Low blood sugar..AGAIN

In a totally inappropriate response to your message: Here is a pirate joke that one of my students told me a few weeks ago. Two pirates are standing on a beach. Finally, one of them notices that the other has a huge steering wheel down his pants. "Why do you have a huge steering wheel down your pants?" He asks the other. THe other one grimaces. "Arr... I don't know, but it's driving Me nuts!" Dave

hahaha...you are too much.......

Dave!!!!!! Grrrrrrooooooaaaannnnn!!!!!!!!!

I can see where the pattern is causing you problems. Breakfast... Protein and a little fat. No carbs at all to speak of. Snack... natural carbs, but still carbs. Lunch... nautral carbs in the light yogurt from the lactose if nothing else. Snack... catbs Dinner... protein mostly, with whatever carbs are in the borsch soup. After dinner snack is.....? Your eating pattern is about 2 hours. Fairly normal for a post op. Gives enough time for everything to empty out and be absorbed. Then another small carb snack, which is fine. But, in the evening, you have nothing after dinner and 2 hours later, what is happening??? Well....... When you firrst eat the food, it enter the pouch, passes fairly quickly (no valve to keep it in until completely digested like a normal stomach), and it hits the small intestine. The carbs, which break down into sugars, trigger the body to increase insulin production because a LARGE amount of sugars are in the small intestine all of a sudden. At least that is what the body has been used to for years, and is what it has done all of those years. The insulin deals with the sugars from the carbs, and after about an hour or less, there is no more sugar that needs to be addressed. BUT, in the meantime, your body is still producing more insulin. This drops your blood glucose levels even more, causing you to become hypoglycemic. What's a post-op to do???? 1: Reduce carb intake at any one time. Maybe change the banana to 1/2 of a banana and some peanut butter on it. 2: Continue with your carb support. (Can you hear Kathy K screaming all the way across the state???) Get one pack of crackers and eat one or 2 before bedtime. I know, everyone will tell you the last thing you want to do is eat before going to bed, but you need to support your insulin load to prevent the problem you are having. NOTE: I said one or 2... just enough to take the edge off and not trigger another insulin release. This is long term post-op dumping, that's all. Joanne has lived on crackers at night for these reasons for now over 5 years. Or Fruit Loops. Or Nabs. Or.... you get the picture. Happy New Year. Hope your boot shopping went well after Christmas. Peter

well I think if Liz leaves Dr A's office he should hire you Peter- and yes- I agree Kathy K is probably huddled in a fetal position somewhere babbling incoherently about the white flour devil....can't believe you threw Joanne under the bus on the Fruit Loops , Peter- at least I can justify it by having small children in my home- it's almost mandatory there be a box of Fruit Loops on hand....but in your house? tsk tsk tsk...... LMAO

If he needs a nurse.... maybe. But he will have to wait another 1.5 years for that. RD... no thanks. Fruit Loop story...... Prior to my surgery, but after Joanne's, we went to San Diego for a vacation, first in years. After being in Disneyland for the day, we went to the hotel we were staying for the night. Before we got there, she wanted some Fruit Loops to feed the birds the next day. So, like the nice guy I am, I did get them for her. We went to sleep in the room after dinner, and I slept fairly soundly. I awoke to some strange noise, and I thought maybe there were mice in the wall. SO I reached by and beat several times on the wall, and promptly started to go to sleep again. About a minute later, I heard the noise again. Thinking that the little buggers were not scared enough, I beat on the walls again and again started to fall asleep. Yet another minute goes by, and it starts all over for the 3rd time. I thought to myself, I REALLY need to bang on the walls this time, and did REAL HARD, enough that my hand was sore. THen I realized.... Wait a minute. That's a concrete wall. There are no mice in there! I turned over, and saw Joanne sitting by the bed munching on the Fruit Loops. So much for feeding the birds, huh! Now, nothing wakes me up any more, other then a telephone call. Peter btw... for someone feeling so bad, you're spending alot oftime on the boards!

ok...I just so draw the line at fruit loops......nasty...couldn't stomach them before surgery, can't stomach them now...kids or no kids, those things are not allowed in my house.......icky...but...you have a good point...I do have a meal or snack every 2 to 3 hours, and , to be honest, usually have something in the evening too,,,didnt that day because i went out shopping...The carbs are such a slippery slope for me...I try to stay away from refined sugar, but don't mind natural sugars from fruit and milk, and such..the yogurt had no added sugar, but did have the lactose. I do better when I have not "actual" sugar, can dump pretty badly.. now, recently i have discovered that I may have become lactose intolerant, but that is another issue, ad yogurt does not bother me... I do eat carbs, per nutritionist's orders..I usually, 90% of the time, go for whole grains, but have an unnatural atttaction to things like pretzels..they are evil and I have no control when it comes to them...usually, when I eat well balanced meals, with some carbs, some veggies, and some protein, i do ok...Strangely enough, the ONLY food that gives me no gastric distress whatsoever is veggies...everything else gives me mild cramps, bloating, or a kind of "tired feeling" right after I eat...dumping I guess...But since almost all foods give me that, I pretty much learned to accept it...when I have had enough, I have a day of just veggies, damn the protein and all alse,,,but I am dronning on here.....Thank you Peter, I will make sure to have that evening snack handy...just no fruitloops...lol

Dave, GREAT joke. Can't wait to tell it to my class (my adult class, that is....). Dorota - I had the SAME thing happen to me just the other day. I ate something not good for me, but it did make me feel better. Also overloaded on water, that helped. I wasn't sure if it was dehydration, lack of sugar, or a panic attack.....still not sure.....but it went away after about 15 minutes. As far as the cereal goes.....my weakness......Frosted Flakes......can't have it in the house. I do have lots of the Special K with protein though. Not the same, but better for you. ;) Tammy

Tammy, I know for sure it was a low blood sugar thing with me....happened before... But it sure is sacy WHILE it's happeneing......I am not a happy camper...Have an appointment woth Doctor A in February...will discuss stuff with him then. In the meantime stocked up on lower-carb stuff to snack on, and am working hard on making sure I get enough fluids in....... Miss you,

Hey Dorota, I have that problem too!! If I exercise too much then I feel dizzy, little shake.. Have to eat some carbs and little sugar up to boost my body. Dr A said I have to eat carbs because I exercise too much and My body needs balance but it is hard for me when I am stress. Miss Ya Kathy K