NUT tales

I'm four weeks post op and figure I'm at about 80% energy.  But when the 20% drop hits, it hits like a ton of bricks.  So I called the surgeon's office and they suggested I talk to the nut.  She called me this morning and I explained how I felt.

How's your protein intake?  Averaging about 67 grams a day.  Check.  Water?  Check.  Supplements?  Check.  Have you gone back to work yet?  Two weeks ago.  WHAT?????

Seems llike the nut thinks I should still be sitting at home watching soaps rather than sitting in my office writing sermons.  It's not like I have to do a lot of heavy lifting in ministry.

Anyway, she said to be patient, that the rest of the energy would come.

So a patient patient I will be.  Tuesday I have my one month visits with surgeon, nut, and psych.

How are your vitamin B-12 levels?  Low B-12 can make you sluggish.  I can get by with the sublingual tabs but many people need to have the monthly shots.

I don't think I'm due for labs until the three-month visit.  The surgeon fellow who works with my surgeon told me that excess B-12 evacuates harmlessly through the urine, so I may try upping the amount since 500 mg seems to be the lowest of any dosage I found on the web - and 500 mg sublinguals are real hard to find.

I'am feeling like that alot.  I thought it was my normal 2-3pm naptime calling me.  My doc said all my labs were good.  I dont trust these opinions anymore.  I   I'am gonna search for more information on lab results.  This is not like an obvious problem.  Poor absorbtion can produce subtle results.  And guys tend to shake off subtle anything.  Not knowing  and being proactive can result in life long consequences. I've heard some real horror stories about poor absorbtion
Getting fat again is not as scary as this.
Any help for you guys on where I can get info would be greatly appreciated.

67g of protein sounds kinda low for only a month out. Ask your NUT, they say it depends on your weight but my post-op protein goal was 87-110g. You body needs the extra protein to help healing. The nurse at my surgeon's suggested I cut back a bit after 3 months.

This is also a good time to start a serious walking regimen. It may seem counter-intuitive but it's true - exercising will give you more energy. At 8 months out I walk 2-3 miles most days.

Good luck.
Paul

I had the same problem at week 4. I called my NUT and she told me 60 grams of protein was not enough for me. She told me to up it to 80 - 100 grams. I did and my energy got better. I also walk a minimum of 2 miles per day now.

Thanks, Paul and Mike.  I am walking at least 1.5 miles no less than five days a week - depending on my schedule.  I told the nut I was averaging about 67 grams of protein a day and she was happy with that.

I see the nut and surgeon face to face tomorrow for one-month postops, so I'll have further discussions focused around protein, B12, and exercise.