Exhaustion after exercise- recovering from back surgery.

Philster

Hi, Hope I’m posting in the right place.

I need some advice on returning to fitness after back surgery. I had a microdiscectomy March 2013 complicated with nerve root damage to both L5 and S1, which meant complete loss of power and feeling to right leg. As a result it has been a long and slow recovery but now have pretty much full power back in my leg and foot. I have a very good physio and she wants me now to concentrate on getting general fitness and endurance back.

I’ve been doing a mixture of swimming, walk and using a seated exercise bike. The pool is 16m and I can now do 15 lengths (I had been taking lessons at the time of the injury so I can do the front crawl but not the breathing bit). I’ve not used the pool in 2 weeks as I’ve developed eczema… I can walk 5km up a lot of hills and I can do 50 minutes on bike at resistance 2 or 40 minutes increasing a level every 5 minutes up to level 4 and then back down again. We’ve not been pushing it so as not to cause any nerve burning or irritation, but do enough to get heart rate up to 140, breathless and very hot!

My problem is after doing 2x 5km walks last Saturday and Sunday and then increasing the level on the bike to 4 on Tuesday I have been feeling absolutely exhausted for the rest of the week. I work full time and for the last few days I could put my head on the desk and sleep. I was going to use the bike again yesterday but felt if I did I would just leave myself even more tired again today. I drink water during and after the bike use, but was thinking perhaps I need some sort of recovery aid. I had a google and it seems chocolate milk might be as good as anything else. Would this helps somewhat afterwards? I’ve also been driving back in to work, which I can manage and park 2km away so I get a good walk uphill to work and obviously a walk again in the evening.

Is it possible that even 5km walks and by normal standards not huge resistance on the bike could leave me this way?? When I was with the physio last week I asked if going to the pool twice a week and the bike twice a week would be okay and she was for it but I feel like I’m falling apart and need to get a plan that works for me. I parked at work this morning to avoid the extra walking, but don’t know whether to chance using the bike again over the weekend or what way to approach this. Up to this I had been very disciplined with my rehab physio and in some ways I might be pushing myself too hard as I just want to get back to normal. I’m a 37 year old woman. I had also put on some weight while I was laid up but have lost 7lbs in last 4 weeks with weight watchers and eat a sensible diet, with plenty of water. Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

thegreatiam

What's your "sensible" diet. That weight loss in that time is quite a lot for someone in recovery. You may very well not be eating right.

Are you eating low fat by any chance?

Philster

thegreatiam wrote: »

What's your "sensible" diet. That weight loss in that time is quite a lot for someone in recovery. You may very well not be eating right.

Are you eating low fat by any chance?

Cut out all chocolate which I did eat a lot of, no take aways, fizzy drinks. Mainly portion size as I had been going back for seconds. Take porridge now instead of cornflakes, more fruit and veg, stir fries with brown rice. I never ate much bread, so didn't have that to cut out.

Actually will go back and amend first post as it's 7lbs not 10.

ETA: when I first went back to work I started treating myself to a lot of hot chocolates and almond croissants, so have substituted that with pineapple chunks.

thegreatiam

Put up a sample daily diet. Include measurements