Skin issues after RNY

[Grammie2 37]

I had RNY in Nov. 2020. Not long after my shoulders started getting little bumps all over. Thought it was dry skin. It seemed to go away after a few weeks, but it’s back again only the bumps seem more like pimples , bigger now than the first time. And it’s all over my upper back. Anyone have trouble with that?
I’m also losing ALOT of hair!!! I’m taking 10,000 units of Biotin, and understand that by the end of the year it should be growing back. But the pimply skin bugs me, is there anything I can do for it?

[Arabesque 7,314]

The Hair loss is a very common & temporary side effect from the shock of the surgery & weight loss. Your natural hair loss cycle has been accelerated. It will stop - usually after about 3 months but some take longer.

The hair you’re losing is already dead and would have been shed anyway. It’s just falling out more quickly. supplements won’t change that - fertiliser can’t save a dead plant. Your new hair is growing but it’s growing at it’s usual rate. Losing hair or losing weight? I’ll take losing the weight everyday.

As you’re losing weight a lot of hormones that were stored in your fat are being released into your body. The increase in oestrogen causes a few issues for we women. Many experience heavier, more frequent or more painful periods. My menopausal symptoms disappeared. The pimply bumps on your shoulders could be from the oestrogen surge too. It is temporary & once you’ve stopped losing weight it stops.

Oh & too much Vitamin B7 - Biotin - can cause skin irritations. 10 000 mcg is what B7 deficient people are prescribed.

If you are concerned, check with your medical team.

Good luck.

[Grammie2 37]

Thank you for taking the time to let me know about the Hair loss and the bumpy skin. I was told the hair would come back, but was just surprised how much it was!! The Biotin is for when the new hair comes in and was told it will be a lot healthier with taking the biotin. We’ll see.
The bumpy skin hormone thing makes sense. Even my face is breaking out some and I’m 69 and have been thru menopause for 19 years! But I know my mom had hot flashes into her 80’s so maybe that I’ll be like her cuz I’ve had more heat flashes recently as well.
just knowing these symptoms are “normal” is enough to satisfy me. I’ve dealt with worse, and will probably deal with a lot more before my time is up. But I appreciate your explanation and your time! Thanks so much!

[Arabesque 7,314]

My mother who is 81 still suffers menopausal symptoms too & continues to take HRT. I worry that may be what I experience as well especially as all my menopausal symptoms came back after I stopped losing. More fun days ahead I guess. Damn hormones.

[Grammie2 37]

9 hours ago, Arabesque said:

My mother who is 81 still suffers menopausal symptoms too & continues to take HRT. I worry that may be what I experience as well especially as all my menopausal symptoms came back after I stopped losing. More fun days ahead I guess. Damn hormones.

Yes it was the same with my mom til she died at 86. I a ENT been to a gynecologist for many years, so unless it gets unbearable or something else shows up I don’t think I will be on HRT. I’m the baby in the family and I don’t believe my 2 older sisters are on them either. Hope it stays that way! Maybe the sun will help my skin, Today I go to the dentist for the second time since my surgery, and that has affected my teeth as well! I’m now officially falling apart!
I may have bone loss in my jaw . My bite wing X-rays didn’t look good and all the sudden I have 5 areas that I have cavities in between my teeth! I haven’t had cavities for years!!! Last visit he gave me a script for strong fluoride toothpaste. So more meds! Can’t wait to find out if he can save my molars! Have a great day! Did you encounter any problems like that after your surgery?

[Arabesque 7,314]

My teeth are fine but I recall a few posters have commented on tooth decay. But I wonder if it’s the surgery or long term poor diet that’s contributing to the problem? I haven’t drunk soft drinks/sodas for decades & the last time I needed a filling was when I was in my 20s. (I think sodas are very acidic plus the sugar of course.) Not that I’m saying that’s why you’re experiencing problems. There are lots of possible causes. Genetics do play a big part in the strength of your teeth & general dental health as well. Oh & I wonder if the Calcium loss you may have in your jaw could be affecting your teeth too??

Hot flushes & mood swings sent me to my doctor to ask for HRT. The day I got really cranky with my boss was the day I made the appointment - lol! Then a colleague admitted she’d noticed I had become rather ‘feisty’ when dealing with the public. Feisty is better than saying I was being a real b*tch I guess. 😆 Actually reducing the calcium loss menopausal & post menopausal women experience is a benefit of HRT. Have you had a bone density scan recently?

Getting older suxs big time.

[Grammie2 37]

I’m sorry - I just your message! I’m sure HRT has made great strides in the last 25 years (lol) so I may take that into consideration. Do you think that has helped you? How long did it take to get to workin for you? Any bad side affects?

[Arabesque 7,314]

I’ve been taking it for about 5 years now & no side effects that I’m aware of. I still have odd break through hot flushes usually in summer when I’m hotter all over anyway. My emotions are more stable too.

My mother at 81 still takes HRT. If she goes off it all the menopausal symptoms return. She’s been on it for 30+ years. The only side effects she has had was a small benign uterine polyp which may have been from one prescription she was on (they changed it just in case). I remember three women in my town had strokes in the same year as complications from severe menopausal symptoms - two died. I decided then & there I would take HRT if I had symptoms.

