Blood Sugar problems 7 yrs post op
Hello,
I posted this question b4 but I just discovered all the forums and this one seems like the most logical. I had RNY in 2001. Great weight loss - I am 150 pounds. I have lost 175. About 3 years ago I started having blood sugar problems. I actually had a grand mal seizure. The puzzle is this. I have reactive hypoglycemia as well as extreme highs. I take 2 different diabetic medications to control the highs and lows ( I am not diabetic). My BG will go as high as 400 after 40 G of carbs then easily crash to 30 range. I have passed out because I have unawareness. I do have to check it all the time to stay on top of it. I now have injections of Byetta twice a day as well as acarbose at every meal. The Dr's are baffled by this because it is so hard to treat. I will be meeting with a nutritionist to discuss using the glycemic index but it seems like a huge undertaking. I now can only have 20 carbs at a meal and no more empty calorie snacks. There has been some discussion among my Dr's about Pancreas timing. While I have plenty of insulin it just does not when to release itself. I will go on a continuous glucose monitor some time this week - so maybe that will help.
Anyone out there with any insight into this - it will not fall on deaf ears.
Thank you,
Peggy - have not posted in years
I posted this question b4 but I just discovered all the forums and this one seems like the most logical. I had RNY in 2001. Great weight loss - I am 150 pounds. I have lost 175. About 3 years ago I started having blood sugar problems. I actually had a grand mal seizure. The puzzle is this. I have reactive hypoglycemia as well as extreme highs. I take 2 different diabetic medications to control the highs and lows ( I am not diabetic). My BG will go as high as 400 after 40 G of carbs then easily crash to 30 range. I have passed out because I have unawareness. I do have to check it all the time to stay on top of it. I now have injections of Byetta twice a day as well as acarbose at every meal. The Dr's are baffled by this because it is so hard to treat. I will be meeting with a nutritionist to discuss using the glycemic index but it seems like a huge undertaking. I now can only have 20 carbs at a meal and no more empty calorie snacks. There has been some discussion among my Dr's about Pancreas timing. While I have plenty of insulin it just does not when to release itself. I will go on a continuous glucose monitor some time this week - so maybe that will help.
Anyone out there with any insight into this - it will not fall on deaf ears.
Thank you,
Peggy - have not posted in years
Peggy,
Welcome back!! I have found this site to be very helpful. As far as your blood sugar issues I am of no help because I do not have this problem. I just want you to know that I will say a prayer for you today. I will pray that the doctors find out what is going on soon. Have a great day and God bless, Penni
Welcome back!! I have found this site to be very helpful. As far as your blood sugar issues I am of no help because I do not have this problem. I just want you to know that I will say a prayer for you today. I will pray that the doctors find out what is going on soon. Have a great day and God bless, Penni
Penni and Peggy,
I am very new on all this. I did not have the surgery but I am considering the RNY. Away from me to start any flame, please!!!! Don't get me wrong as I told you, I am considering the surgery myself. It is great you lost all this weight! i really congratulate you.
My point is, I see a lot of people having this kind of "health problems". Do you regret the surgery? I do't have any health problem despite 100 pounds overweight. Do you still think it was a good thing fFOR YOU. I agree everybody is different and not everybody has problems, complications...I am just doing my homework and trying to educate myself to know exactaly what i am getting myself into. When I read your post I just thought "this cannot be an easy way out".
Please, please I don't want to start any fire. Forgive me if I am hutting you somehow.
Leca
I am very new on all this. I did not have the surgery but I am considering the RNY. Away from me to start any flame, please!!!! Don't get me wrong as I told you, I am considering the surgery myself. It is great you lost all this weight! i really congratulate you.
My point is, I see a lot of people having this kind of "health problems". Do you regret the surgery? I do't have any health problem despite 100 pounds overweight. Do you still think it was a good thing fFOR YOU. I agree everybody is different and not everybody has problems, complications...I am just doing my homework and trying to educate myself to know exactaly what i am getting myself into. When I read your post I just thought "this cannot be an easy way out".
Please, please I don't want to start any fire. Forgive me if I am hutting you somehow.
Leca
Dear Leca,
I made an informed decision when I had my surgery and I do not have any regrets. Going into it I was very much aware that some problems could arise. One of my Dr's once said that we could do more damage with our heads then he could ever do with the scapel. I took that to heart. I knew before my surgery that there was a 30 to 40 percent chance that I would die from a stroke or heart attack if I stayed on the path I was on. So I refuse to second guess myself and wonder "what if I hadn't." Yes, the problems I have with blood sugar are major but I am being proactive in seeking the best treatment by problem solving with my Dr's and networking with colleagues.
I remain excited about my new self.
Peggy
I made an informed decision when I had my surgery and I do not have any regrets. Going into it I was very much aware that some problems could arise. One of my Dr's once said that we could do more damage with our heads then he could ever do with the scapel. I took that to heart. I knew before my surgery that there was a 30 to 40 percent chance that I would die from a stroke or heart attack if I stayed on the path I was on. So I refuse to second guess myself and wonder "what if I hadn't." Yes, the problems I have with blood sugar are major but I am being proactive in seeking the best treatment by problem solving with my Dr's and networking with colleagues.
