exhausted and sick

thanks for the info Andrew - I'm off to the docs on thursday, anxiety problems but i'll bring up b12 too as the b vits are so involved in emotions!

I've been in Australia for just over 15 years and my biggest regret was not kidnapping my london gp and bringing him with us - he had kids along side us with similar birthing probs, he was a rugby union nut like my beloved and he listened to his patients - me ' i'm sure i'm pregnant but negative on the stick' he 'yes you probably are, you know your body' ... oh, he was good!

I stay with my gp because he has emerging gp's learning the rope - one confirmed my thyroid problem by looking at my neck - i didn't ask him but i had enquired of another gp - luckily the newbies are generally good news :)

I'll be seeing a newby on thursday.

Thanks again - love this site for the support and information so many pople are ready to share.

hugs

xox
Pippa

B12 ampules are available from the chemist as a script, and are generic drugs IIRC. Needles and syringes are not expensive either. You will need a sharps container and work with your pharmacist to dispose of the container safely from time to time.

Giving IM injections is not that hard, you just need to be shown how to do them by a nurse (IMHO doctors are crap at injections), and practice a few times on an orange. The trick is to get muscle, not fat. If you hit a fat reserve, you'll end up with a hard lump that doesn't go away. There are other tricks but these are best demonstrated to you by a nurse than me telling you. In the US, ampules have rubber tops. Here you have a little glass vial you have to snap in half. I've cut myself a few times on them, so be careful when you snap them in two.

If you feel you can't give yourself injections, many GP practices have a nurse practitioner who can give you the injections. Don't feel you're missing out if you can't do it - I'm a needlephobic - it takes me a good 5-10 minutes to work up the courage to give myself finger pricks for my blood sugars except when I've got a good hypo on.

I give the many of the wife's B12 injections because I can get the muscle at the back of her arms, but that still doesn't help my needlephobia. At least I don't lie - I do tell her that it will sting a lot and it's okay to cry.

@pippa - life's too short to put up with bad GP's. Time to try out a few others! We changed PCP's in the US because our first PCP was a pill prescriber and not a GP. The second one we went to was easily the best GP I've ever been to in my life.

vanderaj wrote:

The wife gives herself a once per month B12 IM shot. Comes in a little 1 or 2 ml vial from the pharmacy. This actually works.

Hi Andrew was just wondering how your wife gives these shots to herself I normally have to go to the doctors to get this done

Vanderaj - dumping is the pits, absolutely horrendous - does effectively put you off ever having dessert again!!!

I use b12 from the health food shop as my gp didn't think that my blood results of low b12 (3 moths old) were a reason for an injection! he's a bit of a mysogynist and seems to think women are for housework only so I find relating to him very difficult. How does your wife get b12 from the chemist - is it a script? I'd love to do the once a month thing, so much easier and effective.

Kylieo - i really think that when we are sleeved our tummies should have a recommended use sticker put on them including meals, amounts of food, what to avoid, what you'll be missing and anything else that sleevers need to know! My surgeon has a great booklet for diet after sleeve, but there's no mention of vit b12, iron or d being difficult to use/manufacture/absorb - ah well, we live and learn and my goodness this site is so useful for all of us!

Happy Australia day - I'm off to a bbq next door with hamburgers, chips and salad - looking out for the rain :)

hugs

XOXOX
Pippa

If you're B12 deficient to such an extent, don't get it from the health food shops as they are unregulated and do not need to be effective, just contain the dose on the side of the tin. The wife gives herself a once per month B12 IM shot. Comes in a little 1 or 2 ml vial from the pharmacy. This actually works.

I think I had dumping once so far, and I thought I was dying. Couldn't figure out which end had priority.

pippa
just looked at the post on dumping and think you have hit the nail on the head.
My diet has been alwful lately and been picking at not so good foods.
with cut out sugar and eat well as all the symptons that were on that post is exatly what i feel let
THANKS

KYLIE

good luck honey - don't forget to check with you gp and surgeon - remember tiredness can have any amount of caused :)

hugs

Pippa

thanks pippa
might try to cut out sugars and see what happens, going to get bloods done friday.

I felt pretty tired and my bloods showed that I was B12 deficient - we've lost the bit of the stomach that converts B12 in food. I use a sublingual - under tongue - supplement from the health food shop. I also add iron - with vit C for extra absorbtion - and try to avoid tea or other antioxygens for 1/2 an hour.
If you feel dizzy when you eat check your not getting a sugar rush - it happened to me a lot at the beginning and my surgeon told me about dumping syndrome, check for this with the search, some say it can't happen to sleevers, I disagree... it was bloody awful! I'v had sugar rushes a couple of times recently; while sharing a chocolate cheesecake with hubby (I had th pointy end) and a full fat one sugar large flat white... took a half hour walk to put that right, and the other day - I decided to have a couple of days on opti - had opti for breakfast and went into sugar spin... argh!!!
So check your portions and whats in it, and really get your bloods checked could be the cause of lots of stuff.
I think it would be good if we got a list of possible problems - that can't be solved nutritionally - when we're sleeved! I'm vit D deficient too - I never get out in the sun so now I'm on 3 1000mcg a day (until I get my script made up for the 25000mcg once a week tablets). I'm also on thyroide hormone as my thyroids underactive - this causes real lack of motivation, depression and more if I don't take the meds. At the moment I'm feeling quite perky - went to the gym today.
And don't forget to see your gp - they may have some other tests - the medical specialists are there for us to keep us safe and healthy.
Hope this helps
I'm sure there'll be loads of people with great advice to add to this.
Good luck with your journey
Hugs
Pippa

Go to the drs & get checked out.

I had been feeling the same & landed in hospital with an infection in my stomach.. I'm 5 months postop.

Hope you're feeling better soon x

Hi luvvie
i am not sleeved yet but go to the doctors, is my best advice. Get yourself checked out make sure you are ok.
Take care sweetheart hope you get better soon

hi
does anyone eles feel exhausted and sick all the time, i am 7mth post sleeve and the last few weeks seam to be always tried. get dizzy if i put my head down and my mussels feel like i have done 3 rounds with mike tyson. Wondering is it the sleeve or have a got a virus. Going to get my bloods done next week as have not done that since getting my sleeve, wonder if im lacking something. After i eat down always feel the best either.
Thought with all my weight loss i would feel in top of the world??????
thanks
kylie