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So, I have had reactive hypoglycemic since I was a teenager..absent of diabeties...so when we are talking about "late dumping", is that what we are talking about, and if so, why do they call it dumping?

A deal is a deal! You did your part. Now for mine. I have had reactive hypoglycemia about five times over almost two years. On two or three of those occasions I ate an orange (and a small square of year old chocolate that my wife found somewhere the first time I had it). Symptoms have always disappeared completely in 20-30 minutes. In the case of the most recent problem, we were out of fruit and the closest thing at hand was a Protein bar with 17g of carbs, 2g of sugar and 4g of sugar alcohol. It also did the trick and symptoms were gone in 20-30 minutes. But now your PCP has me wondering. Fruit is considered a "simple" carb as opposed to a "complex" carb. I have read that including complex carbs in five to six meals a day will help to avoid hypoglycemia. The idea being that complex carbs take longer to digest and help keep blood sugars at a desirable level over a longer period of time. In other words, complex carbs will help you avoid hypoglycemia in the first place. Makes perfect sense. But it raises the question if doctors make the same complex carb recommendation if you are already hypoglycemic? It's too late to avoid it. The question is how to resolve it? And I would add resolve it as quickly as possible (it's definitely not pleasant)! My understanding is that simple carbs are digested more quickly, which raises blood sugar levels more quickly, which in turn should resolve the hypoglycemia - more quickly. Now to be my own devil's advocate - I have often wondered if eating too much simple carbs while hypoglycemic has the risk of creating a yo-yo effect. In other words if you ate two or three oranges, hypoglycemia would be temporarily resolved, but blood sugars could spike again, and then crash AGAIN in response to the increased insulin prompted by the spike. So you're right back to being hypoglycemic. I have never experienced this scenario but on the surface of it, the logic would seem sound. Hopefully someone a lot smarter than me will weigh in on this!

I am absolutely not a doctor but I have experienced late dumping several times. Twice after eating white rice, once from eating a baked potato (both simple carbs) and in all cases about two to three hours following eating. Late dumping is usually the result of reactive hypoglycemia. The first time I had it I checked my blood sugar and it was 37. The majority of folks (about two-thirds) who experience dumping experience early dumping. The remaining one-third experience late dumping. And it's important to remember that many never experience dumping at all. Here are a couple of links, one from WebMD and the second one from the University of Rochester Medical Center describing dumping (including late dumping). There are many more. http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/dumping-syndrome-causes-foods-treatments http://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=134&ContentID=107

Its like once I realized I can eat more foods then I could. My mom (and another therapist) made a deal with me that I live over the summer rent free if I just get out two hours a day instead of being locked up in the house like I usually do. So I did. A friend worked at a coffee shop, I thought it was nice and cozy, and started getting drinks there. So I developed a habit of relating to going outside = spending money, because otherwise....why go outside? I dont know if that makes any sense.. I at max get 40oz of Water a day, usually 20oz. I know, I know. Its hard. :|. Ive basically been living off of greek yogurt, soup, and eggs since I started puree. Now none of that fills me up. Sure its head hunger maybe, but that **** used to fill me up plenty before. I would feel sick eating 6oz of it instead of 4, now I can probably eat 12oz of yogurt and maybe feel sick. I know its bad because I only come on here when I have truble and it feels selfish but I really dont know who else to go. Im doing the right thing by being proactive with a therapist. Maybe not proactive, but I am being reactive, and reacting fast (instead of waiting for another week to spiral out of control....). Im going to put the Cookies and **** I bought down the garbage disposal. That way I will never get to it..

I had my sleeve April 4 in June I had an episode in a grocery story were I passed out. The episode happened twice in about a 45 min period. Went to the hospital all tests were normal. I chalked it up to waiting to long to eat but followed up with my primary care. She did a 3 hour glucose test and found within an hour my insulin level went from 10 at fasting to 211, for those not aware that's and unheard of level, which she has seen one other time and that was in someone who had also had Bariatric surgery but she was 2 years post op not 3 months. She put me on metformin hoping to regulate and I ate about every 3 hours. I thought it was takin care of until out of nowhere I had another episode a few weeks ago and have felt pretty poorly since. I can never catch a sugar drop at least not at levels I believe should make me pass out. I get a continuous glucose monitor this week to wear for a week and have an endocrinologist appt at the end of the month. I can't find much research on this issue but my doc did give me an article about it. Essentially your body thinks its starving so it over reacts to food it gets producing too much insulin dropping your blood sugar ( sort of reactive hypoglycemia but a more intense reaction). And can actually cause your pancreas to grow. I am so pumped about my weight loss ( 80 lbs in 5 months) but I did this to be healthier too and I have followed surgeons/ nuts instructions to a T and feel very discouraged by this development. Has any one else experienced this? Essentially it's nothing I am doing wrong it's just a negative reaction my body has decided to have following surgery. But again not much research out there so I thought maybe some of you may have insight.

