A bad side effect from bariatric surgery

[James Marusek 5,244]

Some individuals that undergo bariatric (gastric bypass) surgery develop a bad side effect. They develop hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). This article describes an extreme case. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/07/31/woman-life-debilitated-from-bariatric-surgery-side-effect/

One of the individuals in my bariatric support group also developed this condition after surgery, although not as severe. He had no history of diabetes prior to the surgery but developed hypoglycemia afterwards.

[fezik23 240]

I have this on occasion since surgery, but never to the point of passing out. It IS unpleasant.

[RJ'S/beginning 5,357]

I have the sleeve and I developed reactive Hypoglycemia after surgery as well. And I have passed out...I have to watch what I eat now all the time..Well it feels like I am eating all the time too.... gee gads!

[par1959 470]

At 8 weeks out I have had 2 bouts with low sugar levels. A bit of fruit juice is a quick fix. I have found that 2 servings of fruit per day keep my sugar level stable. The worst side effect I have experienced is gout in my foot. It been about 6 weeks since I developed gout. It has gotten better but has not totally gone away. I really want to start my couch to 5 training, but dont want to upset the gout. It Fri(*^cking hurts during a flare up.

[Healthy_life2 8,319]

So sorry to hear that low blood sugar is a complication with some that have this surgery.

I'm a diabetic type one. Before surgery my blood sugar would go low with my diet. I feared I would always have to monitor and stabilize low blood sugar with my sleeve. After surgery my blood sugars are well controlled.

[DLCoggin 1,788]

I periodically experience hypoglycemia although not nearly as extreme as the lady in the article. I can invariably trace the cause to something that I ate but the pattern does not seem to be consistent. One day I can eat a high carb meal (for me) and have no problem. Another day I can eat something similar and hypoglycemia occurs two to three hours after eating. I did pass out once following a particularly stupid indulgence of holiday egg nog. But I was only out a matter of seconds and I knew exactly what had happened. Eating just about anything with sugar has me back to normal in about 15 minutes.

I've become pretty good at quickly recognizing the early symptoms before they become increasingly problematic. I carry glucose tablets with me all the time and they are extremely effective at getting my blood sugar back up very quickly.

For those that may be interested, here are two links to articles on post bariatric surgery hypoglycemia. The first link describes a study done at the University of Cincinnati and was published earlier this year. The second link is on a retrospective study done at the Gunderson Health System in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and was published by MedPage Today in May of 2013.

http://uchealth.com/articles/hormone-action-likely-culprit-of-hypoglycemia-after-gastric-bypass-surgery/

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AACE/38905

Edited August 1, 2014 by DLCoggin

[sassy14 178]

I developed reactive hypoglycemia at about 1 year post RNY. I am very careful to eat enough at meals --at least 300 calories. I also eat a high Protein snack if I feel hungry. It's working well. After the first severe reaction--passed out--I can stop it with a drink of something like skim milk or a bite or two of cheese and crackers or apple and Peanut Butter.

It's really scary the first time and now I have controlled it well.