Unsure and need advice

OK, I really need advice please. My co-workers keep telling me to listen to my body but they have not experienced this surgery so I'm not sure if I should listen to them. I have 2 issues. 1st, I think I have reactive hypoglycemia. Sometimes after I eat a meal like lunch or dinner I get a dry mouth, I get warm, I start feeling "funny" like I'm need to lay down or I'm going to faint. And I feel my heart beat. 2nd, other times I can barely get 3 or 4 bites of something and I feel full. I feel like I should not eat another bite. I know it's not enough protein but I feel like if I keep eating I will be sick. Sometimes this happens with my RTD protein drink. I'm trying to figure out what is going on. My co-workers want me to call the Dr and have a scope or something to figure out if I have scar tissue or something that is making me unable to eat what I should be eating at 10 months out. They also want me to get the glucose test to see if it's reactive hypoglycemia. I don't want to pay for those test right now but I want to be "normal" whatever that is for us. Any suggestions?

Koko, I don't know about reactive hypoglycemia other than what I have read on the boards.  I think it is more when you haven't eaten instead of when you have.  Like going too long without eating.  Sounds more like you are just reacting to whatever it was you ate, maybe ate too fast or didn't chew well enough.  I feel kind of like that if I eat too much, too fast, etc.  Papaya enzymes seem to help when it happens.

The second issue, I think is just normal RNY for some folks.  We were told to stop eating whenever we felt full.  Wish I could say I ALWAYS did that but I try to.  Usually it is when I am eating but drinks can do it if they are too close to a full meal.  For me, seems to be after I have eaten supper at say 7 and at 9-9:30 I am doing my protein shake.  Sometimes it just doesn't want to go down even though it has been over 2 hrs with nothing.  Cold seems to do it more than hot stuff but tonight, it happened with my protein chocolate cake.  2 bites and I was in pain.

Others will chime in but both sound pretty normal, the new normal, to me.

I agree with Price that reactive hyp. would happen if you haven't eaten.  I get a little shakey and strange feeling if I need fluids too.   

t sounds more like dumping to me.  At 3 years out I still can only have 1 or 2 very small bites of sweets like cake,  1/2 cookie, no gravy at all, very little fat, or my heart starts racing, I feel like I'm having a major heat flash and laying down is the only thing that helps.  I also react like this to artificial sweetners.  I was drinking a lot of ice tea with equal and it got so bad I thought I was going through menopause again but then I realized it happened every time I dran**** tea.   

I rely on Protein drinks to get my Protein in and I think that's why I still have a lot of restriction.  Do you have a sign for fullness?  I get the hiccups but  there are other signs like a  runny nose.  I use to get upset when I hiccuped but now smile and I thank God I still have restriction.

Sample meals for me are
3 or 4 bites of Protein and a TBS. of something else  
A small Wendy's chili.  I
McDonalds:   1/2 a cheeseburger and 3 fries
KFC:  1 grilled thigh and 2 bites of cole slaw
1/2 can of Campbell's soup

I eat about 6 times a day and drink at least 4 Protein drinks.

Are you throwing up? I think with a stricture you even get to the point that liquids won' t go down. Some days I can eat a lot and some days a couple of bites and I am done. I have read that you can get cottage cheese and see how much you can eat of that to see how your pouch is - up to a cup.
The other sounds more like dumping to me too. I also get this feeling if I don't wait a full 45 minutes to drink after I eat.
Hope you get it figured out soon . If you want to post your meals on Roz's menus and miles we can take a look at them.
Linda

How soon after you eat are you feeling bad?  Reactive Hypoglycemia takes 1 to 1 1/2 hours to "hit" you.  If its happening immediately it could be dumping, or reacting to what you ate.  Are you sensitive to sugars, fats, etc?  I was at your stage. 

As far as 3-4 bites - I can still have that 3 years out and don't mind a bit!  Like Roz I enjoy knowing I still have restriction and my "tool" is still working for you.  Definitely listen to your body during those times and don't push for "one more bite".  THAT will make you sick...

