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Gradually ascending neuropathy 7 yrs after gastric bypass Part 1

I am 7 years post gastric bypass, doing great until recently. I do have an appointment with a local neurologist next week, but wanted as much information as possible *before* that appointment, so I can ask the most intelligent questions. About a month ago, I experienced an onset of tingling of my ring and pinky fingers on both hands, not totally numb, but pretty intense paresthesia. Within a few days, the symptoms had spread to the tips of my 3rd thru 5th toes on both feet.  I began to notice that my tongue felt funny too, alittle tingly, and too "thick".  As time has passed, the "tingling" has spread over the tops of my hands and feet, then rising up my lower arms and shins, reaching my elbows and knees.  In my face, the tingling has spread beyond my tongue to my roof of my mouth, chin, nose, cheeks...and more recently, ears and scalp.

The odd thing is... as the tingling has spread out, the intensity felt initially in my fingers and toes has dramatically decreased, so they feel barely numb at all now.  Now its more of a generalized tingling...sometimes pins/needles... sometimes hot/cold like Ben-Gay is on my skin, sometimes almost an itch.  I have also experienced a sort of tightness in my vocal cord area, which feels almost like a need to cough.   I've had no tremors, muscle weakness, visual changes, or headache. Because my tongue feels tingly and a bit thick, I've had a few times when my speech felt forced or when a word didn't flow as easily as normal.  About 3 weeks before the symptoms began, I had taken Welbutrin XL for about 2 weeks.  About a week after I stopped it, these symptoms began.  I initially wondered if I could be having a withdrawal syndrome and after discussing this with my doctor, I went back on the Wellbutrin.  The symptoms did not resolve and continued to increase.  I have since stopped it again.

See message part 2 please, thanks.  :)
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Avatar universal
A related discussion, Please help,what tests should I get done? was started.
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551116 tn?1288190247
I have low thyroid and take synthroid to supplement.  The numbness and tingling I have gets much worse when my thyroid supplementation is not sufficient and needs to be raised.

This is something that is simple to test for....just hoping for a simple solution for you!!
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My wife has had the same problems, but with a concotion I have created I have been able to elminate these tremors completely.  If you would like to try a sample please e-mail me at www.***@****.
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MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history I can not provide you with a diagnosis. However, when a patient has neurologic symptoms after gastric bypass, certain things do come to mind. As you know, gastric bypass can influence the absorption of several vitamins, including vitamin B12, vitamin E, vitamin B6, and some minerals.

One cause of neurologic symptoms after gastric bypass is copper deficiency. It can cause walking trouble/imbalance, sensory problems, and blood problems (anemia, low white count and platelets).

Taking too much vitamin B6 can be as harmful (if not more harmful) than not taking enough, too much vitamin B6 can cause a neuropathy; a lot of these multivitamins that provide you with super high doses of the vitamin Bs can be more harm than good, and only the necessary amount should be taken.

A lot of the teas and other herbal supplements which are advertised as being "natural" are in fact harmful to more than one organ system, and excesses of them should be avoided.

Of course your neurologic symptoms could be unrelated to your gastric bypass. Evaluation by a neurologist will be a good idea and he/she will then determine whether or not additional testing is necessary.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck
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Avatar universal
PART 2

Also of note is the fact that I am a big consumer of tea... camilia sinensis (black and green teas), not herbal blends.  About a month before the symptoms started, I began ordering some high quality loose leaf teas from reputable vendors, and as a result, my tea consumption significantly increased.  I was drinking perhaps 3 to 4 quarts of tea a day at that time... an increase from about 2 quarts per day for years prior.  About half of that tea was sweetened with aspartame, and I would estimate I was using about 10 packets of Equal per day.  I have completely stopped all aspartame, none for 2 weeks.  I went without any tea for close to one week... and initially thought the symptoms might have improved slightly, but they did not really go away, just didn't worsen.

I had a general chemistry panel, blood count, and checks of Vit A, E, D, B6, and B12.  My B12 was 359 which is lower end of normal, but my family doc immediately jumped on it and assured me it was the cause of my problems.  I took 2 B12 injections and  started using sublingual supplement too, and my symptoms worsened rather than improved at that point.  I had iron deficiency anemia (Hbg was 10.7 but my other indices showed high TIBC and low ferritin and low iron saturation);  vit D was low which is causing my PTH to be slightly increased. Calcium was normal.  Phosph & mag were fine.  Zinc was a tiny bit low. B6 was a tiny bit too high, but blood was drawn just an hour or so after I took my usual 2 MVIs per day. I'm also wondering about MS, post-viral syndrome, and if my tea could be a part of the problem; caffeine allergy or pesticides or some other chemical breakdown of the tea that is causing sensitivity.
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