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Thank you everyone. I've been gone for awhile because I got busy again but I got my blood test back and my hemoglobin was low (10.6) and my fasting blood sugar was 106. ???? I still am having the strange sensations of pressure coming down from my head and being dizzy when I stand up. At first, it was just after eating food but now it's after I take my medicine and after I eat food. My PCP still isn't doing anything and my surgeon hasn't called back yet to schedule any test. I see my APRN tomorrow afternoon and I am going to talk to her about the medication and how it's affecting me. I've been on zoloft, wellbutrin, and risperidone since 2011, its not working and it's time for a change. I also took my medical symptoms into my own hands and did some research on it. It seems I really do have reactive hypoglycemia or POTS. Also, my surgeon isn't doing anything about my bleeding because its bright red blood...its not in his "medical jurisdiction". ???? It was dark red one time but that wasn't enough to worry him? I just can't figure out why no one is helping me down here other than the fact I have medicaid and they treat us badly.

I think I have a blood sugar meter somewhere, and I'll try to dig it up. I guess I've been avoiding directly measuring my blood sugar because FWIK non-insulemic hypoglycemia is usually caused by problems with your pancreas, which I do NOT want to contemplate... For now, since the problem seems to be related to/worsened by my caffeine intake, I'm weaning myself (further) off caffeine, and trying to stick with the "many small, protein-heavy meals," and I'm going to try to have a protein-heavy "snack" before bedtime (probably just a Protein shake). Oh, and cardio exercise, since that seems to help people with hypo-g.

Wikipedia states here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia that reactive hypoglycemia "is a medical term describing recurrent episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia occurring within 4 hours[1] after a high carbohydrate meal" It also states "There are different kinds of reactive hypoglycemia:[4] Alimentary Hypoglycemia (consequence of dumping syndrome; it occurs in about 15% of people who have had stomach surgery)" So this it's saying that re-active hypoglycemia is a form of dumping, which I've experienced pre-surgery. You sound like your suffering from low blood sugar as eating relieves your symptoms, although wikipedia terms this as hypoglycemia and it's back to citing dumping again. I'd say you have hypoglycemia in the common usage sense and not the way it's most commonly used in the WLS community. See here for further wiki details: "Hypoglycemia (common usage) is also a term in popular culture and alternative medicine for a common, often self-diagnosed, condition characterized by shakiness and altered mood and thinking, but without measured low glucose or risk of severe harm. It is treated by changing eating patterns." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoglycemia It's something I used to experience more in my skinny teenage years due to not eating enough. The main things are to try and low carb/high protein it and to eat little and often (you have to be vigilant to not get into grazing though). I hope you can get into a better routine with your new job soon.

@@rose1504 Definitely get your Thyroid checked, and not just TSH and T4, but T3 as well. I have Graves Disease (autoimmune thyroid disease), this kept me slim my whole life, till 2014 when it did 180 degree turn, and I was piling on weight at a frightening speed. I went from 60kg to 101kg between 2014 and March 2016. I also developed astonishing sweet cravings during that time, which made a mess of me. Graves is Hyper-thyroid. I had every symptom of this disease, except of bulging eyes and goitre. There is also Hypo-thyroid (under-active), Hashimotos etc which also can really mess with metabolism and general well being. Good luck @@rose1504 I hope you don't have thyroid disease, as I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy ...... Had my both ear Daiths pierced 3 weeks ago, to see if they would help my thyroid migraines and severe headaches. They (the acupressure point piercings) helped me tremendously! I was living almost daily on very strong pain killers. Now, I don't take them, and so those piercings really helped me. I have a huge stock of heavy duty pain killers at home, and now I forget all about them. So, Good Luck with all your tests. Please let us know how you went.

Hello everyone, my name is Terrie and I am one month away from having the Lap-Band Procedure performed. I am scheduled with Dr. Jason Brodsky here in the District of Columbia. I decided to have the procedure performed after my last appointment with my endocrine specialist. My doctor suggested that I consider surgical procedures to aid in my weight loss in an effort to get my thyroid gland functioning normally. I have a condition known to many as hypothyroidism, it is complicated by the fact that despite continued symtoms my blood work routinely fluctuates from hyper to normal to hypo. My thyroid gland is currently twice the normal size. Over a four year period up to 4/2003 I gained an average of 15 to 25 pounds per year despite dieting and exercise. Since I started going to my current thyroid doctor in 4/03 I have gained only 15 additional pounds topping in at a whopping 263 lbs at only 5' 5 1/2''. Well, I have decided that now is when and I started making arrangements for the surgery. I considered (although briefly) having the gastric bypass procedure done with Dr. Fullum (who does not perform the Lap Band) and after one meeting and a ton of research I decided against it and decided the lap band was the best thing for me. Well, this is my story and I look forward to sharing my progess with everyone.

