hi everyone, im very new here, decided to join because i had the gastric sleeve about a year ago, September 17th, 2019, and since i left the hospital and went back home to Europe, im not from the states, i started losing weight pretty quickly. the constant not feeling a 100 wasn't a problem for me since i had decided before hand to give myself time and dedicate my time to only this, losing the weight and get myself back to normal. i ever quit my job since i have the possibility of being self sustained for a while. so i just went on, eating very little, resting whenever i could.

everything was going fine, since at the time of the surgery i was 310 lbs and now i am 160 lbs, so 150 lbs are down in a year. however a couple of weeks ago i started feeling faint,couldn't concentrate and i was on vacation at the time and had collapsed a couple of times before that, but i didn't think much of it. drove back home barely with no energy at all, did some house work when i got back ( always resting whenever i could always lying down whenever i could, mostly how spent the last year since the surgery, always saving energy but always aware, always conscious ) until i got a call from my ex boss that wanted me back to work 2 weeks ago. i didn't sleep that night because i started panicking about my future and wondering how i was ever gonna be able to work feeling as shitty as i did, and then i went to the meeting with him, had a coffee, declined his offer because i already decided that i needed to find some place new to work at, since that one was too toxic, and after an hour i felt how my brain felt before it wanted to collapse. so i panicked not wanting to faint in a public place and rushed to my car, got home, as soon as i laid down i haven't been the same since.

i have felt absent, any conversation feels difficult to me, like i am floating, but i am conscious , however not totally present. any physical activity is hell, even though i worked out three times a week before this and walked with no problems. so i went and got my blood work done and hormonal work done, i even got an MRI of my head because i had such bad episodes of feeling like i was literally gonna die, i thought i had a brain tumor. but everything turned out great, everything is normal. the doctors keep on insisting i lost too much weight in one year and that i need to find a balance now, a classic case of malnutrition and starvation. however my brain is still not letting me feel like i am healthy because all the time i am feeling like i am not present. the doctors say that now i am in a state of catabolism, where the body has drained all its resources and it will take time to recover, psychically and mentally. i started seeing a nutritionist that claims that she will help me. it remains to be seen. one thing is for sure i cant live and function like this. its hard for me to tell myself you are healthy , nothing is wrong when i can barely get through the day with ease. i wake up feeling like this, there is always a panic in my chest that i may never recover from this. the doctors even say i need psychiatric help, but i know that's not the case since i need to solve mt psychical state first. i need to tart feeling like myself again asap.

has anyone else ever experienced problems like these? sorry for the long post, i am very desperate for any good advise i may get. god bless you all. here is a pic of me exactly a year apart from surgery and this September, just before i started feeling like this.

That's good to know, I honestly expected for there to be more energy to come after a month or two post op.

I will call my surgeon in the morning. My sister keeps telling me it's from the surgery and not to fret over it but I just feel like something is wrong.

Do you know how to change my profile from pre op to post? I try to edit it but it doesn't let me change that or add my surgery date or anything. I'm horrible with stuff like this!

I have a similar experience to share. I got the sleeve in 2013. About 1 year post op I hadn't reached my goal weight and decided to do a liquid only diet for 4 weeks. We all know liquid diets will result in weight loss. Three weeks in, I felt faint. I almost passed out a few times when going from sitting to standing. I lost my appetite and found no pleasure in anything I did. At this point I had lost 117 lbs. I convinced myself if weight loss was going to make me feel so bad, it wasn't worth it. I gradually let my diet slip and over the next few years gained 90 lbs.

This year I went in for a revision to DS. Again, I felt faint frequently. I fainted one time at home and woke up on the tile floor. This time I did some research and consulted my doctors. I attributed the light headedness to a combination of several things. Too much low blood pressure medicine, so we halved it twice. I assumed my blood sugar was low so I added more fruit to my diet. Restrictive diet with many artificial foods (shakes). It was time to advance to a soft food diet so I started eating a great variety of real food and dropped protein shakes completely. I needed more calories. Ketosis, I had a lot of rapid weight loss. At this stage the weight loss slowed a bit. Dehydration. I was doing a lot of outdoor home projects in the Summer. I wasn't getting enough water.

I tested as much as I could individually and was able to rule out the blood pressure medicine. Even when I didn't take medicine for days, I was light headed. Even when I drank plenty of water for days, I was light headed all the time.

From my experience the second time around, I dealt with the problems and changed everything up until I found the right combination. I eat healthy meals, get plenty of food, and lose weight each month. Four months later, I'm no longer feeling light headed. Today I'm at my lowest weight in 20 years.

I know they call loss of satisfaction a form of depression. I never went to a psychiatrist. Maybe I should have but I don't feel I would get much benefit from them. My advice is to evaluate your nutrition plan and eliminate anything that isn't natural food. Natural sugars in fruit are better than anything with added sugars. Protein in lean meats is better than protein shakes or bars.

First, congrats on your weight loss success. Secondly, I’m sorry you’re experiencing these problems after all your efforts.

I’ve randomly experienced those feelings of light headedness, jelly legs, cold sweats, doughy thinking, etc. For me it signals either a drop in my blood pressure or in my blood sugars. Stressful situations or over strenuous activity can bring it on too. I have Gilbert’s which contributes to my attacks.

