Was wondering if anybody here has had gastric bypass and if so have you had any problems....What I really need to know is if ANYBODY has had the problem with hypoglycemia since their gastric bypass. I had mine in April of 2004...Since 2006 I have had problems with my sugar dropping to scary levels in the 20's with seizures....has anybody else had this problem?

Christi

Sorry I can't help, but I hope you find an answer!

Thank you

I had gastric byass almost 12yrs ago. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia prior to that. With my experiences I have learned that GB, while it eliminates certain problems, it magnifies others. As in this! Also keep in mind that you are metabolizing at a different rate and metabolizing much less of what your actual intake is. You should eat foods high in protien like peanut butter, cheese, etc.. especially when you feel it dropping! For me, eating sugar in what is large quantities for me will cause mine to drop into the twenties.

Glad you posted...I found some research that says this is a new and growing problem....they are now finding that to correct this dangerous hypoglemia is to either partially remove the pancreas or full removal. I go to my endo. doc in 2 weeks and taking him the study, as he is very wowed by my problem. So be very careful, sometimes I wake up and know that I can't drive or anything for the full day, I am that bad. I carry my glucagon (sp?) shot with me every where and my kids are terrified that they will find me unresponsive one morning.

By the way, I was going to remind you..... Other than eating small meals every two hours, you should eat a protein rich snack JUST before going to bed. This gives your body something to "go on" while you are asleep!

Yup, I nearly passed out 2 days in a row before I went to the doctor. I had actually eaten lunch before the doctor's appointment, a "big" meal for people like us, 1/2 hamburger, handful of fries & my sugar level was at 42! Now I know the symptoms and drink half cup of OJ, which I keep at home & at work, and always have some type of hard candy on me. But I have been lucky and this is the only serious problem I have had and it's been 4 years since my surgery.

Im so happy I had the surgery but still so scared about these after effects.

Ok, just so you'll know...... OJ is the "old time fix" to get your sugar up. What research has discovered is that it gives your system a sudden burst of sugar and then it comes back down quickly! However, milk is what works best (which stinks for me because I am lactose intolerant since my GB). The proteins in milk bring your blood sugar up at slightly a slower rate, but it does sustain it for a longer period of time!

Oh I can't drink OJ within minutes of drinking a 1/4 of a glass my sugar drops. Milk kills my stomach...(I was a milk drinker before surgery also). What works for me isn't normal I think. The only things that WILL help me is like a slice of ham, turkey..piece of chicken. (which now I can almost eat a full piece).

Thanks A lot for helping me!

Christi

I hope ya'll don't mind me joining in on this thread. I had Vertical Banded Gastroplasty (non-adjustable lap band) a year ago. I have had dizzy spells, light headedness, very low blood pressure for awhile now. Also I suffer from migraines & they were under control but now they are back in full swing. I thought all the dizzy spells were from low blood pressure. Reading this I fear it might be low sugar. I am going to make a dr's appt to get checked out. With your blood sugar being so low do you crave sugar?? I've had sugar cravings for about 2 wks. It's driving me crazy! I could eat all the sugar in sight! I'm happy w/ the surgery but boy this dizziness & migraines are getting me down.

I eat a lot of protien. I make a protien shake every day sometimes twice a day. I have to disquise the nasty taste with a few tsp of cappacinno mix. Yummy!

BTW here is a good website for WLS folks... bariatricseating.com
Very informative, very nice people. I just don't have a lot of time to spend on it to get questions... too much time on CC maybe

If ya'll don't mind answering... How much weight have you each lost? How do you feel other then the sugar problems? Glad you did it? Thanks!!

I have had gastric bypass, 2 years ago, lost 130 pounds. Best thing I ever did for my health. Anyway, I have had my sugar drop, only about 3 or 4 times. 3 of the times it was after I ate sugar free pancake syrup....don't ask me why....needless to say, I don't eat that stuff anymore. The first time I woke up like that, disoriented, weak..sweating...had no clue what was wrong, but I was craving peanut butter something fierce. After I ate some, I went outside and sat on the porch and felt better after about 10 minutes...but it really wipes you out for the entire day. The other times I was awake and could feel it coming on and could combat it before it got too bad. When it happens, see if you can find a common food that you've eaten, may possibly help prevent it...it has for me anyway. Good luck!

