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tired after surgery

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Posted 2/22/2011 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
 

   Hi everyone,

    It has been two weeks after her surgery, doing great the pain is easing up.  The only thing that I am concerened  about is we went for a walk and we didn't get that far and she started complaing that she started feeling over heated and had to go and sit down. Is this normal? I know it is going to take a while but we really didn't go that far.

Posted 2/22/2011 6:13 PM (GMT 0)
Is she getting enough water? Dehydration can be an issue and sometimes when I haven't had enough fluids I start to feel overheated... or the opposite and I get the chills.

I couldn't walk very far at all at two weeks. After walking maybe 1/8 mile, I would have to come home and take a nap for two hours. Tiredness is one of the things I experienced very strongly after surgery. Around 8 weeks is when I started to perk up and now at three months my energy is back to normal... actually I might even have more now than I did when I had UC.
Posted 2/22/2011 6:20 PM (GMT 0)
This is major surgery and what she is experiencing is normal!!! I had fatigue for a full year post surgery. It didn't take away from activities but I had to take a nap every day. Fatigue is an indicator that one should stop what they are doing and rest. Yes, proper hydration should be considered too.

Sue
Posted 2/22/2011 6:27 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Sue....you cannot get surgery much more major than this. At two weeks a lot of people have not even left the hospital. It is good to push a bit but fatigue means the body needs to rest. And yes, hydration is something to take very seriously
Posted 2/22/2011 6:38 PM (GMT 0)
She's young but will still need to rest! At two weeks post-op I couldn't get to my mailbox:(
Posted 2/22/2011 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone,
Just getting a little worried. She knows to drink water. She always has a bottle with her. Yes I worry about keeping her hydrated, esp since is emptying her bag often. Other then that she is doing great, having a little problem emotionaly with the bag. But reading other posts, alot of had problems at first.
Posted 2/22/2011 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
Yes! One has to heal emotionally too. I was sooo excited for my surgery and I still cried a lot afterwards. I know it worried my husband and mom. Still, those tears had to come out. I had to have time to grieve the loss of my colon. And getting used to the pouch is hard. The first month or so, my stoma always decided to output massive amounts of liquid just as I was changing my appliance. It was so frustrating and I cried, thinking it would always be that way. But, the body adapts and it does get better. And the emotional side does get better too. Slowly, as the pain of surgery dissipated, the fatigue lost its hold, and I started to realize how much better I felt without my diseased colon, those sad moments started to fade.
Posted 2/22/2011 8:04 PM (GMT 0)
Have her drink G2 Gatorade. If she is getting dehydrated she will need more than water. I drink 1 G2 a day and feel pretty good. When I forget and only drink water, I start feeling dizzy, tired, etc.

How is her output? Watery or not? Is she taking Immodium?
Posted 2/22/2011 8:10 PM (GMT 0)
Absolutely normal to get fatigued easily after this MAJOR surgery. Drinking plenty of fluids as you already know is important. Another VERY important thing is protein which greatly helps the overall healing process. My main problem with hubby was trying to get enough protein in him....the SlimFast powder - chocolate - with 8 oz of milk gives 15 grams of protein which is a good amount. Most times we just shake it up but sometimes put it in the magic bullet with a few ice cubes to make it more frothy. There are some decent protein bars out there too which is like having a candy bar. 3 different nurses stressed that.

His GI Dr visited him in the hospital before being released and told him you will definitely have ups and downs with your recuperation so be patient. It is normal to be feeling really well and then you feel like you might be regressing...all normal part of the recoup process.

I am sure it is even more difficult for a younger person to adapt and adjust to the bag and changing it etc...I think she is having a j-pouch process down the road? If so and it is temporary that should help her adjust a little easier...as it was stated in a forum somewhere...however even if it is a temp situation for a certain amount of months it still has to be taken care of and regarded in the same way as if it were permanent for optimum results and comfort.

Give her a hug from all of us. I'm sure you're very proud of her and have told her so.
Posted 2/23/2011 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
i agree its normal to be tired, i would have to take a nap after a shower at 2 weeks, lol. It takes a while to get energy back.
Posted 2/24/2011 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
It does take awhile to get energy back for sure. I was in hospital for 10 days before going home and I too had to rest after taking a shower. The important thing is to rest when you feel tired, lots and lots of rest!
Posted 2/24/2011 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
Lol, I thought I was the only one who had to nap after a shower!

How is she feeling today? Everyone told me that you needed to gauge your progress by weeks and not days. I think that's true. I would have a good say, then bad, etc. But week after week i improved.
Posted 2/24/2011 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
As well as hubby is doing overall he seems to need a lot of rest and konks out while watching TV during the daytime.
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