Question:
I am 2 weeks post op and am so tired most of the time, is this normal?
I sleep most of the night and still need 1 or 2 1 hour naps during the day. I walk 3 times a day and take my vitamins including b-12 sublingual. Any suggestions? — Donna S. (posted on October 26, 2001)
October 26, 2001
Hi, Even though I haven't had the surgery yet I did have a lap done for
endometriosis and it just takes time for your body to heal. Day one and
two were the worst because of the trapped gas (shoulder pains) but
everything does keep getting better follow your Dr's advice and so what if
you sleep a little more its your body's way of healing. Hope you feel
better soon :)
— Elizabeth P.
October 26, 2001
Donna...I am pre-op, but I also know from experience that sleeping is your
body's way of telling you that it's healing...Yipee! You will need to take
those naps and relish them. Every time you awaken, think about all that
your body has gone through, and the wondrous way it's healing itself. I
myself receive holistic physical therapy 2x/week, and it is FABULOUS...one
of the things that freaked me out in the beginning was that I'd fall asleep
during therapy! I mentioned it to one of my therapists after a session
early on, and he said, "Oh my...we LOVE it when people sleep...that's
the BEST time for your body to respond to therapy and to heal!" It is
true...b/c each time I attend therapy and sleep, I feel like a renewed
person when I awaken! Good luck to you...and Congratualations on a
successful surgery! Peace...
— Cristie L.
October 26, 2001
Hi Donna, you are completely normal! It took me six weeks to feel like
myself again, and not feel like a big ol' slug who was exhausted all of the
time. I started back to work this week, and would have killed for my 3pm
nap! You have to give yourself time to recover, and enjoy those naps! I
also found that once I upped my protein with a daily supplement, I started
to feel much better.
— blank first name B.
October 27, 2001
I'm so glad you asked this question! I am almost 3 weeks post op (Oct 9)
and I've been feeling the exact same way. My doctor described it to me
this way:
1)The simple act of going under general anesthesia can tire you out, even
if they were to just put you under and wake you up (without surgery).
2)Major surgery of any type is registered by the body as trauma. Someone
on this board once said "your body thinks it's been in some sort of
horrible accident -- it doesn't know that you gave permission".
3) We're on a starvation diet! If the body didn't undergo anesthesia and
surgery, you'd be tired from the lack of calories alone.
My doctor said "Add all of these things together, and it spells
NAP-TIME, BIG TIME!" That helped to put things in perspective for me.
Hope it helps.
— Felissa L.
October 28, 2001
Felissa, I know how you felt. I am now almost 4 months post op. The
first 6 weeks I was very sleepy. I took two naps a day. I started taking
B-12 when I went back to work and it seemed to help, but I missed my 3
o'clock nap every day. lol It does get better....rest all you can for now.
:)
— Cinamint
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