Hypoglycimia after Sleeve

Hello,

I'm 2 years out. I have been in the last year or so dealing with hypoglycemia. I could hardly get out of bed today. Im exhausted all the time and often have attacks and I have to take sugar packets. Has anyone else been dealing with this after GS?? If so how are you dealing with it???

I've had severe reactive hypoglycemia since I was a kid and have learned to cope pretty well. For me, at least, sugar is pure evil. I find that if I eat protein and fibre at every meal or snack and eat every 3 hours I do well.

Sugar on an empty stoma*****luding candy, pop (which I don't drink at all now), fruit juice and alcohol all send me into a tail spin. White flour anything and white rice are almost as bad.

Although I understand the temptation to reach for a sugar packet, you'd probably feel a lot better if you can wean ourself off of the blood sugar roller coaster and learn to reach for a Baby Bel or even a teaspoonful of peanut butter instead.

Have you talked to your doctor and/or a dietitian?

I only do the sugar packet for emergencies like when I start sweating shaking (having and attack) protein fix at "attack" I talked to my Dr. but he didnt seem to really know what I was talking about. i had my sleeve in MX and he is confused about the whole thing. what type of Dr. should i go to? Can you tell me an exaple of what you eat. I know not to have any sugar in the first few hours i wake up or I get a migraine by 2pm. i can have carbs in the afternoon. Today I couldnt get out of bed, do you think its because I have been no****ching what I eat. Im bed bound most of the day. getting up to eat is exhausting. i just dont know what to do.

If you're feeling so ill that you can't get out of bed there's something definitely wrong, and I don't think it's hypoglycemia.

Talk to your GP about doing a complete blood work up. You may well have vitamin or mineral deficiencies that need to be addressed. Ask him to also check your thyroid. He'll also order such basics as a urinalysis. You'd be amazed at how truly awful a simple, treatable UTI can make you feel.

I'll outline my average day, but I don't know how helpful it'll be:
Breakfast: 1/2 cup of Hi Lo cereal with 1/4 cup milk.
Morning snack: 1/2 cup sf Greek yogurt
Lunch: tuna kit and 1/2 apple
Afternoon snack: 1/2 Quest bar or a small bowl of leftover cooked veggies
Supper:: 2 oz chicken breast, cooked in marinara sauce, 1/4-1/3 cup steamed veg
Evening snack: baby bel cheese, 2-3 whole grain crackers. Sometime I'll have some popcorn if I have the calorie space AND I've already met my protein and fibre goals for the day.
Supplements: prenatal multivitamin, cal-mag citrate, 2 chewable vitamin D

What I'd really like to know is what YOU eat and drink.
Are you logging your food? Getting in a minimum of 60 grams of protein? Drinking an absolutely minimum of 48 ounces of fluids? (64 ounces is the generally recommended minimum - less than 48 can get you in real trouble) Sadly a lot of misery is caused by not following your basic dietary guidelines.

I guess I see what my problem could be.

I dont really follow anything. I just whatever, in small amounts. Im one of the few that have dumping syndrome so I try to avoid foods that will cause that. I dont really measure protein fiber, so I will start doing that. I've never really known what to do. I crave sugar ALL DAY LONG. It is awful. I think its hurting me. I have been stopping that and feel better today. Im going to try to eat like your example. Thank you for your help! Do you ever get shaky and have to take sugar r have you been able to control HGlycemia?

Going back to when you had your surgery - what sort of plan did your surgeon give you? Who was your surgeon? How much do you weigh right now and is it the weight you want to be?

The absolute minimum basic plan includes at least 64 ounces of fluids and 60-80 grams of protein per day. For various reasons (constipation and the hypoglycemia, primarily) I also aim for at least 20 grams of fibre from food. I still have 59# to go, so I keep my calories to about 800 a day.

That means that no, I don't eat sugar - period. I also don't eat white rice, white pasta or anything made with white flour. I simply don't have any calories to waste on anything that has no nutritional value. However, if you start eating according to plan you'll find that your blood sugar will stabilise and the constant sugar cravings will go away. (Low protein intake can lead to cravings for sweets)

Look for a site called myfitnesspal and join it. Buy yourself some measuring cups and a digital kitchen scale and start using them. Log every bite and sip.

My nick on myfitnesspal is KellyAnneH

And yes, my hypoglycemia is totally under control now. I haven't had a reactive episode since my surgery 6 months ago - no doubt because I track every bite and stay far away from sugar and simple carbs. I eat roughly every 3 hours, every meal or snack starts with protein and most have some source of fibre. Protein and fibre are your friends when you're looking for stable blood sugar.

One last thing - if after a week or so of eating on plan you still feel weak and exhausted all the time - go see your doctor. No amount of tough love or encouragement on here can replace a doctor. If you do feel better, but need some help in meal planning, get him to refer you to a registered dietitian for some help and accountability.

This is very helpful THANK YOU!

 

Right now I'm 150. I'm happy at this weight but wouldnt mind losing another 15lbs.

I follwed the plan today. I ate 77 grams of protein 40 carbs and 10 fiber. I'm going to try to eat more fiber this week. I actually feel pretty good tonight. I think the sugar and lack of protein were the problem. My surgeon didnt really give me instructions after. There was a nurse lady in MX but I was unclear when I left. I just wanted to get home, I kind of did my own thing. I will sign up on the fitness pal ASAP. Do you eat fruit?  What do you eat for protein??

I notice lowfat cottage cheese has a lot of protein and you dont have to eat much!! Thank you so much for all your help. You are a genius!!

If you've been eating that badly you may have some serious deficiencies going on. While it's very good that you're getting yourself onto a better eating plan I think a visit to your doctor to have some blood work would be a very good idea. A few tubes of blood can tell them a lot about your nutritional status and give you an idea of any supplements you need to be taking.

Yes, I eat fruit in modest amounts. Never in place of protein though. For instance today I had an Asian Pear as one of my snacks (8 g of fibre) and pumpkin custard for supper. (14g protein, 3 of fibre) I love fruit and veg, but like anything else that goes into my mouth it has to earn its way.

I have issues with most meats, so I get my protein mostly from low fat dairy, which means going low carb isn't an option for me. (That's no excuse for crap carbs though) I eat Hi Low cereal for breakfast or a snack quite often (12g protein, 7g fibre), Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, very small portions of chicken and baked finny fish, occasional servings of lower fat cheeses, baked custard, whey protein shakes and protein enhanced coffee and tea.

you need to see an endocrinologist... they deal with hormones & biochemistry... hope u get it figured out... that's scary!

I have had 2 or 3 episodes of reactive hypoglycemia in the past couple of years.  Each time I ate a string cheese or a hard boiled egg and it went away shortly afterwards.  I never followed up with my doctor because it's been a year or more since I had that.  I rarely eat anything sweet and all my yearly labs have been good.  You really should follow up with your personal physician.  It could be what you are eating or something else.  But good to find out ..