Dehydration and Lack of Nutrients

Last week I caught the flu. I felt horrible, as you can imagine. But then you're sick, you really don't think about anything else except sleeping. It started on a Wednesday night, over night. Except for the times I was out of bed, getting sick, I was in bed sleeping. My room is on the 2nd floor and the kitchen is downstairs. I was too worn out to go down to get anything to drink. Besides, I wasn't very interested in eating or drinking. That was just too much effort. I think about 36 hours went by before I made myself get out of bed and go to work that Friday morning. I still wasn't thrilled with the whole food idea and didn't take in much fluid. After work I went straight home to bed.

Saturday arrived quickly. I felt pretty well all day Saturday and was back to eating and drinking as usual. Saturday night I was scheduled to DJ at the local skating rink. About 1.5 hours into the session I started feeling a little light headed. I rested for a few minutes and felt better. About 30 minutes later, the feeling came on again. I started to lose my hearing. That's saying something when you cannot hear music while inside a skating rink. I called for my manager and by the time he turned around to get a chair for me, I had lost my sight and slid down the wall I was leaning against. I wasn't out long, seconds he said actually, but I was a little disoriented when I came to, and embarrassed to say the least.

An ambulance came to check my sugar levels and vital signs. My blood pressure was a little off. They suggested I make the trip to the ER. I didn't want to pay for the ambulance ride so I finished my 20 minutes of work and waited for my husband to pick me and my 16 year old up.

The trip to the ER was interesting. My blood pressure dropped to 92/45. They ran a CAT scan on my head and it didn't show anything out of the ordinary, thankfully. They gave me some water and Tylenol for my headache. The EKG they ran came back fine as well. The doctor stated it was due to previous dehydration and lack of certain nutrients.

The experience was certainly scary. I've learned from it. It is not healthy to go without food and water on a usual basis but for someone who has had the Gastric Bypass surgery it is even more important to be sure that you focus on these things, especially when you are ill. It is much easier for dehydration to set in.

If you start feeling dizzy or disoriented, seek medical attention. You do not want to end up passing out.

If you've had any experiences like this after surgery or negative side affects, please share them by posting below.