H E L P!!! Wierd feeling!!!!

Gentlemen,

I had the most odd feeling today.  I want your help in maybe understanding what it was...  A little history first:

Tuesday, August 30th (8 days ago) I had my Sleeve surgery.  I have been on clear liquids for a week, and my Doctor told me to start on "mushy" foods today.  2 days post-op I was off of my pain meds, and moving around very well.  4 days post-op, I was driving around, and went furniture shopping with the wife, two days in a row for around 2-3 hours each day.  While it was very tiring, I enjoyed it and had no issues with it.

Today, I began the day feeling around 95% healed/recovered.  I began the day with a single scrambled egg (EggBeaters) with some cheese melted over the top.  No issues there.  I drank about 30oz of water/Crystal Light before lunch.  For lunch, I had 1/4 cup of fat free refried beans.  Around 2 hours later, I had had about 15 more oz of water.  

Now on to the odd part:

I was feeling good, so I went to the grocery store to buy some Powerade Zero, and as I was walking to the aisle to get the Poweraid (the only thing I bought) I got very HOT and started sweating.  This came on very suddenly.  Then about 15 seconds into my "hot flash" I started feeling light headed/dizzy.  That lasted about 15 seconds.  Then I returned to normal, stopped feeling dizzy and stopped sweating and went on about getting my Poweraid. 

Any idea what that was??  I have never heard of this (other than in a "dumping" situation) and don't know what could have caused it.  It has been about an hour and a half since that, and I am back home and feeling fine.  Just wondering if any of you folks who have more experience with this type of surgery have had this happen and if you know what caused it???

Thanks in advance!!!

So guess what the # 1 reason WLS people reenter the hospital??  Dehydration!!  Bend over and get ready for a scolding.  Being in Texas during the summer...You need to be extra careful.  Look up dehydration on Google and see if it fits.  Here is a list of foods high in potassium; oranges, tomatoes, spinach (add some salt), bananas, yogurt.  I would add some frozen spinach to your diet and see if you are doing better.  Call your doctor if you have problems.  Take it easy the next few days.  Brian 

Brian,

Thanks for the quick response. However, your response leads to another question. What amount of water are you used to taking in every day? The reason I ask is that my Dr told me upon discharge from the hospital to make sure I am getting in 64oz of water every day. With that being my benchmark, I didn't think I would be dehydrated since it was only about 4 pm, and I already had about 45 of my 64oz in for the day. The "diagnosis" makes sense, but now I am questioning if 64 oz of water is going to be enough?

I don't have any trouble with getting my water in, over the weekend when I was going out and about furniture shopping and on Monday when I went to a outdoor birthday party, I was getting in between 70 and 80 oz all three days, because as you point out, it is Texas in September!!! On top of that, I have always been a big fan of water. So with that being said, I don't see any real issues with me getting in more water if that is the need, I just wonder what everyone is getting per day.

I do have my 1 wk follow up tomorrow, and plan to explore this with them then. I was just wondering what ya'll might have to say about it. I also wonder if the 64oz is just for the first week, and if they are going to maybe raise that tomorrow??

The second question, I have is (because I have always been a good water drinker) I have never been dehydrated. I don't know what that feels like. My assumption was that if that were the case, I would continue to feel bad until I got some more water in me. However, it was a 30 second event, and nothing since. Is that normal? (If you know)

Thanks again, and any other thoughts are certainly appreciated!

One other thought...Low blood pressure.  It happens sometimes during rapid weightloss.  Also if you are on the same blood pressure meds you may need them adjusted.

Chronic low blood pressure with no symptoms is almost never serious. But health problems can occur when blood pressure drops suddenly, and the brain is deprived of an adequate blood supply. This can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. Sudden drops in blood pressure most commonly occur in someone who's rising from a prone or sitting position to standing. This kind of low blood pressure is known as postural hypotension, orthostatic hypotension, or neurally mediated orthostatic hypotension.

Concerning dehydration you need salt (since you are peeing out all that sodium) and potassium rich foods...Electrolytes

I would agree with both of Brian's thoughts but would lean less towards the low Blood Pressure as that typically happens upon standing and less often after you have been up and moving for a period such as walking through the store.

On to the dehydration.  While 64oz is what the doctors say to get remember this is the minimum goal and especially in warmer climates the more you can get the better, especially early out as you are still learning how your system is reacting to the changes that will continue to take place.

Good Luck!

So, my Doctor did say that my blood pressure was low, and told me to go back to my PCP to get my dosage looked at and revised.  (However, I think they will just take me off!!!!!!  WOOO HOOO)  She didn't come right out and say what it was, but gave me the same possibilities and also that it could be related to my body adjusting to eating food again.  She has had WLS also, and told me that this happened to her from time to time for a while after she got off the liquids only, but went away with time.

So, while I don't know for sure, I at least know more about what to look out for to make sure it doesn't come back.  Thanks for the help, fellas!!!!  I appreciate it!

Looks like I'm late to the party.  As I was reading your first post I was thinking to myself.  This is almost exactly what I had experienced......while I was still taking my meds for high BP after I had lost weight post op. After a quick visit to my PCP , they were promptly discontinued. 

I had something very similar to this. Never did find out if it was dehydration or low blood pressure. But, haven't had it since they took me off high blood pressure meds.

FYI, it was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. The room was spinning, I actually fell down and was non-functional for a couple of minutes. The minute you feel this coming on, sit down and put your head between your legs.