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26 Years Old. Had Gallbladder Surgery. Why Am I Losing My Weight?
Question: Hi, Well maybe someone here can help me. I am a 26 years old mother of two and 5'5. Back in May 2011 i weighed 165, i had a couple of surgeries for my gallbladder and gallstones and in May 2012 i was 155. My doctors said not to worry cause that amount of weight loss was normal. I stayed at 155 till about July then i noticed my pants getting baggy. I went in to see my doctor and weighed 147. I currently am now 126. I'm worried, i have talked to my doctors and they just tell me it is stress, (which i don't believe that it is). I was 130 when i graduated high school! I shouldn't be lighter than i was in high school. My hips stick out and I'm able to see my bottom ribs now. I've also noticed over the past month or so how I'm always tired and i constantly have bruises on my thighs. they are in generally the same area but they don't always look the same. And for the past few days i have had random spells of dizziness even when I'm sitting or laying down. What could be wrong with me?
Hi there,
Thanks for writing in.
I am a qualified and certified medical specialist with an additional degree in Cardiology, and I read your mail with diligence.
Removal of gall bladder after a couple of surgeries can cause weight loss.
You have not written your height so that I can calculate what is the weight range for a 26 year old lady. If your doctor says it is stress that means that he has not found out any specific cause for weight loss. Most common cause for 30 lbs of weight loss will be mal-absorption (inability of your gastrointestinal system to absorb nutrients).
You have also mentioned extreme tiredness and spells of dizziness. Do you get nausea when you see food? In any case another cause I will suggest here which is worth excluding that is excessive activity of your thyroid gland Hyperthyroidism. A blood test for thyroid functions measuring serum T3, T4 and TSH will settle that issue. If the tests for absorption and thyroid has been done and are normal we have to consider either of two possibilities either you are eating less (change of food habits forced by place change) or something is wrong with the way your body's metabolism. Well, the argument that your weight is less than what it was when you were in high school is tenable only if you were not overweight then.
Stress, can be a cause, well in the world we live in, no one can claim that he/she is free of stress what matter is how you react to day to day stress. And more often this is a subconscious reaction so one may not be aware of it. Personally, I will keep my options open till I get all negative results for physical explanation of weight loss. For me loosing 20 lbs weight in less than 6 months is a serious issue and it is advisable to dump into basket of stress without excluding all possible causes.
I hope that answers your question to some extent. Good luck.
If you have any more query I will be most happy to answer it.
Regards
Dr Anil Grover,
Cardiologist & Internist
M.B.;B.S, M.D. (Internal Medicine) D.M(Cardiology)
http://www/ WWW.WWWW.WW
Thanks for writing in.
I am a qualified and certified medical specialist with an additional degree in Cardiology, and I read your mail with diligence.
Removal of gall bladder after a couple of surgeries can cause weight loss.
You have not written your height so that I can calculate what is the weight range for a 26 year old lady. If your doctor says it is stress that means that he has not found out any specific cause for weight loss. Most common cause for 30 lbs of weight loss will be mal-absorption (inability of your gastrointestinal system to absorb nutrients).
You have also mentioned extreme tiredness and spells of dizziness. Do you get nausea when you see food? In any case another cause I will suggest here which is worth excluding that is excessive activity of your thyroid gland Hyperthyroidism. A blood test for thyroid functions measuring serum T3, T4 and TSH will settle that issue. If the tests for absorption and thyroid has been done and are normal we have to consider either of two possibilities either you are eating less (change of food habits forced by place change) or something is wrong with the way your body's metabolism. Well, the argument that your weight is less than what it was when you were in high school is tenable only if you were not overweight then.
Stress, can be a cause, well in the world we live in, no one can claim that he/she is free of stress what matter is how you react to day to day stress. And more often this is a subconscious reaction so one may not be aware of it. Personally, I will keep my options open till I get all negative results for physical explanation of weight loss. For me loosing 20 lbs weight in less than 6 months is a serious issue and it is advisable to dump into basket of stress without excluding all possible causes.
I hope that answers your question to some extent. Good luck.
If you have any more query I will be most happy to answer it.
Regards
Dr Anil Grover,
Cardiologist & Internist
M.B.;B.S, M.D. (Internal Medicine) D.M(Cardiology)
http://www/ WWW.WWWW.WW
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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