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Fatigue

Posted , 9 users are following.

betty07083
betty07083

I'm 5 months post op ( 6 months at end of January) and still suffer from extreme fatigue. Especially if I've been on my feet all day, but pretty much every day, at times it is literally debilitating! 

Have others at my stage experienced this or is there something else going on? 

This is not a small issue. It's become pretty serious and affecting my daily life. I plan to see my doctor and tell him about it, but wondered if others have experienced it.

Thank you, Betty

1 like, 32 replies

32 Replies

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  • mary83072
    mary83072 betty07083

    Posted

    I am fatigued most of the day.  Even after I get up in morning I am still very  tired  I start doing housework and hsv to keep stopping  I do most of my chores sitting down..sometimes have an afternoon nap..
    • betty07083
      betty07083 mary83072

      Posted

      How many weeks post op are you? I'm also still tired when I get up, never feeling refreshed & ready to start the day. I'm better after my coffee, but a few hours later I'm tired again. 

      Very frustrating! sad

      Thanks for your response. 

    • mary83072
      mary83072 betty07083

      Posted

      Hi Betty. . I am 17 weeks post tkr. .... as you say ok some  of the day...I am usually a bit more energetic we hen it's time to go to bed!!   Then wake up like a burst balloon! ... take care.
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 betty07083

    Posted

    Have you had a blood study done since surgery. Could be your iron level is low from blood loss during the operation. I wouldn't start a iron supplement (ferrous sulfate) on my own without a test but adding iron rich foods like spinach, liver etc to the diet could help. Just google a list of foods for variety. 
  • britta217
    britta217 betty07083

    Posted

    hello betty ... so interesting you should bring this up.  i am 4 months next week and i have noticed over the holidays - because i can - that i will quite happily go back to bed for a "nap" in the afternoon and then end up sleeping like the dead for 3 hours.  and of course i have no difficulties going to bed on time in the evening and sleeping though never as deeply as during my "nap".  i put it down to medication which i have hugely reduced but still feel completely zonked most days, never really getting the get-up-and-go feeling i had before the operation.

    like you i have been giving it a lot of thought what i could do as i start a new job next week, working 100% in the office with no napping opportunities.  i think i will be looking into some alternative medicine options to pep me up.  what with the operation, the medication, the poor eating habits which developed out of not being able to cook for myself or not wanting to ... i think the body needs to be given some boodness back.  will keep you posted if i feel it is helping!  interested to hear from you what your gp says.  not sure mine would come up with anything useful though i may be doing him a disservice.

    • betty07083
      betty07083 britta217

      Posted

      Hi Britta

      I do feel for you young women who still have to work and don't have the luxury of being able to nap or rest when you feel the need to do so. Good luck with your new job next week. How are you feeling now? How is your bend?

      Take care of yourself! Betty 

    • britta217
      britta217 betty07083

      Posted

      hi betty ... as i type this, i am feeling rather sorry for myself with a major headcold and flu symptoms.  but considering how i felt during the night, i am amazed at fast we are able to bounce back.  i have been rather slack with my exercises over the holidays but my bendy machine tells me i can easily do 120 passively.  actively needs to be built up.  as of next week!  you take care of yourself too.
  • joan51826
    joan51826 betty07083

    Posted

    I am exactly like you Betty and I am nearly 9 months post op. I have no energy. I have my blood checked every six months due to thyroid. Had it checked a few weeks ago and came back normal. Started taking Berrrocca. Dont know yet whether it has made a difference. Some days I am more tired after my breakfast than when I am due to go to bed at night. Its weird. Waiting to have my other knee done and will be glad of the excuse of having to rest again if you know what I mean. I feel so down and lathargic and its making me depressed. 
    • mary83072
      mary83072 joan51826

      Posted

      Hi Jean. .. It is hard not to get down especially when you are feeling lethargic.. i have hardly been out in the last 2 months...  as someone else pointed out I think diet is the key.... my diet had been shockingly bad .. at first didn't want to eat... then couldn't stand up long enough to cook... do mainly ate sandwiches  I have now started taking vitamin supplements and trying to get into a routine. ... and not turning night into day.... I try and find some project  to do... I love to knit.... read... Make cards... at least I feel as though I have achieved something rather than another wasted day..  .. hope you feel better soon. . Take care... Mary
    • betty07083
      betty07083 joan51826

      Posted

      Hi Joan,

      Wow, 9 months post op and you are still feeling tired sad

      I know the feeling when you are tired after breakfast - I feel that way at times too. After I come back from a nice walk, I feel ready for a nap! I thought exercise was supposed to energize you!

