Went to the Doc today

Well I KEPT my day off all to myself! Even left my cell phone at HOME. I went to the doc and discussed all my problems. 1. The pain in the pouch. Been having pain in my pouch when it's empty here lately. Oddly, it makes me crave warm "milky" drinks...or junk - seems like when i eat meats I can only get a few bites and it hurts.... even decaff coffee makes it hurt. So we discussed my history with heartburn. I had HORRIBLE heartburn pre-op - even developed barrett's esophagus from it and was on twice the maximu dose of Prevacid before my rny. It was so bad that they wanted to wrap my stomach around my lower esophagus to try to prevent more acid from coming up in my throat. WELL since my RNY, i haven't had ANY heartburn. No acid reflux at all. It has been wonderful! Here's the thing..... that doesn't mean it's gone!!! Now that my stomach is bypassed, there is no bile mixed in with the stomach acid - so the feeling of heartburn may not be what I remember it being. That being said - we discussed other symptoms, such as phlem in the throat, having to clear my throat alot, scratchy voice... all signs that I am still dealing with stomach acid issues. So, she put me back on prevacid for now. We'll see how it goes. 2. BLOOD WORK. They took SIX tubes of blood from me. My poor arm actually stopped spewing blood and just barely dripped in the last two tubes. I thought she was gonna have to stick me again! Seriously, I got lightheaded and all my nail beds went sheet WHITE. She thinks my B12 is low and that's what causing all my tiredness and brain fog - and possibly low iron because of my recent plastics. The blood work will tell. She gave me a B12 shot. I ASKED FOR NASCOBAL - but SHE NEVER HEARD OF IT!! AUGH!! My results should be in next week. I'm so nervous about my results this time. The last time, I was low on B12, Vit D and folate. They told me if my Vit D comes back low again, I have to go to a specialist. This sucks because I just know my results are not going to be good just by the way I've been feeling. NOW - ABOUT THAT NASCOBAL: How do i get it??? Do I need a prescription?? I can't believe this doctor has never heard of it! I'm gonna have to call my surgeon to ask for it. The sublinguals do not work for me...and I just don't have time to go in for monthly shots. Now, if I could only get my a@! in to the dentist!! Hugs, Pam

Hey Pam, Good for you in making your health a priority. I wasn't sure that you could still have acid reflux post rny. Hopefully being back on the Prevacid will help. Also, glad that you got your B-12 shot. I'm sure Lisa can tell you how to get the Nascobal. When I had my 1 year bloodwork, they took 6-7 vials, too! What's up with that??? I was very curious about my bloodwork as well, since I changed from Viactiv calcium chews to Citracal creamy bites. I've been taking 1000-1500 g of calcium/day depending. I was glad to see everything come back clear. Hopefully yours will come back just fine! Have a great rest of your day! Hugs, Kerri

Hi Pam. I'm sorry to hear about your health problems. You've been through so much and now all this! I keep learning something new to be aware of as a post-op. You mentioned the changes since plastic surgery; that's something I'll have to remember. I hope you get the medication you need. It is strange that your doc didn't know about Nascobal. Take care of yourself and yes, make that dentist appointment. That's something I have to do for my regular cleaning. I know I have to keep up with the dentist because I had a history of bad, bad teeth. I had to have a lot of restorative work done all because of my fear of dentists!!! Hope you feel better soon! Hugs, Lucy 484.8/383.4/170/160 pre-surg/surg day/current/goal weight

MY surgeon prescribed it to me. here is the website awesome company that reimburses the copay!!! http://www.nascobal.com/ ITS alot easier to snort this weekly then take time of our hectic lives to get in for the shot. THEY even will send you email alerts to remind you to take ur weekly dose...me and shelley love it. ALSO another thing that causes brain fog, and funny you used it is staying on to lo of carbs. YOU might find increasing carbs will help that carbs are brain food and proly a safe time to add them being your at a maintenance point . GOOD LUCK! and let us know how your bloods go. I just had 12 viles taken for tests for the nerologist. hugzzzzzz lisa

Hi Pam Let me 1st say good luck to you!! B12 - Vitamin D - and Folate huh? Well my B12 was HIGH, which isn't a problem. I take 2500 mcg sublingually, but I let it dissolve under my tongue. I only take it once a week now, but didn't want it to be low so I strted out taking it 3 times a week. I make sure that my calcium has vitamin D in it - also, get a little sun. Gives you a good excuse to lay out - which, of course, I do not do. My folic acid was also HIGH. Which again isn't a problem they tell me. Mine is high because I take a prenatal vitamin twice a day for my multivitamin. I get generic Stuart Natals because they are pretty small. You can get them OTC and CVS has their brand at &10.99 for 240. Keep us posted. And I need to go to the dentist as well. Sharyn

Well I am glad you found time to get to the doc! The shot should help and I think Lisa is right about good carbs helping you think more clearly. I too have had some stomach trouble and I find the acid reducers do help. I am currently on Protonix which help me a lot! Good luck with the dentist. Wendy

So glad you went to the doctor and hopefully you will get some answers to why you feel cruddy. We need you to be feeling good!! I haven't interacted with you but always find your posts inspiring. I have followed your journey via these boards. Thanks to you and others like you, I keep going. So I hope you get to feeling tip top real soon Pam! Don't forget your supplements! With love and respect, Diane