Hi, all! I'm new to this forum, but had WLS a year and a half ago. I've lost weight well, but now within the past few months feel awful. I'm sluggish, and my brain feels foggy. I almost feel slightly tipsy all the time. My brain doesn't seem to focus well and I'm always tired. I know that I have had low iron since WLS, but these symptoms are newer and seem to be getting worse.

Has anyone out there had these problems? It is driving me nuts. I can't seem to wait for night to come around so I can get in bed, relax, take my Ambien and fall to sleep. Something is wrong and I know it. Any ideas?

Oh, and BTW, I lost my insurance coverage and so I can't afford to have thousands of dollars worth of tests run. I can afford some, but not a whole gambit of stuff.

First thing, I am not a Doctor! Don't skimp on taking good care of yourself, you wouldn't go without a haircut...this is more important!

You can call and ask how much it is to have your blood work done at your regular Dr. office and save up a bit. There is sometimes no charge for follow ups with your surgeon. Call them and ask. No harm in askin'! They might even give you some advice over the phone.

Now, I had that problem and it ended up being my electrolytes. I drink diet Gatorade or Propel and I'm fine. Also, make sure you are not eating too many carbs and are eating enough protein. (haven't we heard THAT too much! hehe) If you have relaxed on that, it can contribute to being tired and throwing off your vitamins and minerals. You might need to take a sublingual B12. (the kind that melts under your tongue) It CAN be that you are not absorbing it well enough.

Good luck honey and PLEASE take good care of you! Who else is going to?

Angela

I need to echo missangelaks. I have fallen off the WLS band wagon too often and what you are talking about is EXACTLY how I feel when eating too many carbs and not enough protein. There have been times when I don't even dare drive because I feel too tipsy or like my head is bobbing like a balloon on a string(how I describe it). I also get foggy or blurred vision. I would suggest getting your vitamin and mineral levels checked. Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

Thanks, ladies. I made an appointment with my WLS even though I haven't seen him in about a year. Hopefully he can point me in the right direction.

I probably am eating to many carbs. It is hard to find 'fast' good protein. Especially with life being so busy. I am taking my vitamins (including the B12) except for the calcium.

Thanks for the encouragement!

BTW, Angela and Finki - did you both have WLS? If so, how far out are you?

I had RYN in Feb. of 2008...so almost 2 years out.

Glad to hear that you called and made an appointment...good for you!

Angela

Glad to hear you made an appointment! I will echo the others in that it may be too many carbs, too little B12 (are you taking a sublingual form?), or too low of iron. Are you currently taking an iron supplement?

If you need financial assistance with labs, you might try Googling "affordable lab tests." Depending on where you live, there are companies that specialize in offering affordable testing for those who need to pay out-of-pocket. For example, you can get a full chemistry panel from "Any Lab Test Now" for $49. I don't see that they check iron or B12 butI'm sure someone does! Heck, don't they check iron levels when you donate blood? In which case, I would imagine it's not a particularly expensive test on its own.

That is my guess too Jilly....low B12 and Iron. My B12 is always good, but I fight with my iron daily. It is never up to par. Also I complained to my WLS doc that I get lathargic in the afternoons. She said to pay attention to the time when I feel this way for a few days, then start eating an ounce of cheese or some protein an hour before that happened. It does work. It helps.

thank goodness you have a doc appt!!!! and Jilly - you ALWAYS have great info. who knew that there was a way to get cheaper lab work???????

So, I literally felt like I was going to die or go crazy today so I called my WLS and to say that I can't wait and have to come in NOW! He was out of town so he sent me to another doctor. That doctor did blood tests and we won't have the results for a day or two, but he thinks that it *may* be that I have too much Niacin in my body - or a Niacin overdose. I guess the B12 that I am taking has a lot of Niacin in it and if you get too much in your system it can create bad problems with your brain. We won't know for sure until the blood results, but I'm hoping that it will be an 'easy fix'. I'll keep you updated!