Hi Everyone , I am new to the forum , but I have been reading the post for a while now. I am a 34yr old woman that has battle with weight issues my entire life .My eating disorder progressed when my mom passed and I adopted my siblings(total of 11 children total) I have yo-yo dieted , took every diet pill out there and have even went thru starvation periods to loss weight. Ive even been on various weight loss programs to seeing weightloss counslers. I realized that i needed to do something that was permenant , because if i didnt , i would probably end up killing my self trying to get skinny. I was sleeved on Feb18th,2012 in Mexico with Dr Garcia. Everything was going well up until 2 wks ago when I hit a stall. I lost 18lbs the first 3wks , but have not lost a pound or any inches since . What I think I did wrong was: before my surgery in Mexico , I started the process of going thru my Insurance , but I felt that that process was going to take to long to get approved. While I was working on going thru my insurance( after just to yo dieting again and losing 24lbs ) , I had to actually gain 20lbs (my BMI was to low when i lost the 24lbs) for my insurance company even consider me for the surgery , even with all my illnesses( hypo thyroidism, High Cholestrol, High Blood Pressure, Water retention, etc....) so in the meantime , I started to eat what I wanted to and gained the 20lbs so my insurance would accept me, but while researching a lot about WLS I found out about the the surgery being offered in Mexico and how much it costs . So I felt that it was time to make a change now , so I did. ???? But now , here comes the problem , After my surgery , I felt no hunger, I lost 18lbs post op in the first 3wks and I was happy with the way things were going . ???? However, now at 5 wks and 2 days I am hungry all the time ,I can eat a lot more now . ???? I am at a stall ( for the last 2 wks) . And I am doing everything from eating Protein first, 500-800 calories per day 70-80 g of protein per day ( I even take protein pills 500mg to supplement me not eating meats) to eating 6-8 small meals thru out the day and I almost forgot , I'm taking meds for acid as well ,and I'm drinking 64oz of water per day . The only exercise that I do daily (5 days) is 20mins of walking and around 30 bicep curls and 30 squats per day. ???????????? Nothing major because I'm currently being tested for heart problems , so my doctor advised me to take it easy until I get my results. So can anyone answer this question for me : Did I only loss the 18lbs that I originally gained to have the surgery? Did I mess my self up with purposely gaining the weight for surgery? Can this be fixed? If so , how ? What else can help my hunger ( not head hunger, but stomach hunger)? What can I do to get pass this stall ? SW: 220lbs CW: 202lbs GW: 145lbs HELP..... I messed up Disappointed and Discouraged ????????????

Yes mere. I have high thyroid .. Whatever that is. I just haven't been scheduled for surgery yet. This is my last month for the journey and I meet w the surgeon June 4.. Super excited If you have high thyroid then you have HYPERthyroid. Do you think I'll be approved ? Yes, I don't see why not... SOme docs say that after your surgery maybe your thyroid can resolve itself. It's not a guarantee and I am no doctor but I do read like a mad woman and research everything. If you have hyperthyroid that means you have a super fast metabolism and maybe you will lose weight. Do research it, it's called graves disease, my husband was diagnosed with it (hyperthyroid) and I have the hypothyroid (slow thyroid) maybe opposites do attract. Ask your doc all the questions and then go home and look it up. Take good care of yourself as hyper or hypo affects all of your cells, your entire body and brain. Good luck. I am here for you if you need.

Has any one else been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia after bypass. Just got the diagnosis today. My blood sugar was dropping so low my symptoms made me appear drunk. It finally got to the point it went to low and I passed out. Just wondering if anyone else has gone through this and how they are doing. Thanks

Had my RNY surgery March 9th and have lost 49 lbs but only lost two all last month. I was in hospital 3 days start of July with liver enzyme issues and my TSH (thyroid) numbers had went from hypo to hyperthyroid. Dr took me off synthroid for 3 days and then went back on 1/2 dose (50 mcg). Did that for a week and a half and the mental fog and sluggishness came back. Dr took me off synthroid completely. I go back Aug 20th to have TSH checked again. Could my going on and off and on and off synthroid be causing this drastic slow down in weight loss? I am still 30 lbs from my goal of 160 and was losing 2 lbs a week before this all happened. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's posts and getting some great advice on here!