I can't believe this post comes out just 2 days after seeing the doctor for the GB, I have my operation scheduled for june, the cakes wont let me do it later.
But Im so scared...I'm 70 pounds over my weigh but I've tried everything else since I'm 12 years old, and am still fat...I don't know what to do, I want to do it but I'm so scared, not of the GB but for my life after that...

I love that I had my GB..but...I have been having problems....My sugar gets so low I have seisures...I have wrote down what I have eaten and they really can't figure it out....

tcTurtleshell I crave carbs when my sugar drops..I become disoriented, shake violently and sometimes pass out...Once while I was driving I had to pull over and I know I was at the virge of passing out.. I ate 2 peanut butter crackers which I carry at all times along with my sugar shot and some gluclose in a tube... I am NOT happy with these after effects at all.... I go to see my endocrynologist (sp) in a couple of weeks and he will be referring me to Vanderbilt (TN) for testing of my pancreas...this is a new problem that they never thought would happen.
I recommend this surgery ONLY if you have 100 + pds to lose...and if you have insurance they probably won't approve this surgery unless you are over that....I was lucky and had no problems with my insurance but I was also 150 pds over weight...I lost 100 pds and still have 50 to go but with this new problem I have to really watch what I am doing...walking far from the house is dangerous for me....and the cake decorating WELL>....hard not to taste the icing to see if it is ok..but I really have tried to just use one recipe and forget about it...Hope this helps somebody.

Leslie my doctor says when your sugar drops to very low levels it is like you have ran a 20 K marathon...I have actually slept ALL day after an episode with my sugar..Body just has to recup some how ... oh well..

Christi

I don't know if this is something you can do after you have had that surgery, but my sister is an emt and she told us that if my grandpa has his sugar drop again, he is diabetic, and unresponsive that we need to rub frosting, even from a can, right into his lower gums because thats pure sugar and will be absorbed right into his bloodstream .. maybe that is something you can check out?

I will post what I find out from Vanderbilt, sugar seems to drop it further...protein is the best...but when you are in a seizure anything like peanut butter, crackers..etc can choke ya...

paolacaracas, I wouldn't recommend GB for you. If your only 70 lbs overweight you should go with a less evasive surgery if you really want surgery. There are too many side effects & problems with GB. Have you looked into Lapband surgery? The adjustable lapband is the popular one these days. I didn't have that one, I had the old fashion one VBG. Research, research, research before you make your decision.

wgoat5, I've passed out 3 times since my WLS. The times I did was when I just got out of bed or just got out of a chair after sitting awhile. My BP was low before the surgery (weird for an overweight person) & dipped even lower since. My BP runs around 70/50. My biggest problem has been with headaches & migraines. I never had a headache before WLS. I just had the mean ole migraines. I have had more headaches in the past year that I've had in my life. That could be because of low sugar/low BP!

Funny how ya'll talk about craving peanut butter. I'm the same way! My doc told me to be careful with the PB because a lot of WLS patients gain back their weight because they eat a lot of PB. Before I had WLS I didn't know that vitamins & protien were a lifetime deal. Funny how they don't tell you that till afterwards! There's a lot they don't tell you. So be careful paolacaracas & research all you can.

Thanks for that advice Leslie!

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR WEIGHT LOSS LESLIE & WGOAT5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

I've lost 103 lbs so far. I'd like to lose 10 more lbs & I'm done. I've maintained my weight since last Nov. I haven't really worked out like I should in the last few months so Monday I'm starting to work out again.

I'm glad I found this thread!!! I have been hoping that other WLS cakers were on CC. Yeah!!!

wgoat5, With your BS so low couldn't you go into a coma? Is your Doc talking about putting you on meds to raise the sugar? I'm very interested in hearing about what they say at Vanderbilt. Please keep us posted.

