Question:
does any one feel tired alot im 3 years out

Hello Everyone I have been feeling tired alot my medical Dr did lab work and it came out normal well then I also see a dr for some depression and he looked at the results and said my B levals are down and iron so he said go see my medical Dr but she keeps saying they are fine well friday I ended up in the er cause ive had my period over a week and it was flowing hard then normal and still spotting plus I was having dizzy spells,nasua, weekness,and all the test came back normal there has have anyone felt like this after bypass and what should I do because i take all my viatiams plus after i eat i feel sick alot.    — Laurie D (posted on September 25, 2006)

September 25, 2006
Laurie, I am almost 3 years out (December) and was feeling pretty tired there for a while too. My blood work is good (actually, its great considering all the complications I've had in the past). Here's what changes I've made (and you can email me privately if you wish to discuss them further). I hope to not get any flames, I'm just letting you and anyone else know what I did to change things. First, change up your vitamins. Your body will adjust to taking the same thing, same dose every day. Change them up. While I am 43 years old and clearly do not need them, I added a prenatal vitamin 2 or 3 times a week instead of the multi (also helps with hair growth and nail strength). I reduced the B12 to 2 times a week because it made me sick. I try (and I'm not perfect) to choke 2 calcium citrates down a day. I also eat alot of yogurt so I think I'm getting enough calcium. I also was getting sick alot after eating and went to see my surgeon who diagnosed gastritis. So, some protonix and tums took care of that. As for my period, well it went nuts after losing 130 pounds. And I do mean NUTS. So, I had an endometrial ablation in June. No more periods and no more iron infusions. I needed the iron infusions because I bled so heavily that they had a hard time keeping my iron levels up and I cannot take the iron orally. This is only available if you are past child bearing age, but I'm sure there is something else out there to help with the mississippi river. Lastly, and this is very important, many horrible changes happened in my life in the last five years that I had thought I had put behind me. On top of that, WLS plays with your head too, aside from hormones. So, I went to my doc and he prescribed Lexapro. Its not forever. Its just to chill me out for a while so I can make some decisions. It has also helped me in the eating and keeping food down department. It has calmed my nerves, anxiety and stomach - all in one little pill. Sure, I need an occasional tums (no more protonix) but I feel so much better. I did gain about 10 pounds, but I've also just returned from my first ever cruise and well, all you do is eat on the ship, so now its back to basics. Good luck. Kathy
   — Kathy

September 25, 2006
My RNY was 4/23/03. I have been severly anemic since May of 06. No problems prior to that. With the anemia I have had severe bouts of no energy. It is like I hit a wall and can't go any further. My B-12 and B-9 levels are fine, but my Hemoglobin is 8 and Ferratin is 2. Also the dizzy spells you are discussing sound like low blood sugar spells to me. I have had trouble with my Blood sugar bottoming out since about the 8 month post-op time. My A1c (3 month average is 82), but when I have those spells it is in the low 40's. My PCP says that there is no meds for low BS just controll it with diet. Have OJ, oranges, milk, peanut butter available or the glucose tablets. Hope that helps,
   — wealthgvr

September 25, 2006
I am almost 2 years out and I too suffer from bouts of low energy. My bloodwork is "normal" however my doc says that it is really important to check your bloodwork against itself... compare your results month to month (or test to test) instead of just checking to make sure that it's in the "normal range" because what levels may be normal for some people may be too low for others... if you see your levels dropping but they are still in the "normal range" you may be able to catch something BEFORE it becomes a serious problem. I also change up my vitamins from time to time. There are also little tricks that may help your body absorbe certain vitamins better. For example, drinking a glass of low sugar OJ with your iron pills will help your body to absorb the iron better. Stuff like that. Also, my periods became really heavy, doc put me on the patch and now my periods are normal and I have less bouts of anemia during that week! HTH!
   — MagickalMom

September 25, 2006
Did they check for anemia? My partner had to be checked at least 3 times before they made the determination that her iron was low and they put her on iron pills.
   — the7thdean

September 25, 2006
HI Laurie, it seems that a lof of us right around 3 years have the problem of low iron or anemia problems. When they say you are in the normal ranges that is o.k, but we need to be higher than just normal. I am almost 3 years out & have low iron have been on iron capsules for 2 months & it has not budged. I am also 52 & dealing with severe hormone garbage which is my biggest problem with the iron not taking. You most likely are not eating enough protein in you daily intake which why you are feeling the dizziness. could also be from dehydration. Are you drinking enough water at least 64 oz. a day if not more. Dehydration causes the symptoms you have described so. be careful & hope this helps some what. Make sure you start taking iron & more b vitamins. Don't believe what the Doc's say. We are not normal anymore & can't go by the normal scales. Marilyn, the Bearlady 3/5/04 RNY
   — Marilyn C.

September 26, 2006
I DEFINITELY do, and I'm only 6 weeks out!! I'm wondering if I'm not slightly anemic.
   — byHizgrc

September 26, 2006
BTW...I'm having ALL your same symptoms & taking ALL my vitamins too!
   — byHizgrc

September 26, 2006
I'm kinda wondering what you mean by "all my vitamins", since they usually do not include a high dosage of any or at least, absorbable iron (taken with C, not with dairy, caffeine, eggs or whole grains or any other vites, meds or minerals) and most of us do become anemic after a few years with no iron. If your B12 is not sublingual (or shots), then probably has done you no good. But no guarantee subs work for everyone, either. I'm also guessing your labs are not complete, so there may be other elements that are low that you just can't "see". You might want to go over to the Grad list for more info on stuff that happens after that first magic year. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
   — vitalady

September 27, 2006
You should absolutely go see your primary care doctor. It is very possible that your problem(s) havev nothing to do with wls.
   — mrsidknee

September 28, 2006
I don't know if you had your TSH (Thyroid) checked during the lab work up, but many of the symptoms you describe can be the result of high levels of TSH (Hypothyroidism). Not necessarily a result of WLS. Some lab work does not routinely test TSH & may be why you are getting a "normal" reading.
   — KatieJ

October 2, 2006
I do get sick when I eat, at over a year and ahhalf out. However, your sypmtoms sound like something I had before the surgery. Go to your gyno and have him check you for uterine fibroids. Not everything is related to the surgery!
   — Novashannon

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