Three questions??

Hi everyone,

I am just over two months out and I have questions!

#1. I stink- literally -in the gym this morning, I thought the guy next to me was rank with BO. Imagine my shock when I moved to the next machine and the stink came with ME. Is this common and how long does it last??? I have never had a BO problem.

#2 I am soon to be 52 and I now have pimples oin my nose and cheeks plus oily skin. What the heck is this? I never even had pimples as a teenager!! Is this a side effect of WLS and does it last long?

#3 I have not had a hot flash ( I am pre-menopausal) since the surgery but this weekend, I had several super-dooper hot flashes! What is going on??

Besides these things, I feel great and I am happy with my weight loss. When I was stuck scale-wise a couple of weeks ago, some of you suggested upping my protein and I am now down another 5 pounds. That is why I come to this board for answers--you guys ROCK! Any answers you can give me will be appreciated.

Cindy

Hi, stinky, i mean, cindy... :)

I don't know about the smelliness, since I always am fresh as a daisy, LOL..

But, I'm 53, so right in your ballpark, agewise. I had had a hysterectomy prior to WLS, but, the hot flashes and such did change postop...

What I THINK is that since estrogen is a fat-based hormone, our levels of it fluctuate as our weight drops (or rises, too, probably works both ways), and while your body is adjusting, things are going wonky on you...

Who knows? Surgery may have even prompted your body to go into menopause more quickly than it may have otherwise... don't know about that, though...

Next time you do a blood draw, ask them to check your estrogen levels... might give you some answers....

best wishes with the BO... (i'd still blame it on the man next to you, LOL)...

Lori

Hi Cindy
I'm a little older than you, 59, and 4 mos out but I went thru exactly what you are experiencing now, but before surgery.  I am postmenopausal, have been for several years now.  Back before surgery but after I started losing weight to get to surgery goal, I started spotting. Scared the you know what out of me; but after talking to my obgyn, it was all normal!  I did have tests done just to rule out anything diabolical but all came back normal. What the doc decided was the cause was ESTROGEN. Her theory was that estrogen is stored in the fat cells; you start breaking up the excess fat and it releases the estrogen into the blood stream, thus tricking the body into thinking we are teenagers again! LOL

The Doc assured me it was a temporary condition and would settle back down in due time, which it has.  She didn't have any recommendations what, if anything, to do about it...the body just needs to shed the excess estrogen and then our bodies will return to whatever state of 'normal' we were before..  I know this isn't too much help but I wanted to alliviate any worries about possible long term side effects. From what I've been told by my obgyn, this isn't one of them. ^_^
Nancy aka Sunray

Hi Cindy,

Here is my 2 cents for what it is worth.

1.  Smell - let me ask you, how much did you exercise before WLS?  If you were like me, not at all.  You are working up a sweat and let's be honest, have you ever been near anyone who is working up a sweat and thought, "gee don't they smell fresh as a daisy?" I'm thinking not.  Before your workout, put on some extra deodorant (make sure it's with antipersperant in it, not just straight deodorant) and if that doesn't work, soak yourself in colgne.  At least you won't offend yourself.  LOL Oh and if you are "stinky" when not working out, think if you are moving more and quicker.  More activity, and everything starts to work overtime.

2.WLS equals increase in estrogen.  As others have said, estrogen is a fat soluble hormone and it is stored in the fat cells.  As you lose weight these stores get released and reek havoc on your body. I was close to your age when I had my surgery and the one thing my doctor was adament about was my birth control choices.  Your fertility will go up once all the estrogen starts flowing.  Your periods will get whacky and all kinds of other pre-menopausal and menopausal symptoms will occur.  It will all settle down the more weight you lose.  Just hang on.

Stephanie

 

I know what you mean about the gym stinkyness....Ughhh I just hate it when people smell there
 

The BO at the gym will never go away.  From time to time, you'll get that smell from various people...Ughhh..

I'm over the teenage years too and I still get little pimples...I think it's because of lack of water?

I don't get hot flashes...

I think you're going through "the change", Gus!

Your breakouts might be related to your exercising. Wash your face before and after you workout, no makeup at the gym!

All the water you're drinking combined with the sweat might be aggravating your skin as all the impurities are brought to the surface...

My daughter told me that I smell like a vitamin store or chemical factory.  I am attributing this to the shakes that I am drinking along with the vitamins I am taking.  I am thinking this will go away when I start eating.  My sugery was on  July 13th.

Gay