If I can lose 25 more pounds by January 22 2014 I will be EXACTLY where I want to be in terms of pace of weight loss. On that day, this year I had my surgery. I have about 21 weeks (or 145 days) to make this happen. Completely doable but I have to really try, because the days of dropping pounds without effort are behind me. I never really had what I would call a honeymoon period, I always had to try, but around month 6 or 7 I really noticed a slow down and I really had to increase my efforts to maintain a weight loss of a pound or two per week. SO, as with anything, a game plan is helpful. Up until this point I have done very little in the way of exercise. Please don't crucify me for that, I just hate getting sweaty, I dunno what to say. HOWEVER, I have set my mind to getting over it and Monday I begin my couch to 5K program. In about an hour my husband and I are going to reactivate our 24hour fitness (supersport, because I'm a spoiled brat) membership. Couch to 5k is three days a week, and I am still looking for something to do for the other 4 days a week in the gym, because I don't do well if I show up without a plan. I do plan on utilizing the pool, but I'm not a good swimmer and sometimes I feel like I do more fiddling around in there than actually burning calories. Maybe I'll look into classes or something. I'm not very outgoing so sometimes the group type settings make me a touch uncomfortable but I can get over that. I don't know, I'm open to suggestions.

I still have restriction but nothing like I did. I used to eat 4 bites and then feel so full. Then around 18 months like 5 oz now I can eat a full burger. Not like a huge restaurant one but a fast food one. Eat pretty healthy. Mostly nuts, cheese, meat veggies but I do have whatever I want in moderation. It's just not my daily diet. It's def harder to maintain the further out I get I'm not hungry but I just can eat so my h more do I have to be more cautious of what I eat. I weigh every day because of this and try to eat dense Protein at each meal so I get full faster. I still do a protein shake each day for bfast. I also now have pretty crappy Iron levels. Just did labs Saturday. I also now have reactive hypoglycemia due to eating small amounts so I have watch my sugars. Y eating very balanced food not high sugar n not going too long without food

I still have restriction but nothing like I did. I used to eat 4 bites and then feel so full. Then around 18 months like 5 oz now I can eat a full burger. Not like a huge restaurant one but a fast food one. Eat pretty healthy. Mostly nuts, cheese, meat veggies but I do have whatever I want in moderation. It's just not my daily diet. It's def harder to maintain the further out I get I'm not hungry but I just can eat so my h more do I have to be more cautious of what I eat. I weigh every day because of this and try to eat dense Protein at each meal so I get full faster. I still do a Protein shake each day for bfast. I also now have pretty crappy Iron levels. Just did labs Saturday. I also now have reactive hypoglycemia due to eating small amounts so I have watch my sugars. Y eating very balanced food not high sugar n not going too long without food

I've tried going on the weight watchers diet and I followed the meal plans, I managed to gain 6 pounds lol. But, I also have hypo thyroidism so I think thats why I gained weight. The whole cutting of the stomach scares me to pieces, lap band is no longer an option, too many side effects. Its a good thing I have 4 more months. But, I do feel that I'm on yo yo dieting so the sleeve will probably be my only option. Thank you so much.

That level you're reporting, it's your TSH? Or something else? if Tsh, Your thyroid is hyperactive at that range which should help weight loss. "normal" ranges are between 1-5. Anything under, is hyper, anything higher is hypo. But many, many people are symptomatic at 2 or less. I have to be close to 1 otherwise I have trouble. Get a copy of the blood test because they also measure T3 and free T3 and those ranges are different.

I was diagnosed with hypoparathyroidism about 4 yrs ago when my kidneys stopped playing nice and went into renal failure because my blood serum calcium levels dropped off the chart. Any doctor worth his salt will not do a sestamibi scan because it's a 50/50 shot on being conclusive. An MRI or CT scan is the only certain way for a conclusive diagnosis. They say it is not hereditary yet 4 in my family have PT disease. Two of us are high, two are low. Mine is manageable by taking Calcitrol (Rx) and calcium (OTC) daily. My aunt on the other hand is hyper, had a thumb size tumor and 3 of the 4 PT glands removed. Your body can still function fine with one (sometimes even a half) PT gland. It hasn't been an issue for me but I have had to modify my lifestyle a bit. I drink almost all water now and have to manage my schedule. When I get super busy and stressed and do not rest like I should, my system acts up and I get a kidney infection every time. With it usually comes the tingling in the fingers and leg cramps...it's just part of the territory. But, as long as I take my medicine and get plenty of rest I'm fine. It's a strange disease because most people dont even know they have a PT gland until it acts up, but it's completely manageable regardless if your hyper or hypo. I wouldn't let it effect your decision to continue with WLS unless you surgeon specifies so.

