So many health issues since losing weight - I want to be 250 again

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starshellc
starshellc Posts: 16 Member
edited June 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost about 50 pounds and 70 pounds overall. Since then I've had a slew of health issues that it's so disappointing to have lost all that weight. I've been in and out of doctors offices only to be told they don't know what's wrong with me. I've visited the cardiologist, the gastroenterologist, and my regular doctor. I've had my thyroid checked (ultrasound and bloodwork), I've had scans, test for celiac and some other stuff, multiple EGDs, a swallow study, an MRI. These are all for the various issues that I've had since losing weight. In the last 3 months I've had:

- Pancreatitis
- Severe acid reflux (feels like a heart attack and some weeks it's so painful to even eat or drink) I have never in my life had acid reflux until a few months ago.
- Stomach pains
- Aortic arch pushing into my esophagus that causes food to get stuck in my esophagus
- Fatigue
- Extremely slow hair growth (I used to have to cut my hair every few weeks, it's now been several months and no hair cut)
- Slow nail growth
- Acne breakouts like a teenager
- Insomnia (I have never in my life had a problem sleeping, friends/family were always so jealous because I could fall asleep in 5 minutes and sleep through the night every night, until a few months ago)
- My resting heart rate has dropped into the 50s and I don't even exercise heavily, now I'm scared to exercise
- Fibrous/painful breasts and a cluster of lumpy stuff (I forget what they called it) that I'm being monitored for. I have to back in August to see if it's grown and test for cancer if it has

Has anyone ever had a onset of issues after changing their diet and losing weight? I've been eating healthy for the most part, but I deal with more health issues now than when I was eating cheeseburgers and fries??!! What the heck seriously. I'm tired of all the doctors and tests, just want to have my old self back. Life was easier being 250 pounds. I've got friends saying maybe I'm eating TOO healthy and eating too many vegetables. Am I the only one that's had so many health issues since losing weight?
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Replies

  • Enjcg5
    Enjcg5 Posts: 389 Member
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    How exactly did you lose the weight? Can you have any nutritional deficiencies? What was your health like before exactly?
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Are you eating a variety of veggies and fruits? Enough fats and oils? :grey_question::grey_question:
  • Enjcg5
    Enjcg5 Posts: 389 Member
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    Not to get too personal but..... What about alcohol and cigarettes?
  • afatpersonwholikesfood
    afatpersonwholikesfood Posts: 577 Member
    edited June 2016
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    I had my gallbladder out. My hair thinned but not noticeably. My nails are not long and strong like they used to be. I'm more achy, but I think that was a problem that came from my weight and is more apparent now thanks to my increased activity level. I'm also chronically constipated. My skin is loose and crepe-y in spots hidden by clothes.

    My blood pressure is phenomenally good. My RHR is in the 40's-50's. It started off in the 50's-60's, though, so it's always been lower. My skin is clear. It feels good to move even with the achiness that follows. I can run! That's enormous to me. I feel comfortable and confident in my clothes. I lost aches and pains that were different than the ones I have now. I can sleep at night in any position without feeling like I'm suffocating. My sleep apnea is gone.

    Basically, I did have some negative side effects from weight loss - some related to speed of loss possibly, but I mostly feel fantastic.

    I don't think gaining weight back will fix your issues - something else, whether diet or anxiety or a real problem, is going on. That's my uneducated opinion with a dash of real talk about my own negatives from losing weight. It does put some stress on the body, but it also relieves stress.

    Oh, probably unrelated to losing, but I also had a scare over a spot on my liver that turned out benign, and I had a mildly enlarged spleen show up in scans. I.joked that weight loss was making me fall apart, but all is well now.
  • starshellc
    starshellc Posts: 16 Member
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    Oh and forgot to add heart palpitations to the list.

    I've suspected nutritional defecencies or possibly allergies due to an autoimmune disease that has just caught up to me but I have no idea how to go about testing for that.

    Enjcj5: I lost it through changing my diet, adding more fruits and veggies. I've become a sort of a health nut comparatively. My health before was diabetes and high blood pressure which I overcame and now manage with only diet and exercise. So that is one big plus. Also, I've never smoked and wine maybe a glass a month if that. Now strictly no alcohol.

