Sit-ups?

[Snoopy]

On another thread, several veterans mentioned that, while steps were not hard after surgery, physically getting out of bed was.  In the weeks before my surgery, should I be doing lots of sit-ups?
   Be well, Snoopy

[Fr Pat]

      Being in good shape is a great preparation for the donation surgery and recovery, and I think having the abs in good condition would be especially helpful. Another helpful idea would be to ask some nurse, aide or experienced care-giver for tips on how to get in and out of bed with minimum pain after surgery. I think most of us just figured it out by trial-and-error because nobody explained it ahead of time! Of maybe folks here could offer some suggestions?
    Fr. Pat

[sherri]

The getting into and out of bed was probably one of the most difficult parts of the surgery. Movement in general was hard. My incision is right above my belly button and using my core muscles was out of the question post surgery. It just hurt too much. And I agree no one told me how to maneuver so it was trial and error. All I kept thinking was they keep saying this is laparascopic surgery so I figured akin to gallbladder. But they don't emphasize the 3 - 4 inch incision you are left with after they remove the kidney.

While I was in the hospital I used the controls to sit the bed up, I had one of my kids bring me one of those squishy pillows with the tiny beads inside. Hospitals often give the heart shaped pillow to cardiac patients after bypass. I found if I held the pillow up to my abdomen, inched close to the edge of the bed and on the count of three stood up I could do it better. I also found sitting in the reclining chair much more comfortable. One night in the hospital I was in the chair and didn't have the strength to get back into bed so I told my husband to sleep in the bed and I would take his chair. Sure enough in the middle of the night or early morning the phlebotomist came in to get blood. I quickly motioned to her that I, the patient, was over in the chair, please don't stick my husband. Hoped she was careful about following nursing precautions to check a patient's ID bracelet before doing anything.

At home I also spent time in the recliner. Used the heating pad and took warm showers which all relaxed my abdominal muscles. I would say it took a full year for all the layers to heal. I could tell at the one year mark I lifted my arm to close the back of my minivan and for the first time I didn't feel any tugging.

In terms of the exercises, I would suggest learning how to get in shape for your life after the surgery and living with one kidney. The surgery is just one point along the continuum. We, as donors, really need to take good care of ourselves through diet, exercise, being aware of contraindications of medications both OTC and prescription. Reminds me of all the time my husband and I spent in childbirth classes during my first pregnancy. We, and the health care providers, focus so much on the birth that we forget you actually have to take that baby home and know what to do. The surgery is one part of this process. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a lifelong process.


Sherri

[Orchidlady]

That's a good question, Snoopy, and you are on the right track. However, the situps and abs probably would not do too much good - remember that, as a result of the lap surgery, they are cutting, moving and blowing air into your abdomen. As a result, I found my abs were pretty much shot. What helped me get up and out of bed and chairs was not my abs, but the rest of my body - my abs were essentially useless in the whole process. What was interesting, was the surgeon told me that people in good shape with those "washboard abs" are usually sorer because the musculature is tighter and thus stretched more by the whole air process. 
What did work was that I had a wonderful trainer I was working with who had some physical therapy background. We worked for about two months pre surgery on strenghtening my back, my legs (which took the brunt of the effort getting up) and arms. We practiced getting up, moving in various manners, etc. I can't tell you the number of times I thanked him for making the movement after surgery an easier process than it could have been.
You may want to ask about getting a few visits with a physical therapist. They could help you not only with strengthening exercises, but also provide some good information and practice on how to get out of bed, how to get out of a chair, etc.

[treehugger]

I agree, good question, and good to be in good shape generally and to be prepared. Previous posters are right though in that you will want to focus on not using your ab muscles as much as possible immediately after recovery. Strong arms and legs are what you need to get in and out of bed!

I had been doing twice weekly Pilates for about 2 years before I donated, and Pilates' focus on the whole core (back and front of torso, including hip and shoulder girdles), not just abs, was instrumental to my easy recovery, I believe.

Kara

[Snoopy]

...the surgeon told me that people in good shape with those "washboard abs" are usually sorer because the musculature is tighter and thus stretched more by the whole air process. 

Well, Orchidlady, if that's the case, I expect one of the fastest recovery times on record--I'm sort of at the opposite end of the washboard abs spectrum!
  Seriously, thank you--and thanks to everybody else--for all the good advice!
     Be well, Snoopy

[Fr Pat]

WashBOARD abs!?!?!? Well, that explains a lot. Years ago I misunderstood and heard that washTUB abs were attractive and have been successfully working on them ever since. Now I'll have to start all over. Thanks a bunch.
    Fr. Pat

[ohtobeahayes]

HAHAH, Fr Pat! FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!!!

[Snoopy]

  In the end, I did find getting out of bed to be a bit tough at first.  My hospital bed had no electric controls, and I really couldn't reach the crank to change its settings.
  I relied mainly on my legs to sort of "crab-walk" myself near the edge of the bed...and then I would often just stay there for 15-20 minutes, trying to convince myself to just get on with it.  Finally, I remembered a saying my father taught me about 40 years ago:  "A coward dies a thousand deaths.  A hero dies but once".  Repeating that was usually enough to shame myself into swinging my legs onto the floor, which was most of the battle.
  When I got home, I noticed that it helped if I could place one arm behind myself, to help push myself up and out.  I don't think I could have done that in the hospital, because the bed's head part was raised at a pretty high angle (I needed it there to deal with the phlegm in my chest).
  Overall, the whole business was not too bad, and got much easier after my first day or two at home.  I'm sure my "wash-tub abs" helped a lot!
   Be well, Snoopy

[lawphi]

I pulled on the sheets to get up and down in the hospital and hotel.  I also switched to the left side of the bed and would use my elbow to "row" out for a while.

[ohtobeahayes]

I love this whole thread. It makes me giggle, and I also can almost still feel the pain of the twisting and contorting it took to get out of bed, the pathetic whimpering noises I'd make for that 15-20 minutes of just before the big twist and pull upwards, the breathing like I did when in labor...Yowsa!

Thank Goodness we heal quickly in the grand scheme of things!!!!!!

I see a huge business op here- if we could create something that could help with this- this isn't the only surgery that causes so much grief getting out of bed.... hmm........

[Scott337]

I had to do the counter-balance thing with scooting my legs out over the edge of the bed and letting gravity help.  Sometimes I resembled a beached whale or a walrus flopping in shallow water when I tried to get out of bed.  Sometimes there were (*#W$(* too!  I found myself actually sliding off the edge of the bed sometimes.  Not graceful, but effective. 

Scott