Life after banding - chronic headaches?

[Exude 0]

Greetings everyone! I haven't posted for a while, but am continuing with my successful weight loss. Since first starting going to the bariatric center, I've lost 90 lbs. I'm doing well after initial complications I had three weeks after banding... if you're interested, you can read about it pills post-surgery helped. I eventually moved to Tylenol, but quickly increased dosages to up to 2,000mg without any relief. I first tried alternative remedies such as massage therapy, chiropractors, and relaxation therapy. In addition, I was taking Excedrin and Ibuprofen in small doses with Tylenol just to optimize my pain medications. I spoke with my bariatric surgeon/staff and was sort of jumped on for taking them as aspirin and ibuprofen are strictly restricted for us banded folk.

During this time, my primary care physician (PCP) prescribed some triptans like Imitrex in case my symptoms may have been more "migraine-like." However, my reaction to these medications was severe nausea with an almost vomiting effect that I haven't experienced since drinking too much in college! I continued with alternative therapies, especially when things got rough/extremely stressful at my bedside nursing job. The day/night rotations just seemed to exacerbate things.

After I moved to my new location close to my job, my new PCP referred to me to a local neurologist. This MD has been really understanding of my situation. I tried a few months with Topamax, a prevenative headache medicine which didn't seem to do much. For breakthrough pain, I took Vicodin. I stopped the Topamax recently due to these crazy eletrical bolt feelings. I did lose more weight on it though.

At the point now, I'm taking Vicodin and Oxycodone for break-thru pain as I consistently get headaches still at least twice a week. I am curious if the cause could be related any way to my band? It all started after my two surgeries in March '07, got worse when I started my nursing job in August '07, and is still continuing through this August of '08. My routine now has been a combination of Vicodin and Oxycodone which works well to control break-thru pain, but I am unsure how long I should be doing this. I've reduced the tylenol dosages to save my liver and I've been very responsible taking my pills, however, I do go through them pretty fast which worries me.

So what are people's thoughts? Sorry for the long story!

[BTTRFLI1432 0]

this concerns me because i too am getting really bad headaches at least 2 to 4 times a week. i was banded april 08 and i have been getting these headaches now for over a month

[betrthnever 107]

Could it have anything to do with dehydration? Or maybe an allergy to the band?

[snowbird 2]

I was going to bring up dehydration also. I get some bad headaches when I don't have enough fluids. Drinking Water takes care of them.

[Melody2006 1]

I tried a few months with Topamax, a prevenative headache medicine which didn't seem to do much. For breakthrough pain, I took Vicodin. I stopped the Topamax recently due to these crazy eletrical bolt feelings. I did lose more weight on it though.

I have psuedo tumor cerebri disease. It started with simple headaches 5 years ago in my late 20s. Then became passing out. I went for a routine eye exam at a Walmart and after the exam taking the Dr. forever she told me she thought I had a brain tumor. I was really freaked out. I ended up going to the ER and told them about my headaches and what the eye doctor told me, they did a spinal tap and realized my spinal Fluid was off the charts, pressing on my brain. Hence, they told me I didn't have a brain tumor, I had PTC disease. Later I learned Doctors tell you this can happen to over weight females, but thats not the proven cause.

I had to see a neurologist, and he had me try Topamax. You can't drink any carbonated drinks on that med, because it feels like acid on your tongue. And I was loosing feeling in entire body parts and couldn't eat. I later learned a lot of people call this drug Dopamax because it's known to give you memory loss. Then they had me do Diamox sequals. That didn't work. Next was a brain shunt (I have a VP shunt). That was fun going bald and having my skull cracked open. (NOT!!)

PTC disease really made me feel I had to get my weight in control. I didn't have time to waste. The shunt masks the headaches and takes care of my spinal pressures. But after 2 years and no huge weight loss, my shunt needed a revision and I once again had to go bald and let them go in.

I've had it with this disease making me not be a normal 33 year old. I tried the best I could to ignore the headaches and gobble pain pills. I ended up with a brain shunt. Now I'm taking care of my weight once and for all. PTC disease was the wake up call I needed to deal with my weight.

Vicodin & Oxycodone are big time narcotics and are highly addictive. Please get a routine eye exam if your due or soon to be due and ask to see a neurologist. I could have gone blind ignoring those simple headaches. I just thought I was stressed from college and passing out because of the summer temps and maybe stress.

[mini_me 3]

I, too, had headaches after surgery. I never read of anyone else with this issue following surgery, and I never spoke up about it. I always suspected it was somehow related to my new apparatus. The headaches lasted about a year or so. Quite suddenly, they stopped. I tried to analyze differences in my diet, but I found nothing. I can't provide an explanation nor a solution, but I can tell you of my experience and maybe give a little validation that others have possibly experienced this also.

