herniated discs, sciatica and the sleeve-exercise help please!

[oldskoolsooz 24]

Hi there.

I'm exactly five weeks post-op today yaaay! I had a very difficult 2-3 weeks healing process but at 4 weeks I started to feel much better and now I feel pretty good. Im 5'2" and started my journey at 248 lbs on April 1st. I lost 10 lbs during the pre-op diet period and I was sleeved on May 1st. By June 1st I had lost 11 more lbs. I have lost a total of 21 lbs in two months. I can't say I'm not disappointed especially reading how do many people are losing so so so much faster :-( I try to remain positive and keep in mind that I'm losing and not gaining! Unfortunately Ive become hungry..not head hunger which I was prepared for tnx to this forum..but real hunger! I can also eat quite a lot..a lot more than I expected it wanted in fact =-O I haven't tried to push the limit and get as full as I can. I follow the Protein first, no Water 15 mins before and 30 mins after rules. I'm still figuring out out I'd guess.

So here's the main question that I'm hoping y'all can help me with. I have three herniated discs in the lower back region and two around the neck area. I've had 3 horrible sciatic attacks in the last 5 years and cannot do exercises with heavier weights/Zuma /yoga etc. I CAN walk and have a treadmill now. Does anyone have any advice about exercises I can manage? Tnx in advance :-)

[KristinLeigh 1]

I have the same troubles with a back injury, altho I am still pre-op I have already spoken with Dr's regarding this. Im going to do two things... first, for excersize.. swimming swimming swimming!! takes pressure off your spine, the resistance of the Water helps build strength and laps are great for cardio

Secondly, I am going to have something called radial nerve eblasion done... in a nut shell, the dr is going to put 4 super heated needles on either side of my spin and "burn" away the nerves. They WILL grow back but it takes somewhere between 6 months and 3 yrs for them to do so... and in the mean time I will be able to exersize without nerve pain like sciatica

My local hospital has a wellness center with an indoor pool, and thats where I intend to go, plus I get a free months membership for being a bariatric patient so I figured.. why not?

[Ah0505 42]

Pilates, find a good instructor that has experience with spine injuries/conditions. Work on the equipment rather than on the floor and work one-on-one rather than in a group. It will change your life, I've witnessed it:-)

[jacquelynn.mclean 103]

I'll second the idea of swimming. I LOVE swimming. I have a back and a knee injury that keeps me grounded some.

[oldskoolsooz 24]

I live in Brooklyn and swimming is a luxury.. even the ymca is pretty expensive! My pain management doctor recommended any type of activity in the Water and I even did aqua therapy until the insurance stopped covering it..any other ideas? I will definitely be looking into a cost effective Pilates class which was also recommended but not until I've been cleared by my surgeon and lost more weight..

[Nate74 45]

Hi there.

I'm exactly five weeks post-op today yaaay! I had a very difficult 2-3 weeks healing process but at 4 weeks I started to feel much better and now I feel pretty good. Im 5'2" and started my journey at 248 lbs on April 1st. I lost 10 lbs during the pre-op diet period and I was sleeved on May 1st. By June 1st I had lost 11 more lbs. I have lost a total of 21 lbs in two months. I can't say I'm not disappointed especially reading how do many people are losing so so so much faster :-( I try to remain positive and keep in mind that I'm losing and not gaining! Unfortunately Ive become hungry..not head hunger which I was prepared for tnx to this forum..but real hunger! I can also eat quite a lot..a lot more than I expected it wanted in fact =-O I haven't tried to push the limit and get as full as I can. I follow the Protein first, no Water 15 mins before and 30 mins after rules. I'm still figuring out out I'd guess.

So here's the main question that I'm hoping y'all can help me with. I have three herniated discs in the lower back region and two around the neck area. I've had 3 horrible sciatic attacks in the last 5 years and cannot do exercises with heavier weights/Zuma /yoga etc. I CAN walk and have a treadmill now. Does anyone have any advice about exercises I can manage? Tnx in advance :-)

I have a similar problem and found at first with the weight loss it made the lower back feel better eventually the muscles still get weak and it comes back. I started doing the strengthening exercises for my back and stomach that my physical therapist recommended using the ball to do bridges and slight crunches to strengthen the stomach muscles. Another idea that i haven't been able to try is swimming as it's low impact and can help. even using weights designed for the pool might help. I hope this helps. If you ever have had physical therapy before or maybe do a google search for exercises that might strengthen the core for back problems

[taurabird 142]

I have been doing yoga for a couple years now strickly because of my back. I have old L4-L5 compression fractures and sciatica. The only thing that works is for my to do about 20 minutes of light yoga stretches when I get up in the morning. That resolves the pain and tightness which then allows me to walk, continue to do real yoga moves and do pretty much anything I want with minimal discomfort. The Pilates on a machine idea above sounds like the way to begin if you can afford it. I cant, so I use a yoga stretching video at home every day and then a beginners yoga video for exercise after I am stretched.

[oldskoolsooz 24]

Hi there..I was told by my physician that yoga was a definite no no. Pilates was a good way to go, third behind swimming and Water aerobics. I'm pretty strapped for cash as I'm a public school teacher lol but summer vacation is coming up fast and my husband and I have decided this summer will be about our health so I will not be working :-) I'm going to look up recommended places for low impact Pilates and try to start slowly by walking as much as possible. I got a treadmill off craigslist :-)