My oldest daughter has it. It was brought on by the birth of her first child 4 years ago, she is 40 so she had her babies late. They medicated her than her thyroid went the other way. But she no longer has the buggy eyes. Her doctor said many times it is brought on my some sort of trauma to the system in her case it was having a baby. She did have to have invetro to have her 2 babies. However it does run in the family, she has a cousin on her dad's side who also has it. Strange thing in all of this is my other two daughters have hypo thyroid, So they all 3 have problems with their thyroid and I do not and their dad did not.

Thanks ladies, I didn't touch my band at all while I was pregnant it stayed the same since I didn't have any problems during pregnancy. However I recently moved to Oklahoma from California I will be going out to Cali in November so maybe I can schedule a visit w/ my LB dr and talk about it that will be my one year mark with nursing so maybe I can get a fill then. I've been getting impatient and hate seeing my old self creep back. My baby only nurses and is eating some solids now but would it be a bad idea to do the two day liquid two day soft food thing to "reactivate" the band? And does anyone know if that works?

I had my first fill on 7/3/13. I went to Jamaica for a week, 7/21/13 thru 7/28/13. I did not gain or lose weight. I ate almost within the guidelines. After my fill, I am starving most of the time, 4 ozunces just does not seem to do it. Thanks to support groups like this, is how I obtain information. How do you get in the required daily protein requirement? Should you still drink a protein shake? I was banded on 5/24/13 and have lost 45 pounds. I practice eating slowly and notice I do not get heartburn as much. I found out if i drink at least 64 ozunces of water it sometimes help with the hunger. Prior to surgery, I was taking insulin 4 times a day and oral medication. Now I take one dose of long acting medication and oral medication. sometimes i experience hypo-glycemic episodes. I planning to call my surgeon's office today. I do not have any idea how much is in my band. I have started to impiement an exercise program. I do have more energy. I appreciaate any thoughts or advice. I am so thankful/grateful for this site. My grand-children are happy,their grandmother can do things with them.

Oh, I guess I wasn't clear - I have no interest in the lap band. I've been doing lots of research and I'll be honest - I never thought I would ever be considering WLS. It wasn't until recently that I had even heard of VSG and what I've read about it makes me think it is a very viable option. I guess it just bums me out to realize that even though it seems like I am a prime example of someone who could be greatly helped by VSG (BMI of 48.something with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre diabetic, depression, and a history of sudden cardiac death in my family) but my insurance doesn't care about all that and would rather take a reactive rather than proactive approach to my health.

i have been HYPO thyroid since I was 16 (i am 44 now)... since surgery a year ago my level has been decreasing ....its down to 0.6 as of Monday lowest it's been in YEARS! ....(it has been up to 30.2 in previous years) and I am stable on my medication which is the lowest dose in 30 years! My dr told me just yesterday that she wanted to watch it close in the next 6-8 months because if my weight goes down more I may have to stop the meds....so I dont get hyperthyroid.

From: http://www.stopafib.org/causes.cfm In addition, atrial fibrillation can also happen to otherwise healthy people, especially when they are stressed or fatigued, have had too much caffeine or alcohol, have smoked, or have exercised too much. Other causes that are frequently mentioned include heart and other medications, recreational drugs, air pollution, chemicals and pesticides, and H. Pylori, which is often associated with ulcers. Another known risk factor is having too much or too little of some minerals in your body, such as Calcium, magnesium, or potassium. It is becoming more and more common at younger ages, including young people in their teens and twenties. Being overweight is often mentioned as a risk factor for afib, but normal and underweight people have it, too. One woman's doctor attributed her atrial fibrillation to weight, and it went away briefly after her gastric bypass surgery, but it soon returned, triggered by a sinus infection. We are now learning from a number of studies about atrial fibrillation in families as recent research has found genetic clues about why afib runs in some families. To learn more, see Mayo Clinic Finds Gene Mutation Responsible for Atrial Fibrillation That Runs in Families and New Genetic Cause of Atrial Fibrillation Found. About half of afib patients have obstructive sleep apnea, a stronger correlation than between afib and any other risk factors. There is also a high correlation between sleep apnea and other heart diseases, as sleep apnea is correlated with high levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that indicates the possible presence of heart disease. It's also possible that afib may cause sleep apnea as well. Afib, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity all appear to be related conditions, so as we see a surge in obesity, we can expect to see more afib and obstructive sleep apnea, too.4