Best of luck to you. My headaches went away...i pray that yours will too!!

[Exude 0]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

In response to the dehydration issue, I feel that this is one of my triggers, but does not happen much as I always carry Water with me. I have found that drinking alcohol (duh), working back-to-back night shifts, and lack of sleep as being other major triggers. As an RN, it is tough to get on a regular schedule that includes getting enough sleep. Just look at me right now... it's 2:30 A.M. and I'm forcing myself to stay awake since I have to work the next few night shifts.

Drinking has become very infrequent since college (which is when I got the band), but I've never been so intolerable to it since banding. When I drink now, only a moderate amount will give me horrible side effects, compared to triple the amount I would have in college with similar effects.

I appreciate the validation with some of your stories/experiences. Melody, you bring up a great point to see an eye doctor. I'll honestly say I've never had my eyes checked except for my routine physicals back in high school years ago. I may have to do this, though I opted out of eye insurance citing my "perfect," yet un-evaluated eyes (a bit of a contradiction isn't it?). We shall see.

I'm interested in hearing other stories too.

[Melody2006 1]

Eye exams are pretty inexpensive. It's once you start paying for glasses or contacts it gets expensive!

[JRFAN88 1]

My fiance has recently began having headaches. He said he hardly ever had one pre-band. He mentioned them to the nurse & doctor yesterday at his regular appointment. They both suggested that it's probably dehydration. He usually drinks a couple of bottles of Water daily but they said he really needs 8 cups.

[Nanook 2]

Thank you for the replies everyone.

In response to the dehydration issue, I feel that this is one of my triggers, but does not happen much as I always carry Water with me. I have found that drinking alcohol (duh), working back-to-back night shifts, and lack of sleep as being other major triggers. As an RN, it is tough to get on a regular schedule that includes getting enough sleep. Just look at me right now... it's 2:30 A.M. and I'm forcing myself to stay awake since I have to work the next few night shifts.

Drinking has become very infrequent since college (which is when I got the band), but I've never been so intolerable to it since banding. When I drink now, only a moderate amount will give me horrible side effects, compared to triple the amount I would have in college with similar effects.

I appreciate the validation with some of your stories/experiences. Melody, you bring up a great point to see an eye doctor. I'll honestly say I've never had my eyes checked except for my routine physicals back in high school years ago. I may have to do this, though I opted out of eye insurance citing my "perfect," yet un-evaluated eyes (a bit of a contradiction isn't it?). We shall see.

I'm interested in hearing other stories too.

I had bad headaches since I was banded also and attributed it to my CPAP machine at one point due to the head gear you have to wear and the spot where my headache was always on my right side. My in-laws came up and left and so did the headaches so in some respect they could have been stress related. I had to see a PT for arthritis I have in my neck and his first reaction was thinking it could be related to high blood pressure which was normal at the time he took it but I have since then been diagnosed with HBP and am on meds for that.

I then acquired a temporary crown about a month ago and because of the nerves being awoken in some way I was in pain until I got the permanent one last week. I was told there was nothing I could do for that pain except take over the counter stuff, which naturally they suggested ibuprofen but we are told Tylenol and nothing else. So because the pain was happening every 5 hours or so I was downing 2000 mg of Tylenol at a shot for over a month! I'm discussing this with my nurse practitioner today who was upset at the fact that I was taking so much, some people have tried to kill themselves on this and also told me it can do liver and kidney damage at that amount which I had no idea of.

You probably are aware of it due to the fact you're in a medical field but just thought you'd like to hear it also from a dummy like me. Now that the tooth is better the headaches have returned. I think you give one pain away for another or something weird like that. I'm trying not to take as much Tylenol as I used to and had a normal CAT scan previously but due to other health issues need to have some more tests done not related to headaches but you never know if that might solve the problem. Because of my diabetes they always recommend eye exams every year but that may not be an issue for you. Covered all the bases I know of good luck and hope you get it resolved soon! Nancy.:thumbup:

[eyevory 0]

I too get headaches if I am not drinking enough Water. It's a simple solution worth a try.

[kossde 6]

Sometimes I get headaches right after I eat. I wonder if I might have a problem with low blood sugar. I'm not diabetic, but with all the food and carbs I used to eat as opposed to now, I wonder what kind of impact that has on my metobolic functions :smile2:

[*slim* 2]

This is just something else to think about... I have heard of (and experienced) taking too much tylenol or advil for headaches actually started causing more headaches. I had finally gone to my doctor and she mentioned that taking such medicines on too regular a basis can cause the same headaches you are trying to get rid of. Like I said, just a thought to add to everyone elses. I hope you get to feeling better. Headaches are no fun no matter how they are caused.