hypoglycemia - how low is low
sweet_daughter
on 6/28/09 1:34 pm
on 6/28/09 1:34 pm
Dear Deb,
I am a year VSG postop and have been having hypoglicemia for a couple of months.
I just posted on the VSG forum about a horrible episode I had today, I took my blood sugar and was at 45. I've been having episodes for the past few weeks and I did not have hypoglicemia before surgery. I am not diabetic. What do you do to control these episodes, a change in diet?
Thanks for your help!
Mariana
I am a year VSG postop and have been having hypoglicemia for a couple of months.
I just posted on the VSG forum about a horrible episode I had today, I took my blood sugar and was at 45. I've been having episodes for the past few weeks and I did not have hypoglicemia before surgery. I am not diabetic. What do you do to control these episodes, a change in diet?
Thanks for your help!
Mariana
How low is too low probably depends on how you are feeling when you are under 70. If you feel any symptoms of shakiness,headache, sweatiness, hunger..then you should probably treat your blood sugar by eating something like peanut butter. Don't eat something really sweet or you'll bring up your blood sugar just to crash low again later. Something with protein and a little carbs and fat will bring up your blood sugar but keep it up longer. I find a spoonful of peanut butter has me feeling better in about 15-20 mins.
To avoid lows, try eating a light snack between meals or whenever it is you become symptomatic before symptoms set in. Also, try to not eat too many carbs in one meal without balancing it with some protein. Caffeine also makes me crash faster. The worst thing is for me to eat pancakes with syrup and drink coffee.
Midmorning is a big crash time for me and that will just about do me in! Of course, now that I am post RNY I couldn't eat that anyway for other reasons, but I am speaking from experience priot to surgery. Now, I find balancing my protein and carbs at each meal helps prevent the onset of symptoms.
To avoid lows, try eating a light snack between meals or whenever it is you become symptomatic before symptoms set in. Also, try to not eat too many carbs in one meal without balancing it with some protein. Caffeine also makes me crash faster. The worst thing is for me to eat pancakes with syrup and drink coffee.
Midmorning is a big crash time for me and that will just about do me in! Of course, now that I am post RNY I couldn't eat that anyway for other reasons, but I am speaking from experience priot to surgery. Now, I find balancing my protein and carbs at each meal helps prevent the onset of symptoms.
Reactive hypoglycemia is some side effect of WLS, huh? We had a broken pancreas pre-op (even if not diabetic, false cravings, misuse of carbs --we store, not burn) and so then after........
Mine also started at 20 months, and on the way long term list, most have it by 2 yrs. Cumulative stuff we've learned:
don't correct it with sugar unless there is no other choice. It pretty much guarantees another crash 1-3 hrs later
keep PB crackers on hand at all time. In a hard shell glasses case, in the glove box, near the bed, in the kitchen, at work, at your best friend's........ It is the fastest way to correct without over correcting. Just 3 work for me, but since when BS is gone, I don't mfr any saliva, I drink them down as fast as humanly possible. That's our joint conclusion. The "cheap carb" goes to work fast, but the PB (fat) slows down the later process so it doesn't repeat.
There have been numerous studies on this, but most just blamed the pt. More recent studies are showing that the pancreas itself can change, and "grow" the ability to make too much insulin. So, you eat one cookie and your pancreas thinks you ate the bakery dept at Costco and produces enough insulin to cover it. Now you've got all this insulin all dressed up with no place to go, so then you crash. For me, I've got less than 30 seconds after my lips tingle to get to the PB crackers or I can't process a thought!
Various dx with nesidioblastosis are starting to show in studies now. And a few ppl have had various portions of pancreas removed to stop the over production. I've not met anyone who was happy with their result. They might be out there, but I haven't crossed paths with them.
As to the number, I was sitting with a friend at the office of an endo ABOUT this. Suddenly, she started staring at the floor and slurring her words. The doc had just left the room and she was buttoning her blouse, etc and I ran out and asked for a BS meter. The doc was still there. I mean, here we are, a nice demo going on right here for you to see, right? Took them forever, but she realized that she had a meter so took hr own and it was 111! WHAT? But she cleared it, set it up and took it again, 103 and again, 92. By then, she'd gotten a protein bar on board and I had her drink it down, since she couldn't process a thought. The symptoms passed so we didn't check again, just left.
When I asked about that on our long term group, some sufferers said that it might be the SPEED at which it drops vs the actual number. That makes sense to me since she was fully symptomatic, but the numbers would've actually been high for me. She said her normal was 130.
So, 50 is considered too low. My first meter didn't read below 52. It is said that death can occur at 38, but I suspect he meant coma. Still, we don't want it to happen and we do NOT want to eat sugar to correct or try to prevent since it just sets it up to happen over and over.