      Has your doctor given any indication as to why you feel so tired? My husband wants me to see his Cardiologist. He has noticed the change in me and I think it scares him.

      I may see his cardiologist - need to rule everything out. Good luck to you Joan

  • jennifer86104
    jennifer86104 betty07083

    Posted

    Hi Betty, as I said to you on another thread, I stil get tired too. Not quite as bad as you suggest perhaps. I found Christmas and all it entails quite exhausting and had to have a half hour lie down in the middle of Christmas Day as I had such a headache! 

    It might be worth you getting a blood test done in case your iron levels are low though. I find all the exercises I'm still doing tire me too. Hope you can get some good advice. Jen x

  • carol45436
    carol45436 betty07083

    Posted

    Now I am thinking that my general lethergy is no tjust me.  In every other way I am feeling that I'm going forward  but I am so tired all the time. I lost a lot of blood and had to have two transfusions. and it never occurred to me that I could be anaemic. Thought it was just a bit of post op depression. Think I'll start some vitamin supplements because I can't tolerate iron.New year's resolution.
  • Oldfatguy1
    Oldfatguy1 betty07083

    Posted

    Another way of looking at this. When athletes start getting ready for a new season of competition, the1st few weeks are spentvon conditioning drills. They may try and stay in shape in the off season but are still not comperition ready. Most who have gone through this have just been trying to survive the pain and not been concerned with keeping strong and fit. Try including some simple aerobics in your routine. When sitting, taking a small can of food in each hand and doing curls and lifts. Practice stretching all parts of your body not just the be damnable bad leg. Do some gentle twisting and bending stuff. Lookbon utube or google gentle excercise programs. You can incorporate some of this stuff with the leg rehab. As I have mentioned several times, myvwifeciacin advancing stages of Parkinson's disease and with all the Money spent and research done, 25 minutes daily of simple stretching and movement is the best medicine for even an incurable disease. They have researched vitamin D therapy and coQ10 and various other supplements and excercisr is still the prescription. One other off forgotten necessity........ 6-8 eight ounces of water daily.
  • MCanada
    MCanada betty07083

    Posted

    Hi Betty, There are lots of factors that could be causing your fatigue at this time. Tell me a bit about your lifestyle. Are you:

    Back at work full time?

    working out your whole body regularly?

    Eating enough protein and  iron rich foods to keep your iron up?

    How was your energy level and activity level before surgery?

    How old are you? What about your sleeping arrangements.  Might you not be getting enough sleep due to sleep apnea or a husband who snores or has it? 

    I found that I choose naps sometimes now that I  can have them when in the past I would have had some more  coffee and some chocolate and kept going. It is especially bad when my husband is snoring or really restless. My knee is not the reason I am exhausted during the day but it seems it is worse because I am tired. 

    Menopause has also arrived to keep me more tired! Oh joy! Being semi retired I can deal with these things easier but it would be very difficult if I was running meetings as an Executive Director of education. That is for sure. Best, Mary

    • betty07083
      betty07083 MCanada

      Posted

      Hi thanks to all of you for your input and sharing your own experiences.

      To answer your questions, I am 67 and feel I'm in good health - walk or ride a stationery bike for 30 minutes each day ( although like OFG suggests I know I should add other things to the mix. My body has probably gotten used to the same routine every day)

      I think I eat properly - I have a husband so I try & fix healthy meals for us ( otherwise it would probably be frozen dinners every night!) I had a complete physical last October ( after my TKR) with blood work & everything looked fine.

      I talked to my GP then about my fatigue & he suggested it may be my varicose veins, but this is such a deep, emotional fatigue that I don't go along with that theory.

