How long to regain strength after a hospital stay?

Hello fellows!

I appreciate the words and responses this last week while I was in the hospital. I always thought these things were kind of jenky but now I see how support forums can really be good for the soul and healing.

There is comfort in knowing you are not alone in this, and with it being a disease that people cant see it is hard to translate to the 'norms' what and how bad this really is-so again, thank you for opening my eyes.

My question for others is how long after a BAD flare and hospital stay did you find it took you to regain your strength again?

My body did not respond to the solumedrol for 9 days in hospital and currently waiting on a stelara infusion this week...

Im just so weak, my muscles cramp, im exhausted just talking on the phone. I know it will take time of course but what could I be doing to help myself or do I let my body heal as it wants?

Thanks guys

-M

You might want to consider physical therapy.

I don't know about your particular case, but my rule of thumb is everything takes about two weeks. Some medicines such as azathioprine or some of the biologics can take a lot longer than two weeks to kick in. But as far as getting stronger after hospitalization, or waiting for something to heal, or waiting for a vaccine to kick in, or waiting for your strained back to quit hurting, etc., everything takes two weeks.

ronroush7 said:

You might want to consider physical therapy.

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That's not a bad idea! Thank you very much

It depends on the situation. I nearly died of infection when I ruptured my rectal area that left me with a stoma after two months in the hospital. I lost 80lbs and my legs were so weak I nearly tumbled down the stairs when I first tried to take the stairs down one level at the hospital when the elevator was busy.
At home I took it easy and after a week at home I started to cut firewood as I heat with wood. The chainsaw was easy, but reality hit home when I tried to split wood with the axe. The jolt was like an explosion going through my weak healing body. It was another 2 months before I could split wood.
But.... When I tried to bend over to pile the wood....Nope not possible! The stomach muscles needed another 6 months.
Its a long progression coming back from a major operation with active Crohn's. During that time I was on a course of Cipro and Aza to get the anal fistulas to close which took over a year.
Winter came about 4 months after the operation and I was able to cross country ski and use the snowmobile gently.
Country life is not easy after surgery, but it leaves little choices if I wanted to maintain this life style. Fast forward 17 years and I am still in this house.

I dont remember exactly but I was told i couldn't lift above 25 pounds for six weeks after my resection. I tried to take the trash out before then. It ended up on the street and neighbors ended up picking it up.

Hello Miss,

My experiences have all been different. It really depended how invasive the surgery was. I would say for me it was anywhere from 3 weeks to 6-8 months to be back to 75-80%. It is important to keep on moving even if it is tiring, just be sure to follow directions about weight limits for lifting and get a good nights sleep. Eating a healthy balanced diet is also helpful. I found that pushing myself to do little jobs each day built up my strength and endurance over time. The number one rule after surgery and really in general is if it hurts STOP! Don't be afraid to admit you need help with certain physical activities, chores etc.

Good luck with your recovery,

Chris

It takes time!! Don't push yourself too much, don't be ashamed to ask for help and reward yourself for every millstone. Everyone is different and healing depends on proper nutrition, enough sleep and support from family/friends. There will be days when you feel like 'I'm never going to feel normal again, or I'm never going to be better' , but you will..... this is temporary. Best of luck to you.

More Than Pickles said:

It takes time!! Don't push yourself too much, don't be ashamed to ask for help and reward yourself for every millstone. Everyone is different and healing depends on proper nutrition, enough sleep and support from family/friends. There will be days when you feel like 'I'm never going to feel normal again, or I'm never going to be better' , but you will..... this is temporary. Best of luck to you.

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I agree!

It took about 3 months post surgery before I could climb stairs easily , i took short walks on fairly level ground and over time increased the distance and even added some easy hills , give yourself time and eat as well as you are able and your strength will return , I am 8 months post surgery now and i'm doing really well ,in fact I have not felt this good in twenty years ,best of luck with your recovery .

It took me about ten months after major abdominal surgery.
Pickles advice is excellent...wish I had thought it out so well

More Than Pickles said:

It takes time!! Don't push yourself too much, don't be ashamed to ask for help and reward yourself for every millstone. Everyone is different and healing depends on proper nutrition, enough sleep and support from family/friends. There will be days when you feel like 'I'm never going to feel normal again, or I'm never going to be better' , but you will..... this is temporary. Best of luck to you.

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It is so hard as a strong-willed human that hates asking for help to accept this and give up the power so to speak. I don't have a lot of fight in me right now so I am letting people help me but it is so disheartening to me. I appreciate how much people are willing to help especially my loved ones but I also see them running around ragged and tired themselves and I just want to help

It good to hear these things for me, that it is OK to be sick...thank you

Tony H said:

It took about 3 months post surgery before I could climb stairs easily , i took short walks on fairly level ground and over time increased the distance and even added some easy hills , give yourself time and eat as well as you are able and your strength will return , I am 8 months post surgery now and i'm doing really well ,in fact I have not felt this good in twenty years ,best of luck with your recovery .

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There are definitely the days that I don't think Ill ever climb out of this...I want to bad to go for a walk or do laundry or vacuum...the yard is a mess...and its like life just keeps going and I'm in this standstill position. Part of the problem right now is that I still cant eat so I'm SO depleted of anything my body needs so I can hardly stand up...Frustrating because my brain has more strength than my body at this point...sigh. Thank you for the words of encouragement...I cant wait to be able to eat and train to get my strength back...Ive lost 40 pounds now in a month...I look terrible!