    RosaRose: I eat a variety of fruits and veggies. As for fat I used to fill up on coconut oil and avocados, the occasoonal bad food, but since the attack I'm strictly low fat now.

    Ronjsteele1: That's a great idea. I will certainly look into it. I get itchiness that flares up, it comes and goes so could all be tied together.

    Afatperaonwholikeafood: I am going to send you a message. I am curious about your heart rate and running. I love to run.

    KateTii: You are right. At least I am being taken seriously by the doctors.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Mineral and vitamin deficiencies are very common in auto-immune disorders because the body is constantly fighting against the disorder and using up lots of resources. Did you have any tests done on those? If no: stop taking any supplements for a couple of weeks and run them. If you did and took supplements during that time: drop them completely for a couple of weeks and rerun. Supplements do influence blood tests and can cover up deficiencies. Get the blood results and check they are not somewhere near the lower reference value but well in the middle.

    Another thing: reflux often causes palpitations because there's the vagus nerve running past the esophagus and the heart. Generally, palpitations might be annoying but are harmless. If your doctor said everything is fine with your heart then trust him and try not to worry about the palpitations. It really helps.

    Another thing: run a medical food diary. Write down what you eat and how you feel afterwards and what the problems are. Figure out whether there's a connection between certain foods and not feeling well.

    Reduced resting heart rate: can be normal as you lose weight as your heart doesn't need to pump so hart anymore to supply a bigger body with blood.

    Last thing: I don't know if you want to hear it but many of those things can be psychological and they can even happen or get worse if you think: oh gosh, what was that! I hope it doesn't repeat. Something to consider.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    Although I didn't intend to, my weight came off quickly. I wish it had come off more slowly. I, too, had to have my gallbladder removed. I also have developed a digestive disorder. But I don't think losing weight caused these conditions.

    As for your situation, you've had lots of tests, but have you been to see a nutritionist? Perhaps your diet is not as healthy as you think.

    I experience reflux as well, have for years and years. It is miserable, incredibly painful. Have you looked at your diet to see what triggers your reflux? For me it's Diet Coke, coffee, chocolate, high fat foods, and eating at night. I stop eating at 5 pm every night and don't eat again until breakfast. Do a little research. There is a lot of solid advice, lists of foods to avoid, etc. I simply cannot eat citrus or anything acidic because I will be in PAIN. If you are eating veggies and fruits that trigger reflux, you're going to be pretty miserable.

    If you are not taking medication for this, you may want to consider Nexium or Prilosec. These are over the counter in the US. However, these medications should not be taken on a regular basis without checking with your doctor. As for your heart rate, I wouldn't worry about it. Resting rate in the 50's is a GOOD thing!
  • Peregrymj
    Peregrymj Posts: 34 Member
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    Had something similar, it came from an extreme diet change, though in my case it was going from healthy home grown farm food to *kitten* boxed college fare. The doctors never figured out what it was except that eating anything acidic made it worse. They eventually put me on ppi (proton pump inhibitors) called Nexium that did the trick. The problem (mostly) went away after about 2 years when my stomach figured out its crap and I was able to ditch the meds.
    This may or may not be what you have, but extreme diet changes can mess up the stomach.
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    edited June 2016
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    godlikepoetyes wrote: »

    If you are not taking medication for this, you may want to consider Nexium or Prilosec. These are over the counter in the US. However, these medications should not be taken on a regular basis without checking with your doctor. As for your heart rate, I wouldn't worry about it. Resting rate in the 50's is a GOOD thing!

