I have a new pcm!! :)

After a year with a pcm that refused to see beyond the "normal"  human body, I finally have a new pcm! It took some complaining, but now I wish I had complained a long time ago. I just opened the letter this morning, what a way to start my day :)

Lets hope this one will help get to the bottom of things and find out what is causing my pain, light headed episodes, and tired feeling. Timing couldnt be better either because it's about time for my yearly bloodwork soon, so when I go in for my first appointment I'll be sure to bring my list of bloodwork reccommended for me post rny and make my voice heard that I NEED my levels checked, no half assing it anymore. No more drawing 6 vials and checking the "minimum' for a "normal" patient. I havent had a full set of bloodwork done since the end of 2007 prior to leaving
Florida. I hate to get my hopes up, but it's so hard not to. :)

I also want to say thank you to Kelly for bringing to my attention what exactly should be checked every year, as well as thank you to anyone who has helped and given me advice. Hopefully things will start looking up.  I'm just ready to start feeling better again. 



Edited- I'll add...I have already established a pattern with constipation causing my pain, but I would like to get to the bottom of why it's getting backed up there in the small intestines, as well as why I feel the pulling and twisting with a bm.

Good for you I had to do the same thing to get a new PCM Hope all goes well for you

I see you moved,is that why you have not spoke with your doc about the pain with a BM..I have 2 thoughts for you..First have you been tested for HYPOTHYROIDISM ? next..in 2006 I had a very similar pain,only during a BM..I had a CT scan negative.i had moved from PA to GA and no doc's here wanted to touch me at all.SO i headed to PA for exploritory surg to figure out what was wrong.i had an Internal hernia that did not appear in any tests.. It was repaired and good to go.

Hypo-would make you super tired, dry skin,constipated,hair falls out..oh it's awful. Oh yeah your sex drive it depleated too..

No I've had doctors since leaving, just not a bariatric doctor to go to for these things. I get assigned a new pcm at each military base, unfortunately we've moved 3 times since I left Florida. I wasnt at the last base long enough to really get established, my pcm at that base attempted to help me in the time I was there but truthfully didnt have enough knowlege with gastric bypass which he admitted to me.

Prior to that I was in Georgia, and no one really figured out what was causing my pain. I was told it must be gas several times.
 
The pcm I've had here for the last year basically figured enemas and stool softeners were all I needed, because she said if complications with rny were to happen it would happen in the first year. No one has done any more than an x-ray, and due to a dark area in my small intestines they say I'm "backed up"  I've been trying for a referral off post to a bariatric clinic and she (my old pcm) told me "it takes time" . What I find odd is when I needed to go to an ob off post tricare had my referal letter in the mail and I recieved it within a month of the request. So I really dont know that she even put in my request for the bariatric clinic because I cant understand how I could get in so quick with an ob but it is taking forever for a referal to a Bariatric doctor. Hopefully this new pcm will be more on top of things. I always felt like the old one didn't have enough time for me, which I've heard from others they feel the same.

They are given 20 minutes with each patient and each thing needs it's own appointment, which for me makes things even more difficult because I have a 3 year old and children are not allowed. Finding childcare after only being in a place a short period of time is difficult, and the hourly care daycare is usually filled. I have no family nearby to watch her so finding someone I can trust is difficult, and I wont leave her with someone unless I trust that person fully.

ok I got all of that..
I will completly disagree with the "it would happen within the first yr".That crap.. I was 3 almost 4 yrs post when my hernia happened. It really sounds like the same thing.I completly understand not being able to find a doc or daycare..What sate are you in now..Just curious what part of GA were you in? I'm in Leesburg,near the Albany Logistics base..otherwise known as the hell hole..lol

Are you anemic at all? My hrnia has plagued me with anemia,unfortuntaly.Since i went undignosed for a while the instine could not be repaired.it was bypassed more and it has made me anemic

We were at Fort Benning in Georgia. We're in Kentucky now.

I am not sure about being anemic since this is one of the things they probably failed to check me for. They drew 6 vials of blood when checking my "yearly" last year. I do know my D level was checked and I'm back up on that one, the year prior I was deficient in vitamin D.  I actually got my results through my ob office since he got my results transfered over immediately for my first visit with him. He did say my B-12 was on the low end of normal but still in the normal range and recommended I take a different type, so I'm now a B-12 that I purchased from Vitalady.com

I do get more headaches, and I'm tired so much more than I should be. When it first started I associated it with being a new mom, but my daughter is 3 1/2 now and it's only gotten worse. I get light headed/dizzy spells. I had someone else mention the possibility of anemia causing this. I talked to the lady at GNC who helped me find the iron that I wanted and I'm making sure to take that every day. My surgeon originally told me I didn't need iron, but since my new multi doesn't include it I'm taking one separate now taken by itself at bedtime.

I also never had any problems with levels being low until the military hospital started giving me Major brand of Prenatal vitamins. I'm now back to taking bariatric vitamins and do feel it has improved some of my problems.  I feel like I've had to figure alot of this stuff out on my own, as well as feeling like sometimes I have to educate my primary doctor on the surgery I've had it's sad.

I'm anxious to present my new pcm with the list of levels I need to be checked, hopefully he will be more on top of things.

I had pain in my early 30s and it was being caused by hernias.  Hernia repair and it was gone.  Hope a solution will be found soon.  I too was using military facilities.  It is different for us because the pt is either on the move or the drs are.  It is harder to follow a pt long term in these situations.

Did your hernia get affected more at times when trying to exercise? I have to limit myself to walking these days and even that at times I feel something inside me tighten up. It will form a hard spot on my left. I asked my old pcm if it could be a hernia and she said that was doubtful, yet didn't even check me for it. But for me it's like a muscle or something will tighten and until I quit moving around and stay completely still for a while it stays tight. This is why I really just want a referal to a bariatrics clinic, if tricare will allow.
 
I have an appointment set up with the new pcm in 2 weeks, so hopefully this one will do something for me.