Hypoglycemia

[Guest guest]

Barbara,

While I do not have the answer to your frightening situation, I can relate

to it. I, too, have blood sugar " crashes " and don't know what to do to

control them. I was never a diabetic, pre or post op. But I find that I

have to be " lucky " to get a correct balance. I DO dump from sugar, and the

dumping isn't as bad as the low blood sugar, in my opinion. I was advised

to eat some small amount of bread or crackers with my protein, and to do it

often. It was a pain in the neck to remember, and not always convenient,

either. The frustration of those confusing moments, feeling so terrible you

can't stick yourself with the test pen, and the unfightable desire to sleep

are all very familiar to me. I would love a good, reasonable solution. It

would make my life easier. And I don't have a career that I am passionate

about waiting in the wings, like you do. If you get any sage advice, please

pass it on. I would be grateful. Thanks, and good luck!

Alice in NY

PS - You go ahead a whine, Barb. You deserve it. Just be sure to add

cheese with that whine. You need the protein.

> I will just start off with: I am scared.

>

> I have spent the last hour reading every post in the archives on

hypoglycemia and, while some of the issues fit, many don't, so I am still

pretty much at a loss of where to go for help. Perhaps sharing some of the

things that are going on... and what I have tried... might help someone see

a piece of the puzzle I just don't see. My surgeon, her nursing team (most

of whom are long-term posties) including the nutritionist, my PCP, and my

midwife friends are all (what it seems to me) clueless. So, I turn to the

REAL experts... you all here.

>

> I had Type II diabetes badly pre-op. It disappeared with the surgery (17

months ago today), but I stayed on the Glucophage for another 6 months

because of the insulin resistance issues. All co-morbs gone within a few

months (most the day of surgery) and I began a very active lifestyle almost

immediately... something I had never had before. I lost 180 pounds in my

first 12 months... have dropped another 10 in the last 5 months (see .sig

file for details). As you can see by the information below, I have also

dropped an incredible amount of fat... from 75% to 25%. I was gymming it,

walking like crazy, biking... and then, began working (couldn't work because

of my fat) towards my midwifery license (taking that exam in early March)...

going to dozens of births, working on-call, working prenatal clinics,

working in the office... travelling back and forth to El Paso to work in a

birth center there (also regular 12 hour days plus waking up and assisting

at births).

>

> And now, I am getting sicker and sicker... and more and more frightened.

(I can feel the tears right *there*.)

>

> About 8 weeks ago, perhaps a tad longer than that, I started having

hypoglycemia stuff happening. My BGs were going down into the 40s and

sometimes as low as the mid-30s. I have been so sick that I have not been

able to figure out how to take my BG with the glucometer I have used

thousands of times in every manner of stressful situation (on newborn babies

who were sick). At a birth once, I began shaking so badly, I had to go sit

in the bathroom and chew on candy to get my BGs up enough to finish the job

(I was charting, nothing terribly crucial, thank GOD!).

>

> I CANNOT BE A MIDWIFE WITH THIS ISSUE GOING ON! I cannot be responsible

for two other people's lives while my own health is so sucky. I

cannot/should not drive in the middle of the night, at 90 mph, when I could

have my BGs crash right before I do.

>

> There is NO warning of when it is going to happen. It is *not* dependent

on what I eat or when I eat; I have tried every variation on a theme. I am

a CAREGIVER, for crying out loud... I counsel women on how not to have

hypoglycemia! I have stopped riding my bike (the first [bG] crash occurred

on my bike), stopped walking alone, stopped gymming it (yet, my muscle mass

remains at 25% even after not doing formal exercise for over 3 months).

Gads, now that I think about it, I was having BG crashing in the gym way

back at about 7 months post-op! I just remembered that! The consensus was

I needed to eat more. That is pretty much what everyone has said... eat

more often (the proverbial " small meals " crap) and focus on protein,

limiting carbs. Well, damn it, I DO THAT and I still get sick.

>

> I have eaten ALL protein, 75% protein, 50% protein... really eat simple

carbs incredibly rarely (high glycemic index carbs is a more accurate

description)... was " using " almond M&Ms to avoid crashing right before a

birth, plus hard candies (I do not dump from sugar, but do some from butter

and cream), but, on the advice of others, stopped that and began eating

almonds, peanuts, and dried fruit on the way to a birth; they have protein

and glucose, but also fill me up WAY faster than M&Ms and last longer in the

pouch/intestines. I quit all candy. (Was only using candy as a medication

for the BGs in the first place... good excuse, eh?)

>

> Today, for example, I ate a LOT... way more than I feel comfortable

eating... cheese with turkey ham and crackers (I can eat two slices of each

with about 3 crackers total), some strawberries, an Ensure at breakfast

(before my 1 hour drive to work), an Ensure before my afternoon of clients

(this on the recommendation of my surgeon and others)... and then, within 2

hours, my BGs were 50! I was nearly fainting, sweaty as a 400 pound

marathon man, and so sleepy, I thought I was going to die. There was no way

for me to see clients this afternoon, so, after eating more cheese, meat,

and a cracker, I came home, where I ate more before finally feeling somewhat

human again.

>

> I have done protein drinks (Isopure, Proteinex, and others) and they are

so disgusting the thought of them in my mouth makes me gag [and I drank the

clear Isopure for 8 months as my *only* source of protein])... the Ensure

isn't much better, that's for sure, but at least it goes down.

>

> My labs are pretty normal, but my last glucose, not even fasting, was 80.

>

> I am going, one more time, to my PCP next Friday (the 13th) and asking to

see an endocrinologist. Do you all think this is warranted? Is there any

test s/he can do to determine if this is hypoglycemia and not some other

organic wasting disease? I am so scared that I will be asked to leave the

midwifery practice I so want to be a part of because of my health issues.

It is damned (and that is NOT the word I wanted to use, either) ironic that

I couldn't practice midwifery because I was fat and now I am not utilizing

my potential because I am not fat (enough?).

>

> So, my question is, do you all see anything I don't? I mean, I read what

I ate today and it isn't the happiest of what a postie would be eating, but

I swear!! I have eaten from 70-120 grams of protein daily (varying to test

the results), eaten from none to 25% carbs with my protein, and tried

everything inbetween... I am compliant to a fault (ask those in my support

group!).

>

> I *so* want to exercise again... want to have the mental stability to

focus on the exam I need to take in March... want to be able to do

everything my body physically allows me to now... and yet, instead of great

globs of fat, I am tied down by a glucometer and constant eating. How can I

ever even think of going on the & Trail or running the Disney

Marathon if I can't even go through a normal day without crashing?

>

> And, another question: Is smashing fatigue a part of this? I sleep 4

hours, am up for 3, sleep another couple... and then am awake... until I,

all-of-a-sudden, NEED to sleep. Why can't I sleep 7-8 hours in a row? It

isn't waking to pee... it is waking so that my body says GET UP NOW

(sometimes it is screaming to be fed, but not always).

>

> I am feeling like such a lost soul... after helping so many people through

their first year... speaking about WLS with my surgeon, knowing SO much

about my own health and the health of others... I am lost. And, as I have

mentioned a hundred times already... scared.

>

> Thanks for listening.

>

> Barbara Herrera