So what is the true amount of time you should wait. I hate staring at my pool and seeing the family in there without being able to join them. I had my sleeve done June 26th and all my wounds seem healed pretty much. Just want to get in the pool

Every surgeon/program has their own guidelines on this, but it seems common to be 3-4 weeks before swimming (my guidance was 4 weeks, but one of my incision sites has been a slow healer so I've waited).

The general consensus that I have seen, and my doc's policy as well, is no immersion until all of the incisions have healed closed, typically about three weeks. I had one that was still weeping some so it wound up being four weeks for me until all was sealed up. Getting wet, as in a shower, is usually fine, but no immersion. So, until then, it's just dangling feet in the water time.

Once you do get in, take it slow, stretch things out and explore your range of motion to make sure nothing is hanging up before going for Olympic training.

Well it’s been 6 weeks for me. My doctor had said up to 3 months and that just doesn’t seem right. All of my wounds seem sealed

I was told I could swim once all the surgical glue and scabs had fallen off, which was at about four weeks out.

I'm not a Dr. but when I had my two week checkup, I was given the okay to swim, take a hot bath, swim in the beach, lift any amount of lbs. Again, that was after she saw my incisions.

My surgeon said 3 weeks. I'm about 3 1/2 weeks out now, and I've been in the pool a couple of times. I found that stretching out to swim hurt the "big" site just below my left rib, which was the largest opening through which he removed most of my stomach. I'm taking it easy, but it feels GREAT!

I was told 4 weeks for a pool and 6 weeks for the lake.

10 hours ago, Mebadwow said:

Well it’s been 6 weeks for me. My doctor had said up to 3 months and that just doesn’t seem right. All of my wounds seem sealed

That could be to ensure you have completely healed internally as well as externally. You wouldn’t want to risk pulling or straining something internally. My surgeon also told me no reaching up to high shelves for about a month & recommended lifting nothing for two weeks, up to 5kg for the next fortnight, then up to 10kg, then as normally.

Get a can of leak seal spray belly and go have some fun! I was in the pool in 2 weeks once my cuts were sealed he said go for it you are water tight

I was swimming at around 5 weeks when we took an overseas holiday. I kept my incisions out of the sun as UV can make scars darken.

Surgeon released me to swim at 2 weeks. We have a pool only used by hubs and me. A public pool may have tighter restriction (greater bacterial risk).

I went 2 weeks after

Three weeks

Just found this old thread cause I was curious too. Our pool gets opened on Tuesday but surgery is May 19th. Gonna suck not being able to get in for a while. Especially since I'm the primary one who takes the grandkids in. Bleh