I find if I grab a cracker, some blueberries or grapes, etc. it will pass. Drinking water & sitting or reclining helps if it’s a blood pressure drop.

Do you have a blood pressure cuff at home? For some people, their pressure goes up & down throughout the day so being tested at your doctors may not reveal what’s really going on.

Try keeping a snack in your bag. (I snack every 2 hours.) I have bottles of water all over my house & in my car. This has helped me. I also agree with the suggestion of seeking advice from your nutritionalist to make sure your diet is balanced & providing all your needs.

I hope you can find some answers & solutions to this. Good luck.

Hi! I’m very similar to you, since my surgery I have had so many health issues and the way you describe not feeling ‘present’ is exactly how I would describe how I feel... I’ve seen doctor after doctor, had blood test after blood test and in the end they said I have mental health issues - mind you, all this has happened since my surgery. Sometimes I find it so hard to explain how I feel but I just don’t feel ok if that makes sense... my mind feels foggy and heavy, I feel like if someone touches me softly I’ll fall over like I’m swaying on a tight rope kind of feeling... my chest is often tight and heavy like I’m constantly panicking...

I have to agree with seeking the psychiatric evaluation. For many years psychiatric care has had a stigma, but caring for the mind is just as important as the body. You can tell from your initial post that you have quite a bit of anxiety, and sounds like could be leading to a vasovagal response. This is like people that are terrified of shots and pass out. If you were dehydrated or had a B12 deficiency they would have see that on your labs, and why the other test that they ran are normal. It would definitely be worth looking into.

8 hours ago, Kikikiki said:

Hi! I’m very similar to you, since my surgery I have had so many health issues and the way you describe not feeling ‘present’ is exactly how I would describe how I feel... I’ve seen doctor after doctor, had blood test after blood test and in the end they said I have mental health issues - mind you, all this has happened since my surgery. Sometimes I find it so hard to explain how I feel but I just don’t feel ok if that makes sense... my mind feels foggy and heavy, I feel like if someone touches me softly I’ll fall over like I’m swaying on a tight rope kind of feeling... my chest is often tight and heavy like I’m constantly panicking... 

this is exactly how i am feeling! everyone keeps telling me you are healthy, u need to see a psychiatrist, and i keep feeling like this, day after day after day... it's maddening. i started with the regimen my nutritionist gave me since yesterday, i will keep at it, hopefully it will bring me back. honestly i just want to feel like myself again... have u tried anything else? have u seen a nutritionist?

2 hours ago, jennba said:

I have to agree with seeking the psychiatric evaluation. For many years psychiatric care has had a stigma, but caring for the mind is just as important as the body. You can tell from your initial post that you have quite a bit of anxiety, and sounds like could be leading to a vasovagal response. This is like people that are terrified of shots and pass out. If you were dehydrated or had a B12 deficiency they would have see that on your labs, and why the other test that they ran are normal. It would definitely be worth looking into.

Quote

yeah i am actually going to see one next week. wanna give the nutritionist thing a shot first. i have TREMENDOUS amounts of anxiety but that's just because i have been feeling like this for almost 2 weeks now. and i barely see any improvement. i have started a regimen with a nutritionist so i am hopeful, i have to be. but i will give a psychiatrist a shot, for sure. it is just so hard when everybody says you are ok, give yourself time, find something to do, when they know how active i was before, and now even going to the kitchen to make my meals feels like climbing a mountain for me.

9 hours ago, Arabesque said:

First, congrats on your weight loss success. Secondly, I’m sorry you’re experiencing these problems after all your efforts.

I’ve randomly experienced those feelings of light headedness, jelly legs, cold sweats, doughy thinking, etc. For me it signals either a drop in my blood pressure or in my blood sugars. Stressful situations or over strenuous activity can bring it on too. I have Gilbert’s which contributes to my attacks.

I find if I grab a cracker, some blueberries or grapes, etc. it will pass. Drinking Water & sitting or reclining helps if it’s a blood pressure drop. 

Do you have a blood pressure cuff at home? For some people, their pressure goes up & down throughout the day so being tested at your doctors may not reveal what’s really going on. 

Try keeping a snack in your bag. (I snack every 2 hours.) I have bottles of water all over my house & in my car. This has helped me. I also agree with the suggestion of seeking advice from your nutritionalist to make sure your diet is balanced & providing all your needs.

I hope you can find some answers & solutions to this. Good luck. 

thank you! yeah i have lost much more than i should have in a year, which is what every doctor keeps telling me, and with not eating and drinking well through the year, it took it's toll on my body and mind. i just want a way out of this, especially since i want to get back to work and move apartments, but i can't do any of that now, since i can't seem to focus on anything for more than half an hour at the max, everything takes so much work.

yeah before seeing this nutritionist i tried eating every 2 hours, these last days before i started with the regime that she gave me, not much has changed honestly, but i have faith in seeing the nutritionist now, that i will get back to myself.

i can't live like this, i have even had moments when i have kept wondering was this all worth it?

