1 Week Post Op - Severe Exhaustion And Rapid Heart Beat

[BioEngineeringChick 27]

Hey All - I had surgery last Monday and I thought that everything was going great. I went home with anti-nausea medicine and hydrocodone. I misunderstood that I was to only take these as needed and took them every 4 hours as was on the prescription bottle. They made me sleep my 1rst week away with hardly ever walking and waking only to drink a Protein drink or Water. When I ran out of medicine Saturday I stopped it all cold turkey. I've since tried to start walking and moving around but a simple trip to the living room has my heart racing like I ran or sprinted. I feel incredibly weak and it takes all the will power I have to get up out of bed. Today in the shower I thought I was going to fall over so I had to get out. When I sat down my heart was racing with over exertion. Before the surgery I was severly overweight but a very active mother of two children under the age of six. I walked daily and had no co-morbidities... good blood pressure, no diabetes, no sleep problems, no depression/anxiety. I feel so overwhelmed and exhausted now that I just sit and cry thinking that I have ruined my life with this surgery. I feel defeated and I wonder if the exhaustion and racing heart will ever go away. I have to start work next week and I don't know how that is possible the way I feel now. We are a single income family and I have no other choice but to go back to work...

Please have any of you experienced this? Does it go away? Suggestions on what will help? Thank you so much!

[Ready4success 380]

You need to sit up in a chair, no more lying down, unless it's bedtime. Sip something every 15 minutes, and get up and walk around every hour on the hour until bedtime. You've deconditioned your body, and the only way back is with hydration and movement. Mix some G2 with Water, or have some Powerade Zero to increase your electrolytes. Depending on what type of work you do, you may not be ready to go back at 2 weeks. Good Luck, and I hope you start feeling better.

[GeauxForIt 659]

Slowly you MUST get up and move. Don't overdo it, but 10 minutes of every hour should be moving around. No more bed or sleep unless you're going down for the night.

Fight for it!!

[BioEngineeringChick 27]

You are so right! I did that for two days and I felt so good I went for a trip to Barnes abd Noble and went to church today. I did 6 loads of laundry and vacuumed the house with energy to spare! Thanks!

[GeauxForIt 659]

You are so right! I did that for two days and I felt so good I went for a trip to Barnes abd Noble and went to church today. I did 6 loads of laundry and vacuumed the house with energy to spare! Thanks!

I'm glad you let us know that you're feeling better!! Keep up the good work.