Greetings all!

What are some of the side effects you have noticed on your body since VSG?

I had mine on 01/18/24 and here is my list:

• Dry skin
• Dry lips
• Cold all the time
• Head hunger
• Dizzy in the shower if the water is too warm
• Hard bowel movements
• Tired all the time
• Mood swings
• Low sex drive

I feel pretty much the same - except for bowel movements. Food seems to go right through me .One meal might mean 4 trips to the bathroom. Other times, for no reason , I get constipated. I can't figure it out. I'm NOT liking this side effect !!!!!

Fortunately most of these are not permanent effects though very annoying at the moment. The only exceptions are the constipation which may always be something that occurs at times. And feeling the cold can continue. Head hunger will be a constant battle - surgery doesn’t fix that. It just seems worse at the moment when your diet is so restrictive. You always want more the things you can’t have more.

Most of the others pass over a few months once things become more settled. Hormones start to rebalance, energy picks up, you’re eating more & a wider variety of foods, etc.

Watch the blood pressure drops though. Get up slowly, avoid too warm showers, keep your fluids up, add a little extra salt to your diet. Add some soluble fibre to your shake, a soup, a smoothie, etc. to help with the constipation. Try not to let it get away from you. I’d take a stool softener if I got to a 3rd day without movement.

On 02/01/2024 at 11:21, Marcia91 said:

Greetings all!

What are some of the side effects you have noticed on your body since VSG?

I had mine on 01/18/24 and here is my list:

• 
  Dry skin
  


• 
  Dry lips
  


• 
  Cold all the time
  


• 
  Head hunger
  


• 
  Dizzy in the shower if the Water is too warm
  


• 
  Hard bowel movements
  


• 
  Tired all the time
  


• 
  Mood swings
  


• 
  Low sex drive
  

GIRL! The dry lips! Yes!

On 2/1/2024 at 5:26 PM, KathyLev said:

I feel pretty much the same - except for bowel movements. food seems to go right through me .One meal might mean 4 trips to the bathroom. Other times, for no reason , I get constipated. I can't figure it out. I'm NOT liking this side effect !!!!!

I am only like 16 days post op and I wish food would go through me , maybe it gets better?

On 2/1/2024 at 9:26 PM, Arabesque said:

Fortunately most of these are not permanent effects though very annoying at the moment. The only exceptions are the Constipation which may always be something that occurs at times. And feeling the cold can continue. Head hunger will be a constant battle - surgery doesn’t fix that. It just seems worse at the moment when your diet is so restrictive. You always want more the things you can’t have more.

Most of the others pass over a few months once things become more settled. Hormones start to rebalance, energy picks up, you’re eating more & a wider variety of foods, etc.

Watch the blood pressure drops though. Get up slowly, avoid too warm showers, keep your fluids up, add a little extra salt to your diet. Add some soluble fibre to your shake, a Soup, a smoothie, etc. to help with the constipation. Try not to let it get away from you. I’d take a stool softener if I got to a 3rd day without movement.

Thank you for your words of wisdom, I had to take Milk Of Magnesium last week but not much came out, I hoping adding more soft foods to the diet will help with something to come out. lmao

I am not really meeting my protein or water goals =( I am working on it tho.

You’re not consuming all that much so you don’t have that much to poop out. I never worried if I didn’t go everyday but if I got to a third day then I’d take something.

Yes, once you’re eating more & a more varied diet including vegetables & some fruit, things do ease a little. But constipation does seem like a thing we just have to manage in the long term. Thankfully it’s more of an occasionally thing not an every few days thing now for me at least.

FWIW, dehydration will cause at least half the things on your list... I know it is hard, but you really have to hit that 64oz minimum as soon as possible. Dehydration is a major complication after WLS and it will do a number on your skin, make you tired and nauseous, contribute to dizziness, and worsen head hunger...

You are only a few weeks out from a major surgery, low libido can take a while to rebound and the rapid weight loss releases bursts of hormones that cause mood swings, sometimes impacts our libido, make our cycles weird, and caused a few meltdowns in our house early post op. ?

For the constipation try stool softeners combined with Miralax. These are non-stimulants so your system won't get addicted to them like it can the stimulant laxatives. Also, try increasing your fat a little. That might help with the dry skin and dry lips too. The post-op diets are extremely low fat, which made me super fatigued too.