Question:
I am one week post today, and I feel absolutely terrible, I
have had diarrhea since the day after surgery, and it just won't stop what is wrong? I have absolutely no energy at all,I just move from bed to couch for the entire day. I am not walking because I have no energy to walk. I feel like a heavy weight is lying on my chest because it hurts real bad to breath. I am using the spirometer like the hospital told me to, but, I just don't know why I am feeling likr this. I felt better than today the very day I got out of the hospital. I am so depressed about these feelings. I am drinking between 48 and 64 oz of clear liquid a day, and that is a battle too. Please help me to sort out these feelings, I just don't know where to turn other thatn my doc, and the 1st appt with him is next Tues. at 11:15am. Thanks in advance for you help, I really need it! God Bless! — Carol D. (posted on July 18, 2002)
July 18, 2002
I am worried about you! PLEASE call your doctor right away! Sounds like
you need to be seen. Don't worry that yuo are bothering your surgeon, that
is what they are there for. I also would not wait until next week. It may
be nothing but you can't take that risk. Good luck! Let us know how it
goes. HUGS! AMY
— purdue_1993
July 18, 2002
Hi Carol, I am sorry you feel so bad. I am still pre op, (my date is
8/6/02). If I were you, I would call my doctor, especially if you are
having trouble breathing. It may be nothing, but it's better to be safe.
Good luck to you.Feel better soon
— Metsfan91
July 18, 2002
As I read your post, I kept waiting for you to tell me what was wrong.
EVERYTHING you mentioned seems completely normal, at least in my limited
experience. Walk through it with me. You aren't moving much. Good! Your
body will start getting antsy when it is ready to move, right now it is
protecting itself by conserving this energy for healing. Hurts real bad to
breathe concerns me; at least talk to your doctor on the phone about this
before the weekend. Possibly, this is because your muscles and rib cage
were so abused during the surgery, and it is catching up with you. Also,
are you trying to ween yourself off of the pain meds too soon? Some people
don't need any, some have to go back for a refill four times before they
are done. Take your painkiller. Take it every four hours for a day, to
get your serum concentration of it equalized. Struggling with fluids? You
are one week into a long journey -- drink apple juice or V-8 splash if you
like it. Dilute it if you want. The sugars in it will probably help your
nausea, and may help your brain chemistry for a little while. Take your
temperature twice a day until you have a few days in a row where you are
SURE you are feeling better. Have someone rent some movies for you.
Finally, reset your expectations for recovery. I was so sure I would be
back to work in 14 days (in fact, I was back in the hospital). Finally,
after surviving two small complications, I realized two weeks wasn't going
to cut it for me. Just did my first "full day" Monday, and I was
whipped. Don't set YOUR pace based on what other people can do. Some
people can walk two miles the first week, some of us are happy to be able
to drop the painkillers so we can drive at 4 weeks post. Listen to your
body. If it says move from the chair to the bed, it is obviously not ready
for the limbo contest. This recovery period is critical to minimizing
complications. Finally, regarding your poor spirits, when your body is not
feeling good, it is hard to have a good attitude. Your body cannot feel
good unless you have a good attitude. They feed on eachother. Do what
ever it takes to pamper yourself into a good attitude... I think I set
myself 2 weeks back because I was so disgusted with my trivial weight loss
and the constant complications. Everyone was worried if my spirit was
going to stay with me, including myself. Change your expectations and
pamper yourself. This is one, two, three weeks of a very long and
successful journey. Six months out, the scale isn't going to care if you
drank apple juice and only moved from chair to bed and back for the first
three weeks. I am going to check your profile now to see if your surgery
was open and if you have kids. Who knows, maybe you live in Pittsburgh,
and I can babysit for you for a little while. E-mail me, PLEASE! Let's
work through this together!
— Karen F.
July 18, 2002
WOW! You are from the Pittsburgh area and even had my surgeon! I will be
in your neighborhood Sunday -- can I stop by? Do you still need an angel?
— Karen F.
July 18, 2002
hi there i feel for ya you have just been through a very major thing your
body needs time to heal but trust me it will and with each passing day you
will feel better the low energy thing is quite normal i was opposite of you
though i was more constipated then the other do try as best as you can to
walk to keep your circulation going to help prevent blood clots i know its
rough but please do that and best of luck to you it gets better i promise
— carrie M.
July 18, 2002
Carol, I know excatly how you feel! I've been there and done that! I
couldn't move, and it hurt so bad. I didn't even want to drink, or eat
anything. I still feel like that on some days, but it'll keep getting
better. On the 22nd, I'll be 2 months post-op and still feel weak,
depressed, and terrible sometimes. Just make sure you take for vits and
protein. Keep us posted!
— Heather H.
July 18, 2002
Carol,
Oh How I remember those days:(
At one week I felt the same way. Actually I was still in the hospital at 1
week, but on Sunday I went home feeling fine, on Monday I thought I was
dying. I was so tired and didn't want to do anything but sleep. I laid on
my couch for about the first week home and done NOTHING, i barely ate or
drank anything (48-60 oz is wonderful for you to be drinking) and if I did
I was SICK and throwing up. I too had the dirreaha since surgery and I am
now 8 months post op (-135 lbs) and STILL have it. I take medicine everyday
to keep it under control. Just be careful because you can easily dehydrate
with the dirreaha and you don't want to end up back in the hospital. At
this point I think you are experiencing what is normal at this stage (so my
surgeon told me) and it does get better every day, even though it doesn't
feel like it now:) Be sure and write everything down so you will remember
to talk to your doctor about it though because it is important that he know
what is going on. If you need anything just e-mail. Good Luck!
— Lynda T.
July 19, 2002
It is normal to feel rotten after surgery but difficulty breathing usually
means Pneumonia! I got pneumonia and ended up back in the hospital a few
days after I left. Call your doctor today!!!!!!!!!!!!! You need to be
evaluated. Also, I didn't get even near that amount of fluid in at 1 wk
post op. I was lucky to get even 30 oz in. I felt quite awful. IT WILL
GET BETTER!
— Suzanne D.
July 19, 2002
Dear Carol - what you are feeling is sounding normal to me. Major surgery
is HARD on your body. I had surgery to remove an ovary in April and I was
barely surviving for weeks. Very little activity. Lots of discomfort.
Also, I don't know if your doctor warned you, but almost everyone goes
through a depression after surgery. COmbination of effects of anesthesia,
discomfort, being stuck in the house, you name it. IT WILL GET BETTER.
However, if you feel you are in jeopardy with your health -ie dehydrated,
or running a fever, call your doctor's office! Take care.
— Annie E.
July 29, 2002
Carol tells me today (via e-mail) that she has updated her profile so that
you can see how she is doing... A lot of people expressed an interest
about her health to me, so I encouraged her to "make it public".
— Karen F.
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