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Anyone Else Have Trouble Focusing Post-Op?



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Unfortunately, anesthesia stays in your body much longer than you think. Couple that with a significant calorie reduction and you may experience significant fogginess. There is a lot of research on both. Start with an understanding that it takes time coupled with Protein, Water and good chiropractic care and the fog will slowly subside.

I didn't get the part about good chiropractic care. What am I missing? :blink:

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I also noticed I have been feeling more focused the last week. About 2 weeks ago I started taking Methyl B12 instead of normal B12 and I think that has a lot to do with it. I suspected I had a MTHFR (mthfr.org) genetic mutation because of having hashimotos and some other indications. I got tested and sure enough I have 2 MTHFR mutations. I first read about it in Stop the Thyroid Madness: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/mthfr/

I need to go that book. I've heard you reference it a few times and I know it's helped you. Thank you for the URL I will definitely check it out. I've stopped taking my b12. Maybe time to go back on that.

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I see MTHFR and think something else entirely. But that's interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if I have that too; we have strong family issues with thyroid malfunction.

I probably have attention issues even more because a) I have ADHD too and B) I have very erratic jobs…there are about 5 million things to do and I have to constantly switch gears for it.

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I see MTHFR and think something else entirely. But that's interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if I have that too; we have strong family issues with thyroid malfunction. I probably have attention issues even more because a) I have ADHD too and B) I have very erratic jobs…there are about 5 million things to do and I have to constantly switch gears for it.

Those are the words I used when I got my test result! :)

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Unfortunately, anesthesia stays in your body much longer than you think. Couple that with a significant calorie reduction and you may experience significant fogginess. There is a lot of research on both. Start with an understanding that it takes time coupled with Protein, Water and good chiropractic care and the fog will slowly subside.

I didn't get the part about good chiropractic care. What am I missing? :blink:

Helps the nervous system. http://drbakercares.com/blog/b_13251_recovering_from_brain_fog_and_fatigue_after_general_anesthesia_or_surgery_5_tips_to_help_you.html

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I am so happy to see this post. I, too, have had a terrible time focusing. At work, I have an increasingly hard time getting jobs completed. My day flies by and I have little to show for them. I have wondered if I am too distracted by my friends at Bariatric Pals! I am just no longer efficient or effective at work or at home. At nearly 5 months out I feel like my mind is not what it was. The light is still on but not nearly as bright as before. Is it because of the low calories. Is it because my world is so preoccupied by VST thoughts and activities. If anyone else has ideas, please share.

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I am so happy to see this post. I, too, have had a terrible time focusing. At work, I have an increasingly hard time getting jobs completed. My day flies by and I have little to show for them. I have wondered if I am too distracted by my friends at Bariatric Pals! I am just no longer efficient or effective at work or at home. At nearly 5 months out I feel like my mind is not what it was. The light is still on but not nearly as bright as before. Is it because of the low calories. Is it because my world is so preoccupied by VST thoughts and activities. If anyone else has ideas, please share.

What I find is that if I have an emergency, a deadline, etc. I rally to it and get it done. But the mundane, every day tasks that I used to just take care of, now I put off and off and off.

It does help me to spend less time on the forum for SURE. Otherwise I find all my energy devoted here. But I do believe there is some nutritional voodoo going on. (I love to blame my lack of carbs for everything bad in my life :P)

Logically I should try increasing my carbs and seeing if it helps but I'm afraid they will make me hungry all the time, and I sure do love not being hungry all the time!

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I was just reading up on Ketosis from another thread. Funny enough that is one of the side effects of low carb diet which in turn triggers the fat burning process which causes ketosis.

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I was just reading up on Ketosis from another thread. Funny enough that is one of the side effects of low carb diet which in turn triggers the fat burning process which causes ketosis.

See?? I said it was lack of carbs that were responsible for bad things! :)

Except that my ass is smaller, which is a good thing. Sigh. Why does the world have to be filled with such difficult choices?

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I was just reading up on Ketosis from another thread. Funny enough that is one of the side effects of low carb diet which in turn triggers the fat burning process which causes ketosis.

See?? I said it was lack of carbs that were responsible for bad things! :)

Except that my ass is smaller, which is a good thing. Sigh. Why does the world have to be filled with such difficult choices?

You have to get your priorities straight...anyone can fake intellegence (look at me). But you can't fake skinny.

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I have found my ability to focus is impaire and I am only 6 weeks out. I take vyvanse for ADD, and it does not seem as effective as it had been prior to surgery.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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