Blood clots

my pulmonologist told me it is extremely important to get up and walk every hour to two hours after surgery to prevent blood clots. My surgeon is telling me to rest as much as I can after surgery to heal quick. What do I go off of? I've seen many posts where post ops get tired quickly and take long naps or sleep for hours. I don't know who to listen to.  

One of the main things you read that post-ops should do is "Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk." I'm not sure about the every one to two hours, though - hopefully someone else who knows can chime in with just how often you should be walking. But yes - it's VERY important to do a lot of walking to prevent blood clots!

i WAS TOLD TO WALK AFTER SURGERY TO PREVENT  clots but I have a clotting blood disorder

 my hubby had 2 major life saving surgeries and he was told to walk as much as possible after surgery , but best to ask your surgeon and tell him want  the pulmonolist told you

I just had surgery on Thursday... That day they told me up to pre that was it ... But the next day they wanted me up every few hours and this morning the doc was in and said I needed to be put of bed more then in it was even if I was just sitting in the chair waitching tv. Every doc is going to have a different plan based on how your surgery went I  say listen to your team they will do what us best for you depending on your pain level. 

Your doctor's "rest suggestion" includes getting up and walking around your house.  He/She doesn't want you to do anything strenuous, but it's VERY important that you get out of your chair and move to prevent blood clots..  Walking several miles would be frowned upon early out.  Don't go to the the gym and work out on machines with weights.  Walk a few laps around your house then rest for a few hours. 

Try to get up and walk at least 5 minutes every 60-90 minutes especially the first 3 weeks post-op. This will help prevent blood clots which are a possible complication. When resting you can do the accelererator movements (flex and stretch each foot like you're pressing down and easing up on a vehicle accelerator) and this helps blood to keep moving up and down the legs when sitting or in bed. The requirement to prevent blood clots is in conjunction with napping and recovery.

My goals were to walk five minutes of every waking hour and to sip one ounce of water every 15 minutes. 

My practice only had one person die after surgery.  She went home and refused to get out of her chair.  She developed a blood clot and died the next day.

I kep****er next to the bed, but still woke up dehydrated at first.  The first two to three weeks are when you need to be very careful about hydrating and moving around.  After that you should be back to normal exercise.  I could do 30 minutes on the treadmill by three weeks out.  The first few days it was hard to get in five minutes at a time.

Rest when you're not walking!

You do both.  We're not talking marathons here.  We're talking moving.  I was in the hospital for 4 days and my goal was 10 laps around the nurses daily.  That's not a lot, but it sure felt like it.

Walking for five minutes every hour leaves plenty of time for rest. You need movement, you have to maintain your circulation. Getting out of bed puts more of a strain on what needs to heal than a little stroll will.

Years ago, people would be encouraged to stay in bed for days or weeks after surgery, and it did more harm than good. Now they want you up and moving. You can move and still get plenty of rest.