Brain Fog, Dizziness & Light-Headedness

Hello everyone! 

     It's been awhile since I posted! I'm about 2 and a half months out of surgery and things have been going okay. I'm still not back at work yet due to the internal bleed I experienced the day following surgery. I still have low hemoglobin and ferritin levels. The symptoms of this have just been general fatigue and lethargy. Recently, however, I've noticed that when I eat, right after I feel extremely dizzy, foggy and light headed. I'm eating the right foods and the right amounts- so it's not dumping. The dizziness and foggyness can last for hours. I'm drinking at least 2 litres of water a day- so it's not dehydration. I've not once ever thrown up from anything I've eaten nor do I feel any discomfort. Has anyone ever experienced this? 

    Also- I want to ask an expert about this, but at TWH, we don't really have any contact with our surgeons after surgery. TWH alumni- who do I contact??? 

Thanks so much! 

Jenn

Maybe call in and ask to speak with the nurse practitioner you saw?  He/she should be able to tell you uif this is common or usual and decide if you need to be seen by someone medically.  Hope you feel better soon!

Hi Jenn

You should have access to the Bariatric staff which you dealt with prior to your surgery. Good to ask here but you should touch base with the RN as this would be the best thing to do. Just my opinion.  Hope this helps.

This may seem counterintuitive, but are you getting enough salt to balance out your water? Is your blood pressure low? I get headrush and dizzy spells -- Google postural hypotension. Do you find you get dizzy more when standing up or bending over? Something to check as well :)

Hi Jenn,

Was discharged from TWH yesterday and the number I was given to call Monday to Sunday from 8 - 5 is 416-262-2691.  That is for Mugs Zweerman and Danae McKenzie email is [email protected]

Hope this helps.

Karen

Hi there! 

Thanks so much- I've had many conversations with Mugz after coming home from surgery. 

Hope your recovery is going well! 

I was lightheaded for months. I was sent to an ear specialist ...not vertigo, ears are fine, wore a Holter monitor for 48 hrs. -- nothing unusual with my heart that wasn't already unusual pre-op. I also had a Doppler on my legs. All tests were normal. Shortly after the dietician increased my calorie intake to 1,000 - 1,100 the lightheadedness stopped. Ask if low calorie intake may be to blame. Best of luck!

Are you taking profferin for your iron issues?  I just went through that. I hope you are able to get things sorted out. I'm sure it has been frustrating for you!

How do you feel about meditation and books that help you think better?

Just curious....how do you know it is not dumping? Eating anything will trigger the body to release insulin. In reality your diet may not be handling the amount of insulin being released at this point. The only way to know is to check you blood glucose before eating the first bite of meal and then at one hour after, then at 2 hours after. If your blood glucose level is lower than 70 at either time after after a meal, it is likely dumping syndrome. I am a Type 2 Diabetic. For the first 3 years after surgery I no longer had to take meds for it. That has slowly changed overtime. But I was checking my Blood Glucose during those 3 years. And I had episodes after eating at times resulting in what you describe and on 3-4 occasions actually put me into convulsions and temporary paralysis where I could not even reach my phone with Blood Glucose readings in the 30's after I had recovered a little. I live alone so this was a real dangerous situation for me. But I would not have really realized what was happening if I hadn't been able to monitor my glucose levels. It takes some bodies longer to adjust and for us to recognize and identify what may be causing our issues. Good Luck.