Hi there,
I've had a permanent ileostomy for a year and a half now.
In the first 6 weeks after surgery, I did very little. I was very weak, lost a lot of muscle from being so sick and in bed all day. Severe bone density loss and low iron levels. For those six weeks, I could not stretch properly for fear of tearing something. I feared sneezing and coughing and held my tummy to support myself when I did.
I was advised that after the 6 weeks, I could start building up my muscles. Small walks and floor stretches on my back, bent legs, letting them fall together from side to side was nice and gentle to start with. Eventually, I built up confidence and pushed myself just that little bit more every week. After a full year, I finally felt strong enough to start going to the gym and doing some weight training to rebuild my legs and arms, but didn't do much targeted stomach exercise. But now that I saw some muscle tone coming back in the last few weeks, I have started the Beach Body Insanity 60-day workout. Very intense, lots of ab work but I skip anything that seems too wearing on my abs. I have done two fit tests and I have gained fitness! I still feel very weak in my abs but a million times better than when I first came home from the hospital! My advice is to wear support pants or a hernia prevention belt during all exercise! It makes me feel more confident.
Hope this helps a little
Carly