Exercize, pre- and post-op for hemicolectomy

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arnie05
arnie05 Member Posts: 6
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
I'm not yet diagnosed, so I'm something of an interloper here, but you folks are the only people I can find who can tell the world about the real effects of the various medical options for colorectal surgery. In my case, the trend is not good. My aunt had colon cancer, and my father (78) has had pre-cancerous polyps removed. I'm ahead of him in stages of treatment, as of this week. I'm a Hemocult negative and physical-symptom-free 56-old-male who had a routine screening colonoscopy on 7/29/05 which discovered two small polyps and a 4-5 cm. mass with ulceration at the junction of small and large colon. The biopsy was negative but "advanced dysplasia" was observed in the cells. Two weeks from today I'm to become a laparascopic right hemicolectomy "semi-colon."
I've read a lot on this great site about what to do after the diagnosis is in (e.g., chemo, juicing, yoga, etc.) but I don't see anything about exercize prior to or after the surgical procedure, other than walking, that is. Are there any books or sites out there that describe how to prepare for the incisions and how to recover from them? Do abdominal exercizes and/or treadmill work help prep or recover from the laparoscopy? I teach, and my classes start in September, so I don't want to neglect anything that could get me back to the 'dents as soon as I am able. My committment to them is a core value for my life. I believe it is important to my ability to fight this thing. I'm trying to start out by concentrating on what I can do, vs. what I cannot do or what I can't undo.
--Arnie

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  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #2
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    Hi Arnie,
    Welcome to this site, although I am sorry you have reason to join us.
    You are right that not much seems to be written about excercise pre and post surgery. I guess with laparoscopy you will get off easier than some -- but it is still an incision, and you are smart to be planning ahead. For me (I had abdominal-perineal resection for rectal tumour), I wanted to go into the surgery as fit as possible. That meant diet/weight and also general fitness. Walking is my thing, but could be swimming, running or whatever suits you.
    After the surgery, I was a little careful about lifting heavy weights and avoided specific abdominal exercises -- but maybe that's just me. I returned to walking (even before I left the hospital! - but walked every day after discharge).

    I'm a teacher too -- I've also got my eye on September!

    Best wishes to you - and please keep us posted on your progress.

    Tara
  • taraHK
    taraHK Member Posts: 1,952 Member
    #3
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    Hi Arnie,
    Welcome to this site, although I am sorry you have reason to join us.
    You are right that not much seems to be written about excercise pre and post surgery. I guess with laparoscopy your recovery should be faster/easier than with conventional surgery-- but it is still an incision, and you are smart to be planning ahead. For me (I had abdominal-perineal resection for rectal tumour), I wanted to go into the surgery as fit as possible. That meant healthy diet/weight and also as physically fit as possible. Walking is my thing, but could be swimming, running or whatever suits you.
    After the surgery, I was a little careful about lifting heavy weights and avoided specific abdominal exercises -- but maybe that's just me. I returned to walking (even before I left the hospital!) and walked every day after discharge.

    I'm a teacher too -- I've also got my eye on September!

    Best wishes to you - and please keep us posted on your progress.

    Tara
  • arnie05
    arnie05 Member Posts: 6
    #4
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    taraHK said:

    Hi Arnie,
    Welcome to this site, although I am sorry you have reason to join us.
    You are right that not much seems to be written about excercise pre and post surgery. I guess with laparoscopy your recovery should be faster/easier than with conventional surgery-- but it is still an incision, and you are smart to be planning ahead. For me (I had abdominal-perineal resection for rectal tumour), I wanted to go into the surgery as fit as possible. That meant healthy diet/weight and also as physically fit as possible. Walking is my thing, but could be swimming, running or whatever suits you.
    After the surgery, I was a little careful about lifting heavy weights and avoided specific abdominal exercises -- but maybe that's just me. I returned to walking (even before I left the hospital!) and walked every day after discharge.

    I'm a teacher too -- I've also got my eye on September!

    Best wishes to you - and please keep us posted on your progress.

