Duodenal Switch and other medical conditions: Vestibular Migraine?
I've been busy....
I'm wondering if there are those of you out there that have had the DS have heard of or may have vestibular migraines. They're a bit different than normal migraine headaches, but treatment is basically the same. They may be being triggered because I have celiac disease. But, i'm working on that part in another thread i made : )
Does anyone know anything about taking migraine medication and how it relates to the DS? For instance i have been taking topamax, which elevates *something* in my body that makes it more likely for me to get kidney stones, which i already am prone to. I actually take NO calcium supplements at all, whatsoever, and have not, since i had my surgery. I did at first, and got horrible stones and had to have them blasted out in the hospital (8mm huge!) and my levels are always 9.1, 9.3 and so forth for calcium when i get my bloodwork done. So I'm just kind of fishing for information.
Thoughts? Thanks! : )
Surgery June 3rd, 2008
My Specs: Height 5' 5.75" | Highest weight 265+?lbs | Surgery weight 241.9 | Now 154 lbs | CC length 150cm, stomach 3oz
Added: Neck/Chin/Lower face lift Nov 23,2010- Skin only
Get a bone density test asap. There are more advanced calcium blood tests that can be performed, as well.
I am three years out, and due for my second bone density next month (I turn 50). I have no other health issues, and consider this to be the biggest risk with the DS surgery. Lots of calcium-taking vets have had osteo problems. I watch this very carefully.
I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I did think it was important enough to point this out. Good luck!
fullhousemom is right. Your serum calcium level is tightly regulated because too low calcium in your blood would be bad for your heart function. So, if you don't have enough calcium on hand to keep your level good, your body steals it from your bones and teeth.
The lab test you need to get is called PTH, which stands for parathyroid hormone (which is NOT the same thing as thyroid hormone). If you need to take calcium from your bones, this will be reflected in elevated PTH level. You need to take calcium and vitamin D to keep both your calcium level AND your PTH levels normal. And you need to be taking the right FORM of calcium, which I bet you were not doing back when you got the horrible kidney stones. You need to be taking calcium citrate, not calcium carbonate. And it needs to be several doses of calcium citrate daily.
If I had to guess, my guess would be that your pcp, or whoever is responsible for your medical care, has no idea what the DS is and knows nothing about how we absorb certain things poorly. Each of us needs to know this information for ourselves and advocate for ourselves and make sure we get all the lab tests we need and take all the supplements we need. No one cares about this more than you, right? There is lots of good general info about the DS at dsfacts. Your normal calcium level has given you a false sense of security, in reality none of can get away without lots of calcium supplementation.
Larra
There are a lot of factors that can cause kidney stones other than Topamax. I take Topamax(200 mg a day), and I haven't had a problem yet. Our wonderful DS(high protein) diet makes us more prone to kidney stones as does dehydration. Do you know how much water you're drinking every day? I've been super conscience of my labs and over the years, and I'm up to 4 doses of calcium a day and I've added K2 to help with the absorption. As the other posters have said, get your labs checked asap, see what your PTH is at, buy some calcium and start drinking enough water so that you have to visit the bathroom every hr.
Anyway, they brush me aside like i'm a head case. And i am because the migrainse make it very hard to concentrate and rememeber all of this.
Also i had to switch doctors a couple of times and every single time i go through the DS they act like they know and understand when i tell them but of course they're just being arrogant and don't want a patient telling them about a medical procedure. especially since it seems like i have so many things i have to tell them about. i should book two appointments then they'll feel like they can give me the stupid time of day!!!
I've had my blood tests out looking through things, last year my PTH levels were good, this year she missed including that becuase she was testing for other things, even though i asked her to get all the vitamins and all kinds of things i hadn't brought in my normal list (i was foggy that day). I am already planning to go back to her. It isn't really her fautl, she's arrogant, but i need to bring my stack of papers with me and give them the tools and hand feed them..lol i'll have her check. i'm just so tired of all of this and my brain not working sometimes has made things a bit difficult! : )
when i went to my urologist he said stop all forms of calcium no matter what form it was and demanded my husband and i be very clear on that and didn't want to hear any more about the DS and scared me into listening. And when you have an 8mm kidney stone in your side and you're vomiting from pain, and your husband is upset he's listening too..... : (
Surgery June 3rd, 2008
My Specs: Height 5' 5.75" | Highest weight 265+?lbs | Surgery weight 241.9 | Now 154 lbs | CC length 150cm, stomach 3oz
Added: Neck/Chin/Lower face lift Nov 23,2010- Skin only
Hi Melissa;
I have had Migraine Associated Vertigo (MAV) since August 2012. I have taken Topamax, Imitrex, as well as Dyizide for my migraines and vertigo. I had my DS surgery on July 31, 2014 and since then have not been able to take anything for my migraines due to my surgery. I do take my vitamins as required, because I want to make sure that I follow that regimen. I guess I can't really provide too much in the way of preventing kidney stones, since I haven't had them. I have struggled since my surgery because of my vertigo and my headaches, but, I have had to deal with them for two plus years. I am grateful that I had my surgery and had hoped that the surgery would have helped alleviate the migraines, but so far that hasn't been the case.
I hope you find the answers you are looking for with regards to your calcium intake.
Susan
Susan! October 2012 is when mine started! Have you been able to determine what caused yours? so far it's just...stress. Some days it's this vicious cycle of i have it, so it gives me stress, which makes it worse, etc. The symptoms are all over the place as you know. It's been so, so hard.
I go in in a couple of weeks to tell my doctor how i've been doing on the topamax. Honestly, i don't think it's been doing anything. But i think i said that, i don't know, lol.
Surgery June 3rd, 2008
My Specs: Height 5' 5.75" | Highest weight 265+?lbs | Surgery weight 241.9 | Now 154 lbs | CC length 150cm, stomach 3oz
Added: Neck/Chin/Lower face lift Nov 23,2010- Skin only
Gee, Melissa,
Seems like 2012 was the year for both of us. My docs kind of ran me through the gambit of "Well, it's not life threatening. . ." and kind of left it at that. I figured I would wait and see if things changed. I did hope my MAV would go away after losing weight--but that hasn't happened yet. Stress does affect me horribly, and it seems the more we try to avoid it, the worse it gets. I wonder about Topamax, it made me into a zombie, worse than I was without it. LOL. Hang in there. FYI there are two Facebook groups I am a part of where others are going through the same thing we are with MAV--one is the Vestibular disorder group and the the other is the Migraine Associated Vertigo group. Hang in there.
Susan
