What do you mean no gym for 6 weeks?

Two days post-surgery



For the first couple weeks the pain was excruciating when trying to stand up from seated or sit-up from a laying position. It took a few minutes to sit up or lie down with assistance. Thank God I had lats because in the hospital I used that pull-up bar over the bed to move myself around. And at home I used my arms, lots of shoulder and tricep strength, to push myself up to seated. ANY AB MOVEMENT (contraction or stretching) shot me back down to size. It took two weeks to lay on my side comfortably. This has been the most humbling experience of my life. My suggestion to women getting this surgery: workout HARD leading up to it. That upper body strength will get you through it.

After surgery the doc said no gym for 6 weeks. Yeah, look who she's talking to. I'm probably the worst patient on the planet: stubborn and thick-headed. Sure, I didn't want to do crap for a week. But I was starting to heal so fast. Each day showed http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifincredible improvement in range of motion and strength. I hated being sick so bad for so long I couldn't wait any longer.

I knew if I went into the gym just to "hang out" I would end up working out and hurting myself. But by 3 weeks I was feeling like a fish out of water. So I started out with incline dumbbell chest press and my boyfriend handing me the 10's, some tricep push-downs, just putzing around. Lat pull-downs were a no-go because of the ab stability/stretching needed.

By 4 weeks I felt ready to do my first ab work. I started with 2 sets on the ab ball and 1 set of side planks. Regular planks still weren't happening yet.

Introduction -

I've had a very successful career as a pro figure athlete. For the past 3 1/2 years I dealt with a condition the medical community doesn't quite know a lot about: endometriosis. Although the cause of mine was known and very specific to "mechanical dysfunction" caused by a prior cervical cone biopsy surgery, the treatment only delayed the inevitable hysterectomy. Despite dealing with DAILY excruciating pain that my trainer nor I understood we worked our asses off and I kept winning shows or placing top 3. Depo Lupron monthly injections kept me pain free during contest season, but in the off season when my estrogen levels rose back to normal there was no relief.

But by the end of 2010 it all came to a head. I couldn't train anymore, the pain was so bad. There's no way I could hold a normal 40 hour a week job. Pain scale of 9 or 10 for 4 to 6 hours every day. Pain scale of 3 to 5 the rest of the day. Ultrasounds didn't show everything, but on July 13, 2011 during my hysterectomy surgery I had an abscess growing out of my uterus and left ovary that were stuck together with my colon wrapped around the mass. My right ovary was fine, and I got to keep it. My doctor did a great job untangling the mess and removing the broken parts. I knew the worst was over and I thank God for my second chance at health.

Looking ahead though, I had lost a lot of muscle and gained a good amount of fat from my inactivity. I look like my before pictures from the Body for Life Challenge back in 1999. I know that I know what to do. I did it before. But it's a scarey view looking up the mountain to where I need to go. It's a place that took me 8 years to reach and 3 years to maintain since I first starting working out in 1999.