Post op Fatigue

[bsprings]

Hey everyone,
Just wanted to take a "poll" of people's energy level after surgery-I had A/P surgery in Dec. of '06 and still get so tired so easily. (I'm 47) Can others who have had surgery a year or two (or more) tell me if they are "back to normal"? I can sleep 11 or 12 hours a night if I'm able and with just 8 or 9 hours I feel exhausted! My job may be the problem-I wonder if it's just too stressful and too much for me anymore. I have to be up at 6am and don't get home til 6pm (long commute). Has anyone else gone back to work to a full time job with these hours/stress? I wonder if it is normal after this surgery to just not be entirely what we used to be-any comments? Thanks!
Cathie

[rainbow2010]

The Atlanta commute will wear anyone out! My husband drives it daily from near Rome, Ga and he is always exhausted. It does take a long time to get your energy back. Try getting some exercise when you get home (I know it is hard - but try 10 minutes a day). I have gotten my husband to start exercising when he gets home and he has found it is reducing his stress and giving him more energy. It took me a year after my revision surgery to get most of my energy back.

[sueRRT]

I'm currently 15 months post op of an anterior/posterior fusion. It took me 6 months before I could go back to work and another 6 months before I could go back to 40 hours. I still get exhausted easily at times. I work in a trauma hospital 12 hour shifts so I'm up at 5am and usually home around 8pm. It tough most days, even an 8hr shift is difficult. Was the job/commute as stressful before the surgery as it is now? Are you still on pain meds? Is your job just as satisfying now as it was before the surgery? I hope you work it out. I know you've been through a lot already without this stress.

[sccrm08]

At 10 1/2 months post op I went back to work only 6 hrs a day. I was totally exausted when I got home and had to force myself to do anything else. Luckly I work in a class room and get summers off. When we went back in Aug. the first week I did fine and when I got home I would lay down for 15 mins. or so and then I could do more things. There was a big improvement over the summer. Now I only worked the first week of school and have been on jury duty since which makes for long days and a longer commute. I am much more tired when I get home, but also I can't get up and walk around whenever I want like I can at work. I hope when I return to work it will be like it was the first week.

[nzgirl]

Hi,
I'm still tired... getting better, feeling generally pretty good, but I get wiped out sometimes after things that would normally be ok. Like last week I did a big presentation, and had spent a while in the month leading up to prepare for it. I wasn't working more than a few hours a day, but when I got home after the presentation I went and lay down... and felt so tired I could barely think straight. A week later I'm still getting tired. I think that it's cumulative. I think that the stress of the last year (lead up to surgery included) has depleted my resources, so getting tired is a symptom of all the other stuff. Incedentally, I don't remember being like this after my first surgery. I have to try and remember not to be too hard on myself, and keep accepting help.
I "fired" my helper (a very generous mother in law to be) out of guilt and thinking that I was just being a bit lazy and could do much more than I thought...but then after a week or so accepted her offer to come back in case I had been premature in thinking I could cope. It will get better! (thats for me as much as you!)

[Susie*Bee]

I get tired too-- and I'm 16 months post-op. My days at work seem plenty long enough to me at 8 hours, with no real commute (10 minutes!), so your day sounds super long to me. Usually I either "park it" on the couch and relax for awhile or actually go lie down and take the complete load off, for at least half an hour. Then I'm ok-- although we do simple suppers and hubby's been mostly doing the dishes. Then just relaxing in the evening. I think it will get better though, with more time!

nz-- glad to hear your MIL is back to helping you. You have so much on your plate as it is. Congrats on finishing up that big presentation/project.