Brain fog? Walking? Questions.

[Mike.J.Y 70]

1st Question after surgery did you have brain fog?

If so how long did it last?

2nd Question How long until you could walk 3 or 5 miles without any issues?

I am curious because I got surgery coming up on Aug 16th, and upcoming appointments.

Thank you all in advance for your responses it is really appreciated.

[Fred in Pa 233]

Hi Mike,

Brain fog comes from the anesthesia, and also the physical shock to the body as it’s healing. Mine took a good six weeks before I started feeling somewhat normal mentally. I still have days when I have the blahs and I’m four months out. Calorie deficit post surgery also plays a role as does hydration, which is why you need to keep your Protein and Water goals in mind.

Walking took a while to build back up. Before surgery I was at 3 1/2 miles about five times a week. I’m now at 4 miles sometimes 5, five days a week and that took me about three months to get to.

Of course, your mileage may vary, depending on your age, weight, etc.

[fourmonthspreop 498]

Hey there.

I had surgery in 2022. Here's what I experienced:

• Brain fog: definitely lasts at first from the anesthesia but tbh you're so exhausted from the surgery and diet that you just sleep it off the first couple nights. Brain fog comes when you're in like the 3d or 4th week post op when you've just been on liquids. I believe it's just from not eating solid foods for so long. It tires you out. I had tachycardia and fatigue all throughout my liquid, puree, and most of my soft food stages but as I started introducing soft foods, the brain fog subsided a little bit. It was more the physical exhaustion of the extreme diet and rapid weight loss that I remember. I also had brain fog from low Iron.
• Walking: I walked a lot, even in the early stages and it was hard because of my tachycardia. It probably took me four months to be able to walk 2 miles. Before surgery I was walking 5-6 miles a day with no issue and would walk 12 miles on the weekend for pre op weight loss. So yeah, it gets the better of you but it doesn't last.
• I'm now over a year post op and can walk a long time. I do find that I dehydrate much easier so I need to both make sure I'm very hydrated AND bring Water with me if I'm going on walks longer than 4 miles.
• Don't let any of this scare you. It's so worth it. Once you're healed you'll be amazed at what you're capable of. Best of luck and enjoy the journey.

[Mike.J.Y 70]

Thank you for responses.

3 weeks out would I be able to walk maybe 2 or 3 miles over an 5 hours span. Reason I ask my surgery on Aug 16th, and I got some disney oggie boogie tickets for my niece and nephew on Sept 7th. Wondering if I should skip event or rent a electric chair.

[Fred in Pa 233]

I don’t think you’ll need an electric chair at three weeks but you should be able to sit down and rest when you need to. I found that when I hit a wall it came on pretty quick, and I needed to stop and rest. So if you go into it, knowing you need to pace yourself and rest often, you may be OK.

Listen to your body in the two weeks after surgery and you should be able to evaluate what you think you can do at that third week with your family.