Questions from an RNY patient 1.5 post surgery

Hello all,

To all those who have had there RNY for a while I have some questions and am at a loss for what to do next.  As my title states I am about 1.5 year out from my surgery.. I have stoped losing weight am about 110 pds down. I am fine with my weight but I am having a real time with being tired in the middle of the day.
I have gone to my local doctor and she says (after blood tests) my vitamin d level is very low.. so she put me on an 8 week course of mega vitimin d..done with that. She gave me a b-12 shot and that helped alot for that day and then that evening I crashed. I felt like a brick had hit me. I thought maybe it was my DEPRESSION medication wasn't strong enough.. well that has been adjusted and that hasn't made a whole lot of difference.
Around 11-1pm I get a horrible head ache and feel like I need to take a nap.. Most days I do and then I feel better after the nap.. tylenol relieves the headache..but I can't keep taking tylenol every day-- thats not good for my stomach.

Has anyone felt this way ?

Does anyone have suggestions on what else I could have checked out as to what my body might be going through.. It has been a real struggle to get that happy alert feeling back that I had when I was losing the weight. I think my body is at a platu and is trying to adjust my metabloic system again.. but I don't know what to adjust.. or who to go to. I called my surgeon and the nurse basically said she didn't think the surgeon could help me with anything.. he's a surgeon.. kind made me mad...cause who do I go to .. to feel better?

Should I go to a nutritionist? and have them re-evaluate my diet..
The problem with that idea.. is I am military dependent and getting to see a nutrionist is like asking to see the PRESIDENT...

Any suggestions would be greatly apprieciated.

Thanks,

Cory

Hey there. I'm right behind you and have hit a plateau - while my body seems happy here my head isn't as happy as it should be. I bookmarked this link a while back. PamT's reply towards the end will give you some things to think about.   

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/rny/4028142/Longest-stall- When-to-panic/

My vitamin D level is low too and I just finished the 8 week mega doses. Not to bad. I haven't had the B-12 shot ot issue but it seems fairly common. The sluggishness sounds a lot like carbs or blood sugar. You may want to try posting this on the RNY forum along with a sample of your daily food intake with portion size and times that you eat.

Congratulations on the 110 lbs. That's FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Iris

Thanks for your suggestions.. I agree.. I should start paying more attention to my eating.. I know I haven't been doing that.. I will try doing that.. I still think it's a metabolic problem though.. We will see maybe eating a better ROUNDED diet will help my headaches.. I think it might be my sugar levels.. I will watch those as well.

thanks again..

ANYONE ELSE HAVE ANY IDEAS ????

In my humble opinion, you probably do need to see a nutritionist and it might help to have your blood work done again and to have a bariatric specialist look at them. I think if you see a nutrionist, it would really benefit you to see one that has 'extensive' experience with post RNY bariatric patients. We have different needs and issues than someone who has not had bariatric surgery. Often nutrionist have gone to a seminar or two about bariatrics, but if they are not well versed, I would waste your time or theirs. Before going to see anyone, I'd start logging my intake of supplements, medications and food, as well as my activity and feelings of depression, fatigue, etc...  for at least a week and better yet, a month. (It may take you that long to get an appointment.) Since you said that you are a military dependent, you may need to see if you can get a waiver to allow you to see a specialist outside of the military if they don't have someone with bariatric experience. There is a program in Wilmington and another in Greenville where I'm sure that there are practioners that will be well versed in bariatric issues. 

As Iris suggested, I would cross post this to the RNY board, but also consider cross posting to the Grads boards, Nutrition Board and Main Board. The wider you cast your net, the more likely you are to find someone who has experienced the issues you are experiencing. 

Wishing you all the best,

 

This may or may not be of any help to you, but I have been dealing with sort of the same issue. At first I thought it was because I was working 2 jobs at 60+ hours a week total.

Then I thought the headaches were because of my eyes and it was time to get new glasses/ prescrip.

I would get these headaches around noon to 2pm and then would be so tired I couldn't stand it.

I too was taking tylenol everyday, 3x a day.

My Vit D is fine, my B12 is fine, my Iron was fine.

So, Sept 1st I go in for my first plastic surgery - a panniculectomy.   Everything goes well, I go home.  Sept 25th I'm re-admitted because of an internal infection around the incision that was spreading.

Keep in mind, the headaches were still there every single day. I wrote it off as tension because there was so much pain involved in recovery from this surgery.  And the exhaution, well, that seemed obvious at this point too.  I mean who isn't tired after a major complicated surgery?

When they did blood work on me the day I re-entered the hospital and interesting thing (unrelated to the infection) came to light.  Somewhere along the way of my surgery (I'm 2ys out by the way), apparently I became anemic.

The blood work showed that my hemogloben (sp?) level was 8.3.  A hemotologist came to my room and talked to me about it and said that standard blood tranfusion level was 8.5 (which clearly I was below).  Some of this was caused by the surgery, but according to the doc, it should NOT be that low.  Apparently you can have good iron count, but if your body isn't using it to help create blood cells you can become anemic.

Some of the symptoms of anemics?  Extreme fatigue and headaches.

I went this past Tuesday to Cancer Centers of NC and sat and got a mega dose of iron to help build up my iron stores and force creation of the blood cells (I have no idea how this works).  They told me I would feel no effect for at least 48 to 72 hours because it took time for the body to start using and creating the blood cells.

I can't explain it, but that evening was the first time in MONTHS that I felt great, even 4 weeks out of surgery.  My energy level is coming back. I went shopping for the first time and ran errands Wednesday.  I haven't had a headache since Tuesday.

I'm not telling you this because I think you are anemic and you should run out and get mega iron doses. But it might be something to consider talking to your primary doc about. A simple blood test to determine your hemogloben(Sp?) count shouldn't be too hard to get. If nothing else you could rule that out.

 

 

I am a few months farther out than you.I have never felt this way but I was put on a weekly dose of Vitamin D before I had surgery and been on it since. I also have a monthly B12 shot. You may need to be on this more permantly and have your Dr. check your levels. Maybe the problem is you have waited too long and your body is run down.

Good luck!

Thank you all for your great wisdom.. I so appreciate all your ideas.. I think I have gotten more information off of this website that I have from my own doctor..

I think this is another area I am being stubborn about.. at first I wouldn't take the vitamins and after a few weeks I felt horrible.. I think it has come to the point that my body is telling me
I have to pay attention to the NUTRIENTS in the food I eat .. NOT just what I am eating.

Thank you again... I will let you know how it goes.


Cory