Still on pain meds?

[txmarinemom]

Pam.....& FLT....I stand corrected & I apologize. I didnt realize this...it just seems soooo incredibly extreme is all...in all ways. And of course, I would never intentionally be *rude* to anyone on this site. I think I was just taken back by the post is all....just like everyone else was...and was concerned w/her/your well being...and I just had enough "courgage" to type it I think! But again, I will stop preaching & keep some of my thoughts to myself. Hope everyone is having a good day...3 days til Friday! Ohhh wait...Im not working now, so everyday is Friday!

Lynn

Lynn, I didn't in any way mean to indicate you were rude - or anything of the sort ... you're like the antithesis of rude ;-). I think everyone posting here is doing so out of concern - and I agree, it does sound extreme, and potentially dangerous (at the least, unnecessarily painful!).

Happy Friday(s) - LOL ... I actually preferred to call them Saturdays: The whole day open, and another free one right behind it! ;-)

Pam

[txmarinemom]

Pam, Thank you so much for your reply. I do realize now that I am pushing it. I think I got it into my head that if I wasn't walking 10 to 15 miles a day I was being "uncompliant" and would not recovery as quickly. The last 3 days I havent really been able to walk AT ALL, because I am sore, stiff, exhausted, and in A TON of pain. As far as how many pills I take (or a fair amount), I take anywhere from 2 to 6 hydrocodone a day. ...

For everyone I missed-
Thank you all for your replies. :-) I think it took someone else (besides my fiance and mom) saying that I was overdoing it to get it through my thick head. I can reasonably do about 5 miles a day before things go completely to crap, so I think I will back down to that for a while.

FLK, I think the most reasonable approach (and maybe it is 5 miles, who knows?) is find a distance you can consistently walk and not be in pain. I'm glad you're wearing a heart monitor. The general published guideline of aerobic exercise isn't even measured in miles:

"The American College of Sports Medicine says you should exercise three to five times a week in 20- to 60-minute sessions intense enough to raise your pulse to between 60 and 90 percent of your maximal heart rate." (from straightdope.com)

Assuming you walk at a 5 km pace (not all that fast, but brisk enough), you're still doing 3.1 miles per hour. I really think anything more than that is excessive - especially if it hurts so bad you require pain meds (beyond your normal intake).

You mentioned metabolic starvation mode just before I was about to post that ;-). If you're consuming 2000 calories a day, and expending 2000 calories, you *will* eventually stop burning them. This is why so many people who diet - and don't eat, or eat very little - trash their metabolism ... often for life. Scientists are finding out that yo-yo dieters who repeatedly go into starvation mode, especially over years, never really recover their normal metabolic rate.

For anyone not familiar with this, say you drop down to 600 calories a day (when your recommended intake is 2000). You may lose weight initially, but your body eventually thinks it's starving - and your metabolism slows or stops to conserve stores. When you go above 600 calories a day, you're going to gain weight because you've taught your body to live on that ridiculous amount.

The best approach for keeping a healthy metabolism is to eat a little something throughout the day every hour to match your daily required intake. If you know you're burning "x" amount, are pregnant, or know you're using extra energy to heal, adjust accordingly.

FLK, I'm glad you took everything everyone said into consideration: I really do think you'll have a much less stressful, and definitely more healthy, recovery. It just *still* blows me away your doctor would put you on that kind of regimine ... that's just insane - for ANYONE.

Best regards,
Pam

[LisaMS]

I agree with all those who've posted saying that the amount of walking sounds REALLY excessive! Surgeons are human too, and they don't always know everything. He probably has a theory about the blood flow to the pelvis, etc., but you have to go by whether this really seems to be helping. I walk 2 to 3 miles in my neighborhood (which has steep hills), about 4 times a week. I do PT exercises (and I've also been "graduated" by my PT) about 4 times a week. I saw my surgeon for my 12-week check, and he told me to still take it easy! He thought I was doing plenty. My energy is great, and I'm back to working half time and cooking, doing housework, etc.

I am 3 months out and don't take any pain meds, but that's because I don't have any pain! I do take muscle relaxants once in awhile for the spasms. Everyone is different, and if you're having pain, you need pain meds. I work for a hospice, and two patients with the same cancer diagnosis will take vastly different amounts of pain medicine, because there are just so many factors affecting pain.

I hope that you can find a good balance between strengthening and letting your body heal. I also hope that your pain gets better. Good for you for being so diligent! Makes me feel like a lazy butt!