Hi,

I am very new to this forum and have not had the surgury but I had a question about excercise. I had a fairly bad fall last February where I shattered my kneecap and broke my leg in 2 places but the real problem was my back, the impact forced my thighbone into my hip and twisted the sacrum to the left hard and as a result i cannot stand longer than a moment or two without severe pain and i cannot walk on a treadmill or do a stationary bike per drs. orders and have to use a walker unless I am in a grocery store and can hold onto a buggy. My weight has been steadily climbing (on top of being obese before) since last February and I wonder how all of this will affect me if I do the surgury. The only safe option I have is to be in a pool and I don't know if that is enough excercise to corrolate with the surgury. Can anyone advise me on how this goes?

Thank you

Katie

Wow, you've had a bad run havent you? That's a horrific set of injuries.

I think you need to be thinking of the surgery first and foremost as a great preventative measure to help someone like you avoid getting dangerously obese. If you cant increase your energy output to ideal levels, then you have to decrease the input and the band will help you do that.

So, pool exercises it is. There's options: swimming laps, Water aerobics, deep water running, you can get special weights and things to use in water, depending on what you can handle. And with increasing strength may come the ability to do more of course, hopefully that will be the case.

Its really not a case in a situation like yours of having to do a certain amount of exercise for the surgery to be worthwhile, its a case of redefining success, and thinking about what you need to achieve. I'd imagine at this stage you want to be healthy again, wearing a string bikini probably not a high priority.

But people can and do lose a lot of weight without exercising, so dont write yourself off just yet. and of course, decreasing weight will make standing, walking and sitting easier for you.

Very best of luck, I hope if you decide to go ahead the surgery works to have you feeling much healthier and more able within a short period of time.

Well said Jacqui. Katie, since you're new here, I'll tell you that Jacqui gives some of the best, and most straight forward advice you'll get on this board.

To give you some hope, I lost 76 pounds with no exercise for the most part and just a little walking toward the end. I'm now 15 pounds from my goal and STUCK so I started the Couch to 5K last night. I finally decided if I couldn't beat 'em, I'd have to join them.

So take heart, I took off the projected 80% of my weight without having to break a sweat.

I do hope the surgery will get you back to feeling healthy again. Sorry to hear about your injuries.