Search the Community

late dumping syndrome is reactive hypoglycemia (also known as postprandial hypoglycemia). It's not that uncommon in RNY patients - I don't know about sleeve patients. It seems to start when you're a couple years out.

Hmm...I don't remember where it was. I am on a prescription meds for reflux now. Things have been ok with that. What makes you read up so much on ulcers? I am a nurse, can't help it. haha! I research everything especially if it is something that I can prevent. I am very proactive instead of reactive. I have been on Zantac twice daily and also Prilosec twice daily for quite a long time. I am hoping with being on those medications, I won't develop any after bypass.

I'm the leak queen and becuse of my leak i've been re-banded. Most lesks are in the port, very easy to be re-placed. Do a search in the above bar for "Just my luck back to Mexico" under Vera or any other leaks stuff I said. (hypo-link??? help Penni?) There are leak checks your doc can perform any questions PM me good luck

I am one of ones here that can honestly remember being both skinny at 5'9" 112 pounds---I was skin and bones, not much muscle---just skinny. It was not intentional---it is how I was. I ate everything in sight, and never gained an ounce. I fought like crazy to gain up to 123 pounds so my wedding gown fit! Then I had a baby---and for the first time ever I gained weight. I went home in jeans I wore before the baby. But it soon ended! When I stopped nursing, I was hospitalized for a mastitis infection that hit my blood stream and caused sepsis---I gained 80 pounds in 3 months time! Seriously! I was not eating different. It was extreme! From there I went through bad marriage, abuse, and more serious weight gain! Ironically---some of it totally intentional! (shaking head at self here!!!) Before long, the weight was totally out of control. I could lose pretty well, but it would not stay off. Then it got to where losing so much as a pound took weeks of HARD work---and even then any semblence of normalcy and it come back! I found myself facing very close to 300 pounds, and being morbidly obese. In the time since being banded, I have had to have most of my thyroid removed, and in the medical processes for that, I learned that the inability to gain when I was younger was my first sign of thyroid trouble----and the hormone change of pregnancy, and sudden cessation of nursing, flipped the switch he said from hypo- to hyper thyroidism. Not an excuse, but an explanation---it was pretty scary to be young and out of control like that. But with no insurance, I had no real options for figuring things out. Both extremes, as well as the years I spent in the middle, at a normal weight are both well in my mind, and I can say without a doubt....no questions ask--------morbid obesity brought with it much, much more personal heartache, peoples cruel comments, and open disgust from not only yourself, but even medical personel! I do remember being told I needed to gain a few pounds--by assorted relatives I seldom saw and a Dr. None of which saw me eat! More people by far were envious of how I could eat without consequences---and for the most part I ate healthy enough, just more than you would imagine for remaining so bony! My hip bones jutted out so far, I would have to sew the front pockets of my jeans closed, because the white pocket was forced out and showed! I could have ---not based on looks, but on build---beenon any magazine cover with todays stars....I was EXTREMELY thin---I referred to myself as skinny. The word did not bother me then, nor does it now. None of it compares to morbid obesity. I do not mean to be argumentive Jachut----but as I went up the scale--it got worse the higher I got. The heavier I got, the more invisible I got to parts of society, and the more others thought they could say hateful things without issue! Every single thing you have health wise, is an easy call for a Dr. It is all due to your weight! Until you have felt/heard others talk about you based on nothing but your weight...had a room fall silent when you walked in, simply because they were staring, then jerking their heads away---seen them share looks with who they were with--or been "mooed" at, (and these just a few among many, many ways people find to be cruel) morbid obesity has not touched your life. These did not all happen to me, but I have read about them right here at LBT. I have read the pain involved in each of the situations---and experienced similar things personally, or similar enough situations to know the shame, the hurt, and even the anger they invoked. Should I have gotten control much earlier, of course! I am willing to bet most of us by far wish we had found help before reaching the morbidly obese category. For many of us it didn't come until further down the path of obesity though. Depression, lack of funds, lack of availability all figure into the issue--but having seen and lived from one end of the spectrum to the other----I do believe that unless one has lived and experienced morbid obesity, it is hard to understand or explain. I also believe it is hard to explain to someone in that position (obesity in general) how much better life is, or how much better they will FEEL---at a normal healthy weight. I am quite sure it is difficult for both to see or understand the other --obese vs. thin- without ever walking in those shoes. I think we all want to be accepted where we are--not just at where we want to be. Whether we all strive to be a perfect BMI, or if we are happy elsewhere, if we are working hard where we are, or if we have arrived at goal, and are thrilled with the newfound freedoms of not trying to lose weight still, we all just want to be accepted and have our efforts recognized. Belittling one another, whichever direction it goes is really kind of sad, and usually indicates an unhappiness in ourselves. My experiences show that people usually tear others down in an effort to build themselves up. Maybe the next LBT banner needs to be our own Dove commercial---but without me!!!! LOL Kat