Take Price's advice for the papaya enzymes.  They were a lifesaver to me for the first year or so. 

It sounds like you've had some good advice.  Just be sure you chew well, take small bites and don't drink with your meals. 

Thanks everyone. I was told that it was probably reactive hypoglycemia but I was unsure. It's happening within 10 minutes after I eat. It's a strange feeling. The problem is that it happens when I eat things that I have had before. It happened when I ate a 1/4 chicken wrap and about 3 or 4 french fries this time. I tried to go without white carbs but it really slowed my weight loss down, so I eat a little carbs and I keep loosing. The problem with eating could be my bites are too big or not chewing well as you suggested. I bet I have gone back to my old eating. I will try to slow down and take smaller bites. It's hard to remember if I'm talking to someone or working. I guess it's back to basics. My hubby likes to joke that I got my money's worth with this surgery. I can't eat sweets at all, I can only eat a few bites, I have all of the side effects. LOL Thanks everyone.

 Im guessing its the high fat content Koko ....  thats setting U off.   I ALWAYS dump on  fatty foods .. and restaurant foods 9 times out of ten are FATTY .  Fast food , with the sort of kind of  exception of Wendy's chili ( which is STILL  made with pink slime ... even defatted overnight) .. is ALWAYS  fatty . 

needless to say  fried things are ESPECIALLY   fatty - and fried carbs 

when i go to a restaurant I always ask for no mayo , no dressing  ..and choose a sandwich that  has minimal mayonnaise  and no fried  " patties "  or "mystery meatballs "  in it ... of course this makes things dry and THAT can be hard to chew and swallow too.

But if Ure eating fast food ... i really hate to say this ...  longterm...  you can expect much less of a loss  and  also expect  HUGE eventual regain ... 

I  simply don't know anyone  who eats fast food with any regularity who  doesnt complain how ineffective WL surgeries   are ! 

I bet your correct. It was not fast food though. I met friends at a sit down restaurant. I rarely eat fast food unless I absolutely have to because it doesn't agree with me at all. It's either too dry or doesn't have enough protein. The thing that got me was I had this meal a few times before and I thought it was safe. Someone did mention that dumping was like that, you can eat something several times with no problem but the next time dump. I'm such a under eater that I try to make sure that I eat regularly because I have no problems skipping meals. I try to stick to salads and wraps as I was advised before. I guess I will try to watch out for the fat content as well. Thanks for the advice.

Koko...

I HAVE reactive hypoglycemia (one reason I avoided the RNY) and have had it for years within my diabetes.

If it's happening quickly (within 30 mins) it's probably dumping. RH takes 30 mins to 3+ hours to present itself depending on what you ate and how fast you digest food. For all the articles I have to date on the RNY and RH, see my blog on here, dates May 20th and May 26th.

For the medical information on Reactive Hypoglycemia, go here. Toward the bottom, it talks about having RH without being diabetic.

Your co-workers are incorrect as to how to find out if you have RH these days, the GTT is outdated and no longer needed.

Diagnosis
To diagnose reactive hypoglycemia, the doctor may

• ask about signs and symptoms
• test blood glucose while the patient is having symptoms by taking a blood sample from the arm and sending it to a laboratory for analysis^*
• check to see whether the symptoms ease after the patient's blood glucose returns to 70 mg/dL or above after eating or drinking

A blood glucose level below 70 mg/dL at the time of symptoms and relief after eating will confirm the diagnosis.

The oral glucose tolerance test is no longer used to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia because experts now know the test can actually trigger hypoglycemic symptoms.

You can actually test using a glucometer and test strips yourslef. Whole blood like that from a test tube is a better indicator tho...however, most of us have normal blood readings unless we are in the middle of an attack.

Hope this helps you figure out what is going on.

Liz

You are correct, it's dumping. It's different than the information that's in your articles. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on and fix it if I can. It's so much easier for me not to eat at all that I'm trying to stay positive with this. I'd like to be able to go with my friends and have something to eat at most restaurants. I will keep trying. It helps to know what it is so I know how to react. Thank you for all of your help. This was very good info.