Question:
Any doctors out there see it increasing in their RNY patients?

A friend's neurologist said she is seeing people whose peripheral neuropathy (burning feet, horrible nerve pain) was worsened by WLS. She recommended against the operation for my friend. Has anyone else experienced/heard of this? Boy, this is NOT what I want to hear.    — KC C. (posted on May 1, 2000)

May 1, 2000
There is no way this could be, the surgical procedure does not deal with nerve involvment. I think the freind and/or the nuro doc may not have their data up to date. I have read and read and read to the 10th power data related to WLS; never have i ran across this dat. (if i stand corrected, so be it) Lets just say it's true, ya don't die from burning feet or nerve pain-but ya sure don't live long with obesity.
   — TJ J.

May 1, 2000
I am suffering from peripheral neuropathy. It has gotten worse since my surgery, but this surgery didn't cause it. It is caused by trama or surgery. In my case it was the radical hysterectomy. The pain has eased up a bit since my neurologist has put me on 2 different meds for the pain. I can now handle the weight of a sheet on my feet and I can wear shoes that arent 3 sizes too big. I would go through this surgery again, even if I knew that my peripheral neuropathy was going to intensify because of the surgery. It is bad, but the weight is worse. ~Shanon Matheny~
   — Shanon M.

May 2, 2000
I suffer from nerve pain due to multiple sclerosis. My burning pain is mostly in my face, neck, and upper back. I use Neurontin to control this symptom, but since surgery, I am way down on my dosage because I am not having problems with this like I was before at all. Of course, MS is relapsing/remitting, so it may return.... but surgery has not seemed to exacerbate this symptom for me. Love,
   — Shar /.

May 2, 2000
The reason for the burning and foot pain, peripheral neuropathy, is related to malabsorption and malnutrition. There is an inadequate amout of B vitamins in the diet and/or being absorbed. This is an unwanted side effect from WLS but is not a reason to not have the surgery. This is a reason to be especially vigilant in taking vitamin supplements post op and having blood work done on a regular basis. To say that a person who is morbidly obese should not have surgery (if that is what they want) due to a possible (but preventable) problem would exclude all of us from surgery. For example, what about post op diarrhea, or nausea, or calcium deficiency or lets talk about the big ones like doctors seeing the need to do an endoscopy on a patient (or 2 or 3 or more) due to the outlet from the stomach to the intestine closing up or forming a stricture thus necessitating a stretching open of the opening or any other anastamosis. Also, there are doctors who are seeing problems with stomach ulcers, stomal ulcers, broken down staple lines, and on and on. Surgery is not denied because of these problems. I just think that it is easier to be an alarmist or try to act like the know it all specialist (of any kind) biased against WLS. When we read through the list of possible or known complications of any type of WLS we will see that there are many different conditions documented after WLS but that isn't a cause to discontinue surgery. Unless there is a documented life threatening reason NOT to do surgery (as in the defunct JI Bypass of the 70's) take the information given by any one under advisement and keep researching and asking questions of many different sources and perspectives. Get going on scheduling your life giving operation!!! Think positve and just keep ticking off all the good, helpful, hopeful pros of surgery. :-)
   — Fran B.

May 4, 2000
May be related to deficiency of thiamine(B1) or Vit B12. However, if the patient had it before surgery then it is probably unrelated. Peripheral neuropathy is most common in diabetics, which is improved with WLS.
   — Bruce B.

August 21, 2000
I had my surgery in January of this year. Prior to surgery I suffered from peripheral neuropathy in my feet, arms, hands and back. I am a type II diabetic since a teenager in the early 70's. I was taking huge amounts (150 units daily) of U-500 insulin. My neuropathy was controlled somewhat by taking Neurontin (2800 mg daily). After surgery my diabetes went under control and I have been off of insulin since February. My sugar remains normal. My neuropathy has gotten better in my arms and hands. The weird thing is though that my neuropathy in my feet has become almost intolerable. I am back on the Neurontin and also taking Trazadone and Norco. I am not happy about having to be on this medication once again. I feel depressed because it seems that I am not getting healthier in this area. But I have to stop and think about where I was and where I am now overall. I have lost over 160 lbs. since January and I am off of the insulin. The doctors all agree that my foot neuropathy is caused by malabsorption. A vitamin B deficiency seems to be the culprit. I am taking mega vitamins and mineral supplements including vitamin B shots. I haven't seen any improvement yet but I have learned not to expect anything to happen overnight. My body is still reeling from the surgery and the malnutrition/malabsorption. I'm sure my brain has been sending out memorandums to the rest of my body that I am trying to kill myself! hahaha Julian Kitchens [email protected]
   — Julian K.