This weight restriction is getting old fast

I had a surgery 2 1/2 weeks ago and have a 10 lb. weight limit for atleast 1 1/2 more weeks, unless tomorrow the doc lifts it to 25 lbs.

Today I managed to change the oil in the lawn tractors, but the one with the snow blower on it I want to get switched over to the deck, and I also have a lot of branches to pick up that I pruned whenever I had a chance over the winter. Can't do any of that. Much less go out to the farm and do anything productive....

Thankfully the lawn isn't green yet so I've got some time before it'll need to be cut, but I'd sure like to be ready when it is time to cut.

I also gotta remove the snow fence. I might have to call Dad out to help me with that one, as the fence is much heavier than 25 lbs. even....

I hope I can put the duals on when that time comes too but I think Dad's gonna have to do that as well.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Doc gave me a choice. Pick up 20+ pounds and shatter your kneecaps. Or stay under 20 and live a few more years without the wheel chair.

Was that a rotator cuff or similar ?, you've probably heard it a dozen times to follow the doctors orders, but its tempting to not, you'll fare much better once enough time passes and you abide by what they tell you. No one likes being on the bench, me included LOL hope it heals up well for you soon !

I had surgery on my foot and leg 2 years back and its taken that long to realize the good work those doctors and surgeons did, does take some time to heal, of course with the rehab if you will be doing that, its more difficult for awhile, and beyond, but seems to be worth it once enough time passes for these kinds of problems, I sure am grateful, don't think I could have tolerated what was going on for much longer and it had been going on a few years.

Nope. I had Hiatal hernia repair (the hole in my diaphram the esophagus goes through was too big) and then they created a new valve from the esophagus to my stomach because of severe heartburn.

I was taking prilosec daily to control it, but it was starting to loose it's effectiveness and since I'm only 29, I really don't want to be dependant on these pills for the rest of my life. I had them stashed at the farm, at work, in my car, all because if I would forget 1 day, it'd be a living heII. It's a newer procedure they did on me where the valve fix was incisionless and they do it all down your throat. All of my brothers have the same issue so I'm the guinea pig and if I'm happy, they may look into having it done as well.

This all means I can't eat breads, meats, or anything hard for a while yet too. Was on a fairly liquid diet for the 1st 2 weeks but now I can step it up a little bit more for the next 5-6 weeks. So far I'm down about 10 lbs. Hoping I can drop 20 by the time I'm done... I haven't seen 190 in a few years....

Donovan from Wisconsin

yea, listen to the doc or regret the price. i shattered my wrist in 05, hated being laid up, but i did my therapy and nursed it and gave it time to heal and now i am very grateful for the rest of my life that i did.

Don, I know how it fells. Don't over lift any thing. 2011 had heart surgery. During rehab talked to ones that had chest opened. If you lift too much and damage the healing bones the doc's can not fix and you have to live with the pain the rest of your life. Hang in there. You can do this and get better. In the long run you will fell and do much better. The time you have to wait will go by faster than you think. Hang in there. David

Thats a unique one, I can also imagine that the erosion from the acid would be an issue over time. Acid reflux or heartburn is a big time nuisance with the discomfort, as well as longer term effects, hopefully it works out for the best, you don't want to undo what they did for sure, but I would assume, you probably don't need to hear about that 100 more times LOL !

Hang in there and as the says. I had knee replacement a month ago and I also keep wanting to go outside and do yard work. The big problem is the mind is younger than this 71 year old body. get well for the summer.

I know that it is tough living within the
restrictions. But consider this: in 2002 I had
herniated disc surgery. I followed all the
restrictions to the letter. I am doing alright
today. At the same time my neighbor had herniated
disc surgery. He didn't follow the restrictions. He
just had his third back surgery. Case in point how
important following the restrictions are. Grit your
teeth and bear it.

I was there, for the month of February. I thought 2 weeks and I'd be able to do something useful again. Got home and picked up a bag with some canned food in it, maybe 10 pounds, got it up about 2 inches, and set it back down.
February was a lousy month, by the way.

It is tough, but don't push it, the restrictions are there for a reason.

I had some rods,cages,claps and screws installed in my back 12 years ago and I followed what Doc said to the letter.
Fellow down the road had the same thing but did not think lifting one bale would hurt, then the next day it was more,after five years he was having surgery again.
BTW, I was off work for 12 months,they would not even let me mow the grass.

I had weight restrittion put on me once,the doctor said not to lift anything heavier then a shot of whiskey or a ladies skirt- I hope you start feeling better- mike

Be glad they could do something for you and let it
fully heal before doing any lifting or you WILL
regret it! I'm sure your dad or other family
members won't mind helping you out till you're
healed. You'd help them in the same circumstance.

Had robotic by-pass end of last June, returned to work Aug 1st to not lose job. Tore the internal stitches from drainage tube area within 2 days. I still hurt a lot.
Dr said had it been open by-pass good chance woulda been outa work at least 6-9 months min.
Would have lost job for sure. I really liked the robotics. My .02 worth

follow what the doc tells you. I'm on a permanent weight restriction, 20 LBS and it's got to be 17" off the floor before I pick it up. It sucks! I really feel bad at the farm store when my 5'3" 115 pound wife has the handle feed bags and I'm standing there on crutches watching. My problems stem from poor doctors who didn't address problems when they occurred. It was, take it easy for a week. You will be fine. No physical therapy. I'm told now that my back problems were fixable right after I was injured. But because of an ER doc I'm now screwed.

Rick

I'm trying to take it easy, but one of the most frustrating parts is that my arms and legs are fine. I think if I had one of my arms or my back worked on I'd be a little more physically limited and it'd be easier to cope.

Also was initially told 2 weeks at 10 then they'd up it to 25. After the surgery they said 4 weeks at 10. That part got me a little mad.

Donovan from Wisconsin

I feel your frustration, but you need to get past that ASAP.

If you push it until you actually hurt, you have re-damaged it and have probably un-done the surgury. Second surguries heal even slower, are often less successful, and cost more than the first surguries. Your restriction is not permanent now, please don't re-injure yourself and make it permanent.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like you may still be planning to be able to stack small bales and do other heavy work by June or July. It may be best to have a heart to heart talk with your doctor to find out what is realistic, and then do some re-planning.

Good luck. 2014 could be a frustrating year, but as successful a recovery as possible will be more valuable in the long run.

Just had my followup with the surgon today. He said get past the 4 weeks of 10 lbs, and then just slowly ease into normal lifitng again since I'm not used to it anymore. So a little more than a week to go and I can get back at it a little more.

I still won't be rolling duals around for a while (atleast not the 38' ones) but by summer I should be more than ready to go, and not tied to a stinkin pill every day.

With that bit of new information, I feel a lot better and I can tough it out another week , and then it's Easter anyway so after that I can get back to normal wrenching.

For those who may be interested, here's a shot of what they did. You can see where my esophagus entered into my stomach was basically a straight pipe with no valve. They surgically created one by basically folding it back over on itself and cinching it up. In the long run, I should be able to eat just about anything I used to, without much worry about heartburn. I'm interested to see how it pans out. and I can probably keep you guys posted. I beleive my doc. said that about 40-45% of all men have a Hiatal Hernia like I had, and he's working with insurance companies to get the new procedure approved by all networks. One of the nurses told me last year he was ranked 4th in the nation with the procedure.

Donovan from Wisconsin