    Tara

    Thanks very much for the advice, Tara. I'm not thinking about extraordinary kinds of exercise, though it would be interesting to know how long you have to wait before a sit-up would not be dangerous. Walking probably would be the easiest source of exercise for me if it's safe to do it on steep hills. We're on the kind of street where the snow plows get stuck sometimes. I'm worried there would be restrictions on my use of stairs (lots in the house including two flights to the front door) or walking on steep grades. It seems odd to be thinking this way when the cardiovascular impact of "taking the stairs" is always said to be so positive. I hope you get some good students this year, Tara. Again, thanks.
    Arnie
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #5
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  • HowardJ
    HowardJ Member Posts: 474
    #6
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    Hi Arnie,
    Welcome...I had a laprascopic right hemicolectomy last December for stage 2a colon cancer. I exercise and hike so can give my point of view. Walking is the best exercise you can do after surgery (as the others have said). Start small and build up. Listen to your body on when to increase. Walking will help the healing process and is reported to have positive effects on the immune system. (when in shape it should be vigorous but not exhausting). As for other exercises...I was told to wait about a month before starting light exercise in the gym (stationary bike). NO sit-ups for at least 6 weeks. Full work-outs resumed at about 3 months. The rest came as I was able to do more. The first time back on the stationary bike was enlightening...I never realized how much I use my abs on the bike! Only noticible pain were at incisions--you'll need to wear loose fitting cloths since the incisions are at belt level. I also had an umbilical hernia repaired at the same time and that gave me the most post op pain. Otherwise if the surgeon is good you'll be back in the swing of things in no time. One more thing...since you're having a right hemi, you'll discover the "fun" of not having an ileo-cecal valve--it means frequent trips to the toilet. It does tend to get better over time as you body adjusts.
    Good luck!
    Howard
  • arnie05
    arnie05 Member Posts: 6
    #7
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    HowardJ said:

    Hi Arnie,
    Welcome...I had a laprascopic right hemicolectomy last December for stage 2a colon cancer. I exercise and hike so can give my point of view. Walking is the best exercise you can do after surgery (as the others have said). Start small and build up. Listen to your body on when to increase. Walking will help the healing process and is reported to have positive effects on the immune system. (when in shape it should be vigorous but not exhausting). As for other exercises...I was told to wait about a month before starting light exercise in the gym (stationary bike). NO sit-ups for at least 6 weeks. Full work-outs resumed at about 3 months. The rest came as I was able to do more. The first time back on the stationary bike was enlightening...I never realized how much I use my abs on the bike! Only noticible pain were at incisions--you'll need to wear loose fitting cloths since the incisions are at belt level. I also had an umbilical hernia repaired at the same time and that gave me the most post op pain. Otherwise if the surgeon is good you'll be back in the swing of things in no time. One more thing...since you're having a right hemi, you'll discover the "fun" of not having an ileo-cecal valve--it means frequent trips to the toilet. It does tend to get better over time as you body adjusts.
    Good luck!
    Howard

    Thanks to all of you for the helpful responses about pre- and post-op exercise and activity.
    Babs211, I'll definitely be listening a lot to the "bod" about those stairs. My pre-op physical doctor today suggested having a first-floor bed made in the living room before I go in for the operation, just in case getting up to the second floor bedroom is not an option at first. If walking is the best therapy, I'm in a great location--big hills outside, lots of stairs inside, and cats wandering around to keep me nimble.
    HowardJ, what (do I want to know this?--yes I do) is the ileo-cecal valve and what does it do? My surgeon said the likely result would be a change from my current normal 1/day to 2/day bowel movement.
    My scanning of exercise sites led me to a movement that's sometimes called the "abdominal vacuum." It involves sitting up on one's thighs in an erect posture and concentrating on using the gut muscles to draw the navel toward the spine. It's isometric and seems like it would be easy to control. Very yoga. The muscle involved, the transverse abdominus, wraps around the belly from the spine and holds the gut in place, so it would seem like one that could prep for muscle tone before surgery. After...well I guess we'll see. Thanks, Howard, for the time frame advice on the other exercises.
    When I think of what I've read on this site about what people have been through, and what I know might result from the biopsy, this all seems kind of trivial, but it's hard to keep from reaching out for new information. I hope you're all doing well.
    --Arnie
  • HowardJ
    HowardJ Member Posts: 474
    #8
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    arnie05 said:

