Failure seems so harsh but it is what it is

Hi gang...I'm back.  I hate to have to say it but I'm afraid I've failed at WLS.  I'll never say that my RNY failed but somehow I've failed it.  I called my surgeon last year to start to talk about revision but then an online friend died on the table From a much more severe open procedure and it scared me .  This year with another 20 pounds packed on - despite a 1200 calorie-and-I'm-hungry-all-the-time, running 3 days a week lifestyle...I called and got the paperwork rolling again. Despite my failure, I worked too hard with my RNY to regain it all.

I'm one of the lucky few who have a medication regain (meds I take cause major gain) and I have serious reactive hypoglycemia which can enable me to eat 3 pb sandwiches in 15 minutes when my blood glucose drops (35 or lower are my typicals).  Fortunately I now am with a great endo and neuro who have this well managed so I feel pretty comfortable going for the revision now whereas before getting it under control would have been a complete waste.

So there you have it.  I hang my head.  But I'm back.  I need the group and the support.  Being in this position after having such great success (loss of 100#) sucks.

RNY June 2009 => HW=210  GW=125  LW=108

Present weight = 169

One sandwich has roughly 330 calories (2 slices of bread for 150cal, 180 cal for 2T peanut butter). If you're eating three, that's about a thousand calories knocked out in fifteen minutes; it's very doubtful that you're only taking in 200 in the remaining 23.75 hours of the day.

Perhaps I wasn't clear, I was trying to emphasize the quantity - I'm trying to deal with the lows with medication and diet now as well as glucose tablets rather than food.  The food was how I regained before I knew what to do and got it under some kind of control medically.  I can eat a metric ton when it's low.  The goal obviously is not to let it get low in the first place.

I deal with severe RH at times. It could be as low as low 30...  but I would never eat PB sandwitches...I may eat just PB... Eating 3 sandwitches would guarantee I would get another RH episode app 1 hour after eating them. 

I am glad you have it under control.. But eating food like that is asking for troubles. 

I hope you get good results for whatever your are getting. 

Agreed.  See my reply above.  Eating like that would barely bring mine back up given my levels of activity.  That's why my being unable to lose is baffling but we'll see what my surgeon says I guess.

I do have to agree with some things you wrote. When I was dealing with my RH it was close to imposible to lose weight. When I tried to eat less or exercise - my BS would drop so low and I had to eat carbs or pass out... Plus once my BS would drop low - I had the whole day pretty much over - I would chase my BS all day long..raise it up , fail, raise it up. 

I finally figured out what was causing it.  My diet, my body producing too much insulin in response to foods, and my low adrenal functions. 

With diet - I had to learn what to eat and how much.  I learned very fast what foods would cause my BS to drop - I.e lean proteins like when protein shakes, eggs, processed foods, grains, potatoes (even when I eat that With proteins) 

I had to change what and how much I ate - mainly - increasing fats, normalize proteins, and really reduce carbs... My typical meal have at least 10gr fat, no more than 20 gr proteins and no more than 10 gr of carbs, with less than 5 gr of sugar. My typical snacks are nuts. 

Google food insulin index - some foods (i.e lean proteins ) can cause a significant insulin production and cause RH. I know. Beacuse drinking a protein shake based on water could cause severe RH in me. 

Unfortunately typical advice from medical comunity is to eat more grains, complex carbs with fiber, etc.. That may be ok for a normal person, but for me - the more I tried to eat like that - the worse it was. 

Processed foods - like semingly low carbs protein bars were my killers... The so called "low net carbs" is IMO a marketing gimmick that helps see that products. 

I am not sure what revision you are seeking - and i hope that would help you. But if I were you - I would first try to figure out what is really causing you severe BS fluctuation... 

I don't believe in the word failure. 

Do you track your food?

Are you still going to be on the same medication after a revision surgery? If so what plans do you and the doctors have for being able to lose weight?

What kind of diet are you on to control your reactive hypoglycemia?

What kind of revision does an RnY person get? A DS? 

Good luck.

Deb

Thanks for your reply!  I appreciate it.  Actually I do and have been tracking my food for the past year on My Fitness Pal.  I follow a diet specifically for a type 1 diabetic which keeps my blood sugar levels pretty even.  If I do have something high in carbs I can use my acarbose to waylay the insulin attack that would cause the low.  This is the therapy started when I lived in Israel and then which my endo FINALLY continued once I resettled back in this country.  In between yeah, I had the bad habit of dealing with the lows in panic mode because if I didn't I'd have a grand mal seizure and being a single, newly divorced parent with a young adult child with autism - well, let's just say it was terrifying to me.  It's easy to judge my choices I guess and even I do.  Anyway.  Here I am and despite the diet and running 6-9 miles a week, I gain or stay the same.

as far as revision, im not sure what my surgeon will recommend.  I'm early on in the process and just gathering information at this point. 

I not judging your choices. I think this is a day at a time thing. We all have our path. 

Many post op RnY patients suffer from reactive hypoglycemia. I have since about 18 months out. It can be difficult to manage. For me eating more frequently with small protein meals helped. There is a panic feeling when your blood sugar is low. Your brain wants and needs that energy. 

Again..best of luck.

Deb

Thanks :-)