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Return To Fitness

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User

Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 12:47

I was diagnosed December 2020.
Robotic removal of my prostate early Feb 2021.
I’m finding it very slow recovering from the surgery. I was doing quite well. Didn’t seem to be leaking too much or too often. Things were gradually improving. Then BOOM, back almost to square one. I must have overdone some exercise. I hadn’t done any exercise other than walking. But after 6 weeks, you’re supposed to be able to lift over the 20 lbs limit you’re given and generally meant to be able to get on with life again cautiously. Major mistake. I’m gradually improving again, but still back where I was post op 2 weeks. Hoping I’ve not damaged anything and wondering what I can do that will not cause harm. Seems very little exercise can be done other than walking.
does anybody know of a gradual return to fitness exercise program?

User

Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 13:48

You're not supposed to lift any more than TWO pounds for several weeks after surgery, not TWENTY pounds. If you've been chucking 20lb bags of potatoes around, no wonder you're still in pain!

You've had all sorts of internal abdominal muscles cut. Listen to what your body's telling you in terms of pain. Took me a good three months to feel relatively normal again after my very similar surgery, and six months to regain any level of fitness.

Take it easy!

Chris

User

Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 16:47

Whoever suggested that you might be fairly back to normal at 6 weeks was having a laugh. It can take 8-12 weeks to get beyond simple walking. Men who have had keyhole RP are at significantly increased risk of hernia - if the pain continues, see your doctor to make sure you haven't done any internal damage.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 18:20

It was over 12 weeks before my husband would even walk our dogs if I remember right. Walking at 6 weeks was at a steady pace and he lifted nothing heavier than a bag of sugar..in fact he was pretty much banned from doing anything.

The only twinges he had was when he bent down a bit sharpish. Life does get back to normal eventually but it takes a fair amount of time,,probably near the 6 month mark,

User

Posted 05 Apr 2021 at 20:16

Yes, I was told 1kg (2lb) maximum. There really is a good reason for that. You lift things very much with your abdominal muscles.

Best wishes,

Chris

User

Posted 06 Apr 2021 at 17:15

There really is no "one size fits all" answer to "how long will recovery take"? It will totally depend on things like your...

* age

* physical fitness

* other comorbidities/health issues

* genetics and your specific anatomy

* diet

* compliance with instructions

* quality of abovementioned instructions

* how well the surgery went

Having said all that though, the instructions I was given were rather generic-looking and included...

"Heavy work and strenuous exercise should be avoided for 4 weeks, as this could cause some bleeding, for example:

lifting shopping bags, laundry baskets, suitcases.

vaccuuming

gardening and mowing the lawn

Bike and horse riding should be avoided for 6 weeks."

It then goes on to say you should walk as much as you feel able to to avoid DVTs and also wear anti-embolic stockings for 4 weeks (+ Dalteparin injections).

Ideally, in addition to generic instructions, each person would get some tailored advice from their care team.

The surgeon had warned me about "no heavy lifting for 4 weeks because of the risk of hernia", which would require surgery to fix. The thought of having to go in for "another bloody operation" was enough to keep me compliant. So even after four weeks I was very careful and only built up gradually. The thing I found the most difficult was not being able to cycle for 6 weeks. I built up to several miles a day of walking, but got thoroughly bored of that. Even tried a short "walk-run" after 4 weeks, but my calf muscles refused to talk to me for several days after that (everything else was fine though).

Some people might be "almost fine again" after 6 weeks. I was. Some might still be struggling after 6 months. It just depends on circumstances.

_____

Two cannibals named Ectomy and Prost, all alone on a Desert island.

Prost was the strongest, so Prost ate Ectomy.

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