Exercise?

[seandimom]

Hi, I would appreciate hearing people's experience and advice about exercise.  I am now moving into 5 weeks post surgery--had retrosigmoid for about a 2 cm right side AN, have a lot of hearing loss and am still dizzy but things are generally getting better.  I have followed the advice of many, and walking has really helped me.  I also do some vestibular therapy exercises like turning head from right to left and focusing on an object, looking and down, etc.  I am definitely a person who lives to eat versus eats to live!  The change in taste of foods and bad taste in my mouth has been tough to deal with, but some foods still taste good, thankfully--lots of them.  Problem is, I used to be pretty good at staying fit by enjoying food but also exercising- light weight lifting, elliptic trainer, abdominal work with weighted balls etc.   Will I still be able to enjoy these activities?  I know the doc says wait about another month, but I would like to hear from people like me who have lived through the AN surgery experience and what it was like for them to exercise--specially the weight lifting/bearing part.  Thanks very much!

[volleymom]

You will be able to do most of the activities that you could do before. I swim laps, do light weight lifting, stationary bike, TRX, tai chi, kayak on lakes, rowing machine, and hike. I recently tried a yoga class, it was good but I thought it was hard to get up and down from the floor. I don't have confidence to run a straight line on a treadmill and I feel safer on the back of our tandem bike than trying to avoid swerving into traffic on my single bike. For now, you can be walking alot to work on balance and endurance. Expect fatigue for several months, at 5 weeks postop, I got exhausted just taking a shower.

[seandimom]

Thanks so much Volleymom.  I like the ideas about kayaking too.  I know what you mean about getting exhausted just taking a shower    and I can be so unpredictable this way, with activity and tiredness, that I know it's hard on my family.  Thanks for your support and helpful advice. Seandimom/Marianne

[Tod]

I am 4.5 years post-surgery. I kayak fish on lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. I hike and I bike. I do most everything I did before surgery. Some things I do better. Others I have just been too darn busy.  Walk as much you can for recovery - it is THE most fundamental thing you can do.

-Tod

[cassie]

I am nearly 1 year post op and I had a rough surgery and was in ICU for 2 weeks. I remember not even being able to take one step without throwing up. When i got home, I just sat on the couch, eating ice pops and sleeping all day. Within weeks, I slowly made my way to the treadmill and forced myself to go 1 minute, then next day, maybe 2, with supervision, of couse. Slowely, i just increased my time and then ventured out doors. Within 5 months, I was back at the gym. Again, very slowly. I made my way back to step class, basic at first and now up to advanced and I have been body pumping ( weight lifting)  and can jog/walk combo for 5 miles.  I, too, love to eat and have gained 25-30 pounds since this nightmare began. But I don't stress about it as much. i just love that I can still exercise so intensly like i once did. I may not have my face back, and my eye hurts and won't blink but at least i can be active. It was so hard, at first. i remember sitting on the couch, planning for like hours, how I was going to get up and pee and grab another ice pop from the freezer (that's all i could eat). Then after that feat was completed, I would sleep for like 2 hours. I was home alone. I  have come a long way.
So, anyway, my advice is to start out slowely, and yes, you can hopefully regain your level of exercising, over time. I wish you the best.

[Aussie AN Grad]

I remember being worried about this too, and I needn't have. I can do everything I did before surgery except run and ski - but that's because I have developed a bad knee! I choose not to life heavy weights or do anything requiring my head to be down because of increased pressure which can lead to headaches. But I can ride a bike, rock climb, do one-legged yoga balances etc etc.

I too had to learn to walk again post-translab (18 months ago) and tortured myself wondering if I'd ever get my balance back but I was just impatient. It takes time for your incredible brain to adapt but it will. I agree, keep moving but be patient and be kind to yourself. Now I have to do cardio exercise every single day or I get a full head feeling. Good luck.

[seandimom]

Thanks all, for the reassuring advice and support.  I try to walk every day, and some days I am able to have more time than others--really makes a difference.  Like Aussie AN Grad I will be careful about lifting weights--haven't even tried it yet.  Sorry to hear about the very rough early days/months experienced by Cassie--the puking is unreal--I thought I had it bad but Cassie's was worse  Puking up gray was pretty gross for me...the anesthesia?  Tod has also been through quite the ordeal--his and others' posts makes me know to keep moving and to focus on the positive.  Thanks all--Seandimom