months I have been working out on a regular basis but prior to that I hadn't done anything. The most that I had done prior to that was going up a flight of stairs carrying the laundry. I am assuming that a port could flip just by turning the wrong way, stretching too hard or even lifting too heavily. I wouldn't let that be a deterrant for exercising - providing that your doctor has given you the go-ahead with it!!!

Abundant · June 29, 2004

Hmmmmmmmm lots of different answers relative to my working out on the treadmill. I leave it on incline 1 and the speed is 2.2 to 2.5 I don't feel any port pain at all . Having said that, I think I will continue...thanks for the feedback!

New Hope · June 29, 2004

Carmen, what type of exercises were you doing? Have you done any abdominal? Thanks.

Lioness81970 · June 29, 2004

as of recent yes I am doing abdominal crunches. When my port flipped I wasn't doing anything so I really don't know how it happened. I went in for a fill one day and under flouro the doc couldn't get it into the port so he determined that my port was flipped. Up to that point I hadn't felt any pain at all or felt anything unusual so I hadn't a clue that happened. Anyways went in for day surgery and he fixed it. When he got done I asked him was it flipped? He said yep. I asked him if he had any idea how it could have happened and he said it could have been that I lifted something too heavy or reached too far - I wasn't exercising at that point so it wasn't because of that.

DeLarla · June 29, 2004

Trust me, if I didn't get that bad infection, I'd have continued working out at the gym, and I'd probably have lost some more weight. I never intended to tell anyone not to exercise, I just wanted to share my personal experience as a a little warning. I even gave up walking during my infection since I was miserable and wanted to lay flat since tubing was sticking out of my infected wound. After having the port removed, I've been ultra-careful to avoid infection, so I haven't exercised AT ALL in a month. Now that I'm trying to get back to normal, I have to start from square one. Square one in my book is to convince my brain to put on the walking shoes. So far, brain not convinced.