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.

1 hour ago, Kikikiki said:

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...

how long have u felt like this? is the feeling constant? i am going insane these weeks, i have never felt like this in my entire life. this isn't me.

Just now, Anna N. said:

how long have u felt like this? is the feeling constant? i am going insane these weeks, i have never felt like this in my entire life. this isn't me.

For 3.5 years.... about 5 months after I got the sleeve surgery. It’s every day for me and I’m seriously exhausted from it... I used to be so outgoing and social but now it’s like I can’t think straight, my mind just feels a bit out of it if that makes sense... I just want to stay home because I’m worried something is going to happen to me like I’m going to collapse or fall over or something when I’m out... I feel sometimes off balance or like I’m swaying... and I struggle to focus because like you said I just feel absent... it’s weird and hard to explain but I just feel off... and because of this I now have anxiety but it’s not the other way around where I have anxiety and it’s causing these symptoms, I have these symptoms and that gives me anxiety!

On 10/12/2020 at 7:22 AM, Anna N. said:

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.

Here is how I get my protein. Half the time breakfast is an egg with Turkey sausage or Nonfat yogurt. Lunch is usually grilled chicken breast or carved chicken/turkey and cheese slices on low fat triscuit crackers. Dinners always include lean proteins such as chicken, shrimp, turkey, lean steak. I prepare a lot of stir fry with these proteins and vegetables. Beef stew, turkey tacos, turkey meatballs, pulled chicken, roast chicken. I prepare homemade soups also. Chunk chicken or beef and barley. My go to snack is a homemade trail mix with 12 components, lots of nuts. I take one bariatricpal multi vitamin each morning. I get all my protein from natural food. I'm not consuming any protein bars or shakes now. They were great when I had the temporary, doctor mandated restrictive diet.

I set my nutrition plan based on the documentation I got from the nutritionist.

5 servings vegetables per day
4 servings fruit per day
5 servings grains - rice, cereal, crackers bread tortillas
3 servings dairy - milk, yogurt, cheese
2 lean poultry, meat, eggs

I have about 4 oz. of diluted grape or orange juice daily. The only other beverage I ever have is water. I have no deep fried foods, no carbonated beverages, teas, or coffee. Yogurt is the only food I have with added sugars. I also snack on fruit, vegetables, trail mix, and sugar free popsicles (Budget Saver Sugar Free Cherry Pineapple Monster Pops available at Walmart or HEB) are the best).

Honestly, I'm not a Dr. and I'm in the pre-op stage but it sounds like severe anxiety to me.

1 hour ago, xoxoMeli said:

Honestly, I'm not a Dr. and I'm in the pre-op stage but it sounds like severe anxiety to me.

the anxiety happens when u feel absent and feel weakness at all times, not being able to focus on anything that u used to enjoy. it makes u question how u can function in the real world like that and it comes in, heavy, relentlessly. i never used to be like this.

On 10/11/2020 at 1:07 PM, WishMeSmaller said:

First, your pain and swelling worsening at this point is worth a call to your surgeon.

Second, pretty much everyone had some sort of pre-op diet, but there are huge variations from surgeon to surgeon, and even for different bmi’s. I had no energy on my 2 week pre-op diet (shakes and plain, low carb veggies only), but I did lose 15 pounds. I have had loads of energy since surgery and consider myself lucky for this.

I hope everyone here gets some energy back soon. It has literally been my favorite thing about having this surgery 3-ish months ago. I wish it for everyone here!

Good luck!

