Bariatric Surgery

[shinderlider]

Has anyone had bariatric surgery for weight loss and did it have any effect on their RLS?

[Polar Bear]

I can't speak from experience but did a bit of a search.
What I came across was that iron deficiency can occur in about 50% of bariatric surgery patients and it is therefore feasible that RLS could worsen.

[shinderlider]

I saw that, too, and asked about it at my initial consultation this morning. They said the bariatric vitamins I will have to take for the rest of my life have a healthy balance of nutrients intended to help keep iron in check. Of course, my lab results showed low iron … again. They did check my ferritin which was 25.5. One of the dietitians has RLS and seems very knowledgeable about recent studies so I’m glad she’s on my team.

[Polar Bear]

At 25.5 your Ferritin is too low. You need to not only be keeping your iron in check, you need to be increasing it. A daily supplement may take months before seeing any increase.

There is also the option of intravenous iron infusion/s.

[ViewsAskew]

HI Sue - did you go ahead with it?

My sister has mild symptoms - she had surgery a few years ago and never mentioned her symptoms being worse. Of course, I don't remember what she had done.

[shinderlider]

Ann, I am in the process of determining if I am a good candidate and following the Medicare rules which require at least six months of a supervised diet. It will be at least June before a decision is made. In the meantime, I continue my weaning off ropinirole (getting ready to move from 2mg down to 1mg) with my gabapentin dose at 300mg twice a day.

[ViewsAskew]

Ann, I am in the process of determining if I am a good candidate and following the Medicare rules which require at least six months of a supervised diet. It will be at least June before a decision is made. In the meantime, I continue my weaning off ropinirole (getting ready to move from 2mg down to 1mg) with my gabapentin dose at 300mg twice a day.

Thanks for responding, Sue. Congrats on your success so far.