    Thanks to all of you for the helpful responses about pre- and post-op exercise and activity.
    Babs211, I'll definitely be listening a lot to the "bod" about those stairs. My pre-op physical doctor today suggested having a first-floor bed made in the living room before I go in for the operation, just in case getting up to the second floor bedroom is not an option at first. If walking is the best therapy, I'm in a great location--big hills outside, lots of stairs inside, and cats wandering around to keep me nimble.
    HowardJ, what (do I want to know this?--yes I do) is the ileo-cecal valve and what does it do? My surgeon said the likely result would be a change from my current normal 1/day to 2/day bowel movement.
    My scanning of exercise sites led me to a movement that's sometimes called the "abdominal vacuum." It involves sitting up on one's thighs in an erect posture and concentrating on using the gut muscles to draw the navel toward the spine. It's isometric and seems like it would be easy to control. Very yoga. The muscle involved, the transverse abdominus, wraps around the belly from the spine and holds the gut in place, so it would seem like one that could prep for muscle tone before surgery. After...well I guess we'll see. Thanks, Howard, for the time frame advice on the other exercises.
    When I think of what I've read on this site about what people have been through, and what I know might result from the biopsy, this all seems kind of trivial, but it's hard to keep from reaching out for new information. I hope you're all doing well.
    --Arnie

    Hi Arnie,
    The valve sits between the small and large intestine and controls flow of material from the small to the large. Without it material flows more freely and frequently.

    Don't forget to check with your surgeon on exercise time recommendations.

    Also...consider yourself very fortunate. In the pathway of cellular changes leading to cancer, dysplasia is right before cancer. My cancerous lesion was smaller than your dysplastic one.
    Howard
  • arnie05
    arnie05 Member Posts: 6
    #9
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    HowardJ said:

    Hi Arnie,
    The valve sits between the small and large intestine and controls flow of material from the small to the large. Without it material flows more freely and frequently.

    Don't forget to check with your surgeon on exercise time recommendations.

    Also...consider yourself very fortunate. In the pathway of cellular changes leading to cancer, dysplasia is right before cancer. My cancerous lesion was smaller than your dysplastic one.
    Howard

    Can they ever save the valve while still excising the ascending large intestine? I ask because I looked it up and it seems a pretty valuable piece of infrastructure, preventing backflow of bacteria, slowing the digestive process, etc. I'm guessing the answer is "no," but if anyone reading this has had a right "hemi" while saving the valve, please let me know.
    I'm trying to smother my emotional response to the dysplasia diagnosis because they took so little of it for biopsy.
    I will specifically ask the surgeon about types of exercise and when to start what.
    How has your stage 2a responded to the treatment? I hope you're in remission.
    --Arnie
  • HowardJ
    HowardJ Member Posts: 474
    #10
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    arnie05 said:

    Can they ever save the valve while still excising the ascending large intestine? I ask because I looked it up and it seems a pretty valuable piece of infrastructure, preventing backflow of bacteria, slowing the digestive process, etc. I'm guessing the answer is "no," but if anyone reading this has had a right "hemi" while saving the valve, please let me know.
    I'm trying to smother my emotional response to the dysplasia diagnosis because they took so little of it for biopsy.
    I will specifically ask the surgeon about types of exercise and when to start what.
    How has your stage 2a responded to the treatment? I hope you're in remission.
    --Arnie

    Hi,
    Can't speak to saving the valve. As for "remission", we don't actually use that term. You'll see NED which means no evidence of disease. I had surgery only and am being followed every few months (I'm just reaching 8 months post surgery). I expect another round of tests towards the end of the year but for now...so far so good. Thanks for asking.
    Howard

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