For me, bread or potatoes cause it. If I eat them alone, like a baked potato for dinner and no meat, I am guaranteeing myself a crash in 1-3 hours. If I eat a small potato with meat FIRST, I will probably be ok. Same with bread. Pasta and rice don't seem to cause the problem. But then, I always eat them in moderation. I could live in a vast vat of bread and potatoes and achieve nirvana, I think. HOwever, my pancreas isn't going to allow THAT to happen. LOL
Mine also started at 20 months, and on the way long term list, most have it by 2 yrs. Cumulative stuff we've learned:
don't correct it with sugar unless there is no other choice. It pretty much guarantees another crash 1-3 hrs later
keep PB crackers on hand at all time. In a hard shell glasses case, in the glove box, near the bed, in the kitchen, at work, at your best friend's........ It is the fastest way to correct without over correcting. Just 3 work for me, but since when BS is gone, I don't mfr any saliva, I drink them down as fast as humanly possible. That's our joint conclusion. The "cheap carb" goes to work fast, but the PB (fat) slows down the later process so it doesn't repeat.
There have been numerous studies on this, but most just blamed the pt. More recent studies are showing that the pancreas itself can change, and "grow" the ability to make too much insulin. So, you eat one cookie and your pancreas thinks you ate the bakery dept at Costco and produces enough insulin to cover it. Now you've got all this insulin all dressed up with no place to go, so then you crash. For me, I've got less than 30 seconds after my lips tingle to get to the PB crackers or I can't process a thought!
Various dx with nesidioblastosis are starting to show in studies now. And a few ppl have had various portions of pancreas removed to stop the over production. I've not met anyone who was happy with their result. They might be out there, but I haven't crossed paths with them.
As to the number, I was sitting with a friend at the office of an endo ABOUT this. Suddenly, she started staring at the floor and slurring her words. The doc had just left the room and she was buttoning her blouse, etc and I ran out and asked for a BS meter. The doc was still there. I mean, here we are, a nice demo going on right here for you to see, right? Took them forever, but she realized that she had a meter so took hr own and it was 111! WHAT? But she cleared it, set it up and took it again, 103 and again, 92. By then, she'd gotten a protein bar on board and I had her drink it down, since she couldn't process a thought. The symptoms passed so we didn't check again, just left.
When I asked about that on our long term group, some sufferers said that it might be the SPEED at which it drops vs the actual number. That makes sense to me since she was fully symptomatic, but the numbers would've actually been high for me. She said her normal was 130.
So, 50 is considered too low. My first meter didn't read below 52. It is said that death can occur at 38, but I suspect he meant coma. Still, we don't want it to happen and we do NOT want to eat sugar to correct or try to prevent since it just sets it up to happen over and over.
For me, bread or potatoes cause it. If I eat them alone, like a baked potato for dinner and no meat, I am guaranteeing myself a crash in 1-3 hours. If I eat a small potato with meat FIRST, I will probably be ok. Same with bread. Pasta and rice don't seem to cause the problem. But then, I always eat them in moderation. I could live in a vast vat of bread and potatoes and achieve nirvana, I think. HOwever, my pancreas isn't going to allow THAT to happen. LOL
Michelle
RNY, distal, 10/5/94
P.S. My year + long absence has NOTHING to do with my WLS, or my type of WLS. See my profile.
I am one of the lucky that developed nesidioblastosis and had 75% of my pancreas removed. I am happy with the result even tho my blood sugar can still drop below 50.
My sugars would get down into the 20's and I still wouldn't faint, have a seizure or lapse into a coma; however, it is still a dangerous condition to have. I carry glucose tablets with me at all times and eat three when I start to feel shaky. Then I have a protein snack and get stable after that...
I avoid carbs as much as I can; stick with meat and vegies and lots of protein bars, etc. I found some low carb lavash bread that is good and doesn't make me drop.
My belief is that people need to be proactive with this problem and be careful with their diet and exercise.
My sugars would get down into the 20's and I still wouldn't faint, have a seizure or lapse into a coma; however, it is still a dangerous condition to have. I carry glucose tablets with me at all times and eat three when I start to feel shaky. Then I have a protein snack and get stable after that...
I avoid carbs as much as I can; stick with meat and vegies and lots of protein bars, etc. I found some low carb lavash bread that is good and doesn't make me drop.
My belief is that people need to be proactive with this problem and be careful with their diet and exercise.
Tanja
Try PB crackers vs glucose. They act fast, and don't cause the insulin to spike and crash again.
I know glucose is for diabetics and normies with hypoglycemia, but our kind is "special".
I know glucose is for diabetics and normies with hypoglycemia, but our kind is "special".
Michelle
RNY, distal, 10/5/94
P.S. My year + long absence has NOTHING to do with my WLS, or my type of WLS. See my profile.
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