sirensiren

Hi all! Long story as short as I can make it: I got sleeved 16 months ago, my good friend got sleeved a year ago. After a camping trip in August, (both of us over 6 months out), that included heavy drinking, we both noticed that days later we incurred a feeling of vertigo that would come in waves. The feeling is almost like you are on a boat- not full on room spinning, but oddly off balance in a similar manner to when you are flying or on a boat. We now both notice that 1-2 days after drinking alcohol, this happens again! Still! I have ruled out B-12 deficiencies, Iron deficiencies, inner ear issues, and all my physical results test GREAT. It's mysterious, but we both are affected by it similarly. I now sometimes get it if I am stressed, and odd things trigger the feeling like sitting at my computer, or eating. Anyone else experience this? **I am NOT talking about the first couple months where you may have low blood sugar from a calorie deficiency** From Wikipedia: " Stress-induced depression The hormone might help defend against symptoms of stress-induced depression and anxiety.[38] To test whether ghrelin could regulate depressive symptoms brought on by chronic stress, the researchers subjected mice to daily bouts of social stress, using a standard laboratory technique that induces stress by exposing normal mice to very aggressive “bully” mice. Such animals have been shown to be good models for studying depression in humans. The researchers stressed both wild-type mice and altered mice that were unable to respond to ghrelin. They found that, after experiencing stress, both types of mice had significantly elevated levels of ghrelin that persisted at least four weeks after their last defeat encounter. The altered mice, however, displayed significantly greater social avoidance than their wild-type counterparts, indicating an exacerbation of depression-like symptoms. They also ate less than the wild-type mice.[39] " <- I am wondering if perhaps this indicates that ghrelin may play a role in managing anxiety, and this weird equilibrium sensation is a component of this. I am wondering if others have experienced this too. [edit]

I am glad I am not the only VSGer with dizziness here, but t's certainly no fun! I asked my doctor today about doing a test for thiamine (B-1), he seemed baffled but said "I guess I can put that in there", LOL- so we shall see. I take it (B-1) in my daily supplement. I notice drinking Water actually makes me MORE dizzy, which perhaps is a sign that I am actually dehydrated and my body is responding to it? I don't know, I will hopefully have some answers in a couple days.

Thank you Cheri, your posts were very helpful and insightful! Update: No alcohol for over a month now. I am not anemic as far as a CBC can determine, and I am not B-12 deficient. I just got insurance, and will insist on getting tested for other nutrients as well as for hyperglycemia when I get a physical. I am better, but the vertigo-like symptoms come in waves, as does some brain fogginess as well as panic. Some have suggested dehydration, but I get quite a bit of Water. Thank you all for your input, it seems like I am not alone! I hope that I get answers and will update so anyone else going through these frightening symptoms can have some guidance.

The story: Last August, on a camping trip that consisted of many days of drinking, myself and my fellow VSGed friend both had weeks of vertigo/equilibrium issues that were accompanied by confusion. The vertigo seemed to subside, so I stopped concerning myself, then whenever I'd drink aout 24 hours later the weird sensation of vertigo showed up again! Same for her! It's resurged this month, alcohol or no alcohol, and after finally doing some reading I suspect it's likely we are both anemic. Alcohol can deplete B-12, so i made sense to me that drinking was making the issue far worse. I started taking B-12 under the tongue 4 days ago, with minimal results. I started with a normal dose, then upped it to 4x the regular dose. Still dizzy. My question to anyone who experienced this before- is this common, to get little absorption through the under-the-tongue method? Are injections the only way to go for us VSGers? I am in part concerned because it's still a mystery if I am in fact B-12 deficient. I do not have health insurance, and seeing a doctor, particularly a neurologist, is going to be extremely expensive! I am going into a clinic for B-12 injections today, so hopefully this helps. I am also now supplementing with Iron. I am scared. I am generally full of energy, clear headed, conversational..but the past month I've been experiencing waves of depersonalization and disinterest due to this. I really hope to get some answers and feedback.

Good to know, and thank you for sharing her experience! I just got health insurance, so I am hoping to get a blood test to determine any deficiencies. I had a simple CBC and B12 test done out of pocket, both came back fine so I thought I was out of the woods for any type of anemia. Dehydration is hopefully the answer- I think I drink quite a bit of Water, but I could be wrong. Glad to hear I am not the only one on this weird, rocky boat!