Yes, that's correct. Same as what I read and Doc told me. It's another young lady last night that didn't know what exactly she was when she wrote I think (I think I'm hyper something) as a patient you must know and be specific with what you have or what you were told. So we all jumped and gave her advice from what we know. I for sure am hypo and my hubby is hyper, trust that I know how it feels but 25 wow, that's super high. Some people can't function not even past a 5... also, I was told different labs have different thresholds for what they think is high. What I love about my new doctor is that he also asked me about all my symptoms. Some doctors don't really sit and listen. That's why I hate doctors at the VA, it's like pulling teeth with them. Glad to know you are doing great!

I was 199 when I decided to be sleeved. I'm 5'2". I've been fighting my weight battle for more than 10 years. I was extremely depressed and unhappy. My knees hurt, my back hurt, and I was pre-diabetic. I've lost 20-30 and gain 40+ more times than I can count. Both my parents are extremely morbidly obese. I could see my future in them and it wasn't pretty. I could guarantee that my weight would only continue to escalate so I decided to be proactive rather than reactive. Why wait and waste more of my life? I needed a weapon for my weight battle, and the sleeve was it. Today I am 138 and feel like I am living for the first time in more than 10 years. I feel healthy, mentally and physically.

I think some people might be confused on the thyroid stuff -- If your TSH level is HIGH, it means you are hypo-thyroid (not enough thyroid hormone). The doctor explained to me that your brain is sending out the message to pump out TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) because your body needs more but your thyroid is not producing enough. If your TSH level is LOW, it means you are hyper-thyroid (getting too much thyroid hormone). Normal levels are down between something like .5 to 5.5 -- when I was first diagnosed hypo-thyroid my level was over 25 (instrument didn't read higher than that) --- so it meant my brain was pumping out tons of TSH to try to get my thyroid to pump out what my body needed but the thyroid was just laying around doing nothing.

i've self-diagnosed myself with reactive hypoglycemia (i think alot of us have on here probably)...aka late dumping syndrome. i noticed it the first time i had (like 2 sips!) of a very sugary drink about 1 month post op. i've had it ever since, though i will say it is not as horrible as it used to be. A bad episode before was like wanting-to-die-on-the-bathroom-floor bad, bad episodes now are me passing out on couch for a couple hours. management of it basically consists of not having too much sugar at one time, or on an empty stomach (note that what "too much" means to me will be different for someone else...so people need to figure out what thier own limits are). as well as having small regular meals throughout the day. unfortunately i don't always do that so, yeah. p.s. i'm 5+ years out.

Following up with a GP is good for general health, but following up with your bariatric surgeon is crucial if you are still having complications from bypass. There are a number of things that can be causing your symptoms, some that can be easily corrected by procedures during an endoscopy. As far as the blood spike, do you mean your blood sugar? Some people that have bypass can develop reactive hypoglycemia which can definitely make your blood sugar levels bounce around and cause fatigue and such. I'm sorry you are feeling bad!

The VSG is somewhat predisposed to reflux, meaning that a greater proportion of those with that surgery will have that problem than the general population. The sleeve reduces the volume of the stomach much more than its' acid producing potential, and sometimes the body doesn't fully adjust to that. The bypass in comparison is predisposed to dumping syndrome, reactive hypoglycemia, marginal ulcers and mineral deficiency disease, so there are trade offs with whatever route one chooses (and with doing nothing, given all of the obesity related diseases that we are trying to avoid!) This is not unusual when we change things in our body - surgery of any kind changes things and sometimes there are negative aspects, or risks of, along with the positives. Medications change our body chemistry to solve a problem, but sometimes there are side effects that are negatives. It is routine for patients to be given a PPI for a while after any WLS, or even on GI procedures - I was put on pantoprozole for a month after a minor cardiac procedure I had a few months ago simply because when the body is under stress (like form surgery) it tends to over produce acid. So, being on a PPI at this point is normal, and nothing to worry about.

wouldn't be dumping. "Normal" dumping happens pretty soon after you eat. What they call "late dumping" (also called reactive hypoglycemia) happens 1-2 hours after you eat, and can last a couple of hours. Sounds like you ate something that didn't agree with you - or else you've got a bug.

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5 of my 6 sisters as well as myself have thyroid disease/conditions and we all have children,,my mother also had hypo and had 8 kids. I'm sure if you let your thyroid condition go and not treat it, it would cause all sorts of problems.

