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How much walking after surgery?



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Hi. One of the things I want to be proactive about is walking to prevent blood clots. Exactly HOW MUCH is sufficient to prevent them? And are you able to do enough immediately after surgery?? Thanks.

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As much as you can tolerate. I was up and walking, even if it was just out to the nurse's station and back. Then it was down the hall a couple hours later. Then when I got home it was every 2-3 hours for at least 15 minutes. Remember, you've had major surgery....take it easy, don't push too much. Focus on staying hydrated, but walking is important.

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A few days after surgery, I got in some walking by grabbing a shopping cart and walking the big box stores like Sam's, Target, Walmart. Every aisle, holding the cart for support.

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Can't tell by your post whether you've had your surgery yet? If not, right after surgery while you're in the hospital, just try to get up and walk as soon as they tell you to. For me, it was 4 hours after I got back from the recovery room. I really feel that it made a big difference in how quickly I was able to heal and be discharged.

After you get home, if you can walk 5-10 minutes each waking hour (or more if you can tolerate it), you're probably giving yourself the best fighting chance of no blot clot problems (and are helping a lot to dispel all that excess gas in your system which helps us feel sooo much better so much quicker!). You're like me--I want to know EXACTLY--and I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer to this kind of question. . .

Congratulations on your surgery, heal fast, and have fun on your new and exciting adventure . . .

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I was up and walking about three hours after surgery and took a ten minute stroll about every two hours the night I was in the hospital. I found the more I walked, the better I felt. Listen to your own body, but the more, the better.

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The recovery unit I was in consisted of a large circle with 22 rooms. There was a nurses station at not sides of the circle. I was up and walking circles 2 hours after surgery. I walked about 5 circles about 3 times a day.

Now at home I walk around the house every 30 min or so. I also take 2 walks around the park 2 e a day for 15 min at a time.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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