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3 weeks out from surgery and SO Tired



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Sorry if this topic was already discussed, this is my first post here :) I had my surgery on May 22, it went great except for the first 13 days - I had the most horrible diarrhea I've ever had in my life. That's done (whew) but I'm so tired , I just drag myself around every day. I'm 69 YO . I was never really active except for short walks ,but now everything exhausts me. I was wondering if this goes away as time goes by . I'm at the purreed stage of my diet and I'm wondering if eating so little has anything to do with it. You can see, I'm full of questions LOL . Any experiences to share ? Thank you so much ...Kathy

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i think most people (most, not all), are pretty run down and tired after surgery.

i was dead man walking for about 2-3 weeks immediately after surgey, and just weak-man walking for the next few months after that.

it does get better once you start eating more.

worth noting that i'm 4.5+ years out, and i still don't think im as "strong" as i used to be pre-wls: opening jars and lifting every day things are just harder to do now. of course, i'm over 1/2 the weight/size i used to be, so i that explains some of that.

hang in there ❤️

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You're probably going to feel a bit wiped out for a while. You're eating what would otherwise be considered a starvation diet and it takes time for your metabolism and system to adjust. You will have a lot more energy once things even out, though.

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Thank you for giving me hope ! I feel so guilty not doing as much around the house as I used to . I'll hang in there !!!

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You’ve just had a pretty major surgery & aren’t eating very much so feeling lethargic & low in energy is to be expected. As your body recovers & heals & you start to eat a more balanced diet & more than just fluids & purées, you’ll start to feel better. you may have odd times after when your energy drops a little as your body gets used to the changes.

Like @ms.sss, I don’t think I’m quite as strong as I used to be. I seem to hit my wall a little sooner too. But I know I used to push myself to do more (carry more, lift more, work harder & longer, take in. more responsibilities, etc.) to prove my weight wasn’t limiting me in any way. I might just be more conscious of what I actually & reasonably can or can’t do now

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Hello Kathy,

I was 62 when I had the surgery, almost at the point of being fully disabled. So I had to start from the back. Building my fitness took me 6 to 9 months. My calorie intake was so low, about 300 cals a day till 6 months. I soon realised doing any exercise on so little food was not going to happen. I took it slow, just walking when I had the energy.

Sleep/ take a short nap when you need to

Leave your chores, focus on yourself.

Anything else will come when it happens, we are not spring chickens anymore. My brain thinks I am 27 but I still run out off energy and need to top up my food and drinks before I feel ok again.

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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. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • 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.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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