Just tried the calcium chewable from Bariatric Advantage today. It was raspberry flavored - SO YUMMY!!! It looked like a Starburst and tasted like one too!! I really like the liquid stuff I have now (Reviva) but these might be great to have for traveling or times when I have to leave home before I can take the first dose of Calcium. I take thyroid medicine (hypo) and can't take the Calcium for 2 hours after....so these might be good for my morning dose and I could stick with the liquid for my evening dose.

Here's another topic with really great information and others who have the same symptoms; http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/22734-reactive-hypoglycemia/

I haven't had any flare ups with the PKD, so I haven't had to take steroids. I've been pretty lucky so far, but as I age, things can change. It's a weird disease; no cure, but many people don't even know they have it and end up dying from something else. Even still, the last CT scan showed that my kidneys are enlarged with all the cysts, but there isn't really anything to do, unless the labs start to show impairment of function or they see protein in my urine. For now, it's just a bit of flank pain.....which comes and goes. I just have to be careful and clear all prescription drugs through my nephrologist. I take Meloxicam for joint pain, which he says is a huge no no. I'll have to figure that one out. Though I don't take it every day, it's been a wonder drug for me; the difference between painful/miserable walks, to being able to walk my dog for close to an hour without wanting to lay down in the middle of the street and cry. I've never heard of the IF diet, but I just looked it up online. It's very interesting. My husband stopped eating dinner a couple of months ago, and dropped a good amount of weight. He wasn't following that plan, but just decided to stop eating at around 4pm. It's worked well for him. I do have thyroid issues and have been taking meds for many years. I'm hypo-thyroid and have Hashimotos disease. My numbers are good on the dose of Synthroid I'm on, so I've got that part covered. I'm going to work with the nutritionist at my surgeon's office. I love her and she can help me get on an eating plan that works at this stage. This might be TMI, but I had a total hysterectomy a year before my band surgery, and it's 5 times harder to lose the same pound than it was before menopause and losing my ovaries. I remember "older" people always telling me to lose the weight while I'm young; it's much harder when you're older. I was young and cocky and didn't believe them. HA! And here I am.......struggling along Thanks for your input, FluffyChix - I appreciate it When did you have your surgery? I see you live in Texas. I'm in California, and we've been talking about possibly relocating to someplace around Austin (Hill Country), when we retire in a couple of years.

I have hypo thyroidism I went from weighing 130 to. 230 in a couple months no change in diet or excercise it was awful I trieeverything then two kids and a tubal preg made it even worse I'm so thankful I got to do it because maybe I can have the confidence I used to and be in shape like I was

yes. It's probably reactive hypoglycemia (RH), which isn't that uncommon among RNYers. It usually appears when you're a year or two out. I have to eat something every 3-4 hours and limit my sugar intake. If I eat a carb, I have to eat a protein with it. As long as I follow these "rules", I rarely have the problem oh - if you're getting sweats and dizziness right away after eating, it's more likely dumping. If it's an hour or two later, it's most likely RH.

When I landed in the local ER after my motorcycle crash last summer, my band was *tight* from the trauma of broken bones and stress. The idiots in the ER tried to give me frigging Pepto Bismol as I told them I was banded and was complaining that I barely swallow my own spit, but I felt nauseated. I immediately got on my cel phone and called my band surgeon. I finally got an anti-nausea med that melted in my mouth and was OK after he told me to tell them what to give me. He said if necessary he'd walk them through the process. My point being that if trained medical ER staff aren't familiar and proficient with this process, what makes one think one can do it ones' self? Crazy talk. If you want to be a fill nurse, then get trained as a fill nurse and make it your new career. Don't go giving shite advice on a forum. Oh, and if you don't use huber needles on your port, it lessens the ability of the membrane to seal as you are cutting a "V" shape flap out of it. All the clinic staff has to do is X-ray or fluoro the port and see the 'whisker' like appearance left by the hypodermic needle versus the huber. There are new huber needles that look a lot like hypos, but aren't. I strongly suspect the RN suggesting her doctor is using a hypo *is* mistaken and is setting herself up for a leak, infection or a piece of the silicone membrane floating around in her abdomen. Pass, thank you. Be well. Ducati Bonnie

Prior to surgery I had Idiopathic hyperhidrosis, or excessive sweating for several years. Shortly after surgery this condition went away. I am now 5 years post-op and that condition is no longer a problem. This weblink list 10 causes of night sweats. http://www.activebeat.co/your-health/10-common-medical-causes-of-night-sweats/ #4 and #10 look interesting. Do you have other symptoms that pair with these conditions. Many people develop a condition called reactive hypoglycemia after bariatric surgery.