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Swimming after sleeve



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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

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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).

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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.

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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

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

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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.

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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!

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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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).

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Three weeks

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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

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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.
      · 0 replies
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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. 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💪
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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