I've lost 35 lbs since surgery and almost 85 lbs overall. I can walk faster and fit in an airplane seat better, but I don't feel "good." I don't have more energy and I'm hungry all the time and I'm uncomfortable every time I eat. I'm always afraid I'm going to throw up because I'm nauseous a lot. I always had plenty of energy, but now I'm weak and dizzy all the time. I can't even lift a suitcase into the overhead.

I'm sort of wishing I hadn't had this surgery. Maybe because I had such high expectations?

On 12/13/2021 at 9:19 AM, BigSue said:

Well, I'm glad it's not a heart problem for you! Gotta say it's a bummer to have had this surgery to improve my health and end up with heart problems I didn't have before. Have you had bloodwork recently? It's quite possible that you have an easily fixable deficiency. I was hoping that was my problem, but my bloodwork was fine.

The back pain when you drive might improve as you get used to your new body. For a while, my butt hurt all the time because I lost so much of the, uh, padding I used to have there, but it doesn't really hurt anymore.

The discomfort from eating will probably improve. For the first several months after surgery, I had problems with the feeling of food getting "stuck" (usually meat), but that very rarely happens anymore. In fact, my biggest worry now is that I can eat too much. I see people posting in the food before & after thread who eat, like, two bites of salad and they're full, and I can easily eat a whole big bowl of salad.

Are you doing any strength training? That might help with the upper body strength, although I still have issues with that. Part of it is just not having as much mass; things like pushing/pulling doors or furniture are much more difficult without the extra 200 pounds to anchor me down. And I used to have no problem, say, opening a jar, and now I do, despite the fact that I work out and do strength training. I kind of thought that might be related to the bradycardia, but who knows?

I just had blood work done today - will get the results in a few days.

I also have a meeting with a trainer today to learn how to do some strength training. I've done this before, but it was so many years ago that I don't remember and don't want to injure myself.

I have never been able to open jars. I even have a hard time with protein drink bottles!

Thanks for the supportive words!

On 12/14/2021 at 10:29 PM, Arabesque said:

For years your body has been holding itself in a certain way to compensate for your weight. Now you’re losing weight you will be standing & holding yourself differently & your centre of gravity is changing. Consequently you will be experiencing some muscle discomfort as your body relearns how to hold a smaller you. Back pain, hip & knee pain etc. are quite common. I had upper back pain because my bras were too big - no support. Bought new underwear & pain went.

I have been buying new bras at intervals. The pain seems to be mostly when sitting in cars, specifically. In fact, it's worst in my car (I drive a lot of rentals).

The weight loss back pain is real! I had a heck of a time for a few months. I fully believe what was said earlier about sudden shift in how you hold yourself. Once my stomach started going away I’m sure it messed with my center of balance. I started exercising more and it eventually went away.

There is something to be said about the bra thing. I know you said you are buying them at intervals but for others who may be reading this. I got new bras the other day and I only went down one size in the band and one cup size but man did the new bras make a huge difference in my posture and upper back pain. Invest in properly fitting bras ladies, your back will thank you.

I’m so sorry that you are not feeling good. I never felt the big increase In energy that many others mentioned either. I just feel the same as I did before. I wonder if part of it is my bipolar medications keeping me “stable.”

Quick question since you mentioned being bipolar. Have you had to make any changes on your medication since your surgery? My surgery is scheduled for Jan 5th and I've wondered about that and worried.

I've lost 35 lbs since surgery and almost 85 lbs overall. I can walk faster and fit in an airplane seat better, but I don't feel "good." I don't have more energy and I'm hungry all the time and I'm uncomfortable every time I eat. I'm always afraid I'm going to throw up because I'm nauseous a lot. I always had plenty of energy, but now I'm weak and dizzy all the time. I can't even lift a suitcase into the overhead.
I'm sort of wishing I hadn't had this surgery. Maybe because I had such high expectations?

Are you getting enough water? I feel like that if i don't hit my 64.

Nannette

19 minutes ago, Starfyre115 said:

Quick question since you mentioned being bipolar. Have you had to make any changes on your medication since your surgery? My surgery is scheduled for Jan 5th and I've wondered about that and worried.

I changed one of my medications about two months before surgery because I was on a medication (Latuda) that you had to eat 350 with it for it to properly absorb but there are very few medications that work that way so you should be fine. I haven’t had to make any other changes post surgery.

16 hours ago, Starfyre115 said:

Quick question since you mentioned being bipolar. Have you had to make any changes on your medication since your surgery? My surgery is scheduled for Jan 5th and I've wondered about that and worried.

I have not had to make any changes in my meds for bipolar disorder so far, but we'll see. One thing I've been told is that extended release drugs may not work as well, and my surgeon suggested sleeve over bypass because sometime bypass makes meds a little screwy, although the second opinion I got said she didn't think it would be an issue (she still recommended sleeve, but she would have ordered an endoscopy to check on reflux, which my surgeon didn't do).

Good luck!

16 hours ago, ShoppGirl said:

I changed one of my medications about two months before surgery because I was on a medication (Latuda) that you had to eat 350 with it for it to properly absorb but there are very few medications that work that way so you should be fine. I haven’t had to make any other changes post surgery.

I had the same issue with Xarelto (blood thinner). I actually got a blood clot because of it. Now I take injectible Lovenox.

On 12/15/2021 at 3:29 AM, Arabesque said:

For years your body has been holding itself in a certain way to compensate for your weight. Now you’re losing weight you will be standing & holding yourself differently & your centre of gravity is changing. Consequently you will be experiencing some muscle discomfort as your body relearns how to hold a smaller you. Back pain, hip & knee pain etc. are quite common. I had upper back pain because my bras were too big - no support. Bought new underwear & pain went.

This is really helpful. I've had dreadful upper backache for the last couple of weeks and I never thought of muscle imbalance but of course there's less of me now so that makes sense. Also definitely investing in some new bras. Thanks all!

On 12/12/2021 at 8:31 AM, lizonaplane said:

I've lost 35 lbs since surgery and almost 85 lbs overall. I can walk faster and fit in an airplane seat better, but I don't feel "good." I don't have more energy and I'm hungry all the time and I'm uncomfortable every time I eat. I'm always afraid I'm going to throw up because I'm nauseous a lot. I always had plenty of energy, but now I'm weak and dizzy all the time. I can't even lift a suitcase into the overhead.

I'm sort of wishing I hadn't had this surgery. Maybe because I had such high expectations?

Curious about your age. How old are you?

Out of curiosity, what’s your blood pressure like? I get dizzy, lightheaded, vision blacks, & I feel weak every day because of my low BP. Also I have occasional hypoglycaemic episodes. I tend to have bursts of energy & then nothing - rest now. Always had a tendency towards low BP & had experienced some hypoglycaemic episodes in the past whenever I was in my previous low weight range. Now my blood pressure sits in the 80s over 60s every day. (My heart rate is low too. Like athlete low which is hilarious as I doubt I could run 200m ?.) Try adding an electrolyte drink to your daily fluids. I found them very helpful while I was losing. And I try to remember to take one with me if I’m doing any exercise or physical activity.