Hey I had the same procedure hernia n sleeve. I am 2 weeks post op n I feel horrible. No energy I can not drink those premier proteins nor insopure liquid protein all taste disgusting to me. I also have hypo thyroid & I feel like I need to do lab work soon. I'm just not in the best of spirits ... Idk what to do . Going to try in making my own shakes adding fruits etc. I guess this is gonna last for the next 3 months ?

I'm hypo and have now lost about 155-ish pounds in round numbers from my recent high weight. I'm also on a drug called Femara that causes you to gain weight and am very insulin resistant with PCOS. It's tough. I had to obsessively watch what I put in my mouth, keeping things very clean, low carb and low fat. I kept my cals between 600-800 to lose (closer to the 600 end). I still have to be around 650 or so to lose. I maintain in the 900-1200 calorie range. At 7 weeks I was eating around 400-500 calories and 6 mini meals per day of less than 100cals each. Averaging 75g of protein per day as my goal.

They are a non reactive metal (titanium) so it's pretty unlikely

Second guessing and some regret is normal when one runs into problems. It is well to realize that whatever road you chose in the past was likely to be bumpy, even if the bumps might have been different. The bypass, in addition to having its own quirks (someone just showed up on today's recent topics column who is having reactive hypoglycemia problems - that's one of those quirks,) that can cause regrets, would not likely have been any better on helping you with your regain (RNY and VSG are very similar in that regard,) and is also more difficult to revise should you have had problems. So, there is (and was) no easy, straight answer. We follow what looks like the best road for us and take what life throws at us over time..

Yeah I see a lot of people say they only had to do a few days before and my doc nutritionists is scary the daylights out if us saying if we have anything at all then there will be stomach residue which makes me think then how do other people only do a few days. Doesn't make sense to me. I Have lost 5 pounds in 4 days. But I have reactive hypoglycemia and the nausea and headaches are killing me.

That is curious, and beyond my limited experience! I suppose that is can be strictly an esophageal problem, though as I noted, I have only seen such things as they related to other root causes. No, I haven't had such a revision, though it was suggested at one time for another issue, but I have avoided having to go that route (with the help of some second opinions that basically said to leave well enough alone for now.) I do have minor GERD, which is readily treated with low level OTC meds, so there is nothing worth fixing at this point on that account. The sleeve is predisposed to GERD by virtue that the stomach volume is reduced a lot more than its acid producing potential, but the body usually adapts to that over a few months, and most surgeons prescribe a PPI for the initial few months and then wean off of them. (Similarlly, the RNY is predisposed to dumping, reactive hypoglycemia and marginal ulcers, so there is no free lunch in that regard, no matter what procedure one goes with - there is always some risk there.) I would prefer to keep the sleeve as long as it cooperates, as the RNY is a little bit fussier to live with, but it's not the end of the world, either, and certainly preferable to what you are going through; my wife has a DS which is a bit fussier still, so I'm familiar with all that entails if I need to go there. The surgeon who has adopted our local support group does quite a few oddball and esoteric revisions (like the complex RNY to DS), people come from across the country to see him, and he sometimes pulls up scans on his laptop of one of the wonky sleeves that has come his way, so we get some feel of what can be done, that other surgeons pass on. That's why I brought up the stricture idea (beyond your regurgitation sounding like that might be it,) because that is something that many surgeons prefer to revise away rather than correct. I does seem like you are heavily restricted, much more so than normal for a normal sleeve, or RNY. 500 calories isn't so bad - it's not that unusual for people with any of these WLS to still be down there, though more commonly somewhat higher in the 6-800 calorie range; it's the water intake that I would be concerned with as dehydration will get one thrown into the hospital a lot faster than low protein or other nutrients in the short to intermediate term. The vast majority of people go through this, an RNY, or VSG, or a DS, with little or no complications, but sometimes they crop up; hopefully, you have had your share of them now and that's it. In some respects, the RNY is a more familiar procedure for the surgeons,, even if they don't do as many of them as sleeves, as it has been around in bariatrics for 40-50 years, so most started out with them; the basic procedure upon which it is based has been around for some 140 years in treating gastric cancer and other GI maladies, so it is familiar territory for most; the VSG on the other hand, had more limited application until it was created/adopted for WLS as part of the original BPD/DS, so it was not as widely used until the DS guys started using it some by itself (usually as part of a two stage DS) and saw that it offered good weight loss all on its own, so I wouldn't worry too much about your surgeon's experience with it, as that was the default WLS in Canada until fairly recently.

