Lost weight, but don't feel good.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

I've lost 35 lbs since surgery and almost 85 lbs overall. I can walk faster and fit in an airplane seat better, but I don't feel "good." I don't have more energy and I'm hungry all the time and I'm uncomfortable every time I eat. I'm always afraid I'm going to throw up because I'm nauseous a lot. I always had plenty of energy, but now I'm weak and dizzy all the time. I can't even lift a suitcase into the overhead.

I'm sort of wishing I hadn't had this surgery. Maybe because I had such high expectations?

[catwoman7 11,212]

I'd let my doctor know. It could be something like low blood pressure or low glucose.

edited to add that dehydration could cause some of this, too. At any rate, call your clinic.

Edited December 12, 2021 by catwoman7

[BigSue 1,373]

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. For me, the first 9 months or so (after the initial recovery) were great. I was never hungry, and I had a lot of energy even though I was eating very little. But then things started to change. I felt weak and fatigued all the time. My resting heart rate was less than 40 beats per minute, which my surgeon said was probably because my heart was used to having to work much harder when I was carrying 200 extra pounds, and now that I'm so much smaller, my heart has slowed way down to compensate. My surgeon and the cardiologist to whom he referred me said the bradycardia was probably the cause of the weakness and fatigue, so you might want to get that checked out if your resting heart rate has decreased a lot.

Like you, I look much better, but I feel worse than I did before surgery, when I was super morbidly obese. To make matters worse, people keep congratulating me on my weight loss and condescendingly say, "I bet you FEEL better, too!" No, actually, I feel worse than I've ever felt in my life, but hey, at least my body looks socially acceptable now! On the other hand, I was in bad shape before surgery, with hypertension and diabetes that probably would have just kept getting worse if I hadn't lost the weight, and now I no longer have either. It's hard to say whether I'm better or worse off overall than I was before the surgery, but I think it's useless to think about it that way because I made the best decision I could based on what I knew at the time, and there's no going back now.

[SleeverSk 635]

Yeah I am the same, yes i might look good/ better now but i dont feel it. Tired often just a feeling of unwellness, hungry all the time. No energy, I hope this gets better. Your not alone feeling this way (((hugs)))

[Arabesque 7,246]

I agree with @catwoman7: speak with your doctor. My thoughts turned to low BP & drops in sugar (hypoglycaemia). Many have temporary issues with these. I wonder if it’s too do with our body getting used to the changes in our diet & reduced calories.

Prior to surgery I had a tendency to low blood pressure (occasional drops) & random hypoglycaemic episodes. After surgery & as my weight dropped I had more instances of low BP & a more hypoglycaemic episodes. Now I live with a low BP every day. If I feel a hypoglycaemic episode coming on I’ll grab some berries but, touch wood, I haven’t had one for about 4 or 5 months.

I took a bottle of hydralyte with me everywhere I went for months for a boost of energy but any electrolyte drink will work. It helped a lot & I hope it helps you too. Give yourself time. Once your weight stabilises & you’re eating more you may find you feel a lot better. But do speak with your doctor.

Edited December 13, 2021 by Arabesque

[Jaelzion 1,127]

Another vote for checking with your doctor. Earlier this year I developed a B12 deficiency and it caused all kinds of symptoms: fatigue, irritability, brain fog, pins and needs feeling in my arms and legs, and generally feeling crappy. I even lost my voice because my vocal cords were paralyzed! I'm not suggesting you have what I had, just that there may be a medical reason for how you feel. I hope it gets better soon. Hugs.

[DaisyAndSunshine 303]

3 hours ago, Jaelzion said:

Another vote for checking with your doctor. Earlier this year I developed a B12 deficiency and it caused all kinds of symptoms: fatigue, irritability, brain fog, pins and needs feeling in my arms and legs, and generally feeling crappy. I even lost my voice because my vocal cords were paralyzed! I'm not suggesting you have what I had, just that there may be a medical reason for how you feel. I hope it gets better soon. Hugs.

Okay that is kinda scary. Were you on regular dosage of Vitamin B12 or no because sleeve?

[lizonaplane 1,612]

14 hours ago, BigSue said:

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. For me, the first 9 months or so (after the initial recovery) were great. I was never hungry, and I had a lot of energy even though I was eating very little. But then things started to change. I felt weak and fatigued all the time. My resting heart rate was less than 40 beats per minute, which my surgeon said was probably because my heart was used to having to work much harder when I was carrying 200 extra pounds, and now that I'm so much smaller, my heart has slowed way down to compensate. My surgeon and the cardiologist to whom he referred me said the bradycardia was probably the cause of the weakness and fatigue, so you might want to get that checked out if your resting heart rate has decreased a lot.

