Anyone else with Reactive Hyperglycemia?

I've at least learned that it has a name, that it's becoming known as a complication of gastric by-pass surgery and that it's unpredictable at best.  Also that blackouts, etc can occur, just like a diabetic who's out of control.  This started for me last holiday season.  I rarely eat wheat, corn, simple sugars, or dairy due to being intolerant to them, or so I was told by an allergerist for years now.  I gain excessive fluid from consuming that stuff.  Anyways, I'd been very, very strict for months last year so at Thanksgiving time I thought I'd have a baked sweet potato with soy margerine and artificial sweetener.  My blood sugar spiked to 329, then crashed to 47. I had no idea what had happened, I was not diabetic prior to having had the RNY.  I attempted to contact my surgeon who was not very helpful at the time.  I went to my regular doctor who provided me with a monitor to keep close tabs on my blood sugars.  And I've gone thru alot of anger over this thing.....afterall I had the surgery to prevent becoming diabetic and even though it's not called diabetes, essentially the symptoms and results to the body are the same.  I thought I was planning a good menu for my Thanksgiving meal but I spiked/crashed the worse ever and me alone in my house.  Scared me to death to be honest.  So my question is, does anyone else have this issue and if so, what are some of the ways that you're dealing with it and do you feel that you have control over it?  I only seem to have control if I only eat fresh veggies, fruits, and protein that had a mother.  if I consume much else then I'm in trouble or possibly in trouble.  Thanks for your input in advance........

 Carol, I started a post about this last week.  There are a lot of people who are finding out they are RHG (Reactive HypoGlycemic).  I find if I don't eat every 3 hours I'm going to "crash".  Protein first is important since carbs (simple and complex) are going to raise your blood sugar. Do you journal?  It might be a good idea to do that for a week to see your food patterns, times you eat, what your blood sugar level is after eating (or exercising), how you feel at different times of the day (before, after eating, etc) The day your blood usgar went up after the sweet potato, had you eaten a balance of foods that day?  I'm still in the test phase with this whole thing and today I wanted to see how I'd feel strictly on protein shakes every 3 hours.  I set my alarm this morning for the time I normally have a shake (driving to work during the week) and have had one every 3 hours since.  I haven't crashed yet and just finished my 4th shake.  Reason for todays test was to see if RHG people had to depend on a balance of protein/carbs not to crash, I'm finding out with having only protein shakes, that I dont... heres the link from last week.. I posted some great articles about RHG as well as other members mentioning their experiences with RHG.  Be sure to follow up with your doctor, but don't wait around for him/her to do all the work, this is something thats effecting you, if they can't figure it out, do it yourself.  Theres no sense in waiting around and possibly harming your health more by being uninformed.  good luck http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/wls_grads/a,messageboard/a ction,replies/board_id,5491/cat_id,5091/topic_id,3453812/

thank you for all of your hard work on this-  hope that you don't mind i have taken it to the Over Fifty Forum...some of us are having same issues1

by all means Margo, spread the word!  Its important for any and all who are experimenting with this to know as much as possible so we can help fix the problem! :)

I do journal but not what I eat anymore.........I do a set eating schedule most days.  Of course, things come up, social gatherings, etc and it's not always possible to have a structured menu I've found.  I work full time in a nursing home and eating out is the way it is there.  I do however take my own meals most of the time, usually leftovers from dinner the night before.  But I try hard to keep with my protein shake and black coffee for breakfast, a fruit at 10am, a protein and carb for lunch, a protein snack at 2-3ish......and then the same at dinner.  Sometimes an apple in the evening or peanuts.........I get those 1 oz bags of nuts, very handy:-)  Anyways, I don't need to journal my food anymore, pretty boring but my eating is about the same day in, day out.........but it's like I mentioned, it's those times when social engagements arise that I mainly have issues now.  Which is bad cuz when I was 350 lbs, I never felt like eating/going out with friends........now I feel alittle better physically and would like to socialize more but that involves eating usually.  So its' harder....anyways, I do thank you all for your replies.........nice to know I'm not alone in all this:-)   Carol J HW/350_CW150_GW_150

Wow, I just finished reading your other posts, GREAT information from the same authority on my fibromyalgia problems!  Thanks so much for sharing this with me, I feel like I have more answers now:-) Carol J

I have it - I've been dealing with it for a couple years now, but just getting to the bottom of it now.

I have this too!!!  I thought it was just me!  Holy Cow! I feel so much better now.

My husband (met after having surgery and lost 180#) is a Naturopathic Doctor.  He told me that this is likley because of my body now over-reacts to sugars (simple sugars, complex carbs etc)  and produces too much insulin.  That my pancreas became habituated to kicking out a LOT of insulin when I ate previously and now (because quantities are dramatically reduced and I simply don't eat alot of sugar) there isn't as much to burn through and my blood sugar drops quickly, dramatically and scarily.

I'm managing the same way you are.  Lots of protien, frequent small meals, staying away from sugar.  It still sometimes happens, but I know what I need to do -- and it's what we're supposed to be doing anyway...so it keeps me honest.

I feel in good company now....

 

 

 

I have it too. Fortunately mine only acts up when I don't eat how I'm supposed to - eat every 3 hours, protein first, limit simple sugars...

The very first time it flared up on me I had eaten Thanksgiving dinner last year.....I'd only eaten a sweet potato, like half of a small one, with soy margerine and stevia sprinkled on it.  The current research says to stay away from high glycemic index foods but sweet potato is in the mid range....so I don't think that it's a "one size fits all" rule on what triggers us.  But what I DO think is that it's important for us to take the time to figure out what foods do cause the reaction and then we know what to stay away from.  Kinda like a detective:-)  lol  I have found that I do much better if I eat carbs with more protein grams in them than carb grams......because we do need some carb in our diets, natural carbs though.  Really we don't have to have bread, pasta, potatoes although we do miss them, at least I do.  I grew up on potatoes everyday of my life.  Anyways, I think it will be interesting to see how they treat this complication of RNY in months/years to come......

 

Carol J

HW_350/CW_150/GW_150