Ive started to get back in to doing stomach excersizes. I am 4 months out of takedown. But recently i seem to have a cramp at the stoma site when i walk, its dull but i can still feel it. I dont know if im just freaking myself out over nothing or its just the feeling of the muscles being worked or from being hit in the stomach in a game of basketball.
Is There any way i could do damage from sit ups? Hernia maybe?
Im pretty sure i know the answer, but its always nice to hear someone else say it. Thanks

Hi Ash,

I aquired a hernia years ago (when I still had my j-pouch) after using one of those slendertone belts. Ok, I was doing abdo crunches and visited the gym 3 times a week so I suppose it could have been a combination of things (much like you), but I actually felt the muscle "snap" while using the belt.

You have to be so careful whenever doing any abdo excersises if you have had abdominal surgery because the very nature of the operation itself means that your stomach muscles have been compromised.

This is probably no more than a warning to take things a little easier, so listen to your body and be kind to it when you feel pain. That's why we have pain receptors!

Hope you feel better soon.

Shell

Does that mean all ab muscle excercise is risky? My belly is soooo flabby now and I was just thinking that I'm going to have to get going on crunches. Is that off limits for ever? I have no muscle tone in my stomach area at all any more. Do I have to stick to walking and running to lose weight and tone up overall?

Well - I do very heavy ab work - weighted decline situps etc. I think that the surgery def. makes the muscles weaker because I do think I've developed a hernia at my belly button. It doesn't hurt but I'm 95% sure it's a hernia. I'm still doing heavy ab work to keep the muscle strong but I think that space between the ab muscles at the belly button is going to have to be strengthened with some mesh soon.

I'm 6 months post TD and I began doing ab workouts after 2 months. I've never had a problem but it was tough in the beginning. Start slow and listen to your body. I'm pretty much back to post-surgery strength.

Kevin

I think that swimming is the best and most safest form of excersise. It uses a lot of muscles including your abs and when I was swimming on a regular basis I found that I was well toned all over.

Sadly I no longer have the energy to stick to a strict excersise regime and have to make do with a brisk 45 min (each way) walk to work and back. This does nothing for my abs, but as they are shot now anyway from 9 abdominal operations, 7 of which were full laparotomies (gutted like a fish) I have been given strict instructions from my surgeon that I can no longer practice any ab axcersises because of the risk of another peristomal hernia!

To look at me now you'd never believe that I once had a beautifully toned and flat stomach! Sadly I now look like a cross between a patchwork quilt and a landslide! Perhaps I'm just kidding myself and in fact it's just nothing more than middle age spread?

Shell

Well, I've piled on so much weight since January that landslide is definitely the right term for my belly. OMG.