Swinging after surgery - Seeking advice

Most of you might think this post has no meaning except to a very few so I'm only asking the very few to whom this may have meaning to read it.  I haven't taken a full swing since my end colostomy surgery for fear of a hernia or just ripping my guts apart.  I miss golf and surf fishing more than I ever would've imagined.  I'll concede to the stripers and blues off the Jersey shore but it's killing me to not play the greatest game.  Should I just ignore the possibilities and swing away?  I know in the overall scheme of things this seems small but for those addicted to the game, it's pretty huge.

Any thoughts PB,  Penguins7, anybody?

Thanks,

Mike

Get out those clubs, iMac. My surgeon cleared me for golfing in a countywide tournament only 10 days after my reversal back in 2004. In the interest of full disclosure, however, I should tell you that he was also a golfer.

I never had any problem as you describe, even though I have had several major abdominal area surgeries since then. Three years ago, only two months after one of these surgeries, my golfing buddies noted that I was hitting the ball better than ever. I told them that, if they were seriously interested in improving their game, they should see a surgeon.

Like anything else, common sense applies. Begin with some small buckets at the driving range and then go on to play nine holes. There's absolutely no reason to give up the game. Get back to fishing, too. That said, it's important for everyone to be careful when lifting heavy objects such as a big golf bag out of a car's trunk.

Good luck, and stay in the short grass.

PB

I would be cautious and go to the range and hit a few balls. Be sure to stretch your muscles and do a few exercises so you don't strain your back. I play golf at least 3 days per week (if work didn't get in the way I would play every day) and was wondering how I would do after my surgery. Well, I have never played better golf and got my index down to an 8.0 for the first time ever. I think a major surgery can make you more cautious and create a more controlled and easier swing. Hey, let the club do the work. I refuse to let my Crohn's or ileostomy surgery get in the way of my everyday life. I just purchased my new golf cart cover last week and have a heater and plan on playing until the snow flies in Michigan. IMacG5, get out there and get that golf swing going again. Good luck. Penguin.

Thanks PB and Penguins7 for the encouragement and advice.  Unfortunately, I think I'm a club short in the common sense area but I'll take that advice starting next spring.  Maybe next week.  

Sincerely,

Mike

Hey PB and Penguins7, after reading your advice I then read an article about Tiger Woods hitting a ball from Asia to Europe.  He's doing (or did) this on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul.  It's a concrete surface and we all know how the ball bounces and rolls on hard stuff.  I once hit my tee shot on the par five 10th hole at Brigantine Links that ended up about 30 yards past the green.  Of course it was OB on a side street about ¾ of a block left but just watching it bounce on the blacktop was a scary thrill because it just missed three separate cars and an older woman getting her newspaper from the curb.   I was too embarrassed to go and pick it up then but, on my way back to the hotel, I drove down that street, pulled over and got out of the car, made believe I was checking my right rear tire and slid the ball into my shirt pocket.  I later marked that ball with the zip code of the golf course hoping it was different from where it ended up.  I measured the total distance to be about 615 yards.  Only about 580 if it took a straightline but it made a 90 off the utility pole on North Shore Drive and I added that yardage instead of Pythagoras' measurement.  I'm sure he never played the game.  My point is, Big Deal Tiger!  Given the right conditions we could do some pretty exciting things with a golf ball.  I'm taking a bucket of balls to the Hamilton Mall parking lot tomorrow.  Let's see what happens.

Mike

PS:  I don't see how this is ostomy related but thanks for the Mulligan. Actually, for many of us, every day is a Mulligan.

Getting Support in the Ostomy Community with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

The ostomy may not be related to many things in life, Mike; but golf certainly has connections with ostomies. When I watch PGA golf on Sunday afternoons, for instance, a commercial often comes on with a nosy Scotsman asking, "What's in your bag?" Well, I think he would learn to mind his own *^@*# business if I showed him. On another note, I see Tiger is up to his old tricks again breaking more records. I thought his wife taught him about his limitations with the deft placement of an angry short iron.
    PB

I'm laughing, PB, as I imagine the Scotsman's reaction to your disclosure.  That WOULD teach him.  As for the other guy, some just don't learn until it's too late regardless of the instructor and/or the method.

Thanks for the giggles.

Mike

You dudes are cracking me up! Show him what's in my bag? Laugh!! Once I felt secure with my pouch and the way I attached it (sometimes with tape or some elastic barrier strips), I hit the club! The guys are right - of course. Start small. Take it easy. As a somewhat younger ostomate (40), I try not to worry too much about hernias, but I do strengthen my stomach muscles regularly. The funny thing is that I did have a bag failure once playing golf. I had a blowout playing Wii Golf at a buddy's house a few years ago! LOL! My fault. Didn't have it taped up well enough! Watch out for the water! Steve

Hi Mac, I've only got a urostomy, but I'm now 85. I manage one full 18-hole round a week and one little 9-hole pitch putt. I've accepted a shorter distance due to age and the stoma, and I often say to my playing partners, "I now play with my brain and not my balls!" For confidence, I wear a Basko support belt while playing, so I don't have to worry about my body swing. And because it has a plastic stoma cover, I feel confident it won't get nudged while I'm manipulating the bag and clubs. Don't stop playing, Mac. Cheers, Ted.

Hi Ted.  I'm inspired by your reply and impressed with your stamina.  Thanks for the advice. When I was about 45, I played 9 holes with a 93 year old gentleman.  He walked and carried a "Sunday" bag with about 10 clubs.  I drove a cart, had a bag with about 3 drivers, 2 putters and about a dozen other clubs.  Though I outdrove him by a ton, I only hit one fairway, found water once and OB once.  I shot 41 and he shot 40.  Thanks again for reminding me of the beauty of the game.  Cheers to you!

Mike