6 Months Post-Op...why Am I So Tired?!?!

[LeahG 16]

Hi everyone! I haven't posted on here in awhile - just lurking. I will be six months post-op on Friday and am down 78 pounds...woohoo! But I AM SO TIRED!!! All of the time. I don't think a day goes by where I could say that I wasn't tired. I get a full 8 hours of sleep every night. I am eating on average about 600-800 calories daily, and I don't feel deprived whatsoever. I usually get in 60-70 grams of Protein a day and 30-40 grams of carbs. I use the elliptical 30 minutes 3x a week and burn 350-400 calories each time according to my HRM. I take my Vitamins and meds every day, including two Flintstones Complete with Iron, sublingual B12, Biotin, birth control, thyroid meds and Wellbutrin. I just had my thyroid levels tested two weeks ago and they are within normal limits. I had my full blood panel done in October (3 months out) and I'll be getting my 6 month labs done soon. 3 month lab results came back normal in all categories. Oh, and I gave blood last month and the nurse told me my Iron levels are "extraordinarily high" for a woman. I am out of ideas of why I am so exhausted. I think it's about nap time. lol

HELPPP!

[MoonSiren 48]

You should get your thyroid tested by an Endocrinologist since you may need higher or lower doses of medication. I was always tired because I was taking too low of a dose and after labwork came in I was increased to 75mg of Synthroid/Levothyroxine. It really helped out and I had tons more energy. Also, because you lost so much weight, you should discuss getting on a lower dose of Wellbutrin. You may be taking the same dosage you were taking when you were 78 lbs heavier. Those with smaller body mass need lower doses of psychiatric medication. You could be over-medicated!

[LeahG 16]

When I had my thyroid tested (and was in normal limits) a couple weeks ago, she still upped my dosage from 75 mcg to 88 mcg of Levothyroxine to help with energy. My PCP also just doubled my dose of wellbutrin from 150 to 300 because it didn't seem to be helping. My energy levels seem the same as pre-wellbutrin. Hmph. All of these dosage changes occured Jan 9th during my yearly physical.

[UXgrrl 29]

It sounds like you're doing everything right, so its time to start looking into other potential sources of your exhaustion.

I went through something similar and was tired all the time, and my doctor ordered the full workup, blood tests, you name it. Eventually I ended up getting a polysomnograph, or a overnight sleep study. They were pretty sure that I had sleep apnea, because of my obesity, and even pre-fit a CPAP device before I went to bed in case they needed to come in midway through and put it on me, but it turned out I had a sleep phase disorder instead, as well as Periodic Limb Movement disorder. I already was pretty sure I had Restless Leg Syndrome, so this came as no real surprise.

My paticular sleep phase disorder takes the form of being an incurable night owl, another thing I already was struggling with. I was chronically short changed on sleep, and on the weekends or on vacation I'd revert back to my normal sleep patterns (ideally 3am - noon) which made the workweek miserable. What worked best for me was melatonin and Mirapex for the RLS.

You may be a different story. It's possible that something is happening during sleep which is preventing you from sleeping deeply enough; if so, the sleep study will help identify that. Good luck!

[andersonlj 32]

when is the last time that they did a complete blood panel on you.....sounds like something is going on and they need to run a bunch of blood tests. I hope that this would show something. You may be deficient in something.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

Keep bugging the docs until they come up with an answer. You are doing all the right things to take care of your health and now it's time that they step it up so you can get some relief. Let us know how they have decided to help you...... Please keep on buggin them until they do something...

[wishes 125]

Aw, Leah, congrats on the awesome weight loss! I am so happy for you. However, I hope you get the energy thing figured out! That is a little worrisome.

[june13sleever 223]

I really suffer from SAD. It is the winter! I lived in Florida and didn't have any problems. I am tired too. I think I am going to make an appointment too.

[longer-life 139]

Isn't 600-800 calories too low? Especially on exercise day. I am not sure though. Hopefully someone can comment in regards to this.

[FishingNurse 1,211]

I agree with Longer-life! up those calories if you can!

[Bedhead 158]

I'm going to totally agree with the last two posters! The first thing I thought when I read your opening post was that 600-800 calories is WAY too low to be doing the kind of physical activity you're doing! Have you tried upping your caloric intake to 1,000-1,200 calories to see how it changes things? Logically you'd think that fewer calories will equate to higher weight loss, but that's not exactly true once you get below a certain threshold. A body needs a certain number of calories just to perform its regular functions through the day, so when you're not getting enough calories for your body to function appropriately AND do the high impact workouts you're doing. Especially since your bloodwork was all fine- I really think the calories in VS the calories out may be the problem.

[LeahG 16]

I am definitely going to try and up my calories and find a balance where I can still lose weight but not feel like a pile of poo doing it. I ate 765 calories (about 150 calories more than usual), 70g Protein and 56 carbs yesterday and could already tell that I was feeling better. (Even though I burned 390 calories)

My problem is that when I try to up my calories I tend to reach for unhealthy things. Does anyone have any ideas of healthy sources of Protein with higher calorie counts? (I could only think of nuts) And if it has a higher calorie count, does that necessarily mean it is going to be loaded with carbs?

I really appreciate all of the help here! Don't know what I'd do without you guys!

[eleanor 0]

I would agree with the posting about the number of calories in and out, especially when you take into account that the human body needs a minimum of 900 calories for healthy neurological functions.

[Abrar Ahmad 0]

There are a few reasons you are feeling tired without any reason. One of them is anemia, which is a lack of red blood cells and conversely, oxygen from the lungs is not properly brought to the tissues and cells. Anemia may be caused by deficiency of Vitamins or minerals, internal bleeding or chronic diseases. Women who are at “that time” of the month are susceptible to anemia as blood is lost during menstruation. Still, Iron deficiency due to menstruation is less than in pregnant women or lactating mothers, as their body needs extra iron to maintain healthy blood levels. Things may also go wrong when your thyroid glands refuse to cooperate with you. Thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are responsible for metabolic processes in the body. Too much thyroid hormone causes hyperthyroidism which speeds up metabolism while too little thyroid hormone slows down metabolism. Hyperthyroidism causes fatigue and muscle weakness and starts in the thighs. Doing energy demanding activities become difficult and other symptoms include weight loss, feeling warm, shorter menstruations, increased heart rate and thirst. Hypothyroidism also causes fatigue and muscle weakness. The symptoms are reversed to hyperthyroidism such as weight gain, feeling cold and longer menstruations. Diabetes, notorious for causing a range of problems in the body, is also related to fatigue. As glucose is the staple fuel of the body, it is not utilized properly in patients with type 2 diabetes as the absence of insulin causes the glucose to build up in the body. Without its staple fuel, the tissues of the body are not nourished properly and causes fatigue. Sadly, being sad can also be the reason you feel tired. Depression induces negative feelings and also has negative effects on the body as it causes a reduction in energy levels, changes in sleep and eating patterns, decreased concentration and overall laziness and worthlessness which keeps you in bed all day.
Reference: http://bit.ly/2f9bC1e