I've had a CBC test done which ruled out anemia of any kind, which I believe B1/thiamine deficiency is. Hope your friend is better now, did she have VSG?

I should also ad, I stopped drinking alcohol, and I still get these symptoms.

I am- I discovered I am not deficient at all, but my vertigo symptoms may likely be the result of an anxiety disorder that runs in my family (quite a separate issue). supplements are important, but Dr. Kelly was fairly insistant that there was no need to inject Vitamins or go any other route than the stomach to absorb nutrients properly.

Long story short, I have been suffering with vertigo/confusion that I have attributed to possible anemia. I called Dr. Kelly, and even though it had been a year since surgery (November 7th) he answered my call right away and spoke with me at length about what blood tests I should be getting done and what to look for. He was not defensive about the surgery either, just helpful. He also gave me his new e-mail address unprompted, and told me to please follow up with him. I am really glad I chose a surgeon who did such a great job and was so involved, but also a year later- when he has NOTHING to gain from being so helpful to me and responding right away, manages to still impress me.

Jakat- I juice veggies with small amounts of fruit in a juicer. I'm at a healthy BMI right now fortunately. As I type this I am having a pretty bad wave of this dizziness, it's quite alarming. I had the B-12 shot about 48 hours ago, I've also been taking the sublingual tablets, and chewable vitamins/minerals...I am worried. Having no health insurance is a bummer, if I did I would have seen a doctor and neurologist months ago.

Good to know Jakat! Well, I feel a little weird today but the dizziness feels like it's "changing"- not quite gone away, but hopefully after these injections I'll be on the road to recovery. I bought some swallowable Vitamins, I did not get chewable- I guess the absorption is much better when you break something down. :/ Guess I better pick those up! I am hoping this remedies my confusion and dizziness, I thought with all the juicing I do and how well I eat I would not be deficient in anything.

Hi friends, I have not been on here in some time because I honestly haven't had a reason to be... I know a lot of people drop off and do not check in because these forums are of no real use to them once they move on with their lives, but I just want to chime in as someone a year out from surgery. Dr. Kelly keeps in regular contact with me to see how my health is, and to say my results with him have surpassed expectations is an understatement! I no longer suffer with the emotional ups and downs that I used to have associated with my meals. I am completely capable of choosing what is healthiest to eat, and eating that (AMAZING! I used to eat a package of oreos for a night time snack routinely). Not only is sugar and crap less enticing, it just does not taste the same. Feeling full is no longer quite the same feeling it was, of feeling "stuffed"- this is a hard concept to grasp until you actually get VSG. After surgery, I hired a personal trainer and let them know about the surgery. I am now muscular yet curvy, I actually have "abs"- I actually model and have been asked to compete in fitness competitions! A year ago, I was obese! I write this to let you know, though everyone gets different results for a variety of reasons, a huge part of why I am so happy with my surgery was Dr. Kelly. He was in contact with my regardless of who my coordinator was, when I had concerns he called me immediately, and followed up via e-mail. My surgery was a mere 38 minutes, and though I had lots of gas pain as I recovered, I truly had an amazingly easy recovery. If you are considering him, or any other surgeon, do your research- but I can tell you, this was by far the best decision I have ever mede with my body. I went in with so much fear, and now if I could tell everyone considering VSG to get it, I would. I will never die of obesity complications like people in my family, I will never have to avoid vacations or places because I'm obese and cannot do certain things, I will never have to worry about the size of seats, or feel guilty because of how much I ate.

That is a great feeling isn't it? I've watched a friend of mine lose too, and she told me she had a moment where she realized she was no longer viewed as a "big girl" anymore, and how liberating that was- to no longer be seen by others and yourself as someone with a weight issue is fantastic. Most importantly, feeling better and watching your health get better is amazing and freeing. Robbino- you'll be in better and better shoes every month! It was a wonderful decision and the road to getting to a healthy weight has been at times a confusing one, but a great one.