      It's worse in late afternoon, about the time I need to start preparing dinner. The thought of that is sometimes so overwhelming I want to cry. I've been going to bed earlier & earlier at night, feeling so OLD for my age!

      You may have a point about my lacking sleep at night however. For years now I have not been able to sleep through the night. I wake up several times & continually changing positions to get comfortable. I'm a very light sleeper & does not take much to wake me up, even with a sleep aid which I seem to take more often, in the hopes I can stay asleep. ( but I don't)

      It's easy to blame my TKR for all my ills, but going on 6 months I'm beginning to think I need to see what else is going on. 

      I'm going to make some changes, following all the above suggestions, even sleeping in the guest room for awhile, to see if anything helps. My husbands snoring could play a part, but as I said, I still wake up several times for no apparent reason, but I will rule everything out.

      Thank you all you wonderful TKR friends! I love this forum - you truly are like my new friends and I look forward to reading what everyone has to say each day smile

      Betty

    • joansgarden
      joansgarden betty07083

      Posted

      Betty it may be unrelated to the tkr. I have a friend who was extrememly tired all the time and with an irregular heartbeat. They thought it was a heart problem but tests came back negative. Then they did a sleep test and discovered that her oxygen levels were dropping to 70% at night! Now she is on a cpap machine and says she has her energy back, and in addition the irregular heatbeat has gone away.
    • betty07083
      betty07083 joansgarden

      Posted

      Wow, that is something to think about! There are a number of things it could be, so I just have to rule things out as I go along. A visit to the Cardiologist would tell if there is anything going on there. I never thought of myself having sleep apnea - my husband does however and he was supposed to go to a sleep clinic, but have put that on the back burner until he has a heart procedure done.

      My lack of sleep could also be because of HIS sleep apnea as I have to keep waking him up when I'm aware of it!

      Thanks for sharing your friends story. I hope to get it resolved at some point!

      Hope you are doing well! Betty

    • britta217
      britta217 betty07083

      Posted

      betty - i was thinking of you and your statement, that you need to wake your husband when you are aware of his sleep apnea kicking in.  i think you have hit the nail on the head.  you know when you are going on holiday and set the alarm clock?  but because you are afraid you will miss it and so miss the flight, you never really get a good sleep?  your subconscious keeps you from really getting to sleep?  i think that's what happens to you.  and not just one night, every night.  by the sounds of things, you could be doing with a trip to the sleep clinic yourself!  

      just wanted to share this with you.  i think you are on the right track there, keep exploring it.  and perhaps being in the guest room will help.  fingers crossed you feel energized real soon.

    • betty07083
      betty07083 britta217

      Posted

      Hi Britta

      I've tried to answer you 3 times now, but these damn ads get in the way where they cover the type, then when I try to get rid of them, I lose my writing to you and it goes to the ad!!!

      Yes, I know that feeling very well, having an alarm set and not sleeping well as you are in anticipation of it going off! I'm sure there is a lot of truth in that in my situation. It does not happen every night ( my husbands snoring & sleep apnea) so that is why I always think my fatigue is from something else. However when it does happen ( like last night!) I think to myself "no wonder I'm so damn tired every day!!!" I wake up grumpy and angry towards him. Not a good situation sad

      Thanks for your astute observation. How are YOU feeling? 

      I

    • jennifer86104
      jennifer86104 britta217

      Posted

      Betty, just another thought. You mention sleeping in the guest room. My husband is still sleeping in the spare room! But it's his choice. He suffers from tinnitus and finds it hard to go back to sleep when he wakes in the night. He always used to go downstairs and put the tv on and sleep on the sofa. Now he reads for a while and goes back to sleep! I've tried to persuade him to return to our large comfy bed but he says he likes his little single bed 😊 I've enjoyed stretching my leg out whenever I want too😊 . So, you may find you sleep better in separate beds - at least for a while! Jen x
    • betty07083
      betty07083 jennifer86104

      Posted

      I slept in the guest room for around 3 weeks after my TKR & I did sleep well but figured it was from the narcotics! I plan to try it again to see if it helps - I keep procrastinating though because I hate to give up our big king sized bed! ( neither does my husband!)

      I'll let you know when I do it and if it helps smile

      Take care of that cold! Betty

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