37 minutes ago, Jeri Lynn said:

It’s has been well established that Bariatric patients can develop orthostatic Intolerance post Bariatric surgery. It is a complication of the autonomic nervous system. Just google Orthostatic intolerance after Bariatric surgery and you will find page after page of articles documenting this syndrome. All the symptoms you mention are there. Autonomic dysfunction is not well understood and many physicians are unaware. I have had this syndrome for 4 years and I have not had Bariatric surgery yet. I ran across all this information while looking for research about my illness. I get shaky, sweaty, nauseated and dizzy with brain fog. I have collapsed numerous times but have never lost consciousness. If I lie where I collapse lift my leg up in the air to allow the blood to return from my legs to my upper body I can get up and be alright for a little while. I specifically cannot stand in place. I must be walking or the dizzy collapse feelings hits me immediately. All my symptoms resolve when I lie down. I understand this has been noted to be a common post op complication of Bariatric procedures. Please take the time to do a little research. You may just be able to tell your physician what is wrong with you. I wish you luck. There is no cure but there are treatments to improve it. I was diagnosed at the Mayo Clinic. This is a neurological condition and I was in the Emergency room 27 times before a cardiologist picked up up all this was happening when upright. I was fine lying down. I am a registered nurse and I was absolutely scared to death when I was told over and over you are alright, your test are normal. I did not feel normal and it was not anxiety/ panic attacks as many suggested. I had become very angry with the lack of concern for my symptoms. I was dizzy with a racing heart and all the symptoms you mentioned and more. I am so thankful that I ran across a physician that was knowledgeable of the condition and knew I needed expert care. I struggle, and was unfortunately completely disabled 7 months after my symptoms first appeared. I am so debilitated physically that I have gained 60 pounds and am pre diabetic. I am currently working towards the gastric sleeve. I am afraid it may worsen my condition but I have a glimmer of hope it may improve my situation somewhat.

I forgot to mention that I experienced the same situation when showering. The Mayo Clinic physician explained because of the blood shift and pooling to the legs and lower abdomen upon standing, that the hot water in the shower acts as a vasodialator which worsens the blood return to the upper body. The dizziness is hypo perfusion of blood to the head. I get short of breath, with chest discomfort and dizzy. The heart begins to pump hard and fast to return blood to the upper body.

Edited October 14, 20205 yr by Jeri Lynn

3 hours ago, Jeri Lynn said:

It’s has been well established that Bariatric patients can develop orthostatic Intolerance post Bariatric surgery. It is a complication of the autonomic nervous system. Just google Orthostatic intolerance after Bariatric surgery and you will find page after page of articles documenting this syndrome. All the symptoms you mention are there. Autonomic dysfunction is not well understood and many physicians are unaware. I have had this syndrome for 4 years and I have not had Bariatric surgery yet. I ran across all this information while looking for research about my illness. I get shaky, sweaty, nauseated and dizzy with brain fog. I have collapsed numerous times but have never lost consciousness. If I lie where I collapse lift my leg up in the air to allow the blood to return from my legs to my upper body I can get up and be alright for a little while. I specifically cannot stand in place. I must be walking or the dizzy collapse feelings hits me immediately. All my symptoms resolve when I lie down. I understand this has been noted to be a common post op complication of Bariatric procedures. Please take the time to do a little research. You may just be able to tell your physician what is wrong with you. I wish you luck. There is no cure but there are treatments to improve it. I was diagnosed at the mayo Clinic. This is a neurological condition and I was in the Emergency room 27 times before a cardiologist picked up up all this was happening when upright. I was fine lying down. I am a registered nurse and I was absolutely scared to death when I was told over and over you are alright, your test are normal. I did not feel normal and it was not anxiety/ panic attacks as many suggested. I had become very angry with the lack of concern for my symptoms. I was dizzy with a racing heart and all the symptoms you mentioned and more. I am so thankful that I ran across a physician that was knowledgeable of the condition and knew I needed expert care. I struggle, and was unfortunately completely disabled 7 months after my symptoms first appeared. I am so debilitated physically that I have gained 60 pounds and am pre diabetic. I am currently working towards the gastric sleeve. I am afraid it may worsen my condition but I have a glimmer of hope it may improve my situation somewhat. 

