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Feeling Lethargic

I'm 3 weeks post op & I'm soooooo drained!!! I have no energy whatsoever!!! I get up to do something such as housework or anything simple as that and I can't because I feel worn out!!! Ughh!! What should I do?? Anybody out there feels like this?? HELPPPP!!!

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They say the anesthesia stays in your fat cells for a few months but you will especially feel it the first few weeks. Let's face it, we all have plenry of those or we wouldn't be here. Lol. Plus, your body is used to operating on a whole lot more calories. I'll be a week out tomorrow so I'm certainly no expert but I feel like this is just something we have to deal with for a little while. Just think how much easier moving will be when you are 50 pounds lighter!

I am five weeks post-op, and still trying to get over the bone weary fatigue I have had ever since the surgery. I sort of blame the anesthesia. I had another laprascopic surgery 18 months ago, and it took me over a month to get over being so tired and worn out! I only took 15 days off work after my sleeve procedure, and went back to a VERY physical job, and every day it is a struggle to get up, shower, dress and go to work. All I do when I am at home is sleep. I work 12 hour shifts, and every night before I go to work (I work 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM) I have to give myself a little pep talk and say "It will be better when you get to work! You WILL feel better once you get to work and get going! You WILL be fine!" But I am still tired and worn out. I do thnk it is getting better though. Unfortunately, now I am fighting feeling nauseated. Just out of the blue, the last 3 or 4 days, I have started to feel nauseated, especially when I try to eat. I do OK with liquids most of the time, but a bite of solid food, and the nausea is right there, making me feel like I am going to loose everything in my new little stomach! I have been trying to "ride this out", but am seriously considering going to see my personal care physician tomorrow, so see if I can get something for the nausea. But take heart, I REALLY believe that Time heals most things, and I Have to believe that the fatigue and the nausea will be gone one of these days soon! You are in my prayers!

KathyD49

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Thanks Kathy!! I have the nausea really bad too & also bad acid reflux! My dr gave me Zofran for the nausea & it's my best friend lol & I take Nexium for the acid..I'm trying to hang on tight but my my my it's very trying sometimes!! I know it'll only get better but where is BETTER?? Hahaha!! It needs to get here now because I'm tired of feeling down..prayers to you & I appreciate your prayers! ~Devan~

Ha! Talk about tired... I am 2.5 weeks out and I just want to sleep all day... Today was super bad! My hubby let me sleep in till 10 (that NEVER happens, btw). Then around 4 they had pizza and birthday cake for my best friend's daughter (they are staying with us for a while)... OMG, that pizza looked so darn good, it was all I could do to not just eat a bite (or two, or three...LOL) so I told them I was taking a shower and taking a SHORT nap.... I woke up at 8 PM!!!! I don't think I've slept like this since I was a teenager! And I KNOW I didn't get in my protein or my water today since my lazy butt was sleeping most of the day, so here I am at 1am drinking my water and getting ready to eat a boiled egg....:D

Are you able to get your Protein in?

I think the people that can't tolerate the Protein drinks have a harder time with fatigue.

Also drinking poweraide or gatoraide seems to help with nausea but it's good to get nausea medication which really does help.

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Yeah I hear ya! I'm super tired & sluggish..no good for nothing..just ugh! :-( I hope it gets better soon because just being like this wears me out! I don't like this stage!!

My Post-Op diet specifically stated that if I felt fatigued, to start Protein. I did, and so I did. Same things you've described. I also figured out that my blood pressured dropped dramatically and in 2 1/2 weeks post-op (from 142/85ish to 97/70!!), I'm at just above 50% of my original dosage. So...that is something to consider. Low BP will totally make you feel lifeless and if you have dizziness when you change 'elevation' (i.e., from squat to stand) and get dizzy, that would be my guess. It's also dangerous. I was resistant to the idea that it would drop so fast until it dawned on me that I'd not had much sodium to speak of in 4 weeks!! THAT was a HUGE revelation to me...

Best of luck,

Susan

I feel like that often and the only thing that helps me is to eat more. When I eat more food (especially protein) one day, I feel better for a bit longer the next day.

  • Author

Thanks you guys I will increase my protein starting today. & see if that helps...I get up from the sofa and walk to the kitchen and back and I feel like I've walked a marathon and I also have heart palpitations..could be my blood pressure because I have noticed dizziness when I change positions..thanks for all the info!

I'm out of surgery one week tomorrow and when I started drinking Protein shakes I felt much more energy. I've been choking down 3 a day (81g protein total) to feel good.

Ketosis in general makes me feel like I am trying to move through cold molasses. My body does not like it at all. Some people say it makes them feel like they have so much energy but it has never made me feel that way. It makes me tired, weak, dizzy and feel like I am going to pass out. But starting tomorrow... I am going to try 6 months of it. If I can't deal with it then I will have to depend on the major calorie deficit and exercise to bring about the weight loss. I understand that weight loss will probably be slower but as long as it comes off I am happy with it.

Khy

Dee - you are one day ahead of me so I know what you are feeling. One day I feel almost 80% better and then the very next day I feel so draggy! I have ALSO developed some kind of sinus/allergy thing. I have a dry cough and constant sinus drainage. Now I don't know WHAT is going on - whether it is still residual affects of the surgery OR affects of sinuses! BOTH will make you feel draggy. AND my back hurt, but doing a little better now. AND I had an incision issue where the drain tube was. It kept popping open. I finally put steri-strips on it and it has healed up -- BUT where the adhesive is on the strips has made bad sores because of an allergy to the adhesive!!

So -- yeah -- healing is hard and miserable.

BUT -- I don't feel as bad as I did 2 weeks ago, and I don't feel as good as I am going to feel 6 weeks from now.

I have been eating a lot of tuna & chicken pate -- lol. AND creamy egg salad, and whatever Protein I can take just to try and get my energy up. Remember that good fats supply energy so be sure you are putting good fats in the mix!! I put a tsp of coconut oil, olive oil, or real butter in some of my foods. The good oils keep your skin soft, your hair shiny, and you nails strong. etc. Don't neglect the good fats!

You might want to make a trip to your primary dr and tell them how you feel. Are you dizzy at all?? I was that exact way after surgey and went to my PCP and he drew blood and I was horribly anemic!!

I take iron supplements daily and I feel soooo much better!! A simple blood test is all it took to see what was going on!

Kelly :)

I was still winded and tired at 3 weeks. And I still had incision pain. Everyone's timeline for feeling better is different. I am FREAKIN tired today. I am almost 6 weeks out. It is ok. I am sure everything will get to a good place eventually.

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