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