Question:
Low Blood Sugar ?????

I was wondering how many people who have had RNY's now suffer from low blood sugar. What are your symptoms ?    — domestic G. (posted on April 24, 2003)

April 23, 2003
Kelly, I do. Not a ton and I was never diabetic. Mine is contributed to eating almost all protein and no carbs. I get very dizzy and faint, only ever so often. To combat this, I eat a good , big breakfast in the morning w/ carbs and I am better. Good Luck, Heather (Open RNY 8-15 - 305/198/150)
   — heathercross

April 23, 2003
I am hypoglycemic, and was before the surgery, so I've been used to dealing with it for many years. It's exacerbated after the surgery if I'm not careful. I get light headed, get intense "body hunger", and generally get weak and shakey. To combat it, I try to be sure I get COMPLEX carbohydrates (whole grains, natural sugars like fruits and some veggies, etc.), and try to carry something like that with me all the time (like individual packets of whole wheat crackers) for "emergencies". Early on, when I was still on all liquids, diluted juice would take care of the shakes. The complex carbs are metabolized differently from the simple carbs, and help to really stablize the blood sugar - you don't get the sugar spike, then the resultant insulin spike (which is causes the blood sugar to drop, and results in the shakiness, weakness, hunger, etc.) that you do with simple carbs. The fact that we are eating so much less after WLS can contribute to episodes of low blood sugar, but they can usually be managed fairly easily.
   — johanniter

April 25, 2003
Hi Kelly, I had this condition pre-op as well. I was always told that eating more protein would help and I did find that eating large amt.s of protein or mostly protein did keep low blood sugar attacks from happening. Since surgery, I have found that my biggest challenge is to eat early in the day, when I don't really feel hungry, so as to avoid the "attacks" Additionally, we need to eat more meals/snacks to keep the levels more constant. May I suggest to you Detour Bars in caramel/peanut? I got them at GNC. I carry one in my purse at all times. The entire bar has 30 grams of protein though you won't be able to eat anywhere near a whole bar at one time. These have helped me a lot. You may also try Atkins bars too, esp if you are trying to watch your carbs. Good luck!
   — Lisa I.