As reassuring as it is to know that we are all in this 'left shoulder boat' I am concerned about it. It had all but subsided after day 4 and the day (day 6) that I had my drain removed, it came searing back at that very moment. I'll try to walk more and I'm keeping up with the Tylenol and ice pack but, wow, does it hurt. Same exact place that you've described (in the joint). Maybe the drain being pulled out somehow 'reactivated' the nerve irritation that had subsided?? Any thoughts or support would be appreciated, Amy )

This is a real bummer, grrl. Can the docs give you meds to fix the hypo-thyrodism? And I am also deeply in love with stuffing and gravy! :hungry: By the way, you Americans do much better on the Thanksgiving front than we Canucks. You get a 4-day weekend out of it. Ours falls on a Monday and so we only score a 3-day weekend. blehhh! And because we have already had ours we are already subjected to non-stop Xmas music in all the malls. Double blehhhh! :angry

I'm supposed to eat 4 oz every hour. I can't, it's too much in one shot. So I eat 2 oz every half hour. For the food portion, I Water down Campbells broccoli and cheese. I make a big pot (1 can-skim milk based) and put it in the fridge. Then when I need some, I just measure out my 2 oz. Because it cools quick, I make it nice and hot and eat with a spoon. For my powder I do: 8 oz skim milk 8 oz Crystal Lite Orange (sugar free Tang is even better, if you can find it.) 2 scoops whey vanilla (contains 60g protein) purchased at Walmart. BLEND WELL. Chill a tray of orange ice cubes. Either drink (or nurse )4 oz ever few hours, or nurse an 8 oz glass half the day, and the other, the second half. The orange ice cubes help keep the taste going, and it really takes like an orange smoothie. I'm sure other Crystal Lite Flavors would substitute well, like strawberry. OH and I keep a diary so I don't forget. Weird, before the lapband, I could get up in the morning and not even think about food until 6 hours later. Now, I'm HUNGRY. I guess it's completely psychological. As a large person I knew I was supposed to eat three meals a day to keep up a good metabolism (and mind is sluggish and hypo), but I just couldn't bring myself to doing it. BUT was forced to to keep that diary and eat all those meals to prepare for the surgery. Now that I'm used to eating all day, going liquid sure is hard. I feel that I just need to immerse myself in some work and I'll forget how hungry I am all the time. So that when I set the timer to remind me to eat, I'll be pleasantly happy OR maybe disillusional.:eek:

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.

https://www.healio.com/endocrinology/diabetes/news/print/endocrine-today/{1dc23215-49dc-4ad7-90da-346ba16663d6}/post-gastric-bypass-hypoglycemia-a-serious-complication-of-bariatric-surgery Bypass people have more hospitalizations for hypoglycemia and tend to have more severe symptoms, but sleeve folks can get it, too. Research on this complication is ongoing. Of 175 eligible patients, 120 were randomized 1:1 to RYGB or SG; 117 (93%) completed the 12-month follow-up. Reactive hypoglycemia was detected in 14% and 29% of SG and RYGB patients (P = 0.079), respectively, with the effect of treatment in multivariate analysis significant at P = 0.018. Daily hypoglycemic episodes during continuous glucose monitoring did not differ between groups (P = 0.75). Four of 59 RYGB subjects (6.8%) had 1 to 3 hospitalizations for symptomatic hypoglycemia vs 0 in SG. The static β-cell glucose sensitivity index increased after both treatments (P < 0.001), but the dynamic β-cell glucose sensitivity index increased significantly in SG (P = 0.008) and decreased in RYGB (P = 0.004 for time × treatment interaction). Whole-body insulin sensitivity increased about 10-fold in both groups.