Like you, I look much better, but I feel worse than I did before surgery, when I was super morbidly obese. To make matters worse, people keep congratulating me on my weight loss and condescendingly say, "I bet you FEEL better, too!" No, actually, I feel worse than I've ever felt in my life, but hey, at least my body looks socially acceptable now! On the other hand, I was in bad shape before surgery, with hypertension and diabetes that probably would have just kept getting worse if I hadn't lost the weight, and now I no longer have either. It's hard to say whether I'm better or worse off overall than I was before the surgery, but I think it's useless to think about it that way because I made the best decision I could based on what I knew at the time, and there's no going back now.

I just checked, and my heart rate is the same or higher than it was before surgery. I don't feel tired, just I don't have MORE energy, like everyone else says. My back hurts when I drive, no matter how I adjust the seat. I do drink enough most days, but since I don't like plain Water any more, it's harder. I feel weak in my upper body strength, not just like I have to lie down. I guess I wasn't explaining it well.

I didn't have hypertension or diabetes before surgery, although I was headed towards being prediabetic.

The things that bothers me most is the discomfort after every meal (I'm probably STILL eating too fast), the hunger, and the loss of upper body strength.

[GreenTealael 25,352]

Sorry you feel less than your best. All great advice above and another potential cause could be low Iron levels. Definitely ask your doctor to check the numbers.
Get Well Soon ❤️

[Sunnyway 344]

50 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I do drink enough most days, but since I don't like plain Water any more, it's harder.

Try adding flavor packets to your Water. They make water much more tolerable. Alkaline water might be easier to tolerate, too. Hydration is of key importance. Keep drinking water!

[BigSue 1,373]

52 minutes ago, lizonaplane said:

I just checked, and my heart rate is the same or higher than it was before surgery. I don't feel tired, just I don't have MORE energy, like everyone else says. My back hurts when I drive, no matter how I adjust the seat. I do drink enough most days, but since I don't like plain Water any more, it's harder. I feel weak in my upper body strength, not just like I have to lie down. I guess I wasn't explaining it well.

I didn't have hypertension or diabetes before surgery, although I was headed towards being prediabetic.

The things that bothers me most is the discomfort after every meal (I'm probably STILL eating too fast), the hunger, and the loss of upper body strength.

Well, I'm glad it's not a heart problem for you! Gotta say it's a bummer to have had this surgery to improve my health and end up with heart problems I didn't have before. Have you had bloodwork recently? It's quite possible that you have an easily fixable deficiency. I was hoping that was my problem, but my bloodwork was fine.

The back pain when you drive might improve as you get used to your new body. For a while, my butt hurt all the time because I lost so much of the, uh, padding I used to have there, but it doesn't really hurt anymore.

The discomfort from eating will probably improve. For the first several months after surgery, I had problems with the feeling of food getting "stuck" (usually meat), but that very rarely happens anymore. In fact, my biggest worry now is that I can eat too much. I see people posting in the food before & after thread who eat, like, two bites of salad and they're full, and I can easily eat a whole big bowl of salad.

Are you doing any strength training? That might help with the upper body strength, although I still have issues with that. Part of it is just not having as much mass; things like pushing/pulling doors or furniture are much more difficult without the extra 200 pounds to anchor me down. And I used to have no problem, say, opening a jar, and now I do, despite the fact that I work out and do strength training. I kind of thought that might be related to the bradycardia, but who knows?

[Jaelzion 1,127]

6 hours ago, DaisyAndSunshine said:

Okay that is kinda scary. Were you on regular dosage of Vitamin B12 or no because sleeve?

I was on a regular dosage of B12; however, I had gone for some time not eating meat or dairy. My B12 dose was meant to be supplementary, not a complete replacement for B12 in food. It wasn't deliberate, I wasn't planning on becoming vegan or anything, I just hadn't had a taste for meat, dairy, or eggs. And my supplement wasn't enough under those circumstances.

[ShoppGirl 4,790]

I’m so sorry that you are not feeling good. I never felt the big increase In energy that many others mentioned either. I just feel the same as I did before. I wonder if part of it is my bipolar medications keeping me “stable.”

[vikingbeast 987]

I had some serious energy issues and after my PCP tested, I found I was slighty anaemic. I started taking an Iron supplement in addition to the iron within my bari multi, and within a week I felt better. I still get exhausted by 9 p.m. though, and of course iron causes Constipation, so there's that whole thing too.

[Wahinebythesea 49]

I had back pain and muscle weakness when I started to cautiously re-engage with my real life (at about a month post-surgery).

My doctors and physiotherapist put it down to deconditioning (just not doing the things I had been doing before surgery). Apparently you can lose a lot of muscle mass in just a month!

Kept battling, and it gradually improved - took 2-3 months before I actually felt back to normal, though.