Congrats on all the weightloss!! And you know we need the support...a lot of people really down the GB or other WLS's because they think it is the easy way out. Well I have been heavy all my life..and diets well I was on for 2 years (my last diet before WLS) and did everything possible...even started running....you know what it did for me??? Got me pregnant!! I never lost that much....maybe 50 pds... granted I felt better but wasn't seeing what I thought I should see in weight loss.

TC I knew a nurse at the local hospital that could eat a FT. Long sub sandwich from Subway 3 months after surgery!!! Because she ate shakes all the time afterward....

I don't do the protein shakes..couldn't ever stomach them...I do the B12 shots but I haven't had one in about 6 months!! Probably why I don't have any energy) And I do have migranes ALL the time...my DH really thinks that is tied to the surgery...there is so much they really don't know about this stuff...scary huh?

Big hugs to all of ya!
Christi

Oh my gosh!! A foot long sub?????? Is she crazy?? I can't even eat 1/2 of a hamburger. Heck, I can't eat bread period so I just eat the meat. Does that nurse know she had the surgery for nothing? That's what makes me mad. You go through WLS which isn't an easy thing right! Then to eat the same way as before that's crazy. WLS is not the easy way out. It's soooo hard & then to eat like that... ohhh that makes me mad. That's why people talk behind our backs & say, "Oh, they'll gain it back". Because they've seen people like this nurse. Go figure~

Yeah, it's easy to lose weight the hard part is keeping it off. It's a daily battle even after WLS! I lost weight everytime I went on a "diet". Then I'd gain it all back & some within 6 mths of losing it. I was tired of yo-yoing. It's gets your body all out of wack. That's why I chose WLS. Plus back problems, leg problems, & the migraines... the doc said I would never have a migraine again... HE LIED!

I think I'm gonna look into the B12 shot. I take b12 every day but the shot is better. Does it hurt?? How often do you have to take it?

I had GB will be 6 years ago in May... haven't regretting it at all and would highly recommend it to anyone who have morbid obesity.. I've lost 140 pounds since I've had the surgery and have kept it off... I do get very light head feeling at times and my sugar levels have dropped to .. I find that if I'll just sit awhile and don't exert myself, it passes with some time ...

TC, I've been getting B-12 shots for quite awhile now .. I've had anemia all of my life, in fact my surgery was delayed for 3 months because of anemia ... so the B12 will help some if you get them...

Supposed to get the B12 shot every 3 months. It helps with energy. I was taking the iron pill, prevacid, b12 supplement (because pharmacist said you can't overdose on B13) and TRYING to do the protein shakes.....

You can absolutely go into a coma when your sugar level drops for some people it's the 20's and some even the 30's...I have dipped into the 20's...couldn't talk, had a seizure....etc. etc. It's the worst feeling in the world.

Yeppers that nurse peod me off also....she is heavier now then she was before the surgery.

The doctor can't give me insulin because it could actually kill me...so for now I will carry my glucagon shot with me every where...and with my DH always on my a@@ about checking my sugar I ought to be ok....I had more then light headedness (WORD??) I had seizures....yuck...

