Some things DIDN'T GET BETTER after surgery

[muffinsmom]

I had VSG in August 2010, so I'm over 18 mos. out. Been 133-135 for probably about 6 months. I didn't have much in the way of co-morbidities pre-op, but I did have "pre-diabetes" with BG in the 112-113 range. It's now 97, so that improved.

I have arthritis in my knees, especially the left, and while it has improved of course weight loss didn't resolve it. I didn't expect it to.

However, a couple things are surprising. I had high cholesterol, in the 250s, in the years before surgery. For a couple years I took Lipitor, which greatly improved my numbers, then I stopped taking it about 2 years before surgery. (Don't remember why, probably was just tired of taking a pill every day, what a laugh these days!) Three months ago I had it re-checked, figuring it would just be a verification of one of the benefits of surgery. To my surprise, it was still in the 250s. So back on Lipitor.

Another thing is, every so often my back goes out. I always figured it was the weight, especially that pendulous abdomen hanging off me. Not so much, apparently. My back went out last Saturday - LAST SATURDAY I say, so it's been bad for a WEEK. Yeeps, this is unexpected and unhappy-making. Do I exercise, you might ask? Nope, never have. Which of course would have been a big help, and as soon as I can without hurting my back, I'm hitting the gym for strength exercises.

So the bottom line is, alas, WLS isn't a cure-all for everything. Especially for being 62. Or for being lazy.

[Deleted]

even though I KNEW WLS wouldn't solve money problems....I kinda thought it would. you know?

like deep in my monkey brain I was all

I'll be beautiful and rich and have no worries! like that ever happens!

I was braced for a saggy body but apparently expected the face I had in my 20s to come back. derp!

[Deleted]

Well, I had fibro and Peripheral Neuropathy pre-op, still have them but getting the extra weight off has helped.

I didn't expect to end up looking so much like my Mother in the face...not a bad thing but unexpected.

Liz

[michellemj]

Yep. I still have my chronic migraine. Oh well. I'd rather have chronic migraine and be 120lbs lighter.

(as far as your cholesterol, sounds like you have a bad case o' genetics. My mom is skinny as a rail and her cholesterol without meds hits around 300, while my SMO father's numbers run around 150...yep.)

[Deleted]

Yeah, I still have back pain, in fact it increased a bit as I lost- likely from more movement as the padding fell away and my gait changed. Getting better again, but I know it's a lifelong deal, same with the bum ankle. I have developed a very low pelvic pain that no one knows what it is, tracking it to see if it's related to my cycles.. that's a new one on me, not related to WLS I'm sure.. And I do have worse insomnia since surgery, but it appears if I hike my ass off, I do sleep better at night.. must work on that, as I too am prone to lazy.

Def not a cure all, but I got what I expected out of it so far..

[Avonlea]

It's been interesting seeing what changes and what doesn't, even just seven weeks out.

[muffinsmom]

Mar 4, 2012 9:40:12 GMT -5 @southernlady said:

Well, I had fibro and Peripheral Neuropathy pre-op, still have them but getting the extra weight off has helped.

I didn't expect to end up looking so much like my Mother in the face...not a bad thing but unexpected.

Liz

Ack, Liz, me too! I didn't even think about that when I posted. My mom was a lifetime weight-fighter like me, but in her 60s she got Hodgkin's disease, and lost a tremendous amount of weight from the treatments. She successfully fought off the cancer and was in remission when she died 15 years later, but she was scrawny from then on. Had wrinkled, papery skin with little marks on them where she would scratch an itch, even gently, it would create these odd, angry-looking little red marks. She had a long neck and her head sort of stuck out in front, goose-like, rather than aligning straight with her body. I have all that! And her goofy face too. Lord help me, I see my DM every time I look in the mirror.

[jillybean720]

Some cholesterol issues are hereditary. However, I will ask if you've tried sticking to a very low carb diet, as that has been found to reduce cholesterol in many folks. And I don't mean that you only eat whole grains and lots of fruits and starchy veggies - I mean LOW CARB as in all kinds of carbs.

[muffinsmom]

Hi Jilly, I'm not super-low carb. I get up to 100 gms a day these days, although I avoid refined starches (white flour, white rice, sugar), potatoes, etc. I still get carbs from nuts, dairy, legumes, etc. I know that an Atkins induction style diet can lower cholesterol, but haven't gone to that degree.

[nandmsmom]

Cholesterol is not the bad guy that the pharmaceutical industry would have us believe. We need it for everyday function and depleting our stores can cause major medical issues. If your diet is good and you get regular exercise, don't worry about it.