I love all of the advice from people that have no clue! LOL! PCOS cravings are kicking, not sure what has reactivated the pcos, but it defiantly needs to go away! Unless you have the PCOS cravings you have absolutely no clue what I am going through. It is a stronger intensity than what a pregnant women has. It is not an excuse it is a fact, so unless you have a clue don't give your snobbish opinions. I am still waiting to hear back about my port revision. My foot is healed and I can walk again and work out again. Since I don't seem to have restriction I am going back to protein shake diet. I need to loose the weight that I have gained this summer while I was not able to work out. If you want to read more here is my blog! http://tinkrisegrind.blogspot.com/2013/07/still-waitingcarb-cravings-are-huge.html

I'm confident it will come off and I'm very happy with how I feel and my progress. I am a post-menopausal woman with hypo-thyroidism who is almost 54yrs old. I've lost 29lbs in eight weeks and I can see a huge difference. I've gone from a tightly fitting size 22 to a comfortable fitting sz18 and hope to fit in sz16 by summer's end. I am not discouraged or impatient at all, merely curious. :-) I am curious if, among the other factors I mentioned, age or menopause has anything to do with the rate of weight loss. I see some people who lose 75-80lbs in the first few months and others who average 30-40 in the same time frame. I was wondering if there is a reason, or maybe several reasons, for the vastly different rates of weight loss. So curiosity and boredom (it's been raining) have been the reasons behind my question. :-)

I have hypo thyroid and I was sleeved on June 17 ad I have lost 37 pounds just in the first month!

My doctor was really stingy with narcotics, which I found irritating as a practitioner who was trained that God gave us drugs for a reason, and nobody should suffer when we have the medication to help them. That said, that was only immediately post-op and the day or so after. After that, I was able to control my pain with Tylenol and ketoralac (Aleve would be a similar, over-the-counter option), and was quite happy to do so to avoid the side-effects and the risks around narcotics. Make sure drugs like aleve, ketoralac and ibuprofen (NSAIDs) are okay with your doctor before you take them, though. If you don't have any liver problems, taking 650 mg of Tylenol every 4 hours whether you need it or not is recommended by some doctors, to keep an even amount of pain control. And "splinting", i.e. pushing a small pillow or a folded towel against your abdomen when you sit up or stand up is also very helpful in preventing that pain. Like I said, I am very pro-drug, but you've worked very hard to get clean and stay clean, and you're going to have enough challenges in the months coming up, you don't need to reactivate your addiction. In fact, if you haven't told your doctor about it, think about telling them now, so that there's no risk of them prescribing to you. If it only hurts when you sit up, splinting WILL help, and the pain will get better remarkably fast as your body heals itself. Congratulations on your recovery, and for looking for alternative ways to treat your pain. 4 years is no small feat. I'm impressed! If you can do that, you'll do great with the sleeve.

