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So the specialist cleared me, i had my final labs, my family doc cleared me, my packet has been sent to the surgeon, and I am still on schedule for march 11! I am so excited, i cannot wait 15 days to go!!
Julie
I am including her conclusion and will provide a brief summary of the article.
Conclusion
Hair loss can be distressing to bariatric surgery patients and many will try nutrition themselves to see if they can prevent it. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that early hair loss is preventable because it is mostly likely caused by surgery and rapid weight-loss.
Later hair loss, however, can be indicative of a nutritional problem, especially iron deficiency, and may be a clinically useful sign. Educating patients about the potential for hair loss and possible underlying causes can help them to make informed choices and avoid wasting money on gimmicks that may have little real value.
Summary:
At any given time most of our hair is in a 'growth phase', but a small percentage is in a 'resting phase'. A number of stressors can cause a greater percentage of our hair to move into a resting phase and WLS patients are at particular risk because we have all had major surgery and experience rapid weight loss which are among the stressors that can impact having a larger percentage of our hair being in the resting phase. Also, if we are experiencing low values of ferritin, zinc or protein or have had more rapid than expected weight loss we may be at greater risk of hair loss.
While some think that supplementing with Biotin, topically or ingesting it; studies have not shown it to be effective in either stopping hair loss or improving regrowth.
Barbara
ObesityHelp Coach and Support Group Leader
http://www.obesityhelp.com/group/bcumbo_group/
High-264, Current-148, Goal-145
Dr R bypassed 5.5 ft on me. I wish he would have taken at least 6 ft. It's all guess work and sometimes he guesses wrong but he admits that to all his patients at his clinic. I went to his clinic for follow up and expressed my dissapointment and he offered to do a revision and by pass more intestines. I really don't want to go that route as I am doing very well with food intake, vitamins, gas etc... But I am now at 173 and the scales will not move. Did the doctor that did your revision indicate that too much intestines was taken? Did you confer with Dr R on how much he took? Is it possible that the MGB was just too powerful for your particular body system? Everyone is different. For me, I absolutely have to have the bypass (malabsorption) because my body just wont give up the fat. It has been that way all my life. It didn't matter how little I ate or how much excercise I did, I could never loose the weight. At the risk of sounding extreme, I would even bet that if the Dr had bypassed 8 feet on me, I would probably have been able to loose a little more and would have come out fine. Of course, I could not get Dr R to bypass 8 ft on my 210 body. I do realize that I couldn't get any good doctor to take that kind of leap.
Anyway, I am glad you are at a stable point. I still maintain that the MGB is a good procedure for most. Think of it this way; at least you were able to go in for a modification and make some changes that better suite your body system. I hope that makes sense.
"pouched", the link you provided was very informative and gave me greater understanding of my options. Thank you,
I will be attending a support group here in town to get feedback from those who have had the procedure. I think I will get personal experience to add to my info collection
I had the MGB with Dr. R in 2006 and was at a starting weight of 210 as well. How much did he bypass in you? I think with me, he got mixed up and thought I needed to lose a ton of weight, so he bypassed 8 feet of intestine. Now the reason I know this is because I got malnurished and down to 82 pounds. I was a walking skeleton, but barely walking. I had a conversion to a gastric sleeve, and all my intestines were hooked back up and the pyloric valve put back in place. I no longer suffer from gas and diahrrea 8-20 times a day. The gastric sleeve saved my life.
I think if he had only bypassed like 4 feet, I would have been fine. But since my revision, I am no longer lactose intolerant. and I can eat and drink anything. I've maintained my weight since my revision 3 years ago, which, wasn't done by Dr. R. I just lost trust in him.
MGB 11/15/06, Revision to Gastric Sleeve 11/30/07
