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weight loss post surgery

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domforr

Well-Known Member
Messages
46
HI, I've recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor. I am on the mend and been recovering for the past 6 weeks, But whilst things are improving generally, I am struggling with my weight, which is 10 kg lower than it should be - _ I was about 68-70 kg prior to surgery and am now 59 kg. My blood sugar is also high - between 10 -12 in the morning. Before surgery my HBa1c was 49, so the surgery has thrown everything out of kilter. I am trying to stick to avoiding carbs, but it's tricky when you're also trying to add weight. Any suggestions on how to add weight quickly without raising blood sugar? Thanks, Dominic
 
domforr said:
HI, I've recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor. I am on the mend and been recovering for the past 6 weeks, But whilst things are improving generally, I am struggling with my weight, which is 10 kg lower than it should be - _ I was about 68-70 kg prior to surgery and am now 59 kg. My blood sugar is also high - between 10 -12 in the morning. Before surgery my HBa1c was 49, so the surgery has thrown everything out of kilter. I am trying to stick to avoiding carbs, but it's tricky when you're also trying to add weight. Any suggestions on how to add weight quickly without raising blood sugar? Thanks, Dominic
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Have you tried upping your fat intake? This shouldn’t affect your BG, thinks like cheese, cream, avocado, a few nuts, nut butters, butter on veggies, mayo on salads & as a dip, fattier cuts of meat like pork belly. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot and your body will take time to settle down & heal. 6 weeks isn’t that long for an op such as you’ve had. Be kind to yourself, wishing you a good recovery:)
 
Really glad to read you’re on the mend. Are you on medication as this could cause the rise in BG?
If you can tolerate dairy then cheese, double cream over berries or in coffee are good and won’t spike BG. Eggs too.

You got there before me @lovinglife :p :happy:
 
Hi, thanks all. Yes I'm eating quite a bit of fat as well - cream, mascarpone, peanut butter etc.

They changed my meds in hospital because my levels were too high - so I'm no on 2 metformin and 1 dapagliflozin in the morning and 2 metformin in the evening. Prior to hospital I was on 1 dapagliflozin in the morning and 1 metformin in the evening, so quite a change
 
domforr said:
HI, I've recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor. I am on the mend and been recovering for the past 6 weeks, But whilst things are improving generally, I am struggling with my weight, which is 10 kg lower than it should be - _ I was about 68-70 kg prior to surgery and am now 59 kg. My blood sugar is also high - between 10 -12 in the morning. Before surgery my HBa1c was 49, so the surgery has thrown everything out of kilter. I am trying to stick to avoiding carbs, but it's tricky when you're also trying to add weight. Any suggestions on how to add weight quickly without raising blood sugar? Thanks, Dominic
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domfor, firstly you’ve been through a lot with your op. It will take some time to get over that.

Surgery can put our bodies into a bit of a stress situation and raise blood sugars for a while. You may also have been on steroids for a while to help with swelling, and steroids are renowned for raising blood sugars. Hopefully, much of all of that will settle in time.

On the weight loss, when I had surgery a few years ago (nothing like yours), I too lost weight, from an already slight frame. The advice from the specialist nurse looking after me was not to panic, and in the first instance concentrate on not losing any more. She also warned me it could take a few months to regain the 2-3 kg I had lost, because our bodies will focus on repair from the surgery, rather then rebuilding muscle and fat stores. Her words of “Be patient” (Patience is not one of my personal virtues - ahem) rang in my ears for the few months my regain took, but it did happen. I just upped my protein intake, and added a bit more fat than usual.

good luck with it all, and hopefully you are moving forward towards better health.
 
thank you - I agree that patience is the key, although lacking energy has a knock on affect with the overall recovery. The dietician has suggested adding small portions of carbs to each meal, as well as upping the protein. I'm worried about the BS levels but will just test and see. It's a balancing act
 
domforr said:
HI, I've recently had brain surgery to remove a tumor. I am on the mend and been recovering for the past 6 weeks, But whilst things are improving generally, I am struggling with my weight, which is 10 kg lower than it should be - _ I was about 68-70 kg prior to surgery and am now 59 kg. My blood sugar is also high - between 10 -12 in the morning. Before surgery my HBa1c was 49, so the surgery has thrown everything out of kilter. I am trying to stick to avoiding carbs, but it's tricky when you're also trying to add weight. Any suggestions on how to add weight quickly without raising blood sugar? Thanks, Dominic
Click to expand...
Often, post-cancer treatment, you're referred to a dietician. My mom was put on shakes to up the protein to recover... Most of them were loaded with carbs as well, but the protein were the main thing. So if there's no shakes in your immediate future, aim for proteins and fats to get back to a decent weight? If you're healing, high blood sugars can slow things down markedly, so it's certainly something to keep an eye on.

Hope you're back to good soon!
Jo
 
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