Feeling not so awesome, 4 weeks post-op!

[gonnabeaskinny 5]

So I am 4 weeks post-op and am still not feeling well. Im not sure what the exact issue is but I'm tired of not feeling well.

The first issue is I have a lot of dizziness when I stand up too fast. I have had one extreme episode when I stood up and the dizziness set in, my ears were ringing so loud I couldn't hear my husband and he had to grab me and get me back to the couch because I almost fell over. Somedays this isn't an issue, sometimes its extremely scary. My doctor said to drink gatorade and check my blood sugars regularly. Neither of these things are the issue.

The second issue is (possibly) not being able to eat enough. I have a doctors appt next week to go over this but I rarely ever feel hungry. I don't have an exact calorie intake but I would guess around 400 calories is what I am eating a day at most.

My husband thinks I am not getting enough nutrition. I get nauseous quite often and will throw up plain Water sometimes. I have muscle weakness and get tired very easily. I am not working out yet.

I guess my question is - is all the normal so early after surgery? Do I need to be eating more calories? Is it just a matter of time before I feel better?

Thanks for reading!

[futureloser 190]

Start tracking your food and drink and track when you get dizzy. Kind of a pain but if I track I remember to eat and drink. If you aren't getting enough nutrients you could be dizzy. Did your doc do a blood test to check your blood sugar? What about blood pressure?

[Molly3 495]

Hi, I'm 4wks out as well & I barely get 400 calories in a day....So to me it sounds normal. I struggle if I go beyond that!

[gonnabeaskinny 5]

My doctor didn't check my blood sugar because I do so semi-regularly anyway because I tend to have low sugar levels. And during my visit my blood pressure was normal.

It is possible I need to be drinking more Water though. I am glad to hear 400 calories is about normal. Thanks for that tidbit!

I am going to start tracking my food and Water and see if I have any issues there.

[Sassygirl06 962]

I had these problems as well. All I can say is that it took me up till between 2-3 months before I felt normal again. Every day gets a little better. This shall pass, and you will be loving your decision very soon. In the mean time....when I was at your stage I bought Protein Shots from Walmart. They have up to 27 grams of Protein per shot. Get them incredibly cold....and then they don't taste that bad. It helped me to have more energy and feel better. You need to make sure to get all of your protein in otherwise you will start losing muscle....and that is not what you want. Good luck! I hope you feel better soon!

[christieouchley 55]

I noticed I get dizzy on days when my calories are low. When I moved them up to 650 a day I stopped doing that. How much Water are you getting?

[tinahall 27]

My calories are usually closer to 800-900, but I do struggle with drinking 64 oz of liquid. I think more calories and liquid will help a lot

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[Houston17 115]

Definitely keep a check on the blood pressure. I felt the same with the dizziness and it was because my bp got too low so I was taken off my bp medicine. Also, are you taking a multi- Vitamin and B12. I think this helps also. Take care!

[gonnabeaskinny 5]

I am taking a multi Vitamin but not B12. I think the bp may be an issue, also I'm not able to get in a full 64 oz, maybe 1/2-2/3 of that.

[Houston17 115]

Definitely check with your doctor about the B12. It will help with energy. Also, get your bp checked. I've read several posts on here about how the low Bp caused dizziness. Good luck!

[gonnabeaskinny 5]

Thanks!

[Mrs.RRn 2,110]

I've been having the same dizziness, and I was having poor concentration. My doc suggested B12, and its working for me!

And def try to get in all that liquid!!

Good luck!

[dreao 4]

So I am 4 weeks post-op and am still not feeling well. Im not sure what the exact issue is but I'm tired of not feeling well.

The first issue is I have a lot of dizziness when I stand up too fast. I have had one extreme episode when I stood up and the dizziness set in' date=' my ears were ringing so loud I couldn't hear my husband and he had to grab me and get me back to the couch because I almost fell over. Somedays this isn't an issue, sometimes its extremely scary. My doctor said to drink gatorade and check my blood sugars regularly. Neither of these things are the issue.

The second issue is (possibly) not being able to eat enough. I have a doctors appt next week to go over this but I rarely ever feel hungry. I don't have an exact calorie intake but I would guess around 400 calories is what I am eating a day at most.

My husband thinks I am not getting enough nutrition. I get nauseous quite often and will throw up plain Water sometimes. I have muscle weakness and get tired very easily. I am not working out yet.

I guess my question is - is all the normal so early after surgery? Do I need to be eating more calories? Is it just a matter of time before I feel better?

Thanks for reading![/quote']

I am 7 weeks post op and I still feel dizzy and have very low energy levels. I am still on 600 calories and 90 grams of Protein and it is a struggle to get that everyday. As others have said, make sure you are sipping all day long on liquid because dehydration is an ever present reality for us.

The other thing to remember is that our bodies have had major abdominal surgery--even though you may have only had a few incisions for the laparoscopic instruments, the inside is where all the changes are and those are major. Give your body some time to heal and remember that this will take longer if you are diabetic. I know we all want to lose at least 100 pounds in a couple of weeks, but this is a LONG walk, not a sprint. I know patience is difficult but the rewards of being healthier are worth it. I already sleep better and just that was worth it.

[Catherine707 253]

I had a MAJOR bout of vertigo in weeks 3 and 4 (now I am almost 7 wks post-op). I went to urgent care and they determined it was not blood pressure, blood sugar or dehydration issues. They had me take an over the counter anti-vertigo medicine (ask the pharmacist) that seemed to help. After the vertigo attack I started taking my Vitamins (my doc had told me to wait). I take a multi, B-12, Iron and Calcium. The low calorie Gatorade seemed to help some as well. I increased my Protein to 80 - 90 grams per day and made sure I got in all 64 oz of Fluid. It took about another week - 10 days but I started to feel significantly better. Today I almost feel like I did before surgery (and the liquid diet!) so I know this is a passing phase for you. We had major surgery and some people seem to bounce back in less than a week and other take about 2 months to feel "normal". Everyone is different and the best thing you can do is get your fluids and protein in and give your body time to heal!

[BriDawn 79]

At 4 weeks I was eating about 800 calories a day of actual food, no shakes (my dietician isn't a fan of Protein shakes or liquid calories at all).

I did get really bad head rushes around that time. Are you on prenatal Vitamins or some kind of Iron supplement? When I started my prenatals, the dizziness got much better. Even now, I can tell if I forget to take one because of the head rushes.

Try not to stand up too fast. Try to up your calorie and Protein intake. Talk to your doctor/dietician. And take your vitamins!