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 have not been tested for reactive hypoglycemia. How do you test for that? Also, an interesting development...a family member I live with was just diagnosed with acute Epstein Barr (mono). I'm thinking reactive hypoglycemia and possibly mono might be what is going on.

Fessie, I am hypo-thyroid also and I definitely feel your pain in how slow our weight loss can be. I have lost abt the same amount as you and am 8 weeks post op. I am just thankful to finally be losing weight. What was getting me was seeing people post 25-35 pds lost that were banded around the same time as myself. These same people were posting about eating oreo Cookies and pizza, while I was staying strictly to the band diet, portion sizes and excersing. Even in the early stages on a liquid diet I lost very little. I am over being bothered by that now and will just be thankful for my pound here and there. I started a post last week for hypothyroid bandsters you should read. Shirley54 had some very encouraging things to say and shared her slow weight loss as well.

In the Diabetic world we call them hypos. The difference is usually a timing thing. If you're dumping pretty soon after eating, try and lie down and take it easy for a little bit. If it's more than an hour after eating, your blood sugar may have dropped too low (due to increased insulin response to the sugar you ate earlier). In those cases, I do a spoonful of honey or juice or if I'm out and about I've even done proper (not diet) Coke. You need a bit more sugar in your blood but not too much or you'll start the cycle all over again. Sent from my SM-G930F using BariatricPal mobile app

I have reactive hypoglycemia (RH) (but not dumping - that is controlled by limiting your sugar intake). To control RH, my PCP suggested I eat some protein - or something along with protein - every 3-4 hours to keep my blood sugar stable. It seems to be working - it's really cut down on my "episodes".

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.

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.

You aren't being a baby and I think it is general consensus that a colonoscopy is one of the more unpleasant procedures out there (as is anything that has to do with our bowels), but it really isn't that bad. Get the colonoscopy. You are so much better off to be proactive rather than reactive. I know you are worried because some pretty scary terms have been thrown at you, but it is always better to know what you are (or aren't) dealing with. Knowledge is power. Try to think about it this way - you are just ahead of some of your peers in getting the procedure, but then you will be an expert!!! Your specialist makes his bread and butter off doing this procedure, and he knows the benefit of early detection, so try to think of this a being a good, lucky thing that is happening. I kid you not - the preparation for the test is far worse than the test itself. When you get the test, they will give you a drug that will relax you and chances are you will sleep through the whole thing, or will remember very little of it. The drug (they use different ones) is administered by IV and also kind of works as a bit of an amnesiac. I remember the last time I had an endoscopy (camera down your throat rather than up your butt - hopefully a different camera - ha ha), I thought I was awake for the whole thing, but as time went on I became less and less sure of what actually happened. I will warn you that the preparation is really, really, really yucky. You have to drink this really awful stuff (recommendation: drink it with something really strongly flavored like cranberry juice - have the juice as cold as it can be), and then be prepared to stay really close to the bathroom for the next 8 hours. If I remember correctly they make you drink it again in the morning (I tried to block it out). Make sure you have some baby powder and really soft tissue available!! I can't remember for sure, but you also won't be able to eat solids for a day or two before the test. They need your bowel to be as clear as possible. During the procedure, they will have you lay on your side and they slip in a tube with the camera the length of your large intestine (colon), about 6 feet, they then draw it slowly out and can see everything on the way out. They can detect polyps, growths and other disease and can often treat at the same time. Once you are done, you have to stay for as long as it takes you to wake up. You will need a ride as you will be impaired by the drugs, but there really isn't significant pain afterwards. I know that this scary (terrifying really), but again, I firmly believe when you have the correct information, you can deal with the reality, whatever it is. Try not to get too stressed out over the rare possibilitites - easier said than done, I know. Right now you are in a position of worrying and wondering - in short the place where nightmares begin. Be good to yourself and make sure you have someone you can talk to to help you get through this. If you want to pm me - I would be more than happy to help in any way you think I can. Here is something to think about while waiting: In this strange world, who on earth grows up dreaming of looking up people's butts for a living? Can you imagine talking to people about their bowel movements all day every day? I mean did he like playing with poop as a child? When did intestines become fascinating and exotic? I always wanted to ask my colorectal sugeon what drew him to this specialty - I am not sure enough of myself (or his sense of humor) to do it though Maybe one day I will be brave enough...........(or maybe not) Jacquie

