Gas and walking post op

[amisoup 9]

Hi! This might seem like a ridiculous question. When they have you walk the halls after surgery, to help relieve gas and whatnot, do you just pass wind the whole time walking around?? How does this work? Will the post op floor just be people trailing IV poles and farting? I’m concerned.

[Creekimp13 5,841]

The gas is CO2..... it will diffuse through the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) into your blood stream. This takes some time and the dissolved CO2 in the form of carbonic acid can be irritating and can cause pain under the diaphragm or deferred pain into shoulders.

Walking helps the breakdown process, and helps work gas bubbles to the peritoneum so diffusion can begin.

The narcotics you'll be on right after surgery generally slow your gut down and you won't fart for a day or two. Laparoscopic gas doesn't leave through your intestines anyway....it is metabolized out in your blood.

Big deep breaths help. Walking helps because it promotes increased respiration...which will help.

"Gas" sounds like burps and farts...but it's not in this case.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Creekimp13

[kateBoo 16]

I was one of 2 post op patients walking in the halls, and there was no farting. I actually didn’t pass wind until 3 days later!! I did burp but no gas. I thought the same though, that there would be more people walking. I’m just glad I had my husband to walk with me.

[Taoz 284]

36 minutes ago, kateBoo said:

I was one of 2 post op patients walking in the halls, and there was no farting. I actually didn’t pass wind until 3 days later!! I did burp but no gas. I thought the same though, that there would be more people walking. I’m just glad I had my husband to walk with me.

Yep, it's a bit lonely walking on your own (and i was feeling like a bit of a weirdo walking back and forth laps down the hallway, dodging all the medical staff). I did make a friend during one of my walks though, a lovely lady who was sleeved by my surgeon 6 months ago and was back in recovering from a tummy skin removal op. We had a lengthy chat in her room and exchanged Facebook details to keep in contact during recovery.

Now that I have permission to leave the ward and no IV trailing I can at least go up and down a few flights of stairs on my walks.

Thank goodness the halls aren't clouded with gas

[Pat Pac 16]

My surgery was on Monday, and the walking helped a lot, almost no pain and the best think my stomach works today!!!

[JitterbugPerfume 23]

Wow, I can't believe this wasn't a question I'd had before surgery - the way people talk about it, it sounds like this would be the case!! I didn't pass any gas while walking though.

Also, I was in a unit with people recovering from all different surgeries. I don't remember crossing paths with any patients.