Christi

paolacaracas, every weight loss surgery (WLS) only works if you work with it. It is not a quick fix. You have to change your lifestyle completely. If you are worried about being able to live life after the surgery then I wouldn't go one step further. You have to be ready to change your life. I hope you don't think I'm being rude to you by saying that, I'm not. I think everyone needs honest answers when it comes to stuff like this. Every WLS has a failure rate. People only look at the failures not the success'. There are a lot of people who live a happy normal healthy life after WLS. I feel I am one of them & if you ask ntertayneme she will tell you the same thing. The thing with lapband is that your stomach is smaller. You can't eat as much as before. Your limited to small meals. Lapband helps you learn to eat right & eat healthy amounts. You Eat to Live not Live to Eat. With all WLS you can go back to your old eating habits. I know people who have gained weight after the gastric bypass. It can be done. All you have to do is eat foods high in calories & you can gain weight. You don't necessarily have to eat a lot. I had WLS a year ago. I have followed every single rule the Dr. gave me. In the past month or so I do eat sugar when I want to, I do have a piece of cake when I want to. I don't deprieve myself of foods, I have learned how to control my eating & what I'm eating. Lapband is a tool. You can work with it or against it. I don't deprieve myself of foods that I love. I just limit the amount I eat & how often I eat it. Lap band is a tool to help you to get healthy & stay healthy.
To answer your question.. no WLS has not taken the joy out of eating. I absolutely love food! Since I cut out a lot of foods my tastebuds are better then ever. We very seldom go to a restaurant. We've saved a lot of money in a year by not going out to eat It's not because I don't enjoy it anymore but because I can't eat all the food on my plate (I can't even eat 1/4 of the food on my plate) so why order a plate if I can't eat it.
WLS is not for everyone. I hope you research every WLS before you decide. There are many different ones out there. If you only have 70 lbs to lose then I would definetly look for a less evasive surgery. You just need that "tool" to help your goal weight.

I totally agree with tcturtleshell....if you are worried about eating after surgery, and if things will be different, then not to be ugly sounding, but you are not ready for surgery. This is a major life changing event...not to mention that the recovery and learning new eating habits stinks! Your whole way of being is altered, at least it was for me. Sugar makes me deathly ill for about 4 hours after I eat it. I've only had sugar twice since I had surgery...both times by accident...there are alot of foods that have hidden sugars in them....I knew going into it that I might have dumping syndrome, I get violently ill after taking in any sugar....and I did get it, about 70% of patients with gastric bypass have it....but I don't think it affects those that have the lapband. I started decorating cakes after my surgery, so I have never ever tasted a cake or icing that I've made, I rely on other people to taste test and give me honest opinions...and boy do they! haha....however, having said all that....again I stress that for ME, it was the best thing I've ever done for myself and my health. I was on 13 pills a day before surgery. I am on NOTHING now except vitamins and b12. I also look a heck of alot better, but that was never ever a consideration to having the surgery. I was slowly killing myself with my weight...and I wanted to live...more than I wanted sugar...or to go out to eat....so if having to never eat sugar again is a side effect, and having to watch everything I eat, and being careful about my sugar dropping is all I have to worry about...then I'll take it...gladly.

I am not trying to sound rude to the person that wrote that they are worried about eating after surgery and life after surgery, just trying to stress that it is life changing, and yes...your eating will change drastically, at least if you work with the tool correctly.

I think that when you start wondering what your life will be like if you DON'T have surgery, instead of what it will be like if you DO, then you are ready to explore it more in depth.

You really need to do your research on this surgery and not rush into it for sure ... it is a very drastic lifestyle change ... when I say I researched before I had mine, I totally researched it for years!! I didn't decide over night that I was going to have this surgery .. I even flew to Dallas to meet a doctor there that did gastric bypass just to see if I really wanted to do it (it wasn't done where I lived at the time) ... I knew that I didn't want to have the "open" method (they open you up from just below the breast area, down to the belly button area) ... the risk of hernea is very high with this method from everything I read on it... I had researched and knew they had lap methods out there where I wouldn't have to have such a large incision ... so back to researching again .. about a year after that, I found a doctor that did the laparoscoptic method and made an appointment with him .. when I told him what the other doctor told me, that I wasn't a candidate for lap surgery, he laughed and said there was no reason why I couldn't have it .. I went home to think about it some more and about 6 months later, we scheduled it and after a complete physical, xrays, lots of other tests, a visit to a psychologist to make sure I was mentally sound enough to have the surgery, I had it ... did I at any point regret it?? Yes, about 2 or 3 months after, I wondered what had I done... I made myself sick many times because you have to re-learn how to eat, how to chew your food, not to eat if you're not hungry, not to eat too fast, just so many things ... but that passed, I learned to do what was expected of me after this type of surgery... I now have a new lease on life .. no high blood pressure, no morbid obesity, no swollen ankles, no hurting hip and knee joints in my body .. I could keep going on about how much better I feel now ... I'm very high energy now that I don't have 140 extra pounds to carry around ...

