Movement After Surgery

Another question I have today is about movement. When I left the hospital they still had me getting up thru out the night and obviously thru the day. Since surgery (last Weds) I have been getting up every 2 hrs thru the night and walking 10 minutes. They scared me to death about blood clots. I am just wondering is this normal... am I still supposed to be doing this? I follow EVERYTHING my doc says. I just forgot to ask how long. So I will ask him also, but was just curious if anyone here has some feedback on it.                                                                        

 They didn't have me get up during the night in the hosptial and I certainly didn't do that at home.. I just got up every few hours and did a few laps around the house during the day.. at night I slept!  Good luck!

The more walking the better.  The more movement the better..... so long as you don't over-do it and get worn out.

Always have someone w/ you for the first day or two when you get up if at all possible.

Remember, the more you move... the faster those gas pains (which you may or may not be experiencing yet) will work their way out.

I don't think you need to keep doing that at home.  You're able to turn over in bed and stuff, right?  And you're moving around regularly during the day?

 At the hospital, they never got me up to walk. I was always asking to get up and walk, so I am not sure if they would have done it or not. I had trouble being comfortable at times and sleeping so I would get up and walk in the middle of the night, then get back in bed and was able to sleep after that. I think cause I wasn't used to laying all the time was why I wanted to get up so much.

Anyhoo... I don't think you need to get up at night. As long as you are moving during the day, I would say you are ok. Probably you should be walking a few minutes every hours that you are awake.

I hope you have a quick recovery! 

We had surgery the same day!  My Dr. specifically said to make sure and walk every hour while awake.  In the beginning I was up a few times during the night to use the bathroom, but I'm pretty much back to bed right afterwards.  I'm headed back to work tomorrow so being up and walking won't be an issue!  Hope that things go well for you!

Please concentrate on getting your rest, and plenty of fluids. Inactivity & dehydration is what will significantly increase your risk of developing clots at this point post-op....You need to get good sleep!!! If concerned, when awake at night do foot/ankle pumps while you are in bed...perfectly good activity to move your blood around. You could also buy TED hose if not issued to you in the hospital if you think you are at high risk for clots as well. Good luck on your recovery...hope it's fast.