Will I really have more energy post-op?
The primary reason I'm considering WLS is that I'm so tired of being tired. I've been thru thousands of dollars worth of testing including screening for apnea, for deficiencies in every hormone, vitamin and mineral known to man ( thank God for health insurance) but there is no explanation for my unrelenting exhaustion other then I'm hauling around an extra 100 pounds. I also have a lot of discomfort in every joint from my hips on down which also think helps contribute to my being tired all of the time. I walk up to two hours a day (I was tired before I started this exercise routine and I actually feel more awake when I'm working out - its when I stop that I want to curl up and snooze). I get at least eight hours a night and I still wind up sleeping all weekend in an attempt to "catch up". My job is not terribly taxing, I'm not running after kids , I just me and the dog and all I want to do is put my head down and take a nap. I've suffered from depression on and off my whole life - but I'm not a sleepy depressive - I'm an insomniac when I'm feeling blue. This is more like an overwhelming urge to just go to sleep - like when you've been up really late - but I feel this way all day.
So, did any of you not only loose the weight but also the exhaustion? I can't help feeling a little skeptical that if I'm only eating 700 to 1,000 calories every day that I'll have more energy than I do now (I'm only eating 1,500 now and am loosing about one pond per week on my insurance mandated six month pre-op diet). Some people post the same recurring fear here, that they will be he first one in history not to loose weight post-op - I'm worried I'll be the first person in the history of WLS to have even less energy post-op (long term) than I do now.
Would the chronically tired - those who got better, those who got worse, and those who feel they stayed the same share with me their experience of WLS and chorionic exhaustion? Thanks. I have to go take a nap now. Zzzzzzzzzzz......
Brightest blessings! one day i'll be a muscle Bear!
My comment isn't so much in answer to your question but comments just to let you know that you're not alone. I have the same problem that you do, every test in the book, CPAP didn't help my energy at all, feeling like I'm going through life sleepwalking . So far with the weight loss of 60 lb with 30-50 more to go, 5 months out of surgery and I'm still sleepy all the time. I remember when I was more active I used to say I wish I could sleep and walk at the same time because I was sleepy but not necessarily physically tired. Reading everyone's answers, it seems like exercise has been the answer for them along with the weight loss. But that is WITH the weight loss. My problem now might be needing exercise but it has never helped in the past. The only thing that has helped me is that my neurologist that treats me for sleep apnea has prescribed adderal-an ADD drug. Having had the gastric bypass, we can only take short-acting drugs and it only lasts around 4 hours. I will be talking to my doctor about it and trying to get an increase in dosage. When it's effective in my system, I can think so much more clearly because I'm not sleepy, I can move faster because I'm not sleepy. When I'm not taking the medication, I feel like everything I do takes 5 to 10 times longer than it would take anyone else. I also suffer from chronic pain as you do and physical therapy has helped along with the weight loss so that I might be able to start walking again. I'm hoping that's the key- the combination of walking and a better medication regimen. Plus, as someone else said, chronic pain is physically exhausting which can cause us to be sleepy too. And dealing with it can cause the depression as you mentioned. I am also on antidepressants without which I would be a mess.
Lexi - Size 6-8 and holding.