So I guess what I'm trying to say in length here is, do not make a hasty decision to have this type of surgery .. do your research, go to support group meetings about it, talk to people that have had it and listen to the good and the bad things that can happen from this surgery before you decide to have it ... I do not regret having mine at all... but I know others that haven't been as lucky as I have been with their surgeries and would not have it again ...

I have never thrown up from my surgery. I did eat too much one time. Actually I was eating & drinking at the same time, a big no-no. My tummy filled up too fast & I felt like I was going to choke to death. The pressure in my esphagus (sp) was horrible. It went away in about 15 min but I never threw up. I might have felt better if I had but I couldn't. I can eat just about anything even SUGAR It has never made me sick but I haven't went overboard either, I only eat a little. I have eaten fried foods & got diarreha for several days but no throwing up. That made me pretty sick so I do not eat fried foods at all anymore. I know it's horrible to throw up or the dumping thing as WLS call it but I actually wish I did throw up sometimes. You know, to keep me on the straight & narrow road. I am only human so I do eat things that I shouldn't sometimes & I do not get sick at all. Other lapbanders say they get sick all the time. I guess I'm in the bottom 10% that don't. I can't eat steak & porkchops they make me feel bad but I never get sick. Steak takes longer to digest then other meats.

Question for you who have had WLS... Can ya'll eat raw veggies? My Doc has raw veggies on the list of NO-NO's. I'm not supposed to eat them. I LOVE raw veggies!! I haven't had anything other then cucumbers (that wasn't on the list of no-no's). I don't really like my doc because he can't answer many questions about the surgery. He only "does" the surgery. I figure we aren't supposed to eat raw because it might scratch the stoma or something? Go figure.

I have never regreted having WLS. I do beat myself up sometimes when I eat the wrong foods & that makes me feel like I might slip & gain weight back but then reality clicks & I know I won't! I have come to far to go back!! I have polyneuropathy & losing weight has stopped it from getting worse. I will still have it but it is dormant. My back, knees, & feet don't hurt anymore... well my knee hurts but only when it rains My BMI has gone from over 40 to right around 24. I went from a TIGHT size 20 to a nice fitting 8-10!!

One of the best things.... I can RUN & breathe at the same time!!!!!

Congrats TC and all you others...Before I had my surgery we had to go to counselling (sp). He was very blunt about the surgery and told us before we had the surgery several things...for those of us that smoked HAD to stop smoking 4 months before surgery or he absolutely under no circumstances would he do the surgery....If we weren't going to abide by his rules he wouldn't do it....

I don't remember him saying anything about raw veggies...Well maybe I do....umm...All I know is they hurt me badly so I try real hard to stay away from them....I am now lactose intolerant...I can't eat cereal without it making me sick...I can think of certain foods and I get sick feeling...but I can eat plenty of boiled shrimp , which is good protein...

now almost 3 years out of surgery it would take me about 6 months to get in just to see him, but I havent had to...once they thought I had a bowel obstruction and I got to see him them...now that was bad..

Thank you girls,
I'm still asking and asking to anybody who will answer cause am a bit scared, but I see how happy is who has got it and I fell more confident each time.
I know it will be a big change in the way I eat, and I want that change, I want to stop living my life around what I eat, but food is also a very important part of my social life, and is also part of my job, I just don't want food to become "the enemy" but i do know I will eat less.
I want to to this because I'm 35 and I realize now that all my life I've been on a diet, I've tried all and I mean ALL, I have lost 60 pounds in two occasions just to gain it all back. My BMI now is 37, but I know it will get pass 40 if I keep going this way, and I cant seem to keep a diet anymore, so I have a date in june, the first two weeks that I have no cakes, to get my surgery, will see...thanks for your advice
Paola

Do you know..that every time I make a cake my stomach aches bad...I mean like it is trying to tell me not to taste..DH thinks it's my ulcer...but I think it is just the fact I am around all that sugar