10 days post-op

I had my surgery on May 16th in Puerto Vallarta. I have been feeling really dizzy and light headed especially when going from laying down to standing. I am getting about 80 oz of fluid a day. I just started protein shakes today (I forgot to start them yesterday). I was having this same issue in Puerto Vallarta. Dr. Lopez thought that my vertigo was acting up and gave me a prescription for vertigo medicine. It helped for a while, but now it is happening even while taking the medication he gave me. 

I have had problems with anemia for the past 5 years. I had to have iron infusions every 6 months for 2 years. I cannot take oral iron because I don't tolerate it well. Most people become constipated when taking oral iron, but it has the opposite effect on me. That is why my family doctor decided it was best for me to do the infusions plus my iron was really low. 

I feel terrible. I am not sure what my surgeon can do for me since he is in Mexico. I am going to call my PCP on Tuesday and make an appointment to have labs drawn.

I am also taking Prilosec and I know that dizziness is a side effect of that med. Not sure if I should ask to switch to something else.

I also checked my blood sugar with my boyfriend's glucometer and it was in the normal range.

has anyone else experienced this?

You just had major suregy, yourbodfy is recovering. Give it time

Please read post below about fainting.  You may need more sat and minerals.  And maybe even iron. 

A lot of people have orthostatic hypotension, which is a drop in blood pressure when standing. Check your BP when sitting or lying down, then immediately upon standing. If it is lower, you have OH.

If it is, it is easy to avoid without medication and ER visits. There is nothing they can do that you can't do yourself. You need to drink more to keep your BP up. If you think you are drinking enough, you aren't. Drink more. Then drink more after that. You need more electrolytes. Drink sports drinks such as Powerade Zero that have electrolytes in them. You may need to take supplemental magnesium or potassium. Use more salt on your food. Don't do low sodium anything.

There are many kinds of oral iron. Ferrous sulfate, ferrous fumarate, chelated iron, heme iron, etc. They can effect you very differently. The ferrous salts are very constipating and can be irritating. Carbonyl iron is not constipating, and usually not irritating. If one of the varieties you have not tried works, that is likely your best solution. A small percentage cant't tolerate any, and need infusions. But you should rule all the oral types out first.

You should have a full range of labs done. A full set will be something like 12 to 15 vials to be really complete. Get your results, not just a note saying they were all ok. Track your results over time to see trends falling. You need to stay ahead of deficiencies.

Good luck, and let us know how you are doing.