This year has been the best of my life: last November I was obese, I had VSG with Dr. Kelly and after a few stalls, the weight starting melting off with the help of personal training and watching the content of my food! The love of my life proposed to me, and we got married in what was absolutely my dream wedding. I am more impressed with the man I married every day, and more in love and happy. I am now at a BMI of 20 and I am actually modeling for fitness oriented shoots (I am on the muscular side now, holy moly!). The unexpected experience I've felt creep over me in the past couple months: depression, a sense of lack of joy, a sense of something "missing". It's taken me months of feeling like I must be incredibly unappreciative or deeply unhappy with something in my subconcious, until a few days ago a light bulb went off: I am no longer able to use food as a sense of pleasure or accomplishment. It used to be that every meal I ate changed my mood- I would intently look forward to meals throughout the day, plan them in my head, then immediately feel guilty when those meals turned out to be 1000+ calorie indulgences. On the flip side, I would feel a sense of anxious accomplishment when I'd manage to get through a day eating light healthy meals (anxious because I never felt full control of staying on that "diet", and I'd manage to break it every time). I'm sure others can relate. Now that I realize all this, it is so obvious to me why I was feeling something missing. It has finally set in for me that food is no longer a source of emotional roller coaster feelings of joy, despair, achievement, indulgence..now food is certainly something I may look forward to, but it does not rule my feelings anymore, and I find that after VSG I have a MUCH easier time simply saying "no" to the bad foods. I've also noticed feeling "full" does not have the same physical feeling, and I think this is likely an association for me that keeps that old feeling of indulgence and guilt away. Now getting full actually makes me sweaty, I feel like something is in my throat, and I get a little flustered.it is no longer a relaxing feeling like it once was. I share this not to show off how fabulous I am with my tiny BMI, or sound like an unappreciative princess. I share this because I feel like others probably have and will go through this feeling of accepting this change in their life. When I read through "cross over addictions" I think some of the root issues are quite related to my experience. I believe my system of self reward is finding balance at this point, it's the best way I can describe it. I think you can go through these feelings at any stage of weight loss, but I certainly think getting to this stable point has actually fueled this sense of loss for me, oddly enough. In a weird way, I feel like my subconscious misses the chaos of that relationship with food! I certainly don't, and I hope others can benefit and relate.

It's a challenge, but it's amazing to me how much easier these events are now. Given that you will feel full after such a small amount, you simply adjust your portions accordingly. To me, I do not really think about it unless it's pointed out to me how little I eat, and I find that at lengthy meals, I usually have a bit more room to have one bite of dessert later or try a bite of this or that. In feeling like "food is no longer an issue", I've realized that indeed my past relationship with food does plague my subconscious, and that I no longer have that outlet. You may also find with VSG that you do not have the same desire for sugar. Even when I have room, typically one or two bites of something ultra sweet is all I really want, this could likely be from the fact that the ghrelin producing portion of you stomach is mostly removed. The concept of making an entire "meal" out of cake, ice cream, or something truly sweet is unappealing now. I certainly can only speak for myself on that though, but I have friends with similar experiences.

MGM- 10 lbs a month is great, that is over 2 lbs a week! Keep in mind healthy and long term fat loss is characterized by losing 1-2 lbs a week, so try to look at the advantage- you're losing at a healthy rate, and you're less likely to have loose skin that way. I've known Dr. Kelly to take a couple days or so to respond to me at most, but at this point nothing I write him is urgent or concerning my immediate health or safety. I am glad you've had a (seemingly) safe and successful surgery though, I am sorry he was not more personally involved and responsive.

I chose not to tell anyone but very close family. I knew my decision would be met with fear and concerns, and possibly arguments against the choice to have VSG. My recovery was extremely easy, and I went back to work in 4 days after surgery without problems (just gas pain). When coworkers saw my sipping broth, they assumed I was on a diet. I think who you tell has to only be trusted people.

I am so sorry to hear that MGM! I have only heard positive accounts of how personable he is, how he came to the hotel room with his family to give detailed instructions, how great the experience was from beginning to end like mine...I am sorry to hear that. I hope your health is good though, and the weight is coming off.

Thank you for the positive feedback! I really think it's important to recognize foods emotional role in our lives- I think food is extremely emotional regardless of what we weight, it's certainly a source of pleasure and comfort for most people. I feel like we anticipate all the good feelings that come with being healthier and better looking, but we forget that we are letting go of a crutch or sense of comfort too- I can no longer over indulge, and I am so grateful for that!

