Help Please!!

So I always post either the weirdest or off the wall things and today is the same.

A month or so out of surgery I slipped in a restaurant (wet floors, no signs up... no lawsuit though) and I hurt my lower back and tailbone pretty bad and that is coming from one of those guys who would rather sew his own hand up rather than ruin a good day (total joke, but serious face) I went to the doc and he is treating me for such but last week or so in the midst of exercising and trying to be normal (fishing) I sprain my knee and my ankle and I am now in a boot/brace for both.

I was walking last night at a friend's and fell because of some really fresh slick mud in his little hang out room (Actually it's a massive teepee and it's completely awesome but not finished so that is where the mud came from) Plus, it rained bad and to make a long story short I busted my @#$, landed my back on a concrete step and basically did some splits. So, the pain was short lived as I tried to work through it but this morning I am bruised, scraped and feel like a rag doll. I am in intense pain all over, I can't sit, walk, stoop, bend, extend my arms or legs without feeling like someone beat me with a 2x4. So, unless WLS causes amnesia and my girlfriend and her friend decided to beat me up while sleeping then I am stuck.

I am wondering, is there something I am doing wrong that is making me so fragile? I am a pretty big and robust guy, I mean I grew up on a farm and now I feel like an 8 year old little girl. I still weigh 450 lbs give or take and have plenty of padding left for falls I should think. I have been so stiff, my muscles are all cramped, my joints are swelled and I am going crazy!

Has anyone else had issues like this? I can't keep from thinking my mind is sabotaging me from losing weight any faster because every time I exercise or get out and do stuff I end up with a brace and bandages the next day. Should I be doing something extra since I am younger than most WLS patients or what? Really confused here, all advice accepted.

P.S. I have an appt Tuesday for my six month check up and will be there for group... I would love to see anyone who can make it. There seems to always be someone or someones there who have never heard of OH or these forums, it always seems to brighten their day to know there is something like this out there for people just like them and that is us! Thanks everyone!

Justin - What time is the group?  I might come.  I have a lot of clothes if you want/need them.   I started my journey at 480 so I have a lot of clothes that I need to give to someone.   

Justin On occasion if you be come slightly dehydrated or don't get enough protein in it can effect your balance.  It might be so slight you wouldn't notice but enough in the right cir****tance to cause a fall.  If you are journaling it would be easy to look at those days and seen where you were on your intake.  C'ya Bob

Did you know that as you lose weight your center of gravity changes?  Yep!  Dr. Olsen came to our support group & I asked him about it after reading about it somewhere.  I have noticed different aches & pains and talked to a chiropracter as well.  Both of them said that absolutely as one changes their body structure through either gain or loss that one's gait will change.  Who da thunk it?  I mean I'm very grateful for the weight loss and the loss of the pain from carrying the excess weight, I just never thought that the shift in my size would bring new pain.  The pain before musta snuck up on me due to it being so gradual as I got bigger.   I'm thrilled to be walking instead of waddling.  This rapid weight loss is full of surprises. 

If you're still in the Clarksville area, I recommend Kenneth Gilman, D.C.  for chiropractic therapy.

John, we have group every Tuesday and Thursday at noon. These groups are led by Dr. Charles Ihrig, psychologist from Athena. We would love to see you if you can attend - perfect time to bring those clothes in. Thank you for posting your testimonial on the website!!!

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Justin, I don't know if this will pertain to your situation... it might sound ludicrous....

But when I reached my highest weight, I started to fall, lose my balance, almost fall over for no reason at all...  I got clumsy.  One night I lost my balance and almost broke my ankle...  I gained it so fast in my stomach area and I THINK that my body was attempting to readjust to shifting the weight....

I noticed it got better after losing weight.  HOwever, there were still times during the journey that I had the same thing happen...  I'm not clumsy anymore, but there for awhile, it kinda came in spurts.  Now this might sound totally crazy, but it is possible that your body is learning to carry your weight differently and perhaps your not used to where you are carrying your weight and its trying to reproportion.also, I would not be suprised if at some point in your journey, if you have to see a chiropractor.  when the body has a shift in weight (whether higher or lower) the back/spine shifts as well.  I had to have adjustments and physical therapy for a number of months.  Steve (NashvilleItalan) is also experiencing this very problem now...

This has nothign to do with dizzines though.  You might want to see a doctor about that. Or like Bob said, up the liquids cause you might not be getting enough.

Hi Jay! As outlined beautifully already, your center of gravity can definitely shift after surgery making maintaining your balance much more difficult. This is not helped by us feeling so much better with the weight loss and our mind thinking we can do anything, but our body is still not quite on board yet! I'm so glad you're coming in Tuesday - AWESOME! Leigh, our new exercise physiologist can give you some tips on how to improve your balance - sometimes we have to work on that just like we work on strength training or cardio. Glad you'll be at group. See you Tuesday!

Thanks so much everyone, I should have figured in balance and weight loss would have some co-existing issues. I know that if I could fit into the clothes I def need some shirts! The shirts that were tight before now make me look like I am wearing batman's cape. My protein has been off on some days, I was told by my dermatologist to lay off the protein shakes until the biopsy came back so Bob, that may have exactly been the determining factor the first few minor slips and falls. Both major times I have fell they were because I wasn't paying attention to the ground's slip factor and I feel like it is taking forever to recover. I know swimming is the only exercise that I enjoy though when I have to wear braces and a boot just to walk. Like I said, or typed, thanks a lot everyone.