No Energy Brain Fog

[Peggy Anne 9]

I'm 9 days post op. Was cleared to eat puree food yesterday. Ate about 2 TBL of egg salad and I was so bloated the rest of the day. I'm apprehensive to eat today. Anyone know how long it takes to get your strength back? I feel like a blob.

What makes this challenging is I cannot have artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, saccharin, as they are all inflammatory and I have arthritis in my hands, feet and knees. Hard to find Protein Drinks. My daughter was able to find some last night and it will arrive sometime Wednesday.

Anyone else having these challenges? How long until I start to get energy back and brain function?

Anyone else find it hard to eat? Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

I should add I'm 66 yrs old.

Thanks everyone

Peggy

[catwoman7 11,272]

you've just had major surgery, and your body is in massive healing mode. Plus it takes some people longer to get over the anesthesia effects than others. I can't remember how long I had brain fog (it's been over eight years since my surgery), but I do know I seemed to get better and better every day. It took about two months before I felt completely back to normal (I remember wanting to take naps in the afternoon for quite awhile..), but again, you're in the worst part of it, so you won't have brain fog that whole time, fortunately. I'd give it a few more days, though....

[Peggy Anne 9]

Thank you. I look forward to feeling better.

[summerseeker 2,354]

Milk is full of Protein and low in calories if you use full skimmed milk. Buy protein yogurts if you can find ones you can eat or Greek yogurt has lots of protein in it. Soups with lentils are usually mushy and have plenty of protein. I ate all the soft cheeses too.

I could not eat eggs for nearly 1 and a 1/2 years after surgery. I tried them monthly. So nasty. I still have foods that disagree with me.

I am a similar age and a similar starting size to you so I understand your sleepiness. I slept all the time whilst recovering. it was like nana naps on steroids. I think the anaesthetic makes you have brain fog. All these symptoms pass when you manage to hit all your liquid and food goals.

Now I have so much energy, it makes me smile every day

[Arabesque 7,566]

The egg salad may not have been runny enough & so was difficult for your healing tummy to digest yet. Keep your purées pretty runny - slip off a spoon dollopy at least. Thin foods with stock, gravy, milk, Water, etc. Even though you were approved for purées, you may not be quite ready. Maybe stay on liquids for another day or two or introduce only one purée meal at a time. We all heal at our own rate & our tummy/digestive system is pretty sensitive while it is healing.

I second @summerseeker’s suggestion of milk & high Protein yoghurts. For example Chobani has 14g of protein & uses sugar as a sweetener (check though it may not be in all their yoghurts). You can turn the yoghurt into a yoghurt drink too by simply blending with milk. You get bonus protein from the milk & you can sip it for as long as you need because it’s considered a liquid as well as a food.

Your energy will come back. Usually when you’re eating a broader variety of foods. Try an electrolyte drink to give you a boost. My energy took a while to come back & I had a doughy head for a couple of months but my blood pressure was very low which contributed.

PS - Artificial sweeteners are in almost everything these days & so many worrying health issues linked to them too so I understand your challenge. I try to avoid as much sweeteners & sugar as I can. I know there’s some sweeteners in my yoghurt & Protein Bar but not much - no way can you describe them as tasting sweet. Lol! If I want sweet I eat fruit.

[Peggy Anne 9]

On 8/22/2023 at 1:18 PM, summerseeker said:

Milk is full of Protein and low in calories if you use full skimmed milk. Buy Protein yogurts if you can find ones you can eat or Greek yogurt has lots of protein in it. Soups with lentils are usually mushy and have plenty of protein. I ate all the soft cheeses too.

I could not eat eggs for nearly 1 and a 1/2 years after surgery. I tried them monthly. So nasty. I still have foods that disagree with me.

I am a similar age and a similar starting size to you so I understand your sleepiness. I slept all the time whilst recovering. it was like nana naps on steroids. I think the anaesthetic makes you have brain fog. All these symptoms pass when you manage to hit all your liquid and food goals.

Now I have so much energy, it makes me smile every day

You've given me some hope. I managed to find some Protein Powder thats made with stevia and not the joint inflaming aspertame or sucralose. Cost an arm and a leg but I'm at least starting to feel better. Nana naps 3 times a day for me but today I've decided to get my butt out of the recliner and make some crafts. It's only 6 am so we'll see how that goes. Can't wait to drop this weight and watch my grandson play some football.

[RickM 1,753]

Another possibility with this is a lack of carbohydrates (yes, those evil things!) We don't get much early on owing to the Protein emphasis (and with the low carb and sugar free things, too.) Some programs specifically call for some minor carb loading early out to avoid these problems and promote recovery - not overboard, but some simple things (depending upon dietary progression) like sloppy oatmeal, cream of wheat or even mashed potatoes (bit of unflavored protein powder optional, or made with some broth) or diluted fruit juice. Not major dietary staple, but just some worked into the diet.

just one more thing to try, good luck!