Serious Fatigue. Is this normal?

Running this by you guys to see if this is within the normal range and something I should "sit on" for awhile or something to bug my doc about.  I have been seriously faitgued. I feel as exhuasted and drained as I did my last week of pregnancy. Everything feels like a monumental  effort.  Taking the garbage to the curb required a break.  This is coming from a person who pre op worked 16 hour shifts, no problem.  I feel like I could barely  handle 8 hours this past week. It's not like a sleep deprivation thing....more like I feel exhausted and numb. I'm getting all my protein. 700-900 calories a day. Taking all my iron (with Vit c) and my mutli vitamins. Taking calcium seperate from my iron. Getting lots of fluid. Taking my SL B12 until I start my monthly shots. I don't have any neuropathies (no numbness or tingling in my extremities). No other symptoms to speak of. I know people can get vitamin deficiencies, but I believe those usually take months to develop. My hematocrit pre op was more than adequate, at 45 %. Even  if I've gone down some, I started with room to play. Were any of you fatigued post op like this? Did it spontaneously resolve? I'm seven weeks out now. I thought this should have gone away after the first few weeks, but it's only getting worse. Your thoughts please.

Hi Marney, I returned to work at 6 weeks and was horribly tired.  I could only work half days at 7-9 weeks. I was finally able to work a full 8 hour day at about 10 weeks, and It has not been until the last two weeks that I have felt "normal" again and not like I need a nap mid day.  I am 3 months out on the 26th.  So it sounds pretty normal to me!!

Hi Marney,     I am a critical care nurse and returned to work after 4 weeks.  I was soooo exhausted that I had to take another week off.  I was absolutely miserable.  My coworkers are great and do their best to make sure that I don't over do it.  It has been two weeks now and it is getting much easier.  The last two days that I worked I felt like my old self again.  I work 12 hour shifts.  I will tell you that there is no way I could have done this on night shift.  Do you work night shift.?   Soooo, it did get better after about a week and a half.  Good luck to you.  I know exactly how you feel.  Best wishes. Lisa

Thank you both. I feel reassured.  I'll just give it some more time. I am working nights. However, my engery levels don't seem to be related to my night shift. Besides, I've worked night shifts since I was 18 years old. I'd probably be more exhuasted on days. LOL. I'm a critical care nurse too. My co-workers were great....but you know how it is around the ICU (and we're a level one trauma center), sometimes things can't be controlled and peeops can only help so much when every patient is "misbehaving".  Still, this is the kind of energy sap that hasn't got an inkling to do with energy expenditure or sleep.  I can't tell you how many times my daughter or someone was talking to me and I've been sitting there with that glazed over look on my face. I'm on auto-pilot right now. It's a bit scary to me and I hope it gets better soon.

I had to post this....My date of op was 3/19/07 I could not go back to wor****il 5/17 and was so tired all I did was sleep....But in between those dates I was so tired I felt like I had pressure on my shoulders pushing me down...Well need less to say, I thought I was doing ok as far as vitamins and liquids....Guess what...I was readmitted for dehydration.  I was NOT getting enough liquids.  I had to push 8 bottles of water.  But when I did this my energy level shot up 100%.  I was so strange.  The only problem was that getting all that liquid in is very difficult with your smaller pouch.  Just keep drinking and things do really get better.  Shoot.....I was so tired that my husband was still bathing 8 weeks out.  I just couldn't do it.  I was so weak that I was scarred I would fall.  But again things get better everyday.  Hopes this helps.

Hi Marney, only during this past month (month 3 for me) have I started to get my energy back. I slept so much for the first two months that people thought I was sinking into a deep depression. I wasn't depressed at all - just completely exhausted and tired easily. I took many naps to get through the busier days. This month I am actually noticing a huge shift in two things: I am able to eat much better than before (less vomiting, foamies, pain from food getting stuck, etc), and also my energy has returned to pre-op levels. I'm sure it evolved over a period of time, but honestly, it seems to have happened overnight. Hang in there!   hugs, Elaine

Hey Elaine!  Thank you! I feel so much better hearing this from you guys. I was racking my brain over what I might be doing wrong or what I could be deficient in. I'm not used to feeling so "whooped". I've been zoned out entirely too often. Marney

I had the same exact problem about a month ago.  I had my surgery 4/12/07.  I emailed my nutritionist and asked her to look at my fitday.com account.  She took the time to look at it and found that I needed more protein and more calories.  Increasing my protein and calories helped me get out of that "funk". 

Have you had your labs taken recently?  Your Iron & B12 may be a little low.  You know you just had major surgery & your body is still recovering.  Check in with your surgeon just to be safe. 

I would check your labs first and foremost, but if they say fine....well, mine did too.  I went through periods of EXTREME exhaustion.  When I went back to work at 4 weeks, I took naps everyday at lunch.  I am now 7 months out and I go through periods of exhaustion, mainly the week before and week of my period, so I think mine maybe hormonally related.  My labs have always been great and they even told me to lighten up on my B-vits!! That's my two cents! Doni 365 / 343 / 221 / 165 highest / day of surgery / current / goal