Why do I get out of breath so easy?

[Jjohnsonphd]

I think I was expecting to breathe easier post-surgery, and maybe this is just me but I get winded soooo easily. Like showering and drying my hair, I have to lay down after. Today was my first time out to a store. We hardly got in, looked for shoes for my kids and I had to sit down. I got really hot and felt like I was not going to make it back out to the car. I collected myself but this is really hard! Living a normal life still seems so far away for me. Even if I didn't have my vision problem, I would not even remotely feel safe driving. And where we would I go if I can hardly walk into a store without losing my breath so easily?

I am thinking this might be related to the fact I still take Dilaudid 2x a day and my walking has been limited because the weather is so hot. I am going in the pool 1-2x a day to walk in the pool and kick until I get tired but it is not weight-bearing and isn't the same. More laps in the house!

The good news is I don't feel quite so tired daytime and I am able to get dinner made and some light-weight housework done. My kids have been super helpful. My pain is so much better except for this knife in my low back. It had been there since day 1 and I think it is a nerve that is unwinding or something.

Tomorrow is 8 weeks! I can see a world of change since 4 weeks so I know it will get better. Thanks again for all the support and positive thoughts!

[LindaRacine]

I think I was expecting to breathe easier post-surgery, and maybe this is just me but I get winded soooo easily. Like showering and drying my hair, I have to lay down after. Today was my first time out to a store. We hardly got in, looked for shoes for my kids and I had to sit down. I got really hot and felt like I was not going to make it back out to the car. I collected myself but this is really hard! Living a normal life still seems so far away for me. Even if I didn't have my vision problem, I would not even remotely feel safe driving. And where we would I go if I can hardly walk into a store without losing my breath so easily?

I am thinking this might be related to the fact I still take Dilaudid 2x a day and my walking has been limited because the weather is so hot. I am going in the pool 1-2x a day to walk in the pool and kick until I get tired but it is not weight-bearing and isn't the same. More laps in the house!

The good news is I don't feel quite so tired daytime and I am able to get dinner made and some light-weight housework done. My kids have been super helpful. My pain is so much better except for this knife in my low back. It had been there since day 1 and I think it is a nerve that is unwinding or something.

Tomorrow is 8 weeks! I can see a world of change since 4 weeks so I know it will get better. Thanks again for all the support and positive thoughts!

Hi...

I'm guessing that it has everything to do with you having been hit by a bus 8 weeks ago, and little to nothing to do with lung capacity. You're expecting too much too soon. Most adults barely do anything for the first 6-12 weeks. You're doing a lot. Hang in there. It will improve.

--Linda

[KathyInIowa]

I think I was expecting to breathe easier post-surgery, and maybe this is just me but I get winded soooo easily. Like showering and drying my hair, I have to lay down after. Today was my first time out to a store. We hardly got in, looked for shoes for my kids and I had to sit down. I got really hot and felt like I was not going to make it back out to the car. I collected myself but this is really hard! Living a normal life still seems so far away for me. Even if I didn't have my vision problem, I would not even remotely feel safe driving. And where we would I go if I can hardly walk into a store without losing my breath so easily?

I am thinking this might be related to the fact I still take Dilaudid 2x a day and my walking has been limited because the weather is so hot. I am going in the pool 1-2x a day to walk in the pool and kick until I get tired but it is not weight-bearing and isn't the same. More laps in the house!

The good news is I don't feel quite so tired daytime and I am able to get dinner made and some light-weight housework done. My kids have been super helpful. My pain is so much better except for this knife in my low back. It had been there since day 1 and I think it is a nerve that is unwinding or something.

Tomorrow is 8 weeks! I can see a world of change since 4 weeks so I know it will get better. Thanks again for all the support and positive thoughts!

Hi, Jana!
I read your post and thought "that's me!" I am 7 weeks post op, so just one week behind you. I still have to rest after any "normal" activity like showering. If I just do any small thing around the house, like trying to deal with paperwork, sending a few emails, etc - then I'm exhausted and have to take a rest. We went to the mall last Sunday. By the time we drove the 20 minutes, got in a store and walked around a little while, I was losing it. We got me a snack thinking that would help. Walked to one other store and then just left. By the time we got home, I seriously needed to lay down! So, I've decided it's not worth it. I'll just stay home for 6 more weeks if that's what it means to not got through that! But, I am older than you. I am 55 - but I went into this surgery in great physical shape. I know that was a big plus for me, the fact still remains, I'm 55 - I will not recover as quickly as a 30 or 40-something.

