Don't fool around with low blood sugar.

Hypoglycemia is an all too often event for post gastric bypass patients.  

Many of us learn to live with it and avoid it at all costs.  I have learned in the past seven years, that the best treatment is complete avoidance.  This includes eating frequently, not eating carbohydrates on their own, and being ready to treat a low as it happens.

I shrugged off the advice from the endocrinologists when they told me my condition was mostly diet-related, but IT IS.  The occasional hypoglycemic episode can still happen with a "safe" food, or with stress, exercise, or another intense situation, but it is usually directly related to WHAT I EAT.

If you find yourself having low blood sugar events 45-60-90 minutes after eating, please follow up with your surgeon, or endocrinologist and get their advice... but BE PREPARED AT ALL TIMES for your own crashes.

It is your responsbility to take control.  Do NOT leave the house without treatment for your hypoglycemic events.  Keep these items in your PURSE, CAR, AT WORK... anywhere you may need them in an emergency.  You never know.

As someone who has driven her car INTO A TREE with a child in the front seat (seizure related, I will never know if I had a low sugar first) -- I beg you to take care of SELF.

Prompt Treatment for Hypoglycemia 
http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/hypoglycemia/

When people think their blood glucose is too low, they should check the blood glucose level of a blood sample using a meter. If the level is below 70 mg/dL, one of these quick-fix foods should be consumed right away to raise blood glucose:

• 3 or 4 glucose tablets
• 1 serving of glucose gel—the amount equal to 15 grams of carbohydrate
• 1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of any fruit juice
• 1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of a regular—not diet—soft drink
• 1 cup, or 8 ounces, of milk
• 5 or 6 pieces of hard candy
• 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey

The next step is to recheck blood glucose in 15 minutes to make sure it is 70 mg/dL or above. If it’s still too low, another serving of a quick-fix food should be eaten. These steps should be repeated until the blood glucose level is 70 mg/dL or above.

If the next meal is an hour or more away, a snack should be eaten once the quick-fix foods have raised the blood glucose level to 70 mg/dL or above.

**Best bet?  Protein/carb/fat -- like peanut butter crackers.  Keep a pack in your bag. - MM

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http://www.meltingmama.net/wls/hyper_hypoglycemia/

I second that.
BTW: as MM said - a very strict diet may be a key to control most low BS episodes.  What works though... may be different from person to person. Some may need carbs at every meal - complex carbs, others, like me, will do best to limit most carbs, even when eaten with fats and proteins.
Knowing what carbs affect you blood sugar levels is critical.  They are some that do not bother me at all, but only a few. Others - bother me a little - so I have to be very careful how much I eat... and then the last group - even a small amount of those carbs or sugars (5 gr or less) will trigger RH almost every time, regardless what I had with before or after that.  Then there is combination of foods, or some other factors (stress, alcohol, too much coffee, not enough sleep, hormonal time, etc... )

It does not make sense or makes a great [patters... but I have been leaving with that for 2 years and I am still learning what I can do and what I can't.    But... that how my body reacts to that.

I learn how to live with that. I am learning on myself and my body reaction as well as listen to others (Like MM ) and take the info. 

Taking on board your sage advice I immediately ate two slices of multigrain toast with banana curd on it.  Fearing my levels might drop further I finished it off with a Percy pig.  I shall be hypervigalent and eat the rest of the packet by this afternoon.

I may need to keep my crisps levels up too.......

All arsing about aside you're quite right .  This is a good post.  Sadly I've seen two deaths in A&E related to motor vehicle accident due to hypoglycemia.  The fact that it could have easily been prevented makes it sooo much worse for the families concerned.  Very sad.

 

Preventable crashes are preventable.  Now, what's a Percy Pig?

Nom nom nom!

Are they just pig-shaped sugar? Flavored, maybe? They sure are cute.

I'm having a dark-chocolate-with-raspberry-filling craving at the moment.

Arrrggggghhh the entire house is going through sugar withdrawal at the moment.  I had a moment of sensibility and banished all sweeties from the house.  David just exclaimed "I should hide sweets all over the house like an alcoholic for moments like these".  I'd eat a turd rolled in chocolate right now.

Percy is a mellow flavour of chewy jelly goodness...ok ok it is just sugar jelly but they are YUM!

thank you!

I've found recently when I've been deliberately eating as much fat as I can with every single meal.... that I'm doign MUCH better. It seems when I go mostly fat-free that I crash like crazy! 

Seeing my doc's PA on Thursday and will finally discuss this with a medical professional.

Forgot the earlier appointment I had..... had been crashing daily for a week or so and literally forgot the appointment to see the doc to discuss the issues.

Crazy crazy stuff.

I love me some fat though. Seems it is my magic pill.

i have been dealing with this every once in awhile but never realized that it was hypoglycemia until today when i researched it and all the symptoms fit.  it never happened before my gastric bypass.  sometimes it happens like 45 minutes after eating but once it happened as i was getting ready for bed.  no one ever told me this was a possibility.  so i am guessing i need to see my dr about this or now that i know whats going on can i just keep certain things like candy, juice etc handy in case it happens?  am just glad i finally know whats been going on.  any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I am learning to recognize and live with it as we speak.  I also get, what I call head tremors with it...not only weak on on the verge of blacking/passing out along with the nausea....I get head tremors which feel like my brain is bouncing around in my head..similar to a vertigo event..but different...very hard to describe..that happens when my sugar gets real low. 

Be aware of what is going on!


Lithia, I still thank you everyday for helping me on that first day of realization.