Passing out? Weak? Hot flashes? Might be in your future...

Today is PSA day. I've learned a lot of stuff in the last couple of years and some of these things just came to me recently. I wanted to share what I learned with all of you - especially those who have yet to experience such things - so that you might be aware if/when it happens to you. For almost the past year I have been thinking I'm going through early menopause. I sometimes will wake up out a deep sleep sweating profusely...to the point where I can't handle having anyone touch me. I was miserable and would hold ice packs to my neck. Here is the key I was not paying attention to though: I was always ravenously hungry and my heart was racing. I conveyed this to my doc, and because I didn't have a surgeon to follow up with locally, my doc wasn't intimately familiar with issues that come from wls...for me, the RNY. So he didn't catch it. What I was experiencing was late dumping syndrome. You know, the kind that hits 3 hours later rather than within 30 minutes. I am one lucky soul - I get both kinds! So I'm browsing OH one day and something triggers me to do some searches. BINGO. That is what it is. Now the problem with this kind of dumping, I've come to learn thanks to another of Dr. Aguirire's patients who called my attention to it, is that this is actually hypoglycemia...likely pretty intense hypoglycemia. Thankfully our bodies tell us what to do, and I have always rushed right to the crackers or cookies when this ha**** (for some reason you just do...). And usually eating whatever that is is enough to get your blood sugar back up to an acceptable range. But it is something to watch and be aware of. I didn't think I had the late dumping syndrome, and here I likely had it all along but didn't realize it since early dumping prevented me from eating the wrong trigger foods for so long. As time goes on and I get farther out, I can tolerate more carbs without early dumping, but now late dumping is taking it's place. This is something I'm actually quite thankful for. I am one of those people who needs aversion therapy, so anything that helps keep me from repeating past mistakes is a good thing. Anyway, just something to keep in mind. I'll be talking to my doctor about it all this week when I go in for my check up. Boy is he going to have an earful....poor guy! Dina

I have been having a real problem with low blood sugars for the past 8 months. Being a diabetic who no longer has to take medications for it and being an LPN I was able to recognize the symptoms right away. I know when I have to test my blood sugar levels and many times they are in the 40s so I know I have to eat something usually peanuts or peanut butter crackers. I am able to eat sugar and do not always dump except for the hour or so after eating something with sugar my levels drop drastically. It might be a good idea for everyone to be aware that this can happen after surgery.