    OP, I would recommend you do a lot of research before adding anything that will reduce stomach acid (OTC PPI's or prescribed). When people have reflux, it's not because of too much acid (like they think), it's because of too little acid. Food ends up sitting in the stomach way longer then it should because of not enough acid to get digestion moving fast enough and it backs up into the esophagus causing reflux. It's painful and it feels like it's acidic foods causing it but acidic foods are harder to digest and take longer which is why they tend to cause reflux. Food allergies will also cause reflux. I would highly recommend you try a good digestive enzyme like BioGest by Thorne (one of the best) or Super Enzymes by NOW (mid-grade). They both have oxbile in them which is critical to digesting fats whereas most enzymes do not have it or do not have enough of it. Taking several capsules at mealtimes for a week or two will give you a big clue as to what's causing your reflux. It may also give you tremendous relief. Working on digestion takes time - lots and lots of it. It took at least several years of enzyme supplementation for us to deal with that issue in our home (and fixing the food allergies that were the other factor).

    Also, I had pancreatitis (while I was pregnant no less). You do not have to limit fatty foods b/c of it. Unless you have chronic pancreatitis (trust me you would know from the constant pain!) limiting fats is not going to be healthy. As with all things, having balance in your diet is the best thing you can do for your body.

    As a side note - after taking PPI's (OTC or otherwise) and then stopping them, there is always a rebound effect where reflux actually gets worse for awhile because removing the PPI allows the body to produce more acid but if digestion hasn't been dealt with then the reflux returns with a vengeance. It makes it very difficult to get off of them.


    Best wishes.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    Sorry to hear you have had health issues, did you lose weight very quickly?
    Normally when we lose weight our health benefits.
    Hope things improve for you.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I'd say you're not eating right, could be that you're starving yourself too... not sure with so little information from your diet.

    What you described could be a slue of things, IBS, Gluten intolerance, stomach ulcers. Allot of the stuff you mentioned could be stressed related too. You need to stick with the doctors and tests, I'm not a doctor, I doubt anyone on here is. And if they are... there advice would be to go to the doctor and speak with them. I can't see your blood work from here... can't see the results of your MRI... see how useless we all are without this stuff.

    Best of luck, speak with your doctor, you can also ask for a second opinion.
  • iofred
    iofred Posts: 488 Member
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    my worst complaint of weight loss is that I am always cold ... but at least that is easily solved
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
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    I'm sorry you're feeling so poorly. I also had reflux after losing weight. My doctor traced it back to me drinking too much water. I thought I was doing a good thing setting a goal to drink 100 oz of fresh, plain water each day (in addition to the coffee and tea I was already drinking). It turned out the water just made the volume of my stomach contents too large and it backed up into my esophagus.

    Just a thought - if you're drinking lots of water, maybe this happen to you, too.
  • TribalmamaEmily
    TribalmamaEmily Posts: 41 Member
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    I would ask for ultrasounds of your liver, pancreas, kidneys and gall bladder. Have you had them?

    I'm guessing your liver and pancreas are fatty (or were prior to the weight loss) and your kidneys and gall bladder may have stones due to the weight loss. You may have low acid stomach and some fruits and veggies are not gonna make you feel good consuming them if this is the case. (A lot of them spike your insulin too.) Switch your fats to flax and or fish oil, omega 3's, daily. Your body doesn't produce them on it's own. You sound deficient in a slew of things but the truth is most of us are. It is known that losing weight quickly often triggers gall stones and this is due to being nutritionally starving even though you were heavy.

    I hope you get some help and if you would like to friend me i'm no doctor but i have a passion for encouraging those who are seeking a better quality of life.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    Some of your issues may be related to hormone imbalance as you lose weight, both what's being liberated from the fat cells and also your body catching up on homeostasis. I know I experienced the acne issue while I was actively losing--now that I am near maintenance it has tapered off. If you are concerned about autoimmune issues, please mention that to your doctor--the broad screening test for those is an ANA (anti-nuclear antibodies) and depending on the results of that they might do more testing.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Did you lose weight quickly?

    Your symptoms seem partly hormonal - breakouts in particular. Women have a good bit of estrogen in our fat, so when you body is utilizing the fat the estrogen is released. Should level out in time.

    A lot of the rest sounds like deficiency. Get your iron level checked. Anemia could account for the hair/nails/fatigue/heart palpitations. Good chance you are low on vitamin D, zinc, magnesium...
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
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    I'm in camp "did you lose weight very quickly". How many calories are you consuming per day normally, and how much fat? If your diary isn't open, could you open it?

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