When did your energy return?

Hi all,

Tomorrow I'll be 3 weeks post-op.  I'm trying to do a little walking several times a day, particularly taking my dogs out, etc.  When I go on a little longer walk (say, half a mile?), I feel like I could take a nap by 3/4 of the way through it.  I know the surgeon said it's normal at first, and that one day I'll wake up and automatically have more energy than I know what to do with.  But right now I want badly to go on a longer walk, or go to the gym I joined, but just thinking about it makes me want to lay down!  My weight loss is going good but I know exercise would make it better.  So how long did it take for your energy level to return?  

I was about 6-7 weeks out when I finally started to feel like myself again. Major surgery takes a lot of you. It's going to take some time for the body to heal.

 There wasn't a day that I woke up and was full of energy.  It gradually returned -- I felt much more like my old self after a few months.  

I do hope you're using the incentive spirometer you typically get from the hospital. It helps rebuild your lung capacity and helps remove fluids from you lungs to prevent pneumonia.  Try taking shorter walks at first, and build up as you feel better.  Fatigue is a very common issue for the first few weeks post op. DAVE

You are so right, Dave.  I never see anyone here mention the spirometer but me and now you.  My chest was tight after surgery and even though it hurt like hell to use it and I would cough I knew it was the best thing I could do.  I always breathed better after each time I used it.  It would be interesting to see a show of hands of how many folks here used it after they got home from the hospital.  I was terrified of getting pneumonia so that in itself was a great motivator. 

I tried my incentive spirotmeter prior to surgery, and took a sharpie to mark my "high mark" on the gage.  After surgery, I tried the first time, and I could barely reach half of the preop gage mark.  It took using it several times a day, and after 3 weeks or so, I was back up to my preop gage marking,  My surgeon and his primary nurse warned me about pneumonia, and  took it seriously.  It still took several weeks before I had more energy, but really haven't gained more energy since surgery. Having surgery 3 months before age 60 and being 66 these days likely has something to do with lower energy levels though. DAVE

 I did use it up until a couple of days ago when my puppy got ahold of it.  :)  It's, umm, unusuable now.  

Oh, not 'til about three months out.  But I never did wake up one day with more energy than I know what to do with.

 I needed a nap for the fist 6 weeks, and didn't get over that zombie feeling until around my 3 rd month out! It probably was gradual, but I do remember having that day where I thought, wow I don't feel like a zombie any more!