Struggling :(

[deletedsally 8]

There have been some people who have developed dumping syndrome post VSG--just as there are some people who can develop dumping syndrome without having had any bariatric surgery at all. In many of these cases, stress can be a primary trigger and you reported high levels of stress prior to your surgery. Dumping syndrome as a side-effect of VSG is "unlikely" (not impossible) according to most doctors because the pyloric valve is supposed to be left intact. There can be exceptions, and there is always room for medical error.

At this point, you are only one week out from surgery and given all the emotional and physiological stressors, I think it's way too soon to assume that this is anything permanent. The best thing you can do is to try to relax and let your body heal.

The hairloss could be related in part to the trauma of major surgery--but that doesn't usually happen until around the third month. What tends to make me think that it may be unrelated to the surgery is the fact that you had reported a significant amount of hairloss in the weeks prior to your surgery. Given the large amounts of broccoli you were eating to avoid eating other foods, is it possible that you had a Protein deficiency long before the surgery? If not, it may be important to consult a doctor to evaluate why you were losing hair before the surgery, since this is not just a post-surgical problem.

Edited May 24, 2010 by katt

[zebrajeans 0]

They make a Rogaine for women. Dont know if it will work for "struggling" just trying to cheer them up by pointing out that hair will grow back, after the sleeve, the fat shouldn't. It's worth a try, if nothing else is working. Also wanted her to understand that 1 week of low Protein shouldn't have the hair falling out, it's anesthesia. I obsessed about low protein the 1st two weeks. As soon as I could drink smoothies, the protein became easy. Everyone has to follow their doctor and their stomach tho.

[JillianMarie 0]

Katt,

No i was not Protein deficient prior to surgery. Yes i was consuming large amounts of broccoli, but that was far from the only thing i ate. I consumed 10- yes ten- carbmaster yougurts (high Protein, low carb) daily, which gave me 120 grams of protein, and i also ate almost 2000 calories in other food. Close to about 3000 calories a day and i had at least 200 grams of protein daily, so i know that i was not deficient in protein or any other nutrient. The hair loss started a few months ago i believe due to a loss of my period (gone since September), and which they could not find a cause for. I was far from nutritionally deprived, and had a BMI too high to cause absence of periods. I did see a OB-GYN and had tests performed, and they were still unable to determine the cause of it, or my Hair loss. To this day it is still a mystery, and to this day i am still losing hair.

[deletedsally 8]

It's frustrating to have problems with hair loss. My hair started thinning drastically when I was around 19 years old, and it has remained very thin. My oldest daughter (26) has hair that is so thin that her scalp is very visible. We've never had any clear explanation. It has been suggested that ours is male pattern baldness associated with PCOS. There is also a very strong family tendency toward baldness--my younger brother was completely bald by the time he was 20.

I hope your doctor will be able to help you find a solution. The surgery may exacerbate the problem, but it sounds like there are other underlying causes too.

Hope you get to feeling better soon!

[JillianMarie 0]

I am also 26, and my hair is so thin that my scalp is very visable. It has always been thin, but only recent has the Hair loss gotten to this point. Baldness does not run on my dads side, dad is 54 with a full head of gray hair. Mom has fine hair, but never any thinning. Sister has straight, perfect hair. I seem to be the only one. It is so embarrassing that i avoid social situations just so that my head is not seen. It's really rough. Im trying extra hard after this surgery to take in all the Protein i can, chugging my shakes as often as possible so that i dont risk more hair loss. The fear of going bald scares me to death.

[deletedsally 8]

I'm sorry you are struggling with this. It's been a chronic source of embarrassment for me too. When I was in my 30's I ended up cutting my hair very short because it seemed to me that any tension on the roots of my hair seemed to make it worse. Short hair wasn't what I wanted, but it did seem to slow the loss and when it was short I could fluff it up a little and make it look a little thicker.

Hopefully you will find a doctor that will be able to suggest something that will help correct the problem. There is another Shampoo that is frequently recommended for people with thinning hair--it's called Nioxin. It is not the same type of shampoo as Rogaine. It is sold in many hair salons and is supposed to be very effective ast cleansing the hair follicle to allow for healthy growth. There is also some research that suggests that many people with thinning hair have a sensitivity to demodex mites that are frequently found in hair follicles. That might be another possiblity to research. Hope it gets better!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Nioxin didn't help my Hair loss at all. I used it before surgery and for about 6 months after. I still lost a lot of hair, and all this Shampoo did was make my hair really dry.

[JillianMarie 0]

Rogaine has not helped with my hairloss at all. I have been using women's rogaine and will continue it however the hairloss has not stopped.

I just took a capful of liquid Vitamins on an empty stomach- very queezy now. Any suggestions on what i should do? I took a Zofran to help with the nausea.

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

have you had your Iron levels checked? Being low on Iron can also be the cause of hair loss.

The nausea should go away in a couple of weeks. In the mean time, keep trying to take sips to stay hydrated.

[deletedsally 8]

Rogaine and Nioxin are just products that sometimes help some people with hairloss-depending on the reason for the hairloss. I don't know any products that are 100% guaranteed to stop all hairloss--nothing stopped mine. If there were entirely successful products for all people, I would have been using them years ago. If your hairloss were only in response to the surgery/rapid weight loss, it would probably be time-limited and grow back on its own. Because you were experiencing sigificant loss long before the surgery, it would be in your best interest to seek medical attention and try to determine the medical basis for your problem. It would be more likely for you to find a solution if you knew the cause.

Hopefully the Zophran will help with the Vitamin issue. Dehydration can cause more problems with nausea. Keep sipping fluids to stay hydrated! Hope you feel better soon.