In the near future I will be having my 2nd colectomy, and in preparation I have decided to put on weight. Currently I am 13lbs (6kg) above my normal weight and I'm not sure whether it's the right thing to do before an operation. The last time I was operated on my weight plunged to 75-80 lbs and I don't want a repeat of this situation. Given my height I doubt anyone could tell I'd put on weight so that's not an issue, I'm just worried whether I've overdone it.
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13 pounds is unlikely to be of great consequence, but in general I'd suggest getting as healthy and strong as possible before surgery, rather than trying to make quick changes that might take a while for your body to fully adapt to. People who have a good exercise program in place before surgery (not started two or three weeks before!) have reserves not available to the sedentary. But you can't cram for this test.
I haven't really exercised because the last time I was in the hospital I was really skinny and I had barely any muscle on me. All those gains I made in the gym for years had gone because of muscle wastage. I couldn't walk properly for weeks without panting every 50 feet. I never want to be 75-80 lbs again.
I hope you are speaking to your surgeon about this as many surgeons prefer their patients lean and don't like extra fat tissue. I was made to lose weight by my surgeon before he would cut me, although I was not greatly overweight at the time, as he felt the surgery was made more complicated by extra weight and enhanced the likelihood of complications like impotence occurring.
By the ways when I had surgery I was about 10 pounds over my normal weight (due to massive Prednisone dosages) and my surgeon told me to lose that 10 pounds or he wouldn't cut me period and end of story. It was very hard to get it off and took a couple months, but I did it.
Instead of concentrating on weight (which is just a number) why not get ready by being in the best physical shape possible? Increase your protein intake, do some physical conditioning, make sure your sleep/wake cycles are optimal, and condition the muscles in your body especially your abdominals. Practice deep breathing and coughing.
A pretty easy one to get your heart in shape, which would be very important, is walking. While I may never be this lucky again, I walked about three miles a day as often as I could before my last surgery. After surgery and still in the hospital I felt like I could walk a very long distance without tiring, pushing fluids and the pole. It may not have been the whole reason, but I feel my recovery was very, very quick from a pouch redo.
