Has anyone had a problem with Drop Food after your RNY? 

My Vit levels are all good...
But now i have drop foot, one dr is sugesting that it could be from crossing my legs and having RNY...

Is there anyone else out there that has had this happen?

Thanks

You say your vitamin levels are good.... here's some tough questions: 

ARe you taking SUBLINGUAL B12? (or nasal spray, or shots) if you are swallowing a pill with B12, you need to get you to the store NOW and buy some SUBLINGUAL and take two or three doses

You must take sublingual B12

Are you taking a B-complex in addition to a multivitamin? With B1 (I think that's thiamine?)

If you areen't, get to a vitamin shop, buy one, and take a couple .... do it NOW

What vitamins are you taking, and what is your entire vitamin regimen

B-vitamin deficiencies can be PERMANENT damage....getting the value up won't change the damage done.

I have the nasal spray b-12 once a week 2 sprays
I take a b complex (dont have the name/mg on me)
2 centrums a day
6 ctiticals with d3
2 irons (dont have the mgs on me)

do you also have pins and needles in your feet and/legs/toes to go with the foot drop?

Foot drop is  a sign of a severe neuropathy and I doubt crossing your legs could cause that.  It tends to come from severe vitamin deficiencies - usually the B's - B12 and/or B1.

Many people have not much luck with the nasal sprays - any colds/ allergies or sinus problems and you wont absorb your dose plus weekly isnt much. Do you know your level?  Many doctors will tell you that your B12 is normal when you are down at 300 when that will cause nerve damage for us.  Normal range is 200-900 for a normal person that didnt have WLS - we need our levels to be up around 1200-1800 and can be higher.  Anything below 500 puts you at risk for nerve damage.  There is no risk for a level that is high, but severe danger in too low.

Call your doctor ASAP to get your last level, ask for a copy to be faxed to you so you can actually see the level for yourself.  If under 1000, then you need a major change.   I really recommend daily sublinguals - dose depends on your current labs.  Normal starting dose is 1000mcg daily and then dose is adjusted upwards based on labs, many need 2500mcg or more daily to keep there levels up.

B1 or thiamine is really important to avoid a deficiency.  Many postops dont even realize that they need to take it.  They are told to take a B complex, if they are told that but not all B complex's even have B1 in it.  B complex isnt the answer because it just makes your B6 level too high and you dont need all the other stuff.  All you really need is 100mg of vitamin B1 from the start.  Unfortunatly, once you develop a B1 deficiency, it is harder to treat and you need to treat with high dose B1 for a long time if not forever.  I was put on 300mg daily for 2 years and still take 300mg - 5 days per week and my levels are great.  Like B12, low levels can cause nerve damage and if low enough = foot drop but high levels aren't dangerous, are actually good = it is a water soluable vitamin, you just pee out the excess.

I have read a few instances of post ops that ended up in the hospital after not taking any vitamins long term and ended up not being able to walk.  They had severe nerve damage in there legs = what they thought was going to be permanent.  They had to relearn to walk.  B1 and B12 deficiency are really serious stuff.  Dont fool with them.

If you have foot drop - get to a Neurologist fast.  Dont just deal with your surgeon or PCP, you need a Neurologist to check for nerve damage and if so how far it has progressed and also get labs for your B vitamins and also your copper level, copper can also cause neuropathy.  ANytime they do copper, they need to do Ceruloplasmin, helps them determine the results properly.  I hope you can get this figured out.  good luck

It could be from crossing your legs but it is often from a B12 or B1 deficiency. If your B12 is under 400 it could be happening. Get going to the drugstore and get a second opinion. I would take the vitamins while waiting to get in if I were you, I've heard of people improving pretty quickly if it is a vitamin issue. It isn't always a vitamin issue but it is often with us

I had all my levels tested and everything is good, per my Baritatic Surgeon and my GP. 

They really believe it is from me crossing my legs so much and that the fast weight loss has caused my nerves to be easily compressed. 

What is your B12 level?

A lot of labs put the low "good" threshold for B12 WELL into the range where you can still get PERMANENT nerve damage. Therefore I'd want to make sure my B12 was well over 500. If it says 300, they'll say it's fine, but you coudl still be getting permanent nerve damage.

I've just seen it happen both ways. Leg crossing and vitamins. 2 people used to post here who had it. One couldn't get improvement, one did. I would specifically ask what your B12 was and consider increasing what you are taking if it is 400 or under

and I hope no longer crossing your legs fixes it!

I've never in my life been comfortable crossing my legs. One of my orthopedic doctors explainedd that it's because I have an abnormal curvature of my legs, making crossing my legs in a ladylike fashion impossible.

I had the exact same problem.  My vitamins are excellent.  My GP sent me to a nerologist who determined after running uncomfortable tests on my legs that I had pinched nerves.  This is caused by sitting with my legs crossed and the fact that there no longer body fat cushioning the nerves like pre-surgery.  His advice.....don't cross my legs.  I do wonder if it will ever change.

Good luck to you.

 Have you requested a copy of your labs?  Someone may tell me my numbers are all good, but I don't take his word for it.  They may be in range, but if they are low low normal or trending down from my last results I want to know so I can adjust my vitamin/mineral intake.

 No I have not requested a copy.  I will do that when I go back in 2 weeks.  

Call them up Wednesday, and have them tell you your B-levels on the phone. Don't let them put you off. Demand the level or go in there and say you need it NOW. If the B12 levels are anywhere below 500, take double-doses of vitamin B12 and make sure you let it dissolve under your tongue completely if it's sublingual.

Yes I got drop foot in one foot but both legs had nerve damage (diagnosed) about a year after RNY.  Had nerve testing done to determine it was from crossing my legs, labs were fine.  I was enjoying crossing my legs so much because it has been so long since I did that.  Doctors said to stop crossing my legs.  In some cases you could cause perm. damage to the nerve.  In my case I eased up on crossing my legs and it went away.  I still cross my legs alot (almost 6 years out), but do keep in the back of my mind to stop and give my legs a break more often. 

A duh...I am almost 5 years out not 6.

When I was on a liquid diet , they did not want us crossing our legs because of this issue.
But check out all possibilities !!

Funny you asked about this!! This is exactly what I'm currently dealing with. I too thought it was vitamin levels but everything came back ok. I too had the nerve tests and blood work done. I've lost 145 pounds within the last year and my neurosurgeon has seen this before in weightloss patients. They just did a nerve biopsy and I will get those results withing a couple weeks. I've tripped and really hurt myself so many times. They've fitted me with a brace, but it's summer and I don't want to wear a tennis shoe right now. It's so frustrating because they can't for sure tell me what's caused it. Crossing our legs can do damage, but I don't cross anymore and have had no improvement. First it was my right foot, but now the left is starting to numb. Also, I've been a type 1 diabetic for 23 years so it might just be neuropathy. Let me know what you find out and we can compare notes!! Good Luck!!

YES YES YES!!


I lost down to 189 in 2002 and ended up at a neurologist.  Turns out I was able to cross my legs under my desk for the first time ever.

I had a entire battery of tests.. that said exactly what the neurologist told me.

Stop crossing your legs.  You need to let the nerve decompress. 


Good luck!!!

 Did it go away?  can you move both of your feet again?

Yes!!
I was completely normal in a few weeks - after I TOTALLY stopped crossing my legs.