Expert: Dr Ian Jackson - please note UK based - 1/25/2009

Question
My husband had a radical prostatectomy twelve weeks ago. His recovery has been excellent in all areas except one: he continues to be very tired, and sleeps several hours most days. Is there a way to determine whether he is experiencing lingering effects of the anesthesia, as opposed to some other cause for the fatigue?

Answer
Hi there
This is a very big operation and it takes a long time to recover fully from this. Your body reacts to any major operation by actually losing muscle mass and using this to help repair itself. Depending on your age and the size of procedure this can take a long time to recover from.
So I am not really surprised. However it is worth ensuring he tries to exercise a bit more each day and eats and drinks well. Not much else to add really - just reassurance that time usually works its magic. Only other thing that could be checked is his blood level to make sure he isn't anaemic.
Hope this helps
Kind regards
Dr Ian Jackson