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Physical activity after surgery?

Mon, 02/05/2007 - 08:36
Greetings, Was wondering what sort of level of physical activity was allowed and how soon after surgery? I had my RTL on Jan 3rd and I was told to avoid strenuous activity for 3 weeks. No lifting, no impact exercises etc... I am now permitted to do treadmill and stationary bike but I'm curious what other people who have been through this were allowed to attempt and when. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks! Mary

Comments

Re: Physical activity after surgery?

Submitted by tonialpha on Mon, 2007-02-05 - 08:57
Hi Mary, Congradulations on your surgery. I have had 2 surgeries. My first was LTL and the 2nd Left Hippocampectomy. Each neurosurgeon told me different things based on what they found and did on the surgery. My first surgery which was like yours I was told to observe myself and take it easy for 2 weeks. He told me not to go underwater more than 10 feet. He also told me not to go skydiving. I had seizures after my first surgery so I really did not do much anyway. I did go swimming in a pool, which was fine. I did not do anything that was stressful. About 2 months later I went back to school but noticed my recall was not as good as it used to be. I went back to a City College and then went back to a University. I wanted to be perfect but I learned that you have to take it easy on yourself and things do come back maybe not the way you initiallly wanted but they do come back. My last job was working in research at UCLA and now I have children and am a stay at home mom. It is all possible, it is the patience I had to work with.

Re: Re: Physical activity after surgery?

Submitted by maryhenley on Mon, 2007-02-05 - 09:10
Thanks so much for the info. When I got home I was told after a week I could try a gentle Pilates workout and that I could vacuum and do housework. So I did. Then my face swelled to twice it's size and I started getting headaches that just knocked me flat. So after two visits to the emrgency room I was told to just rest for about three weeks. I am starting to freak about going back to work because as a ballet teacher I don't just sit there, I have to be pretty active. And frankly my face still hurts. I still can't bend over without my head just feeling like it is going to explode. Plus the studio where I teach is an hour away and who knows when I'll be allowed to drive again. I also have two kids and both are too young for school so daycare is a big issue too. Ok, I'll stop complaining now....The surgery itself went well and so far no seizures. I did have one aura but that have been due to simple exhaustion ( can't sleep) and the anxiety.

Re: Re: Re: Physical activity after surgery?

Submitted by mommy2kyra on Mon, 2007-02-05 - 11:51
I was told to take it very easy for 6 weeks, and don't push myself for 3 months. I think that I was one week before my 3 month post-surgery when I began working out again. It hasn't been very long since your surgery, I'd wait before getting physical again. If you absolutely need to get more physical, call the doc and see what he/she recommends. Heather *refractory seizure surgery on left temporal lobe 03/06*

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