Cycling after Bowel Surgery – How Long?

Hi,
Has anyone on here had Bowel surgery,then returned to road riding? How long was your recovery,and how long before you were back on the bike?
I’m 3 weeks out of surgery now, and feeling better every day. I’ve got the sense to go out and ride at the moment and appreciate circumstances will vary, so just putting it out there

Thanks

My wife had fairly major bowel surgery back in November. It was about 3 months before getting back on the bike and only managed her first red route at the weekend. Not sure how this compares to others. Suppose it depends on how invasive the surgery was.

I have had part of my Colon & Duodenum removed then the two ends spliced back together ( following 6 months of Chemotherapy ) Doctors are happy that they have removed all cancerous tissue & a clear border too – waiting to see test results on clear area – Incision was from Sternum to just below belly button.

Internally things feel fine, and I’m not really in any pain with stomach muscles / cut ( surgery was 3 weeks ago )
I’m thinking of getting on the turbo at the end Of May for 10 min sessions then build from there. Did Mrs SQ do anything on turbo first?

Sorry to hear you’ve been through such tough times. Wife also had large part of colon removed with what sounds like the same incision. She has a stoma which is being reversed next month which means same surgery and healing time all over again. She didn’t do any turbo work but did do gentle rides round the streets with kids. She did yoga to slowly rebuild core strength. Take it slowly and listen to your body is her advice.

Cheers Buddy, thanks for the reply and a Speedy Recovery to Mrs SQ too

My regular bike buddy had a chunk of twisted bowel removed at the end of October. She was doing very gentle rides after six weeks, and has been building up steadily since then. Luckily she was very fit prior to the operation (triathlon training and lots of yoga) which helped with her recovery.

I presume you’re also following a Low Residue diet plan?

Thanks Esme, They have not given me a specific plan as such, but clear direction in relation to high fibre foods and what to avoid.

I don’t want to fall into the trap of doing too much too soon. Having said that, I’ve not ridden since October, so it’s going to be slow and Steady (pole’ pole’ ) for a while anyway.

Bought an E bike to help too – All my cycling mates are 6ft and 10 stone so fed up of being Billy no mates on the climbs 😉

You don’t need an E bike – you need different mates 😉

Had a few surgeries and bits chopped out over the years.
Recovery time has been variable depending on the surgery and how well / unwell I was before surgery.
My experience was nothing before 6 weeks and a few months taking it super easy after that. That recovery time sucks but I reckon it would be much worse to overdo it and end up off the bike for longer. I’ve often found turbo training useful to get fitness back – there’s not much danger of crashing and it’s easier to adapt to what your body is telling you.

Thanks Andy – I think 6 weeks sounds about right. Turbo for another 4 then perhaps a few gentle flat coffee & Cake rides depending on how I feel

Hi Carpe, start when you start to feel ready. My adage has always been “a little a lot”. People who advise you are often cautious. I know that seems useless advise but can’t seem to explain another way. For interest have a look at the Sean Yates article in last weeks Cycling Weekly, it may help.