Non Diabetic low blood sugars - help!

breezy25
on 5/6/16 11:34 am

I don't have diabetes. I was sleeved on 4/4 and have lost 34 lbs (HW was 277).

The last few days I've woken up shaky. I decided to test my blood sugars - this morn it was 58 - anything below 70 is considered hypoglycemic. Got up, drank a bit of juice and 1/2 protein shake and it went up to about 72. Ate some chicken salad with greek yogurt about an hour later for breakfast. FFWD a few hours and my blood sugar was 52!

My surgeon said its not unlikely for WLS to develop reactive hypoglycemia - but that is caused from eating carbs. I'm just now 5-6 days into my pureed food diet and I haven't been eating hardly any carbs. Yesterday I had 9g of carbs that came from my Protein shakes - ones that are approved by them. I also had 510 calories and like 68 g of protein.

What is going on? Anyone else deal with this? It sucks, it's scary and it makes me feel like crap! My surgeon is on vacation but I did put a call into the nutritionist and also made an appt with my PCP for Monday. I'm scared and worried....it was happening only overnight but today it's happening during the day.

Darcy G.
on 5/6/16 1:29 pm
VSG on 04/07/16

I've worried about this myself. My whole life until about three years ago, I had to mind my hypoglycemia... Maybe I should follow your lead and test sugar. 

I have no advice, just a hope you can get it sorted out.

Oh wait,I do have a suggestion! Considered going to an endocrinologist rather than family doctor/surgeon? 

Program Start Weight 346 | Surgery Weight 282 | CW 217 | 5'-6.3"

High Weight 376, about a year before program. I gave up diet pop(and all pop), dropped 30 pounds without trying, and kept it off. Now convinced Carbonated Beverages. Are. Evil.

DISCLAIMER: My posts often have weird typos... Because I use a tablet or Kindle to access the forums despite how much I suck at tablet typing. Apologies!

H.A.L.A B.
on 5/6/16 1:30 pm

Low BS can also be caused by too many lean proteins (i.e protein shake) and not enough fat 

Google food insulin index. 

I need to add some fat and some carbs when I eat proteins. 

 

You also may be dealing with too much insulin - (insulinoma) - or not enough cortisol - adrenal insufficiency.  (AI)

You may need to try to see a good endocrinologist to find out what is going on.  

I get low Bs due to AI... I eat nuts or nut butters before bed to prevent that...

 

Hala. RNY 5/14/2008; Happy At Goal =HAG

"I can eat or do anything I want to - as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences"

"Failure is not falling down, It is not getting up once you fell... So pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."

califsleevin
on 5/6/16 10:13 pm - CA

Reactive hypoglycemia is rare in sleevers; it is more common with bypass patients owing to the lack of pyloric valve and duodenum in their food tract. It may be basic dietary hypoglycemia from your diet being overly low in carbohydrates. It is not uncommon for it to be mentioned on these forums as just another inconvenience that comes with these diets, much the same as the bad breath and body odors from ketosis. It's one of several reasons I never went in for the low carb diet game and worked to keep as healthy a balance on the diet as our low calorie and protein requirements permitted. Try to get in a bit of complex carbs that are absorbed more slowly during the day (and night) and you probably won't have to go for a sudden hit from juice to boost the dropping levels. Hopefully your nutritionist can help you work this out.

1st support group/seminar - 8/03 (has it been that long?)  

Wife's DS - 5/05 w Dr. Robert Rabkin   VSG on 5/9/11 by Dr. John Rabkin

 

happyteacher
on 5/7/16 8:46 am

I was going low a lot right after being sleeved too. Initially I had tried to do the under 40 carbs thing, and my system just couldn't tolerate it. It took me a while to figure it out, but this is what worked for me. 

  1. Eat six times a day. Meals had 30g net carb, snacks 15g as a general guideline. They were spaced out fairly equally.
  2. Starting the morning with just a protein shake lowered by blood sugar.
  3. Combine carb with protein.
  4. Do not eat processed carbs- they caused me to crash. For example, I couldn't do pasta (the regular kind) at all early out. Bread was another one that caused problems until I switched to the really dense stuff that was whole grain, and even then I would only have a little combined with protein. 
  5. I was having to eat a snack literally right before I went to bed. I ate 1 serving of fiber cereal with 4 ounces milk, and that seemed to get me through the night. Otherwise, I would have to get up in the middle of the night to eat a few carbs. 

This got better. I no longer "have" to eat right before bed, but still do most nights. That eating regime got to be habit after a while and now I don't even think about it. I rarely go low now. Do not feel pressure from this board to keep it under 40g- try putting in quality carbs in and see if that might take care of your problem. Good luck!

Surgeon: Chengelis  Surgery on 12/19/2011  A little less carb eating compared to my weight loss phase loose sleever here!

1Mo: -21  2Mo: -16  3Mo: -12  4MO - 13  5MO: -11 6MO: -10 7MO: -10.3 8MO: -6  Goal in 8 months 4 days!!   6' 2''  EWL 103%  Starting size 28 or 4x (tight) now size 12 or large, shoe size 12 w to 10.5   150+ pounds lost  

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