Tired of being tired

Hi ladies,
I am now 1 day over 3 weeks post op and I still have no energy. I had a pre-existing back condition before the surgery. Now with the swelly belly and general acheyness on top of back pain I dont feel like getting out of bed. But this is not good for my back. I dont know if I should listen to my body and just rest or force myself to get out of bed and walk or stretch or something. I do know that I am starting to go stir crazy. I cant watch anymore tv and I've run out of seditary activities. Every now and then I get a spirt of energy and get up and do the dishes or straighten up but then I'm achey and worn out again. Has anyone else experienced this kind of laziness or is it just me? Any input is welcome.
Thanks and be well.

hi, my surgery was the day before yours. I also am still tired but it gets better the more i do. Of course I am still not lifting anything or doing housework. But I get up early and take little walks all day. The weather has been nice here and getting out alone gives me energy.I see my gyn on wednesday and hopefully will get the ok to do a little more. of course with your back problems i'm sure its harder for you, but i feel certain your energy will return.

Hi palmbaytee,
I'm sorry you're feeling so bad. At three weeks I wasn't feeling very energetic either. I also have some back problems so can understand a little of what you might be feeling. Laying around so much might be actually causing more aching. My back hurt me a lot during those first weeks after my surgery. I went to a physical therapist who does therapeutic massage and it helped me so much. He also gave me very gentle exercises to begin doing after a few weeks. Of course you have to have the ok from your dr to do anything like that, but you might want to start looking into something like that.
I also think you should be doing some walking. As long as you don't overdo you will begin to build some strength back and little by little you should gain energy too. Make sure you are eating well and getting good nutrition. All of it goes together to help you heal and get back to feeling good again. Have you been anemic? If so you really need to make sure you're eating foods that are full of iron.
I hope you'll be able to find a balance of activity that won't be too much that will get you started moving and feeling better. Be sure you talk to your dr about this if you haven't. He/she may have suggestions for you too.

's, Rita

What you are experiencing is definitely not laziness. Tomorrow will be 4 weeks for me. The energy comes and goes. At week 3 it decided to take a vacation and I am anxiously waiting for its return.

It is so easy to just say "I don't feel up to it" and go back to bed. I found I couldn't wait for a spurt of energy to get moving. As long as my body wasn't telling me I overdid things and needed to rest, sometimes I had to force myself to get moving. Once I got up and moving, I would feel so much better.

Moving around will help build your strength back so you need to try and find the right balance of doing things and resting.

Best wishes and s

Being tired at 3 weeks is very NORMAL. I would have good days and good weeks. But then I would get tired and feel really lazy.

I am 4 months out and I still can get tired. By the end of the work week I am really ready for some hard core napping on the weekend.

It is getting less and less noticeable that I am getting tired. So as time passes you will have more energy and won't feel lazy.

Take your time and enjoy being "lazy" it will help you heal better and stronger. Don't over do it and slow your own healing process.

My doc had warned me that I would have absolutely zero energy for the first 4 weeks. She said I would start regaining some energy after 4 weeks. Well I am finishing week 4 and do have spurts of energy. I do walk some each day and I think it is building some energy but I do still tire considerably. I also am really not lifting anything, etc.

I will be five weeks out tomorrow. I will say I feel better in so many ways. I have more energy, for longer periods of time, although I do still hit that wall of fatigue every once and again. I think it is a learning scale, and I am learning what I can add, and what I can do.

I am still on big lifting restricts [and that includes pulling and pushing] because it seems I am trying to grow some scar tissue, and better safe than sorry.

I too, however, am sick and tired of being sick and tired. After talking to some sweet friends from this board today...I feel uplifted and better informed about what they felt like at this time. They also gave me an idea of how far out some of the things that are irking me would take to go away. The point of all this is...knowing there is an end in site to all of this is a boon! Makes it a lot easier for me. I hope knowing that every week brings us closer to getting there, helps you too!

Hun i was like that too, thought something was seriously wrong with me!!!!! just getting up to get my kids off to school sent me back into bed because i was beat! but all of a sudden by week 6 the tiredness became a million times better, I am now 7 weeks post and feel so much better it just takes time and patience, hope you feel better soon!

There is nothing lazy about being tired at 3 weeks! I had a little more zip at 4 weeks, but it was quickly dissapated! At about 3 months I was noticeably more energetic, and full speed by 4 months. I had many good days of normal, high energy, go-go days, interspersed with occasional ,flat on my face, shoot me now, exhausted ones. Be patient, be kind, and know that it does get better.(I'm almost 9 months, and since about 4 months, I have been normal, kick butt crazy)Good luck and be well.