Cloudy Mind

[OnMyWayCO 15]

I was sleeved on 1/4, so I am only a few days out from surgery. I had plans to use this time to do things I used to enjoy like reading for pleasure or working on a puzzle. Just relaxing things that I never seem to have time for normally. But I just don't feel like I have the "mental capacity" for reading or puzzles right now. It's like, of course, I'm here and can think and everything. But focusing for any period of time is exhausting. Even conversations are exhausting. Reading my Facebook feed gets tiring. I feel like my mind is cloudy. Has anyone else experienced this? When will my brain be back to normal?

[Champ715 207]

Yes, I was this way for 3-4 days after surgery. After the cloudiness went away, then came the intense emotions and feelings of "what have I done?". I was an emotional rollercoaster for probably 2 1/2 weeks then everything leveled out. I'm a little over 3 months out now and I've never felt better! Hang in there!

[MIMISAN 404]

I haven't been sleeved yet but I have read on here that others feel foggy minded for a while.

[JamieLogical 8,727]

This is completely normal. There are many factors involved that could be causing this. First off, you were under anesthesia for the surgery and on several meds post-op. Any of which could impair your thinking. This is one of the reasons you aren't supposed to drive while on pain meds.

Secondly, you aren't taking in many calories right now and your body is burning a massive amount of energy to heal itself. You simply don't have the energy to sustain your focus.

Finally, you are probably eating few or no carbs at all right now and carbs are the only form of energy your brain can use.

[ocgirl15 667]

Yes I have!!! I was sleeved 12/14 and wanted to go back to work 12/28....I work in IT and thinking clearly is essential. My body was ok with the idea but my brain said "I don't think so."! On 12/29 was the post op visit which is also the day I was to begin the bariatric Multi Vitamins. The doc said the fogginess was common and probably a Vitamin deficiency. Think he said "b" in particular. But I did have fog brain and I might be remembering wrong. Starting the Vitamins plus purées lifted the fog and increased my energy. It will get better! I am 3 weeks now and the low energy and brain fog are gone!

[FrankyG 1,450]

The amount of drugs you just had from surgery, and pain meds after... it's a wonder we remember how to do basic things like brush our teeth!

My dad had heart surgery many years ago, and I was visiting him in the hospital, helping him pay his bills that would be due the following days. He was trying to balance his checkbook because he was a bit secretive about me doing it for him. But he couldn't do the simple subtraction and was getting really agitated. It literally was basic, grade school subtraction. He was a former math teacher and chemist and knew how to use a slide rule and do complex algebraic/calculus formulas in his head... so he was really really freaking out.

I had to ask a nurse to come explain all of the mind-altering drugs they would have used during surgery and that he was currently still on for pain management would seriously compromise his ability to think and do even simple routine tasks. And that he'd be just fine in a week or two after it was all out of his system.