I went with Dr. Kelly. My close friend went with Dr. Garcia a few months later. I ultimately had the better experience, but she still loves Dr. Garcia and had a great experience in Mexico with her care. Dr. Kelly has (I could be wrong on exact numbers here) 12 years of experience, Dr. Garcia has 2-3. Here was the difference in our experiences: A few days after surgery, I had symptoms of being allergic to one of my post surgery medications. When I called Dr. Kelly (on a Sunday at that) he called me back within 20 minutes and spoke to be at length, and called me again the next day to follow up. When my good friend was having dysphoria and odd flu like symptoms after surgery, she called A Lighter Me and the hospital that Dr. Garcia performed the surgery at, and it took an entire 3 days to hear back from either. She ultimately went to the ER here and discovered she was severely dehydrated. Had she had Dr. Garcia's direct phone number, she may have heard back far sooner, but the hospital ultimately she be prepared for things like this and ALM bears the responsibility to be available to patients before and after they have their money. I have total confidence that Dr. Garcia is great, my friend is in superb shape and is quite happy! I am quite happy with my decision to go to Dr. Kelly, and I'd recommend him first soley based on our two experiences. I think they are both great choice, and as you'll see patients of either doctor will recommend the one they went with!

That is excellent! It's great to hear the perspective of a MD regarding Mexican surgeons such as Dr. Kelly, and I'm glad your experience was as positive as mine. I truly enjoyed TJ and think I may even plan to visit just for fun and shopping this Fall (and I live in LA, which is full of fun and shopping!). The care was far better than what I've received here in the states to be honest, and Dr. Kelly showed genuine care for my well being and spent nearly an hour talking to me personally the night prior to surgery about my health history. I really felt taken care of. He never once exhibited signs of having substance abuse issues, which is something I am personally familiar with. As far as I know, there is one confirmed death than happened over a year prior to ALM disbanding from him. Anyhow, I think the surgeons in Mexico deserve a lot of credit and confidence- they are under far more of a microscope than those at Kaiser and other USA hospitals because they rely entirely on private paying patients like us, and we all report back on each detail of the care. As I finish my small plate of green Beans and truly feel full, I must say I am extremely happy with my VSG results from Dr. Kelly!

I had Dr. Kelly last November (after doing 2+ years of research). I am completely happy with the care I received and the wonderful results of my surgery (BMI 18.5!!!), Dr. Kelly occasionally emails me to see how my progress is. I sent a friend who chose Garcia after ALM said there were safety concerns with Dr. Kelly- she had a fine surgery, but after surgery she had major issues and it took 2 whole days to get ahold of Dr. Garcia OR ALM...she turned out to just be dehydrated, but her symptoms were quite alarming. Dr. Kelly responded to my calls and emails within 30 minutes. I am sure she would still recommend Garcia, but I am very very happy with Dr. Kelly and doubt any rumors about his character or work quality at this point.

I've worked in plastic surgery for many years, and I can tell you that in order to get that youthful "perky" look, it's almost necessary to add a little bit of volume. This can be achieved (IMO) through a cohesive gel "gummy bear" implant, or through a fat transfer from your own body. Saline implants typically need to be replaced in 10 years and feel fake and Water balloon like- whereas your own body fat will survive (to varying extents) and a cohesive gel implant (as far as we know) cannot "pop" and seems to likely look good for up to 20 (or even 30!) years. That said, a full mastopexy can certainly get you nice and perky and you don't need to worry about having a foreign body in you! It's all about what you truly want. I'd do a lot of research and look at photos and decide what look you'd really like. A LOT can be achieved through a circumareolar ("doughnut") lift with a small implant and you wind up with no real visible scarring. Your body looks impressive, it would be great for you not to have to have scars! Also, I actually recommend sub glandular placement (above the muscle) for the new cohesive gel implants, they have a better chance of being soft and we will last longer as they will sag with the natural breast rather than have the risk of "bottoming out" (you can look that one up, it's not pretty).

Lots of great encouragement and feedback on this topic- thanks! I went to my general doctor for labs and an EKG to check everything and I'm in great health and everything checks out great, so I am going to go for (or continue to go for it) and listen to my body. I think a big part of being healthier is not being sedentary in general- it's great that the sleeve has us eating less and therefore losing weight, but exercise is such a huge part of being healthy too, and makes me appreciate being healthier all the more!

Anyone use these types of work outs with success? I keep in mind, we are "special"- we consume 900-1200 calories a day, and perhaps we shouldnt be getting too "hard core"? Or is it a good idea to hit the work outs hard to burn stored fat? I'm personally at the 7 month mark, so I'm essentially "healed" and my energy is level. I work out with trainers now who are aware of my surgery and take it fairly hard (for me), we box and do a lot of heavy weights