Cramps in legs and strong smelling urine...Im scared

Hi everyone. I have been doing pretty good for the last 2 weeks. Until yesterday. I have been getting bad cramps in my calves and thighs. I am getting all of my vitamins in and eating right. Also, my urine smells really weird. Almost a alkaline smell and my output has decreased in the last 2 days. I am drinking almost 80 ounces of water a day, so I know I am not dehydrated. Then I woke up this morning and I have an achy pain in my left side. I talked to Kaitlin last night and I am going today to do a urine sample. I also brought up my concern over the lack of vitamins and supplements after the surgery. She said when I go and see the nutritionist Dec 7, that's when we start talking about this. I am scared. I have Lupus and had Vitamin D and Potassium deficiency before the surgery. I am eating potassium rich foods, but there is no way that after this surgery 2 flinstone vitamins a day are suppose to make up for the vitamins we are not getting. I hope nothing is wrong with my kidneys. I just have no energy and I am exhausted.

I had the same cramps in my calves and ankles and starting taking Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D and that took care of them after a fews weeks on the supplements.  Good luck, they were miserable.  Especially bad at night.

Lynn

Well, I just got a call from the Nurse and she said I had a large amount of Ketones in my urine. She said I have to start eating more carbs. I am eating a lot of vegetables but she said I haver to add some rice, bread and things like that to my meals. I can only eat a few bites of food now. Where am I suppose to fit it? I feel like crap, physically and mentally. To sum it up, this sucks

Lisa ,
I am guessing the nurse u spoke with knew u just has WLS , but why she did not say ketones are normal at this point after WLS. Ketones are the end-product of fat metabolism in the body . What this means is that when ur body starts usen the fat that is stored in ur body ketones are the after product . So when ur start loosen they will be in ur urine . Cramps in ur legs might be from low potassium try adding a bannana to ur diet even if itz just a bite here and a bite there . Ur pee is gonna smell due to the ketones and the fact that ur body is "cleaning" ( if u will ) from all that unhealthy stuff u ate and stored in ur body , and is getting rid of it voiding is 1 way  the body rids waste ... If theres stuff floating in it or itz painful when u pee then worry . I know u feel scared , trust in God all will be fine... TILL THE NEXT TIME MAY THE LORD ALWAYS SMILE ON UR PATH ..............
CHEROITY

I am familiar with Ketosis. As many times as I have been on the Atkins diet in my life, I could never reach it!!! I am just frustrated because I have pain when I urinate, but there is no infection or dehydration. As for banans, they make me so sick now. I have major problems with certain foods. I am so tired. I had to go back to work 2 weeks after surgery and I do home health(I am a nurse). I go up and down stairs , alot of bending. I guess I am just venting out of exhaustion. I am glad I am losing weight, but this is alot more than I expected to go through.

If it hurts when u pee somethings not right , urology is my life n I too am a nurse ( well in 6 weeks ) but I do know urology . What r u gonna do , is this ur PCP that did ur UA ? As far as being tired I had the same problem , I went to my PCP he did a ton of test everything was fine , he said that it was my body dealing with the stress of the WL and the WLS . I know how u feel tho , I remember everyone saying once u start loosen , and get to the gym u'll feel so much better . Not I was exhausted and it never got better . I still have to drag myself thru some days .. I dont know what to tell u about that . However the pee thing worries me thats a big deal ... 

Hi - Don't rely on Laurie for your vite/supp regimen. Instead, book with Robert Kushner, MD, in the Center for Lifestyle Medicine (19th fl., Galter). I just met with him today as my bariatric doc and he helped me nail all the vites and supps I'm going to need. He also wrote orders for my 3-mo labs (not as extensive as the laundry list of labs from OH lab gurus, but I'll double-check if anything key has been left off). You're not going to get much detail from Laurie, imho.

Here's what I'm on, vetted by Kushner - it's a generic regimen for RNY post-op (I've got no deficiencies --- yet):

Vitamin/supplement regimen:

MULTI> 2 tablets of Centrum Silver chewables at 7 a.m. daily (includes no iron)

VITE B-12> 1 micro-sublingual tablet of SuperiorSource Methylcobalamin B-12 1000 mcg with folic acid 400 mcg - take one every OTHER

CALCIUM/D> 5 tablets Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate (400mg each = 2000mg/day) with Vite D3 (100 IU each = 500 IU/day) lozenges at 9am, 4pm, 6pm, 8pm and 10pm.
Each pill also includes: Vite K 20 mcg & Magnesium 10 mg.

[this one is optional, supposedly helps with hair]
ZINC> 1 caplet Puritan’s Pride chelated Zinc 50 mg with Di-calcium phosphate 59mg once a day at 9am.

PROBIOTIC> 2 adult probiotic capsules – one at 7 a.m. and one at 9 p.m. (to guard against constipation)

(I had a hysterectomy - so, no more period)
IRON> 1 tablet Tender-Iron carbonyl iron 25mg at 2pm (swallowed about an hour after lunch and two hours before the calcium at 4).

VITE C> 1 tablet of Vite C (500mg each = 1000mg/day) swallowed with the iron.

VITE D3 > dry (with Calcium) supplement 2000 IU daily at anytime. [MUST BE "DRY."]

Not needed by me/typical RNY post-op, according to Kushner:
B Complex with 100mg thiamin (B1) supplement / B-50 capsule.

If you need more help with your post-op eating plan --- the REGULAR DIET, once you're past purees and softs, you can book with Holly the dietician in his practice. Much more detail than Laurie. I think Laurie's role is to get us up to and through surgery. Then, we have to find other practicioners for the long-haul.

Hope this helps and doesn't offend!

I'm feeling MUCH better about my future as a WLS patient after today's appt.

Hope you're feeling better!

Do I just call and make an appt and tell them I am post-op?

Yep. Just call and tell them you've had RNY with Dr. Nagle and would like an appt with Dr. Kushner. At the same time, you can book with Holly Herrington, the dietician. You'll be at the Regular Diet stage in no time (really!). Take care. :)

Hope today finds you feeling a little better. I do not have anything much else to add than what others have already other than a potassium supplement instead of getting it from a food source since you seem to not be able to tolerate some foods.

Chris