It's Reactive Hypo or Hyper Gylcemia

I've finally decided to write down how I feel, and it was NOT a fun time.. I'm 8 days post op down 13 ish lbs, and overall doing pretty good, but my mind is being torn into places I have never imagined. I've spent basically 1/3 of my life being obese, since I was maybe 13-14, and I TRULY HONESTLY don't know how I got here. I know some people say that to cover up a habit or an obsession but I swear to all that is holy I do not remember how this STARTED. I remember being "normal" at 13 and then I remember being "big boned" at 15 and I remember being 225-250lbs at 16. I hit puberty VERY early, between 9 and 10, and shortly after I developed huge boobs. Sorry to be blunt but I was 10 with a B cup and they've never stopped growing. Aside from the busty chest I wasn't big anywhere else. My family didn't have money to eat out, it would almost only be on special occasion. My mom would work nights as a cook (a damn good one) and my dad would work until 5 or 6 as a well driller, so when my mom left at 3 she would either have supper started or to the point where it just had to be put in the oven. And when I say she was a good cook I mean the kind that could make you cry. She ALWAYS had balanced meals, fruit, veggie, meat. A few typical meals would be spaghetti, green Beans, and watermelon. Or roast, potatoes, carrots. Or steaks(we are huge grillers), baked potatoes and asparagus. We weren't picky kids, aside from not liking onions or spicy food or little preferences like that. My mom is tiny, she's 52 and a size 7. She wears bikinis and looks smoking hot. No cellulite no stretch marks, she's gorgeous. My dad is the picture of health, aside from genetic thyroid problems and some hearing loss. He's maybe 180lbs and ripped. My sister was borderline anorexic through high school maybe tipping the scale at 150 when she was pregnant. And my brother got chubby about the same time that I did, but has since lost all extra weight (due to drug issues) and is "normal". We didn't have much money for Snacks in our house either, fruit was always accessible and vegetables were usually grown fresh so we had plenty. Every once in a while there were potato chips or pop tarts or Cereal but these things were eaten for Breakfast and only breakfast. It's just what you did. When wed get home from school we'd have a snack, an apple, a fruit snack, a bowl of chips, something. But never to the amount of excess because it just wasn't allowed. We regularly had pop available to us but my mom would only buy 2 liters so we had enough for maybe a glass a day for 3 days and then it was gone for a few weeks. School lunches I ate what was given and never took seconds (couldn't afford it), which were the basic meat veggie fruit bun milk lunches. Anyway, my story could go on forever but the point of me telling you this is because I just don't UNDERSTAND how I got this way, when MILLIONS of children had my exact upbringing and are of "normal" size. I had the sleeve surgery to help with weight loss. I had lost weight on my own before, but never enough to make a difference, to make me healthier, to get pregnant. So I got the sleeve as a TOOL to help me relearn to eat. I am 100% positive that once I get to a manageable weight I could get rid of the sleeve (impossible I know) and be a-ok for the rest of my life and stay on track with a healthy lifestyle. I have developed a hypo thyroid due to genetics, as well as PCOS, and high blood pressure, no doubt due to my weight. So for me, losing weight isn't as easy as those without the thyroid issue. No I am not blaming my thyroid but it is a big part of the problem!!! Since having the surgery I lay awake for 40-48 hours at a time and search (this forum) for foods like French fries, starburst, ice cream, and I try to reason and investigate why I got to where I am. I am completely closed off with the world. My husband has only known me as obese, my family is just as confused as I am as to why I got this big, and my friends love me no matter what but of course they're all stick thin so I don't bother venting to them. I am made sick at night thinking about WHY I had to resort to the sleeve. As happy as I am, WHY was this my only option? WHY couldn't I lose weight like others? WHY did I have such extreme options when it came to getting healthier. I need a friend. I need someone who can help me come to grips with WHY this decision HAD to be made (and I do believe that it HAD to be made). This is my last resort. I support the sleeve and I believe in it but how do I go on living my life with half a stomach and continue to have confidence in myself when I couldn't even lose weight by myself? I had to cut myself to pieces because I COULDN'T DO IT. Sorry for the long rant, hopefully someone will read this ridiculously long post and feel the same way I do. And maybe offer some support. SW: 324 DOSW: 322 CW: 311 surgery date-7/10/13 Sent from my iPhone using VST

Hello, my name is Audree. I was banded in January of 2007, so over 6 years ago. My surgery was done in Mexico by Dr. Ariel Ortiz. I am a self pay lower bmi bandster. I also have the Inamed 4cc band, low profile port. My highest weight before surgery was about 195. My lowest was about 160 and I am now a little up in weight at 175 or so. Its been a few years since I was able to go back to see him for a check up or fill, so I can eat with almost no restriction. The only exception to this is right before my cycle, if I am stressed or eat to fast. I had originally been on this board even before I got banded in 2007 under the screen name Babygotback. I tried to reactivate my old account but was unable to, so I created this new one. I recently got married and have a new insurance. I was happy to find out that I could be seen here for check ups and fills by my new doctor in the States Dr. Phillippe Quilici in Burbank. I had my band checked and they said it was fine. I got a .5 fill which supposedly put me at 3.5 I thought they said. I felt very little restriction. So, I am going back this month on the 24th to get another fill. I am excited to use my band again after all this time and finally get down to my goal of 150.

Jen, let me say thanks for doing that study! I think there are a lot of things that are still unknown about the band and why it works for some people and yet not for others. Part of the reason is that I think obesity is not just a physical issue it is a mental and emotional one as well. I am fairly new to the band, but I can tell there are days when it is not just the physical feeling of having the band. There are aspects to the way it affects the nervous system both the central nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system or the reactive emotional nervous system. Finding that delicate balance for each of us is not an easy task. Everyone's "green zone" is as different and diverse as each one of us and seems to change as we do. So what worked for you before the study may have shifted a bit, and needs a little tailoring till you find that balance again. You're doing amazing and thanks again for taking the time and the challenge of that study to help all the rest of us learn more about the band and how it works.