I still have that nagging thigh pain. I can tell that it is slowly but surely going away - but it is still affecting how I feel. My legs get really tired even on a 15 minute walk. And, if I've been on my feet a fair amount during the day for whatever reason, then by night I'm toast. I'm also still NOT SLEEPING! Ugh! Talk about kicking the dog when it's down! Last night at 4:00 a.m. I finally took a Flexeril & Tylenol and fell asleep - woke up at 10:00 a.m. I'm sure the Flexeril helped with the sleep.

I haven't taken any pain meds since I've been home. I'm sure that's why I'm feeling more pain, but it's not bad enough to justify taking narcotics. I try to control it in other ways. But, it can be a constant, frustrating battle. My main complaint is the thigh pain, and my low back - left side - which is where my rib hump was. So, I'm guessing that is muscle pain from those muscles being pulled back to where they belong.

You say you have that "knife in the back pain" - is that where your rib hump was? Because that is how I would describe my pain, but it then radiates down my left leg. It's not like a sciatica nerve pain radiating, is more of muscle pain just traveling from my low back to the connecting muscles in my leg. Does this make sense?

I bet your kids love having you home! Our youngest daughter is coming tomorrow and will be with us for 4 days. I'm so excited to see her and she will be great help to me here.

I've had to get up 4 times and walk around while typing this! That's how irritating sitting is to me!

Keep up the good work Jana! I wish I had a pool in my back yard!

Kathy

[Jjohnsonphd]

Linda, you are completely right. I do feel like I have been hit by a bus, train, or some other fast moving vehicle. When I take a full breath in, I don't feel the pang I used to. My lungs have plenty of space now. I know my body is just all in the right place now and that feels comforting. I have been so consumed with the surgical pain and discomfort, I just realized the left side of my thoracic back doesn't kill like it used to. It literally doesn't hurt there at all now. I am trying to focus each day on these positive gains.

Kathy, we are in the same spot for sure. Winded and out of breath, little tasks still are hard and sleeping is not easy. I have been wiped out the last two afternoons and napped but then I am wide awake still at midnight. I did a short outing today and it went better but I really rather not do it! I could easily stay home the next 6 weeks too! Your mall trip had me quivering in the legs, I could not have done it! My super bad pain, I would say, is to the left of L4 and I could draw a circle around it. It is always in the same place. It kills at the end of the day. It has been there since day 1 but used to be crippling. My whole back feels very sore still and I am stiff. It is still hard to get up off the couch when I am laying down. My buttocks are also sore but not like they used to be. My legs can ache too. I think all these pains are normal?

It has to get easier. I was in good shape before surgery and I could steam through a day with no problem, so this recovery has been a big adjustment. Plus getting used to seeing out of one eye all the time really is not easy. I am patching one eye praying everyday my eyes heal. I just find it so frustrating, this day in age in medicine, that no one can tell me what happened to my vision during surgery. Was it the anesthesia? I had a textbook surgery, according to my spine surgeon. Everything went perfect but I woke up with a constant lazy eye and double vision.

Speaking of my surgeon (who is seriously one of the most incredible doctors I have ever met), he is on a mission trip in Mexico operating on children with some of the most extreme spinal deformities I have ever seen. One child had their entire spine completely over to one side. He is part of Global Spine Outreach who have this amazing team who travel where scoliosis surgeries are not possible. I cry at all the video clips! It is just so incredible what they can do to improve these kids lives and these sweet kids have the biggest grins on their face and they look SO happy. We are so lucky we have the opportunity to just walk into our surgeon's office and have their talents at our fingertips. We have to remember to feel grateful through this pain and discomfort and frustration. We are going to get better and have healthier lives!

Today I saw this: H.O.P.E.= Hang On, Pain Ends
My mantra for us surgical post-ops

Jana