I remain excited about my new self.
Peggy
Hi, Peggy;
I also have problems with Reactive Hypoglycemia; I find that if I eat 5 or 6 small meals (with emphasis on protein first) that I don't get those episodes.
I'm finding that simple carbs really do a number on my metabolism; don't use glucose tabs to increase your blood sugar. Use a protein source with complex carbs (like the Ka****LC bars or the South Beach Cereal bars, PB on apple slices, a serving of Greek yoghurt w/berries); this will help your blood sugar levels without crashing.
Good luck!
I also have problems with Reactive Hypoglycemia; I find that if I eat 5 or 6 small meals (with emphasis on protein first) that I don't get those episodes.
I'm finding that simple carbs really do a number on my metabolism; don't use glucose tabs to increase your blood sugar. Use a protein source with complex carbs (like the Ka****LC bars or the South Beach Cereal bars, PB on apple slices, a serving of Greek yoghurt w/berries); this will help your blood sugar levels without crashing.
Good luck!
Hi Peggy...
I read your comments about hypoglycemia and found that you sounded a lot like me. I had RNY in 12/2005. I lost 120 pounds, but am having extreme problems with hypoglycemia. I have been to several doctors, and no one seems to know what to do. I had a seizure a little over a year ago, and then another one last week. I have learned to recognize the symptoms when my blood sugar is dropping, as does my family. I always have glucose tablets on me to quickly raise my blood sugar. The seizures that I have had have both occurred in the middle of the night when I am sleeping. I go into a full blown seizure and am unconsciencious/incoherent for an hour or two afterwards. The problem appears to be that my blood sugar drops, and as I am asleep, I don't respond and my sugar drops so low that I have a seizure. When the paramedics arrived, my blood sugar was 105. The doctors said that the act of having a seizure will raise your blood sugar. I guess that's why your body goes into a seizure.
After seeing several doctors, my gastric bypass surgeon set me up to see an Endocrinologist at UC San Francisco. After convincing my insurance company that it was necessary, he admitted me to UC San Francisco Medical Hospital and had me fast for 4 days. It was quite the experience!! They picked and poked and had doctor after doctor interview me. My husband stayed with me on the 10th floor... and we survived a minor earthquake!! But... surprise, surprise, my blood sugar never dropped. I kept telling him that it was only after I ate that I had problems... not when I didn't eat. Anyway, he said he was ruling out that I had an insulinoma (a tumor on my pancreas) which I do not have.
My blood sugar drops, on an average, about 5 times a week. I cannot tell what I have or have not eated to cause it. As a matter of fact, it doesn't seem to matter what I do, or don't eat. I would like to learn more about "Pancreas Timing" what is that? Where do you live? I would sure like to see a Doctor who has seen someone else with the same problem. I have been to (4) endocrinologists now... they seem to all just refer me to someone else. No one seems to have any answers.
Take care...
Julie
I read your comments about hypoglycemia and found that you sounded a lot like me. I had RNY in 12/2005. I lost 120 pounds, but am having extreme problems with hypoglycemia. I have been to several doctors, and no one seems to know what to do. I had a seizure a little over a year ago, and then another one last week. I have learned to recognize the symptoms when my blood sugar is dropping, as does my family. I always have glucose tablets on me to quickly raise my blood sugar. The seizures that I have had have both occurred in the middle of the night when I am sleeping. I go into a full blown seizure and am unconsciencious/incoherent for an hour or two afterwards. The problem appears to be that my blood sugar drops, and as I am asleep, I don't respond and my sugar drops so low that I have a seizure. When the paramedics arrived, my blood sugar was 105. The doctors said that the act of having a seizure will raise your blood sugar. I guess that's why your body goes into a seizure.
After seeing several doctors, my gastric bypass surgeon set me up to see an Endocrinologist at UC San Francisco. After convincing my insurance company that it was necessary, he admitted me to UC San Francisco Medical Hospital and had me fast for 4 days. It was quite the experience!! They picked and poked and had doctor after doctor interview me. My husband stayed with me on the 10th floor... and we survived a minor earthquake!! But... surprise, surprise, my blood sugar never dropped. I kept telling him that it was only after I ate that I had problems... not when I didn't eat. Anyway, he said he was ruling out that I had an insulinoma (a tumor on my pancreas) which I do not have.
My blood sugar drops, on an average, about 5 times a week. I cannot tell what I have or have not eated to cause it. As a matter of fact, it doesn't seem to matter what I do, or don't eat. I would like to learn more about "Pancreas Timing" what is that? Where do you live? I would sure like to see a Doctor who has seen someone else with the same problem. I have been to (4) endocrinologists now... they seem to all just refer me to someone else. No one seems to have any answers.
Take care...
Julie
Wow Julie,
You and I could be soul twins. I too have had seizures. The first one was a Grand Mal. Then there have been subsequent seizures during tests. I KNOW that the seizures are a direct result of eating. If I never ate - my BS would stay at 105. And knowing that the seizure itself causes a rise would explain why the paramedics don't see it.
