PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN

Hey, I haven't been around on the boards in a long time. I got a new job - moved to MS - got married - yada, yada... I was doing so good for so long, but the past couple of months are getting bad. I have started getting this burning in my pouch - I had Acid Reflux before surgery, I thought the surgery was suppose to cure it - Is it back? I'm thinking it is - and just more painful than before due to the size of my stomach. Or maybe an ulcer? I read on here that someone else had one - does that cause the burning? I get pain in my rib cage from time to time too, although not as often as the burning. Antacids do seem to help as does Prilosec - do those work on ulcers too or just Reflux? Sorry this is getting so long - but here's the MAJOR problem. I have had 4 "episodes" of the most excruitiating pain I've ever felt in my life - I've gone to the ER twice. The truth is, we don't know what it is - but we think that a potassium deficientcy could be causing severe muscle spasms. It's in different areas - Tuesday of last week, I fell out in the middle of the street - it was my pouch and the area all around it. The ER doc thinks that my stomach and what he called "the tubes" around it all went into spasm. Last night, it was in my lower intestines - like the lower half of my body was in spasm and into my back as well. I can't live with this - the pain is too intense and the episodes have all lasted over an hour. It's like a charlie horse in your calf that you get in the middle of the night - only they only last a minute - this is the same pain - in different areas - that lasts for over an hour. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Can anyone help with any of this? Shelaine 309/180/165

Shelaine, hey girl, you've been MIA, congrats on the move and your marriage. Have you been scoped, the burning in your pouch does sound like an ulcer and yes prilosec and antacids will sooth the burning. Can you find a bariatric surgeon in MS that you can transfer to? I do think you need to see someone that has the knowledge of post-ops. As for the cramping and low potassium, has your PCP or WL surgeon prescribed a liquid potassium for you....or have they considered a potassium IV...I don't want to scare you but low potassium is very dangerous...take care of it girlfriend. Cramping can also be associated with lack of water (dehydration), low calcium and B vitamin deficiencies. I hope they find a solution for you soon, I've experienced low potassium and thiamin deficiencies and the leg cramps are horrible. Hugs, Dana

Thank you, Dana. I just went to the store for potassium supplements - and I'm sure I need to up my water intake. I have a call in to my surgeon. Hopefully, I will get somewhere. The OTC supplements only offer 3% DV - that can't be enough for me. But it will help for now until I can get in to a doctor that, like you said, has experience with post-ops. The docs I saw here both said themselves that they don't. Potassium can be dangerous. I went to the hospital for that pain, but stayed last Tuesday due to an abnormal EKG. Turned out it was a small "insignificant" defect - "nothing to worry about" - but I can't help but wonder if it's related to the potassium. My EKG before surgery 10 and a 1/2 months ago was normal.

Hun this sounds serious. You FIGHT for your health until you find out what is wrong. Get you an UPPER GI done and a scope. Also get yourself to a doctor who has experince with post op WLS folks. If you don't fight for your health no one else will - that's the god honest truth. Good luck! Kia

You are so right, Kia. And I will. It just seems that I have so much going on, I can't figure which symptom is from which problem. I have a terrible time with stress and anxiety - take Zoloft everyday and Xanax PRN - and that PRN is more and more often these days. I have a high stress job. I was out of the industry (casinos) for a little over a year - that's when I had my surgery - I did so well - I didn't even get a head cold for over a year. Then when I came back to work in this field, all the problems I had before came back. Sleepless nights, burning stomach, unbelievable anxiety. The last casino I worked for (before this one) things got really bad at the end. Caused me all sorts of health problems both mental and physical. Part of me thinks that my brain must think that all casino work experiences will be like that and my body has responded the same way it did throughout the real experience. Only now, that I am post-op, it's more dangerous. I know the cramping can't be from stress & anxiety, but the burning could be - could have created an ulcer, I suppose. With all the symptoms it's so hard to figure out - it's a chicken or the egg scenario. Ya know what I mean? Shelaine