When can I resume contact sports?

I am having RNY tomorrow (yay!).  I play on a roller derby team here in South Florida. My surgeon said that I can resume playing after 4 weeks, although I might not *feel* up to it energy-wise.  Roller derby is a contact sport. We get hit and hit like they do in sports like rugby. But we're moving at high speeds on skates. In your experience, how long would you have waited until resuming such an activity? I want to have a practical goal and expectation in mind. Thanks for any input.

I think 4 to 8 weeks you'll be healed on the outside. You're still healing on the inside for months though. Everyone is different. I'd guess 6 to 8 weeks for full contact but go back slow. You could probably start skating the first week without the contact. I'm sure you would fall a lot less than I would. :) Good luck Keep us updated.

My experience isn't quite the same as contact sports.  I honestly would think you would have more physical demands than I did by what I do.  I manage a ranch and routinely travel rough roads and lift 50 pound feed bags along with a lot of other physical things like climbing ladders, repairing fences and doing a lot of lifting, pushing and pulling.  My doctor was adamant that I wait a full 8 weeks after bypass before I start slowly.  The thing that was the hardest was riding in a truck on bumpy roads.  I thought I was ripping everything loose.  I would do exactly what the doctor says but make sure he completely understands what it is that you do and how demanding it is.  Another doctor for a friend of mine had her wait 8 weeks to heal also because she is a nurse and needs to be able to lift patients and move them around.  Good luck!  The recovery time seems like forever but everyone is different and the results are  so worth while! Katy B

I started boxing at around 8-9 months out.   I've sparred quite a few times since and been slammed with body blows more times than I can count.   I haven't broken any guts yet.

I did talk to my doc about it before I started though and he didn't have any problems with it at all.  He told me that after 45 days or so your insides were as healed as they were going to be and just and the connections were just as strong as they were before surgery.   I'm still a little skeptical of that but I don't let my fears of busting a gut stop me.  :)