10 hours ago, California Guy said:

I have a similar experience to share. I got the sleeve in 2013. About 1 year post op I hadn't reached my goal weight and decided to do a liquid only diet for 4 weeks. We all know liquid diets will result in weight loss. Three weeks in, I felt faint. I almost passed out a few times when going from sitting to standing. I lost my appetite and found no pleasure in anything I did. At this point I had lost 117 lbs. I convinced myself if weight loss was going to make me feel so bad, it wasn't worth it. I gradually let my diet slip and over the next few years gained 90 lbs.

This year I went in for a revision to DS. Again, I felt faint frequently. I fainted one time at home and woke up on the tile floor. This time I did some research and consulted my doctors. I attributed the light headedness to a combination of several things. Too much low blood pressure medicine, so we halved it twice. I assumed my blood sugar was low so I added more fruit to my diet. Restrictive diet with many artificial foods (shakes). It was time to advance to a soft food diet so I started eating a great variety of real food and dropped Protein Shakes completely. I needed more calories. Ketosis, I had a lot of rapid weight loss. At this stage the weight loss slowed a bit. Dehydration. I was doing a lot of outdoor home projects in the Summer. I wasn't getting enough Water. 

I tested as much as I could individually and was able to rule out the blood pressure medicine. Even when I didn't take medicine for days, I was light headed. Even when I drank plenty of water for days, I was light headed all the time. 

From my experience the second time around, I dealt with the problems and changed everything up until I found the right combination. I eat healthy meals, get plenty of food, and lose weight each month. Four months later, I'm no longer feeling light headed. Today I'm at my lowest weight in 20 years. 

I know they call loss of satisfaction a form of depression. I never went to a psychiatrist. Maybe I should have but I don't feel I would get much benefit from them. My advice is to evaluate your nutrition plan and eliminate anything that isn't natural food. Natural sugars in fruit are better than anything with added sugars. Protein in lean meats is better than protein shakes or bars. 

hey, thanks for your input, it really helped! could u tell me maybe in terms of protein what works the best for you? my nutritionist has me on a lot of fruits and a lot of fish , i just started yesterday, so i hope i will see a difference soon. in terms of protein, vitamins intake, what works the best for you? how much do u eat in a day now that u have found your balance?

thank you.

19 hours ago, Katherine K said:

I am Pre-Op so I cannot relate completely to this, but that awful yucky feeling is familiar to me when my Vitamins were off in the past- things like Vitamin D, Iron, the B vitamins. It's SO frustrating when doctors don't seem to be giving your results full attention. Have you considered an endocrinologist? In addition to Water I'd say make sure you're getting a large amount of Protein because that seems to be the quickest "fix" to post-surgery feelings from my friends who have had surgery. I think it would be good to see a mental health specialist, too. You've had MASSIVE changes to your life and even though they are generally good, any life change is a stressor in a way. I hope you feel better soon.

thank you for your input, i really appreciate it. i did see an endocrinologist, she literally repeated the same things that the doctors that saw my blood work said: you are a healthy young girl, eat more, drink more , find yourself a hobby ( this seemed particularly ridiculous to me since i can't even watch a movie normally anymore ) and in time u will feel better and the body will find it's balance. none of them seemed to care how i felt for days now. so like i said, i am consulting a nutritionist now, hoping to see some changes. also seeing a psychiatrist soon. hopefully i will come out of this.

You are describing anxiety and panic attacks. Which happen to many people and can be helped either with medication or with therapy and relaxation techniques. Please try a consult with a therapist or psychiatrist - I think you will find that some of your symptoms can be dealt with and you will feel much better

Ask your doctor if he thinks this could be anxiety related. I used to have debilitating panic attacks. Its a genetic condition that several family members have. Once we figured it out, it was easily eliminated. May be worth asking about.

10 hours ago, BriarRose said:

You are describing anxiety and panic attacks. Which happen to many people and can be helped either with medication or with therapy and relaxation techniques. Please try a consult with a therapist or psychiatrist - I think you will find that some of your symptoms can be dealt with and you will feel much better

i will see a psychiatrist, however, the reason for my anxiety is the fact that i have been feeling absent and not myself for weeks now. and it's freaking me out since it's not going away. if i felt my old self back, i believe i would be ok. but of course i will consult a psychiatrist.

40 minutes ago, Anna N. said:

i will see a psychiatrist, however, the reason for my anxiety is the fact that i have been feeling absent and not myself for weeks now. and it's freaking me out since it's not going away. if i felt my old self back, i believe i would be ok. but of course i will consult a psychiatrist.

This sounds so much like what i go through!

19 hours ago, Anna N. said:

this is exactly how i am feeling! everyone keeps telling me you are healthy, u need to see a psychiatrist, and i keep feeling like this, day after day after day... it's maddening. i started with the regimen my nutritionist gave me since yesterday, i will keep at it, hopefully it will bring me back. honestly i just want to feel like myself again... have u tried anything else? have u seen a nutritionist?

Let me know how you go with the nutrition regimen... I have seen 5 dietitians and no improvement yet but apart from that, no I haven’t because every time I go to the doctor all the tests they do come back fine apart from my iron is low but they never mention that low iron could cause all this...