Start of Round 6 and I can't keep my eyes open!

[lisaoleary524]

Hi everyone,

Since I started my first Whole30 2.5 years ago, I have completed five rounds.  I completed my most recent round at the end of August 2016, so I've only been off a little over a month.  I did, however, have some pretty extreme "relapses" so I decided another round was warranted.  

I began this round on Monday, so today is Day 3.  Since Day 1, I have had the most extreme amount of drowsiness/lethargy that I have ever experienced.  I have also never had the tiredness start immediately, but by mid-morning Day 1 I have literally fallen asleep at my desk on multiple occasions.  It has gotten to the point that I am concerned about driving for fear of falling asleep behind the wheel.

There are a number of outside stressors that could be contributing to this.  I had back surgery three months ago and just went back to work on 9/15, so I'm getting used to the full-time schedule again.  Also, in the two weeks before starting this latest round, I felt run down and have been having a lot of joint pain - so much so that my doctor has referred me to a rheumatologist.

Because I have had a lot of experience with Whole30 and have never had this type of severe symptomology before (except maybe my first round, and the tiredness took a few days to kick in), it just makes me wonder if it is, in fact, from Whole30 or rather it's something else.

Any thoughts are appreciated.  Thanks!

Lisa

[ladyshanny]

Hi @lisaoleary524 

Considering that you experienced the first instance of the lethargy on Day 1 and halfway through the first day isn't nearly enough time to experience any actual symptoms, I don't think it's particularly Whole30 related.Back surgery is a major, MAJOR "injury" and while 3 months might seem like a long time to recover, it's really not. Your body is still working on healing and that takes a tonne of resources. 

It would be helpful if you would post what you have been eating the last three days including portions, specific veggies/fats etc as well as any other stressors, exercise/physio, sleep schedule/quality, water consumption etc. Really just give us everything you can and we can see if an outside perspective helps. My first thoughts would be for you to increase your water consumption, go to bed earlier, make sure you are eating enough protein and fats, don't rely on fruits/nut butters as they can spike your bloodsugar leading to later day crashes. 

Finally, if you are concerned about your ability to drive without being in/a danger, you should see a doctor. There are no medical professionals here.

(The forum is having some bugs, could you please tag me in your response if you would like me to followup).