Issues, Issues, and MORE f#*@ing issues

Hey guys! I know I hardly get on here, but when things are down I always seem to look for guidance here.  Well, things are DOWN... including my weight, which is a great thing, but the other "downs" aren't so great.   First of all, I've been diagnosed with degenerative disk disease.  I have three affected disks that are crowding the nerves leading to my left leg.  It's being treated, and I'll eventually need surgery, but it's frustrating to find out that it is directly related to my weight prior to WLS.  All those years of being "too heavy for the MRI machine" have now caught up with me. Secondly, I have a classic case of Orthostatic Hypotension.  Although, we are trying to control it with added salt in my diet, and a small amount of gatorade each day, it seems that I still have some pretty severe episodes.  Has anyone else had experience with Orthostatic Hypotension, and how was it treated??? Thirdly... Lately, I have been having a sharp pain on my left side just under my ribcage.  It's not constant, but when it appears, IT HURTS.  Sometimes, when I take a deep breath it takes me by surprise.  It has me very worried, but so far everything I've found online leads me to believe that it could just be stress related??? Any thoughts on this? By the way the most important "down" is the weight!  I am totally happy with my results.  I had surgery May 2, 2006 and have lost approximately 180 pounds!  384 to 212 (or so) in just 10 months.  I feel amazing, except for the fact that my back problem keeps me very restricted from doing much of any exercises.  I had just joined a new gym when I aggravated my back cleaning snow off of my car.  After the MRI, doc told me to cancel the gym membership, and not to even think about touching any sort of gym equipment (not even a bike or treadmill****il further notice.  UGH!  I really need to tone up a bit. Any feedback would be great guys! Jay

Hi Jay,
I'm sorry to hear about your "down downs." Seems like many of us have residual problems due to years of carrying so much excess pondage. I suppose one thing to be grateful for is the realization that many of these problems would have caught up to us with or without surgery--and been MUCH WORSE if we still had the excess weight aggravating them.
I know that doeesn't help much, but maybe it helps a little. Hope so.
And you have a right to very proud of the 180lb loss. It shows you have a lot of grit.
Good luck. We're all pulling for you.

Dear Jay, Congratulations on losing 180 lbs. I'm sorry to hear that you are having other difficulties.  I too have degenerative disk disease.  It can be very painful.  I did have some physical therapy.  The exercises that I have learned really help.  You may want to ask to doctor to send you for pt.  Perhaps you can avoid survery for awhile. Good luck.

Jay, Congratulations on your loss- Sorry to hear about the back! As for the Orthostatic Hypotension? Pretty common and one "issues" that seems to go away fairly easily.

Quick definition with link to further info- Orthostatic Hypotension - Orthostatic (positional) hypotension (low blood pressure) will be revealed upon the person rising or standing from a prone (laying down) position. The systolic blood pressure will have a decrease of 20+ mm/Hg (millimeters of Mercury) from a prone to standing position or will decrease 10+ mm/Hg within 3 minutes of standing.

