Experiencing Fatigue After Surgery - Is it Normal?

I've been home from the hospital for a few months after having colostomy surgery and twisted intestine surgery. Everything's fine, I'm back at the gym only doing small exercises. Except, I've been feeling tired a lot lately. Is this normal?

Hi C.

Yep, it took me 5 to 6 months to get anywhere near normal, but everyone is different. Take your time, don't rush it. Get your bloods done, look for any deficiencies, iron, etc., if you haven't already.

Axl

I'm with Axl on this one!

However, as with most topics, there is a lot more to tiredness than my glib/brief acknowledgement can capture. When I was going through a tired phase, I tried to capture it in rhymes, so I'll share these with you so that you can get a feel of not being alone with these feelings.

Best wishes

Bill

TIREDNESS.

What is this thing called tiredness
that leaves our minds in such a mess?
That saps us of our energy
’till all that’s left is apathy.

Is it physiological
or is it psychological?
Do you get tired when you’re ill
or is it part of life’s treadmill?

It seems that we could do without
this tiredness we talk about.
But is our tiredness all real
or is it ‘tiresome’ we feel?

With too much on, we’re overawed
and many things might make us bored.
It won’t take long for us to tire
of those things we don’t desire.

People can be tiring
unless one is admiring.
Sustaining a relationship
when they play at gamesmanship.

Just keeping up with their intrigue
can be the cause of our fatigue.
Tiredness is a condition
affecting all of our cognition.

So when you’re tired you will find
that tiredness affects your mind.
Then you can get in such a state
that your life stops and can stagnate.

So make a plan and find a way
to make some changes from today.
Balance out your work and rest
so you can say you did your best.

                                 B. Withers 2012

TIREDNESS. 3.

My tiredness can overwhelm
to make me feel I’ve lost the helm.
Sometimes it’s like a little boat
sinking fast but still afloat.

As there’s no one else around
to this sinking boat I’m bound.
Tossed and battered by each wave
waiting for its watery grave.

All around dark clouds of gloom
intensify my fears of doom.
In this relentless stormy sea
I foresee the end of me.

I’ve heard of instincts to survive
and hidden strengths to stay alive.
Mine’s never been a half-filled cup
instead I feel like giving up.

My time has come, I can’t pretend
my tether’s come right to the end.
The pressure’s caused my will to crack
like last straw broke the camel’s back.

I can no longer have belief
that I will somehow get relief.
I’ve reached the point where I can’t cope
and now I feel I’ve lost all hope.

The more I try, the more I find
that tiredness engulfs my mind.
Every muscle I have strained
but now I’m weary, worn-out, drained.

My exhaustion is so deep
that all I want to do is sleep.
So now I will lay down my head
if I awake, I won’t be dead.

                                      B. Withers 2012

TIREDNESS 4.

As I think, it has transpired
many things will make me tired.
It should not come as a surprise
that I get tired from exercise.

To be sure it is foretold
I get more tired as I get old.
You may well ask, as to whether
‘sick and tired’ go together.

Whilst all these things seem obvious
what of those things invidious.
For when I’m tired I can find
it might be just a state of mind.

Things can get so tiresome
I might lose my mind’s momentum.
Then many things can aggravate
just little things like being late.

When I’m lost or can’t begin
or when I lack self-discipline.
People, when I think they’re fakes
or when I make my own mistakes.

When all my negatives get stored
and when I know that I am bored.
Or when I simply lack control
and start to spiral down that hole.

Whilst tiredness might mean you’re lazy.
it could be your mind is hazy
when circumstances that you’re in
send your head into a spin.

It’s tiresome when life’s amiss
but you don’t need to be like this.
Shed those chains by which you’re bound
then take your life and turn it round.

                                         B. Withers 2012

Hi cbintley, I agree with Axl. It does take months to get anywhere near normal, and everyone is different. I think I was tired for close to a year (might have also been the meds I was on). It wasn't until I could get out in the warm weather and walk each day that my energy returned. Baby steps. You will get there.

Take your time, it does take a while to get back to 100 percent. Congratulations for the motivation to get back in the gym so quickly. Your strength to improve will help you through this. Like some of the advice that was given, each person recovers at different paces. Start to get your blood tested on a regular basis to see how your body is absorbing vitamins and minerals. I have an ileostomy and had issues absorbing water-based vitamins and absorbing water. With a colostomy, depending on how much large intestine you might have lost, your body is playing catch up and will adjust, but you will have to give it time.

Have your B12 checked; that is a vitamin that you will feel if you're low on, and avoid energy drinks. I made that mistake and ended up with a blood clot from a combination of dehydration and drinking those to push myself when I returned to work.

Good luck

Hi, welcome to the site... My name is Marsha, and I've had my ileostomy for a very long time... Fatigue/tiredness after surgery, especially if you were ill for a while (4 years for me). It took a long time for me to adjust to the ostomy, figure out my diet, and then concentrate on getting back my energy... I was 15 at the time... more than 50 years ago. I found that the most important factor in avoiding fatigue is staying well hydrated... summer and winter. You may not be absorbing as much fluid as in the past, so be sure to keep drinking... try to avoid substituting carbonated, sugary, or artificially sweetened drinks... even coffee or caffeinated tea. Your system really needs water... It's only lately (last 5 years) that I started to become seriously dehydrated, and that went along with extreme fatigue... Unfortunately, it's also led to a form of IBS... which has affected my diet. Not trying to scare you, just be aware, and start the day with a refreshing glass of plain water... and repeat, several times throughout the day... It really does help with fatigue... Best regards, Marsha