What's your doctor doing about your nutrition needs? That's a lot of weight to lose and you still can't eat? You will never heal or regain your strength without proper nutrition. Even if it's high quality liquid, you have to fuel you're body to heal.

Back to being strong willed and feeling guilty because your friends and family are helping you while you're recovering.....my guess is there was a time when YOU helped them! Allow them to do this without your guilt. Guilt and shame is useless. So is worrying about yard work, house work, etc. It will get done eventually. You will get back to your life.

Focus on one accomplishment a day and build on that. Maybe you took a shower today, or was able to take your medication without assistance or read part of a book. Where you are today in your recovery is temporary, so don't develop permanent feelings about it. Feel what you do in that moment, then let it go.

I'm sending you prayers and positive vibrations.

Hi Miss,

I totally agree with pickles. You will get caught up eventually so don't worry. Baby steps. Make sure that you are getting proper nutrition or you won't heal very well. If you have to, call the surgeon and get him to have a dietician come up with some healthy nourishing foods that you can eat, I'm sure that they would be able to give you a ton of suggestions for recipes. You are in my prayers as well.

Best wishes,

Chris

When I could get out of bed at the hospital I started walking through the wards and later walked some of the stairs with in the hospital to build up strength. I have a two story home built on the side of a hill and I had to prove to myself that I could walk and climb steps before going home. Also if I had an accident and fell at the hospital I would be in safe hands for help. Doing a little bit of rehab on one's own before discharge is a good idea.

Hi missmissie,

it takes times to recover from hospital, it happent to me in April, I'd say it took 3 weeks to be at my 70-80% but everyone reacts differently.
The important thing is that you take your time and focus on recover and make things for you, that makes you feel well and happy without worrying too much.

Missmissie said:

There are definitely the days that I don't think Ill ever climb out of this...I want to bad to go for a walk or do laundry or vacuum...the yard is a mess...and its like life just keeps going and I'm in this standstill position. Part of the problem right now is that I still cant eat so I'm SO depleted of anything my body needs so I can hardly stand up...Frustrating because my brain has more strength than my body at this point...sigh. Thank you for the words of encouragement...I cant wait to be able to eat and train to get my strength back...Ive lost 40 pounds now in a month...I look terrible!

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Don't let it get you down too much , my wife and son really came through for me , thats what family do and you are lucky to have good support , you won't need it forever ,
when I left the hospital my appetite was really bad for about six weeks , I literally had to force food down , My taste buds were all over the place and I needed to increase my salt take as well ,
Now I'm eating nearly everything with no after effects,
Don't lose heart it will get better .
And forget about stuff like household chores and concentrate on yourself , there will be time enough for that when you have recovered .

Happy Sunday to all you and yours!
I'm really struggling today, how is everyone else doing?

I would like to start feeling like a normal human at some point, its 7 days post hospital and everyday it takes me until about 2/3pm to get my crap together...I try to do things throughout the day to get myself in a routine of moving again but its so difficult. My heart rate goes up and I'm out of breath...this cant be normal. When do I get to regain some strength back? I had my Stelara infusion on Friday and since then my guts have improved slightly but not my energy or activity level or even the want to get up...and this is not like me at all, I'm a doer so this is very strange. I know everyone has a different recovery time but holy jeez, this is got to get better quicker than it is...

Tony H said:

Don't let it get you down too much , my wife and son really came through for me , thats what family do and you are lucky to have good support , you won't need it forever ,
when I left the hospital my appetite was really bad for about six weeks , I literally had to force food down , My taste buds were all over the place and I needed to increase my salt take as well ,
Now I'm eating nearly everything with no after effects,
Don't lose heart it will get better .
And forget about stuff like household chores and concentrate on yourself , there will be time enough for that when you have recovered .

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Hi there Tony, thank you for the kind words and they are all correct, its just hard when youre in the storm to remember those kinds of things...

My appetite is too not good, sometimes I find myself looking for food and craving something and other times the thought of food makes me want to vomit. You said you didn't have much of an appetite for 6 weeks post hospital, was your energy and strength bad too or just your appetite? I feel like they kind of go hand in hand but I'm doing the best I can with the food intake...

Thanks so much

Hi Missie ,I had no energy or strength for about 3 months ,my appetite came back first and then my energy levels and strength got better ,Im nine months post op now and all is good now ,
time as they say is the best healer .

I agree with Tony. It takes time, just about like molasses in January. Hang in there. It seems like a long time right now, but you will look back on it soon and it will seem far less.

don"t let it way you down . i was discharged from hospital last week and when i left i could not even walk. but each day i took it a challenge to try and walk and come this week i can walk for more than 26000 strides a day. i calculate that using my Samsung health center app on my android phone ..i don"t feel the muscle strain too, infact today i went swimming

ngugimuiruri said:

don"t let it way you down . i was discharged from hospital last week and when i left i could not even walk. but each day i took it a challenge to try and walk and come this week i can walk for more than 26000 strides a day. i calculate that using my Samsung health center app on my android phone ..i don"t feel the muscle strain too, infact today i went swimming

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26000 strides is a lot , you must have had a very high fitness level before you went into hospital,
in general though most people (well me anyway )could not manage that level of exercise so soon after surgery

Hi ngugimuiruri,

That is amazing! I'm glad you are doing so well. I wish I could heal so quickly.


Welcome to the forum,

Chris