Can you imagine?? Need your thoughts please....

Good Day WLS Mates!

Today I went to my PCP for my one year postop appointment.
This has been a year to remember.... And SO glad to be where I am, on the losers side of life. Down 123 pounds in 11 months and 8 sizes. LIfe's going pretty well!

However, I have recently been feeling really, really faint. I lose my balance, get the twinkle stars going and feel the 'blackout' coming on when I am doing exerting things, have my heartrate up, squating or kneeling and then standing up. Even blow drying my hair and flipping my head up! YIKES!! It's been getting worse. So I brought it up to the good doc.

Well....he asked a barage of questions. Mainly focused oncalorie intake and what kind of foods I ate.
He than told me that I was on the road to being a "Functioning Anorexic"! ME! Anorexic!!!??? BBBBBBAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Not even close!!!!!!!! 
But he got me thinking!! He said that my 800 k calorie intake is not even close where he wants me to be and that I need to up my salt intake big time. And with the RNY I'm not taking in all 800 calories. Oh...and eat carbs! Holy Carbs Batman!! That's a bad word and a bad thing to do...right???? Carbs? OK...I have them, but they are not my first pic nor do I eat a lot of them.
Protien first, fresh fruits and veggies ( a lot more at this time of year...love 'em!) and then carbs.

He said I gone from one extreme to the other, and is a bit worried. Shoot...I think I had those behaviors for 42 years before WLS and it's only been a year of this new behavior. Give me some time to work things through!!! I'm learning!!!

What are your thoughts? Should I be worried? What should I do??


Thanks for your help in advance!

Susan

Hi Susan~

Oh my gosh I have some of the same things going on...

2 weeks ago I was diagonised (sp) with Bradycardia..low heart rate...when I google..some of the thing you listed are related to that too...I wonder now if I am not suffering the same with the same thing you have...as I too am around 800 cal per day...

I thought the "dizzy" was just that I was getting up to fast now I have to wonder..I guess it will be something I need to bring up with the doctor

Collette

OMYGOODNESS Collette! HUGS to you!!!

The low heart rate thingamabob...that is low blood pressure...right? Even when I was morbidly obese (add super to the beginning of that) I had blood pressure of an athlete. The M.D.'s said that.
So the numbers are 'normal' to me. I think it's time for a second opinion if this continues.

My PCP kinda poo-poo'd the whole thing and related it all to my physical changes over this past year. OK...he is the doctor, but I know me and this is not normal, kinda scary and frustrating.

Let me know what you find more out about your diagnosis. I'm concerned for you!

Take care and thanks for replying,
Susan
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Fresh fruit and veggies have carbs in them, so you are consuming some, but did he tell you how many calories he wants you at and how many of those should be from carbs?  Heck, that's the confusing part is knowing how much of what we should have.  I was wondering the same thing on how many carbs from good sources should we be taking in. 

Wow, I have the same feelings you've got.  I was just telling my mom today that everytime I try to push myself exercising or get up from a sitting or laying position or bend over and stand back up (yep, just like you - even to flip my hair down to put the towel on it then flip it back up!) I get all wobbly and faint feeling and see stars and everything goes from blurry to black and back.  Even when I get up at night to go to the bathroom, I catch myself feeling my way along things and trying to walk without falling down and things going black and flashes of light.   I was just thinking it was low blood pressure, even though my pcp and I keep checking it and it's fine 100/62.  Hmmm.

That's the same as me Lizzybear!!!

OK....now I know there is something to this that is related to WLS!! Now...to figure out what and how to counteract it before I find myself sprawled out on some floor somewhere with cute Fireman around me!

Hmmm....doesn't sound so bad....  ;0)

I hope others reply and let us know if and when they have felt the same things.

As for the carbs thing...UGH....Carb is a bad word!! Isn't it??? At least that is what I've been telling myself. It is hard to go against the grain. I'm also afraid that once I do, I'll start craving carbs. So I think I'll stick with the carbs in fruits, veggies, and nuts for now. I will up my salt intake as well and see if that helps.

This is all part of the learning curve I suppose.

Thanks for replying. I look forward to meeting you and others at the next meetup. Wish I was on OH more to have seen that. I feel the need to be around others with WLS right now at a year out.

Chat soon,

Susan

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While I love my PCP dearly,  and I'm sure you like and trust yours, I would actually contact your bariatric team to get their feedback on daily calorie consumption and discuss your symptoms. While not intending to, your PCP could misguide you when it comes to that type of thing. I know my bariatric team has nutritionists, a nurse practitioner, etc. I would put a call into one of them on your side of things. They might want to do a blood work up as well to see if you're low on iron, calcium, B-12 , etc. I would get checked out sooner than later.

 I think Jody is on the right track and you should see either your original bariatric team or make a visit to a bariatric nutritionist. I love my PCP to death but they are notoriously lacking in nutritional and dietary training in med school! I had similar problems years ago, long before I had my lapband, it was low potasium. There are so many nutritional things it could be that I would really look there for help. Even bandsters would be considered functioning anorexics under his definition. There is definately something amiss and you may really have to push things to find out what it is. Good luck!

I totally agree with those who say take this to your Bariatric surgeon/team.  (I'm an internist and agree completely that PCP's are very poorly trained in nutrition.)  I would wonder, however, about your fluid intake, because volume depletion (dehydration) could cause the symptoms you're talking about.

Slow pulse and low blood pressure are not the same thing, nor do they have the same causes.  Apples and oranges.  Though both can cause light-headedness and near fainting.

I would really take a close look at how much liquids you're taking in. And I can't imagine what value there is in taking in more carbs.

Good luck and keep us up to date.

Karen

Also, the REAL way to assess this BP/fainting situation is to take your BP in 3 positions:  lyng down, sitting up (with your feet down,) and then standing.  If there's a significant drop (with symptoms) in BP with these position changes, it strongly suggests your blood/fluid volume is too low.

Taking in more salt may be a good idea as salt holds on to water.

Karen

THANK YOU SOOOO much Karen for your reply!

I will do just as you say and check things out. My DH and son are both EMT's so I don't think I'll have a hard time finding someone to do my BP around here! Plus...and this is a bonus...they are both cute firemen!! 

Unfortunately....my bariatric team is in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. This is one of the drawbacks for doing self pay out of the country.
I have done a LOT of research and depend a lot on that and my OH friends to help me figure things out.
I have realized, early on, that my PCP knows absolutely nothing about WLS. I have educated him on the whole thing over these last few years. And even with being my PCP, he was not and continues to not agree with the surgery. (he is a very athletic guy)

I agree about the carb thing. What would be the benefit. I'm sure he was saying that solely out of the athlete in him. He kept saying carbs are for fuel. Exactly what an athletic person (w/o a weight issue) would think and say. In my humble opinion....

I do alright with my fluid intake. Of course i could do better and will work on it and see if it will help.

Thanks again for your suggestions.

Susan
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