Am I doing too much after surgery?

[AeroZeppelin92]

Hey guys. I'm officially 12 days post op today, and I'm wondering if a little bit of soreness is normal or from me doing too much. I'm a pretty active person so it's hard for me to sit still for too long. Granted I'm avoiding the gym and all that but I move around a lot. Also, I rode my motorcycle yesterday and today and I'm starting to wonder if maybe that's a bad idea, it's hard to resist tho.

So my soreness is not very painful, basically feels like the day after the gym and it's mostly in the armpit area where the drains were. So is it normal to have this still or should I tame down my activity level for the next week or so?

[Andre87]

I haven't had top surgery yet but I had other kind of surgery(PCOS+explorative so they needed long incision).I made a mistake,I was too active too early,they pumped a lot of blood out of it when my incision again opened...so now I have a "weak spot"..stretched end of incision..so now it messes with my bladder(if underwear band presses the spot I have to go to toilet,there's not enough insulation on that part so I need to warm it etc..)

My advice would be to take care of your body so that you can keep good results..be patient.The other photo you posted,your chest look great!

[invisiblemonsters]

i went back to school a week after surgery. i was fine to walk around and do normal stuff and if no one knew, they probably didn't think i even had surgery but lifting my arms above my head and even showering was difficult. i took it pretty easy and didn't even go back to work for 4 weeks (and i have a physically demanding job). the pain where the drains were is what i experienced and experienced it for a few weeks. the drains had to be the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience.

if i were you i'd just take it easy. if you had a DI, you can stretch your scars and w/e if you're doing too much. also your stitches aren't dissolved for 30 - 90 days so i'd just be careful. i still had scabs on my nipples when i went back to work but the first day i went back, they ended up falling off because of how active i was. just take it easy man, no rush. i know it's boring but you rather not stress yourself too much too soon.

[Arch]

Better to lay off the activity.

I was super careful and was healing fine. But I experienced one misstep when I was dismounting the Pride shuttle two and a half weeks after surgery. I instinctively grabbed the steel handhold to keep from falling. As a result, one of my areolas was yanked rather hard and did not heal cleanly. All it takes is one wrong move; I think it's better not to risk it.

[RaptorChops]

I agree with Arch.

I'm 20 days post op and I have been doing my best not to do anything too much. I haven't driven and of course no exercise. I've been walking around and doing non physical activities like movies and such. I do spend most my days in bed though watching Netflix. It can get extremely depressing but the only thing that keeps me happy is knowing that my results will look great with the less I do.

I have a job that's very physically demanding so I am out for 6 weeks. I do not look forward to going back lol.

[HeyTrace19]

Yes, the soreness is normal, but...I'd be inclined to give it at least 3-4 weeks of healing before getting back on the bike...My '75 Honda weighs about 400 lbs, and if there was some kind of mishap, I never would have been able to get that baby upright again just after chest surgery. Gotta have full abilities AND faculties when you get on the bike, man!  Be Safe.  Sucks waiting, I know...but the time will pass.   Congrats on the surgery!

[FTMax]

I think only you can judge if you're doing too much. If the soreness is difficult to power over, I'd rest.

I was driving and back at work once my drains were out (so day 8? or 9?). My job is pretty physical. I hired an assistant for myself to do all of my lifting/reaching, but other than that I was running around with a backpack, driving my truck, and carrying a laptop at that point. I didn't lift anything over 20lbs for a full month. Didn't reach overhead for three weeks. No bicycle/motorcycle for six weeks (personal preference, surgeon said I was good to go at 4 weeks). I was always at least a little sore, but it hasn't had any effect on my results.

[kaidenhendricks89]

I would take it easy for sure!  I am three weeks post op and I'm going to drive tomorrow for the first time since surgery. I've been walking around and doing simple tasks around the house as well as taking my dog (who doesn't pull on a leash at all) for short walks but that's it.  I am a welder so with a physical job like that I took a full 8 weeks off (better safe than sorry) my surgeon also told me I was not to lift more than ten pounds for six weeks. I had a DI with nipple graft and a little liposuction so I'm trying to be careful to not stretch my scars