I finally think I have it figured out. Today I ate sushi and then ate a couple of fries. I mean I ate a small fry. It was one of those days when I was so hungry I just took what I could get. NEVER AGAIN!!! EVER EVER EVER! Basically I ate WAY TOO MANY CARBS...This is not dumping. I thought it was caffeine a few months back...but it isn't. So yeah...I will never eat a carb heavy meal again! Reactive hypoglycemia occurs in people who do not have diabetes. It's a different type of hypoglycemia than the one that affects people who have diabetes. Although the causes are unrelated, the symptoms of both kinds of hypoglycemia are the same. Symptoms of hypoglycemia: Trembling or weakness Lack of coordination Drowsiness or confusion Headache Dizziness Double vision Convulsions or unconsciousness What is the cause of reactive hypoglycemia? The exact cause of reactive hypoglycemia is still unknown, but there are several hypothesis that might explain why it can happen. Sensitivity to epinephrine, a hormone that is released in the body during times of stress. Insufficient glucagon production. Glucagon is also a hormone which has the opposite effect of insulin. It raises blood glucose levels. Gastric surgeries can also cause reactive hypoglycemia because food may pass too quickly through the digestive system. Enzyme deficiencies can also cause reactive hypoglycemia, but these are rare and occur during infancy. How to manage reactive hypoglycemia Limit foods with a high sugar content, especially on an empty stomach. For example, eating a doughnut first thing in the morning can trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Eat small, frequent meals and Snacks. Eat a varied, high Fiber diet, with adequate servings of Protein, whole grain carbs and vegetables, fruits, and dairy foods Carry pieces of hard candy with you, for those times when you feel your blood sugar dropping. What to do if you are having a hypoglycemic episode. Eat or drink something that is a fast sugar source, such as orange juice, regular soda, a few pieces of hard candy, or sugar cubes. This should relieve the symptoms within 15 minutes. Avoid choosing chocolate as a sugar source. The fat in chocolate makes it absorb more slowly and it won't raise your blood sugar up as quickly as you need it too. Make sure to eat a small balanced meal after the symptoms are gone. This will prevent another blood sugar spike and consequent drop.

I know, once I hit 200lbs I knew I had to do something. I am trying to protect myself from diabetes, heart disease, and joint replacements in the future, but Alberta isnt working from a preventative medicine perspective, Just a reactive perspective. I would also like to add that I have visited my family physician and she is very supportive with me leaving the country to obtain medical care, She has informed me that she has had about a dozen patients obtain barriatric surgery in Mexico this year. That was important to me, because she has agreed to follow me post op. I believe its very important to be open and honest with my family physician, and had she said she thought it was a bad idea, I think my decision would have been different. I am going to see Dr. Oritz in three weeks! I have done more than enough research. I did look into additional travel insurance, however it is quite cost prohibitive. From what I have been able to find, regular travel insurance will not cover you if you are going down there for surgery. There are a few companies that will provide coverage for Medical Tourism, but the policy is spendy spendy. My plan, is at any sign of trouble, is to get on a plane, and get to a hospital at the first point of entery into Canada. I know this plan is inherently flawed, however its the best one I can come up with. The complication rate for my surgery is less than % and my surgeon's record is pretty good. My biggest concern is if I am one of the few that does develop complications. If anyone has a better idea, im open to suggestions.