[Grammie2 37]

Thanks so much for your response. I just read your story, and I too put on a tremendous amount of weight in perimenopause and menopause, and I had never had a weight problem before that! I quit smoking when I was 30, then had a miscarriage, and had one more child (#4) and started going thru menopause at 40, then it was post menopause at 50. After our 3rd child I weighed 106!!! At 68 I weighed 209!! You are a great writer! You are inspiring as well. And you live in the second best country in the world! I have a friend who just finished nursing school who lives in Adelaide. More like a daughter, but she’s a sweety , and I’m proud of her. She is Vietnamese.
I have a GP appointment this week, and I may ask her about HRT. Part of me thinks it may be a great idea, but another part says it’s one more pill you gotta buy, and I’m sick of all these pills!! What will happen on Wednesday when I talk to her??” Stay tuned to find out! Lol THANKS AGAIN!

[Arabesque 7,314]

Thank you for your kind words. Only second best country? Tsk tsk. 😁😁 Maybe you’ll be able to visit with your lovely friend in Adelaide soon. Damn COVID & how it limits our lives.

It’s definitely worth a conversation with your GP about HRT. Good luck.

[HeatherE 202]

On 4/11/2021 at 10:25 PM, Arabesque said:

The Hair loss is a very common & temporary side effect from the shock of the surgery & weight loss. Your natural hair loss cycle has been accelerated. It will stop - usually after about 3 months but some take longer.

The hair you’re losing is already dead and would have been shed anyway. It’s just falling out more quickly. supplements won’t change that - fertiliser can’t save a dead plant. Your new hair is growing but it’s growing at it’s usual rate. Losing hair or losing weight? I’ll take losing the weight everyday.

As you’re losing weight a lot of hormones that were stored in your fat are being released into your body. The increase in oestrogen causes a few issues for we women. Many experience heavier, more frequent or more painful periods. My menopausal symptoms disappeared. The pimply bumps on your shoulders could be from the oestrogen surge too. It is temporary & once you’ve stopped losing weight it stops.

Oh & too much Vitamin B7 - Biotin - can cause skin irritations. 10 000 mcg is what B7 deficient people are prescribed.

If you are concerned, check with your medical team.

Good luck.

Thank you for your post! I’m one month out from surgery and my menstrual cramps were crazy bad. I wished I could have ibuprofen but knew I couldn’t. Took a day off from work and laid curled up in a ball in bed. Glad to know it could be a common side effect after surgery.

[Grammie2 37]

12 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Thank you for your kind words. Only second best country? Tsk tsk. 😁😁 Maybe you’ll be able to visit with your lovely friend in Adelaide soon. Damn COVID & how it limits our lives.

It’s definitely worth a conversation with your GP about HRT. Good luck.

Second only because I’ve never been there, but that’s on my bucket list!!!
The way things are going here, we may want to consider moving there!! Lol Did you ever watch an old series called The Australian Express (I think)? I watched that with my kids when they were little and they are now in their late 40’s. We all loved it and rewatched it many times. It was about the early days in Australia and the Pony Express getting started. I loved it. We all did. Just a nice memory!

[Grammie2 37]

12 hours ago, Arabesque said:

Thank you for your kind words. Only second best country? Tsk tsk. 😁😁 Maybe you’ll be able to visit with your lovely friend in Adelaide soon. Damn COVID & how it limits our lives.

It’s definitely worth a conversation with your GP about HRT. Good luck.

Oh yeah I forgot I wanted to ask if you put on more weight after being on HRT? I understand that could be a side effect.

[Arabesque 7,314]

No, I didn’t have weight gain on HRT but couldn’t shift the weight I had put during peri menopause & early menopause before starting HRT. I remember people used to complain about weight gain on the pill but I would actually lose a couple of kg.

We had Cobb & Co in Australia which carried passengers & the mail. Can’t recall a tv program about it except for the odd documentary. There is a Cobb & Co museum in Toowoomba which is close to where I grew up but I’ve never been. Isn’t that the way though. You never go to the places near you but will travel interstate or overseas to see museums & places of historical significance.

[Grammie2 37]

I don’t know if the program was factual, but it sure was interesting and I loved the characters. It wasn’t called the Australian Express, I remember now it was called Five Mile Creek and it was about the beginning of the mail service in Australia. Don’t know how much fact it was, just that it was really good story writing. We had the VHS tapes of it years ago. Don’t have them anymore but wish I could get my hands on the show again. Great family entertainment.

Back to the HRT, when I tried it a hundred years ago (seems like) I did put on weight, and that’s why I asked you about it. I wonder if it would do that to me now. I sure don’t want that after going through this surgery. And I don’t want to stop losing at this point either with 26 lbs. to go yet. But I do recognize HRT has had a lot of years to improve since I’ve been on it. I have mixed feelings about it all. But I will talk to my GP tomorrow and see what she says. Maybe this will go away on its own when I stop losing weight?