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Posted 7/1/2014 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
Low body temperature of 95.3℉. Dizzy and have chronic fatigue. Don't have any muscle pain or nausea (only a little nauseated but it is not bad at all). Could this be a sign of diabetes? J-pouch seems to be functioning just fine. What could this be? I do have appetite.
Posted 7/1/2014 5:05 AM (GMT 0)
I called my surgeon's office but the nurse there said that both dizziness and chronic fatigue don't really have anything to do with gastro, so she asked that I go see a GP first.
Posted 7/1/2014 5:52 AM (GMT 0)
 Hi, my son with Lymes has had weirdly low temps at times so I poked around on line just a couple days ago. The one thing that stood out in my memory is it can happen with infections. I just searched 'low body temperature', then skipped over hypothermia which seems to be externally caused in most entries.

     Since you don't feel great either it seems worth being looked over. You might find more useful stuff doing a specific search. I didn't remember most of the pos. causes because I could rule them out so I dismissed them. Another one, however, was anemia. Also worth checking. Oh, and also quite fatiguing due to shortage of oxygen when there's a shortage of red blood cells.  Good luck. 

edited for spelling! Yes, I may have still missed some oopses. blush

Post Edited (California Cat) : 7/1/2014 11:16:22 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/1/2014 6:33 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for your feedback, California.
Yes, will try getting to a GP or GI in the morning.

I just had a cup of coffee and a sandwich and it seemed to boost my temperature back to my usual normal temperature, which is 98.2℉, although the dizziness and nausea is still there.
Posted 7/1/2014 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
Dizziness and chronic fatigue are both symptoms of dehydration. Are you drinking enough fluids?
Posted 7/1/2014 12:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Shaz
Thanks for commenting. Yes, I try to drink lots of water but seems I still get dizzy. I think you may be right.....I actually got extremely dizzy just after drinking coffee (and I didn't even drink one cup!) and I usually even drink coffee with water. But I noticed that the dizziness faded after I ate dinner. This is all so strange to me....
Posted 7/1/2014 12:13 PM (GMT 0)
I also had a shortness of breath but I can't tell if it's from my asthma or from something else. Is it common for j-pouchers to have so many other illnesses? Sometimes I get too paranoid.
Posted 7/1/2014 12:26 PM (GMT 0)
I used to be able to drink a cup of coffee without getting dizzy at all soon after takedown. It's now been a year and I get dizzy over not even one cup of coffee and even with water!
Posted 7/1/2014 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
Are you anemic that you know of? I get dizzy a lot of times because of my low iron issues. But I don't think it ever changed my body temp but then again, I have never checked. And I get nauseated if I'm dehydrated. Have a full panel of blood work done. Feel better!
Posted 7/1/2014 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
All your symptoms are signs of dehydration. Water is often not enough to stay hydrated. Be sure to eat salty snacks, they will help you to retain fluids. Drink electrolyte beverages; like low sugar Gatorade. Drink bouillon or coconut water. You need more than just water and coffee to keep your hydration up.

Sue
Posted 7/2/2014 2:20 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, Marianne and suebear...I'm at the hospital now getting blood work done and waiting for results now.

Everything seemed fine when I got up but it was after I got out of the shower that I had the worst dizziness ever.

Marianne, I do have enough iron but I may be anemic in that not enough oxygen gets traveled to the brain maybe?? I'm not sure but will definitely consult my doctor today.

suebear, I called my GI and the nurse there told me that dizziness has nothing to do with gastro so to go see a GP....I'm like, REALLY???? (O_o)
Posted 7/2/2014 5:30 AM (GMT 0)
I'm hypoglycemic and get nasty dizzy spells if I don't eat enough of the right things. When my blood sugar drops I get dizzy, hot and cold sweats, tunnel vision ending in blackout, weakness, shakiness and some times trouble breathing.  Next time you're dizzy (lets hope never!) try a small jolt of sugar - fruit, candy, honey, whatever is ok for you - then follow up with protein and fat (nuts work for me) to keep your bloodsugar level steady.  I never took my temp when I was having a sugar dump, I could barely stand or see so it wasn't really high on my to do list. Maybe this will help? I hope your Dr. visit gave you good answers and an end to the ickies. (Technical term!)

The salt/electrolytes/WATER stuff is very important. Sometimes our hunger signals are actually thirst - try to keep track of the total volume you drink in a day. One way is to write a note each time, another is to pour the same amount you drank into an empty jug. One cup watered cofee = one cup tap water into the empty jug. At the end of the day you can see if you have come close to a gallon. Half to one gallon is a good thing, especially in summer. Then you can use the water for your thirsty plants!

Posted 7/2/2014 10:13 PM (GMT 0)
penny471 - just curious - how long were you on prednisone before surgery? How long has it been since you've been off pred? I had those same exact symptoms for months after surgery - finally, my GP said in her opinion that "they took you off pred too fast..." So, I went back on 5 mg for 3-4 months.....changed everything....

Get better soon!
Posted 7/4/2014 7:15 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you very much for your feedback, everyone.

ENIGMAWRAP: I was on pred 2 years ago right before surgery for only about 3 months(?) and while I was ok during pred, as soon as my GI started weaning me off of it even just a tiny bit, the blood would just come out all over again. I'm glad that you got better!!

Well, I got my blood results back on that day and it turns out that I was dehydrated and also anemic and I was also told that I have BVVP (a type of vertigo that was causing all the dizziness). So I got IV for my dehydration. Phew!!
Posted 7/4/2014 3:26 PM (GMT 0)
Glad you got some answers!

Fluids and fluid retention is super important!

I try to drink atleast 3 of the big Gatorade bottles worth of water a day. And also a few pint glasses of other liquids like watered down juice, milk, Gatorade, lemonaide, etc throughout the day.

It is so important to stay hydrated. Any time I find myself in the kitchen, possibly bored, possibly hungry. I drink a pint glass of something before picking out something to eat/snack on.
half the time the liquid clears up the desire to snack!
Posted 7/4/2014 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
embersglow1:

Thanks! I do have in mind that keeping hydrated is important but I guess it's easy to forget to continue drinking throughout the day when you're occupied with other stuff. It seems you have a great habit and stick with it. I need to learn from that!

I only drink water and coffee and sometimes milk. It's interesting cause I find that when I drink water, it is almost like a trigger to make me want to go to the bathroom but with coffee, it is not so much a trigger. Shouldn't it be the opposite? Either way, I will take your advice and start drinking more fluids throughout the day.
Posted 7/4/2014 10:28 PM (GMT 0)
Caffeine is supposed to be diuretic and make you pee more than you drank. That is, dehydrating over all, but while it's still in you it counts!  As for water triggering an 'instant' urge, it makes me think your body has been waiting for enough liquid to be able to flush the system and finally feels there's water enough to give some up for waste management.

Here's the kinda icky and personal bit - what color is your pee? No, I don't want you to tell me, but do look for your self. If it is pale yellow to colorless you have enough water. If it is bright yellow to dark yellow you are dehydrated. Taking iron throws that off a bit - iron will make it very intensely yellow leaning towards tennis ball color and make your poops somewhat greenish. Delightful.

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