Question:
Long Term Post Op- Questions About Blood Sugar

I had my Lap RNY in November of 2001. Lately I have been suffering from High Blood Sugar after I eat a meal, some of my numbers are 433, 359, 325, and 243. I had no complications with my surgery, but in March I had a relapse with my heart disease and it caused me to quit work and my blood pressure stays around 80/45 with medication, I also have frequent chest pains, sweating and fatigue. I checked my blood on my husbands monitor, I have no history of diabetes, this week after eating a small bowl of cereal out of curiosity with how I felt, I checked it. Although I have gone from 287 to 155, I have not followed my diet very well and have relized what I can and can't eat. Is my blood sugar spiking from some sugars and carbohydrates I may be eating, or is this a doctor issue? I think I may have found some of the cause to my chest pains and sweating that I thought was my heart.    — colers (posted on June 15, 2003)

June 15, 2003
I haven't had my surgery yet, it's not until 9/10, however I've been diabetic for over 20 years. I can only advise you on the blood sugars. I would definately keep a log of what the numbers are, time of day, food eaten, etc. and let your doctor look at it. Those levels you listed are nothing to fool around with, however I don't know if it's because of what you ate. My advice is talk to your doctor to be safe. Nancy
   — nancysho

June 15, 2003
Two things about blood sugar numbers. Test your blood in the AM before you eat or drink anything. Normal is around 75; more than 140 is of concern. Ask your regular doctor or your surgeon, whoever does your regular blood test to add an A1C test. It will give you a number indicating your average blood sugar over the last 3 months. It does not require fasting. Are you taking meds to lower or raise your PB? Many people would be unconscious with such low numbers.
   — Janis D.

June 15, 2003
Call your doctor tomorrow. Do NOT wait. Your blood sugar should never be as high as the numbers you are seeing. Anything over 140, no matter when, is cause for some concern. Please take this seriously. High blood sugars cause all the nasty long-term complications of diabetes, including stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, neuropathy, and so on. This is not something to mess around with. Please trust me on this. I have had Type 1 diabetes for 37 years, so I know whereof I speak.
   — garw

June 15, 2003
I am not diabetic, but my husband is Type II. At one point, his blood sugar level had spiked into the 600's, and nothing was bringing it down. He was constantly thirsty, and constantly peeing, and was light-headed. I took him to the emergency room, where they discovered that he was severely dehydrated and how high his blood sugar level was. They also discovered that he had some sort of infection, which they said was feeding into the high sugar level, and in turn, the high sugar level was feeding into the infection. So in his case, it was a vicious circle. They super-injected him with insulin and kept him overnight with the IVs in him to rehydrate him. You should DEFINITELY see your doctor immediately, and if he/she is not available, get yourself to an emergency room. Diabetes is nothing to take lightly!
   — sunneegirl

June 16, 2003
Rene, don't panic! First, make sure the machine is calibrated correctly. (Has it been tested with hi and low solutions lately?) Then, check a fasting blood sugar - check it first thing in the morning and record it. Then check another blood sugar about an hour after you eat. Then, check your blood sugar two hours after that. What you may find is that your blood sugar spikes very high after you eat, then drops very low after about 2 hours (which could account for your symptoms). This may be due to TOO MUCH insulin being pumped out. Typically called hyperinsulinemia, it can be a precursor to diabetes, and Glucophage and/or other meds can help decrease the up and down swings of blood sugar levels. If you body senses that the insulin is not getting into the cells as it should, it goes into "overdrive" to produce way more insulin than is really needed. (Been there, myself!) Of course, as the others have mentioned, you may be past this stage and into diabetes. I would check blood sugars and record them like this for a few days and show them to your doctor, who can better interpret them. Be sure to write down what you had to eat before you do the blood sugar. Also, in addition to the HbA1c, ask to have a fasting INSULIN level checked.
   — koogy