I forgot to mention that I experienced the same situation when showering. The Mayo Clinic physician explained because of the blood shift and pooling to the legs and lower abdomen upon standing, that the hot Water in the shower acts as a vasodialator which worsens the blood return to the upper body. The dizziness is hypo perfusion of blood to the head. I get short of breath, with chest discomfort and dizzy. The heart begins to pump hard and fast to return blood to the upper body. 

is there any way or any tests they can do in order for them to determine for sure that this is what i have?

Yes, a tilt test which most cardiologist’s office are able to do. You can do orthostatic vitals. Take blood pressure and pulse lying down. Sit up wait 5 minutes and take them again. Then stand for 10 minutes without walking and take them again. You are looking for an increase in heart rate of 30 beats per minute or a significant drop or rise in blood pressure. I have the Hyperadrenergic type and my blood pressure goes up with positional changes from lying to upright. Have you had a chance to google orthostatic intolerance after Bariatric surgery?

This sounds like you are experiencing something called “derealization” or “depersonalization”. It is a form of anxiety where you feel absent and “not there”. Like youre floating. Take some time to google it and then treat it! I had it a few years back and it was horrible. It sounds like you’re struggling with a panic disorder and it has manifested to depersonalization which happens often!

I have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic. Believe me, I am all there when I stand up and my heart rate goes from the 60’s to 150 immediately upon standing. This is a medical syndrome not psychiatric but thank you..... I have hypertensive crisis that I am often hodpitalized for. I am far from a Psych patient. I am a RN with 27 years experience. I know well enough to know the difference. Would you like to offer your assessment to my cardiologist and Neurologist.

Panic and anxiety can feel just like what the OP described. It can happen like that when your body gets very run down like it did.

I experienced something very similar years ago during law school. It took an ambulance ride to the hospital, anxiety medication and a lot of time to get it under control. I also had to improve my lifestyle and sleep habits.

On 10/11/2020 at 01:31, Anna N. said:

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.

Congrats to you on the weight loss and sorry to hear your not feeling good. I just wanted to give some person to person advice. Have you had any type (and you don’t have to share) of trauma in your life? I ask because extreme weight loss can open up emotional wounds for some people. Some people deal with pain by over eating and when that’s no longer possible, past pain can resurface. This can be a time of revelations and anxiety when we go through big physical changes. If anything like that feels true I would definitely seek out help for emotional support through a psychiatrist. — if none of that feels true, then keep at it with the Doctor’s until they can
Help you feel better. Best of luck to you.

On 10/11/2020 at 8:00 AM, Anna N. said:

thanks to everyone that answered, i did start drinking a lot more Water these last couple of days, not a lot has changed im afraid. the doctors keep telling me i need to give it time, however as time passes i get more and more desperate and anxious unfortunately. its scary when everyone is telling u that you are healthy but u don't feel it. i really hope that with better nutrition and more water it will go away eventually.

I had similar issues and finally insisted on going to a hematologist/oncologist to look at my blood work. I knew something was wrong because I know my body. He was amazing and saw that I had no iron in reserve in my body. I received 2 infusions and felt great. My iron levels were always a little low, but my other doctors didn’t think it was a big deal. But I knew something wasn’t right so I insisted. Don’t give up. You know your body! Good luck!

4 hours ago, MamT said:

I had similar issues and finally insisted on going to a hematologist/oncologist to look at my blood work. I knew something was wrong because I know my body. He was amazing and saw that I had no Iron in reserve in my body. I received 2 infusions and felt great. My iron levels were always a little low, but my other doctors didn’t think it was a big deal. But I knew something wasn’t right so I insisted. Don’t give up. You know your body! Good luck!

hey, so i did another blood work and once again everything seemed to be perfectly normal, with the exception of the insulin resistance test that i insisted on doing, which showed that after they gave me sugar to drink i started feeling sick and faint again, the blood work showed that the insulin had dropped significantly. this test is done in three hours, and the way it works is they take blood each hour but in the meantime they give u sugar to drink to see how your insulin and pancreas react. so i need to see an endocrinologist once more, since the first one i saw laughed at me and told me i was perfectly fine.