As far as timing - the best way they have explained it to me is this. My body is still producing insulin as if I was 330 pounds. Because we now have a malabsorption disorder - the insulin does not release at the same time as the stomach empties. As a result, when it does release it floods the system and causes the crash.
I now take Acarbose (to slow down the emptying of the stomach) and Byetta injections to do the same. I will go on a continuous glucose monitor to determine if that would be a useful tool to avoid the highs and lows.
Unfortunately, I now have to take seizure meds as well.
I think the docs are doing the very best they can but admittedly, I am a puzzle. I am dealing with Northwestern University in Chicago. Next step - I will get in to the dietician to learn how to use the glycemic index as a form of control (it certainly can't hurt)
Thanks,
Peggy
You and I could be soul twins. I too have had seizures. The first one was a Grand Mal. Then there have been subsequent seizures during tests. I KNOW that the seizures are a direct result of eating. If I never ate - my BS would stay at 105. And knowing that the seizure itself causes a rise would explain why the paramedics don't see it.
As far as timing - the best way they have explained it to me is this. My body is still producing insulin as if I was 330 pounds. Because we now have a malabsorption disorder - the insulin does not release at the same time as the stomach empties. As a result, when it does release it floods the system and causes the crash.
I now take Acarbose (to slow down the emptying of the stomach) and Byetta injections to do the same. I will go on a continuous glucose monitor to determine if that would be a useful tool to avoid the highs and lows.
Unfortunately, I now have to take seizure meds as well.
I think the docs are doing the very best they can but admittedly, I am a puzzle. I am dealing with Northwestern University in Chicago. Next step - I will get in to the dietician to learn how to use the glycemic index as a form of control (it certainly can't hurt)
Thanks,
Peggy
It's called nesidioblastosis. The beta cells of the pancreas create way too much insulin for what our body really needs. I had 60% of my pancreas removed last year for this at Mayo Clinic. Part of my pancreas was secreting 5 times more insulin on stimulation than it's baseline. Twice is diagnostic.
The definitive test is a calcium stimulation test. You receive some IV sedation and they insert a catheter into your femerol vein and artery. They thread it up to your panceas and stimulate the 3 different parts of the pancreas with calcium. At the same time they drawn insulin levels from each section.
I've heard lately that they think it is caused by too rapidly emptying of the stomach into the intestines. And now, they are starting to recommend a restrictive procedure to slow that down rather than a distal pancreatectomy. Wish I had known that last year!
My blood sugar is fine if I don't eat. But, alas, we must. I still have low blood sugar episodes almost daily, but not nearly as severe. Since surgery last summer, my lowest has been 48 and I've been in the 50's a couple times. Most frequently, I'm in the low 70's when I'm having an issue. I feel the best in the low 90's. Around 82, I can start to feel it.
I tend to eat about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I try to stay away from simple carbs. Altho, sometimes even protein will make me drop. There doesn't seem to be much pattern to it. One day I will drop on a protein shake, but not on peanut M & M's. Go figure. Not that I eat M & M's very often but jeez, once in a while, they really call my name!
This is a progressive disease. So even tho they took 60% of my pancreas, and I'm doing so-so now, doesn't mean that it will stay that way.
It also makes it very hard to lose weight. I have gained about 15 pounds because of this. My WLS doc is still pleased with my loss and says that the regain is within normal limits. BUT I DON'T LIKE IT! I also have issues when I exercise. Sometimes I will drop 20-30 points and other times my BS will actually go up. It makes it really hard to figure out how to manage it.
Lyn
The definitive test is a calcium stimulation test. You receive some IV sedation and they insert a catheter into your femerol vein and artery. They thread it up to your panceas and stimulate the 3 different parts of the pancreas with calcium. At the same time they drawn insulin levels from each section.
I've heard lately that they think it is caused by too rapidly emptying of the stomach into the intestines. And now, they are starting to recommend a restrictive procedure to slow that down rather than a distal pancreatectomy. Wish I had known that last year!
My blood sugar is fine if I don't eat. But, alas, we must. I still have low blood sugar episodes almost daily, but not nearly as severe. Since surgery last summer, my lowest has been 48 and I've been in the 50's a couple times. Most frequently, I'm in the low 70's when I'm having an issue. I feel the best in the low 90's. Around 82, I can start to feel it.
I tend to eat about every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. I try to stay away from simple carbs. Altho, sometimes even protein will make me drop. There doesn't seem to be much pattern to it. One day I will drop on a protein shake, but not on peanut M & M's. Go figure. Not that I eat M & M's very often but jeez, once in a while, they really call my name!
This is a progressive disease. So even tho they took 60% of my pancreas, and I'm doing so-so now, doesn't mean that it will stay that way.
It also makes it very hard to lose weight. I have gained about 15 pounds because of this. My WLS doc is still pleased with my loss and says that the regain is within normal limits. BUT I DON'T LIKE IT! I also have issues when I exercise. Sometimes I will drop 20-30 points and other times my BS will actually go up. It makes it really hard to figure out how to manage it.
Lyn
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