Now, from a post I’ve put out here in the past- (sorry to just "copy/paste" but it saves a lot of typing time) ___________________________________________ I’ve been seeing a lot of this lately (around the Boards)— "I’m light headed when I stand up!" It happens a good bit around 6 to 20 months post-op. Are you finding yourself a little "Light-Headed" when Standing? I happened to have some info, And I thought I’d pass it on……. --------------------------------------------------------------- This is a fairly common complaint among folks Who are experiencing rapid weight-loss Not just from WLS. It is all bound up in that "resting heart rate" Before Weight-loss And it’s "adjustment" during and immediately after rapid weight loss. Dizziness when standing up quickly or changing position It’s Orthostatic Hypotension or often referred to as - Postural Hypotension. It’s the result of a decrease in blood flow to the brain, Due to a drop in blood pressure when standing up. This may be what your problem is..... Here’s My best explanation- When sitting or lying down, The body’s fluid pressure is equally distributed from head to toe. When you stand up, the fluid pressure increases In your lower extremities, and falls dramatically at the top. This pressure drop is usually corrected quickly, To keep the blood pressure and flow to the brain constant when we stand up. Sensor nerves in blood vessels act, By way of the involuntary nervous system, That trigger responses to maintain normal blood pressure and flow to the brain: The heart rate increases, as does the volume and force of the blood In the circulatory system. At the same time, The muscular walls of arteries constrict, And veins of the lower body contract increasing blood pressure, In effect, pushing blood upward toward the heart and brain. If the circulatory reflexes are working properly, The move from lying to standing Usually goes without symptoms. Dizziness when standing, from postural hypotension, Usually means that either something has gone "oops" With the circulatory reflexes, . .(Problem in Circulation, Heart, . .Or medications which inhibit the circulatory reflexes . .By blocking transmission involuntary nervous system signals . .To the heart and blood vessels. . .i.e. beta blockers, alpha blockers or other BP Meds.) OR- As is the case for folks who are in rapid weight "Change," The body’s fluid volume is depleted or recently changed. For women in Pregnancy, Postural hypotension is generally the result Of the body having to handle much More fluid Than it is accustomed to handling. In the case of someone who is dropping In over all volume quickly, (Us) It’s inadequate blood volume. Or less fluid than the circulatory system is Accustomed to. If there isn't enough fluid volume in the blood vessels, Then the circulatory reflexes can't restore normal blood pressure Quick enough to compensate for the pressure changes. This can also happen as a result of even mild dehydration. For most folk, as the weight-loss speed slows The body adapts to match it’s new standard. There is a "lag time" for many people. It’s not just "Us" getting used to new bodies, But our body’s Systems have to make adjustments as well. If it keeps up much after your body stops changing quickly, Then it may be from other causes such as- Involuntary nervous system dysfunction, brought on by- Diabetes, alcoholism, nutritional deficiencies, or other nervous system disorders. Ask your Doc about it. Mine diagnosed mine by having the Nurse check my blood pressure and pulse In the lying down position, then into a standing position. The pressure dropped when I stood up, by "some magic number" That let him know that it was -postural hypotension. He said not to worry, That it would stop when I stopped losing, and it did. In the meanwhile, just get up slower and make sure to get adequate water intake. For some it is a result of coming off of, Or decreasing the need for BP Medication. If the cause turns out to be a medication, Then your doc may decrease the dose, Or switch over to another drug that doesn’t have that side effect. I’ve heard of folks out here over the years Being given lower extremity support or compression hose, And in some cases, blood vessel constricting medications. ------------------------------------------------------------- All that I can remember.... It does tend to level out and fade away once you reach a stable weight. Till then? Stay hydrated and just don't "pop-up" too quick! As for the "sharp pain?" That’s a Call the Doc one if I’ve ever heard… "Sharp pain" usually is the body’s way of saying- "Something is Wrong Here!!! Take a Look!!" As with everything---- ASK Your Doctor. Best Wishes- Dx

Thanks for the feedback and words of encouragement!  This has been an exhilarating journey so far... a real roller coaster ride.  It seems like I never have to make an appointment with my PCP, because each time I go for a follow-up to the last issue, there's a new one to tell him about.  I think once the orthostatic hypotension levels out, I'll feel a little bit better.  As for the back issues, I know I will be dealing with this for a long time.  Surgery is inevitable... I've had one steroid injection already, which has offered some relief.  I've been to physical therapy, but because of the severity of my condition, the therapist can't decide on a routine yet.  My DDD is in THREE disks.  I have so many nerves being crowded by these disks, that my symptoms are very random.  The injection took care of the main symptom in my left leg, but we still have to pinpoint which way to go with PT.  I see my orthopedic surgeon on the 27th, and hopefully he'll be able to give the PT some better directives.  For now, I'm just sticking to very basic stabilization excercises, but I'd give anything to do some sit-ups right now. 

  >Secondly, I have a classic case of Orthostatic Hypotension.  Although, we are trying to control it  >with added salt in my diet, and a small amount of gatorade each day, it seems that I still have  >some pretty severe episodes.  Has anyone else had experience with Orthostatic Hypotension,  >and how was it treated??? Mine improved significantly when I went off my BP med. I still have to deal with it, but now it only happens when I do something like crouch for 5 minutes at a time when cleaning out the refirgerator. When I can expect it, I can compensate.

Hi Jay. I met someone here a few years back who had pain in his left side. Turned out to be a gall bladder problem. (Thought it could be gazillions of things).  I had another friend with orthostatic hypotension once. (His was strange/idiopathy/chronic/sporadic).  He used to joke that it gave him a valid excuse to not have to get up from the couch when his wife was having guests come in and out all day long. For some reason, his was always worse in the morning and got better by night. Disk problems.... makes me think about the economic studies done (just a few) which compare health problems & costs with people before versus after having bariatric surgery. So many of the problems post ops have result from when they were larger.  I'm thinking... geeez... back.. What kind of exercise _can_ you do?  That's got to be aggravating! I found some other posts on the topic here: http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/information/dbsearc h.php?Search_Word=orthostatic%20hypotension Health related       I almost blacked out       When I stand up fast, I always get a little light headed, and I was wondering       Besides leg cramps, what are some of the symptoms of potassium deficiency?       Does anyone else experience dizziness after standing from a sitting position? Other       light headed ...?       Why am I getting dizzy?       I'M A LITTLE OVER 4 MONTHS POST OP FRM OPEN RNY AND Post-op health       What causes orthostatic hypotension when you have normal labs?       How low can blood pressure go before you are in serious trouble?       Could being dizzy be caused by surgery?       Why is this happening? I seem to be dizzy a lot.       I get very light headed when I stand up.