Reactive hypoglycemia

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 11/25/2002 2:18:18 PM Eastern Standard Time,

vitalady@... writes:

<< Would those who know a little about it please chime in? My own attacks go

like so:

standing there minding my own business, hands go cold, mouth goes dry, knees

buckle and I crawl into kitchen. TODAY, I throw together &by than hands are

shaking violently, lights are flashing in front of eyes) a PBJ, fast, and

start eating ASAP. That seems to have arrested a few in progress. >>

I don't know if this is my problem or not. I start out each morning in

pretty good shape, fairly good energy. Somewhere around 1 to 3 pm I am

suddenly overcome with tiredness, desperately wanting nothing more than

sleep. Before surgery I would use food for an energy burst, and when this

happened post op, food would only make me sicker and more tired so I quit

trying to eat my way out of trouble. Now I just go to bed, sometimes I can

feel my body shaking as I lay there, feeling as if I'm vibrating like a

tuning fork. Sometimes I kind of pass out and sleep, others I just lay there

awhile and feel better then get up and finish working. This is a tough spot

to be in. My peanutbutter is sugar free and white bread or jelly is not

allowed in the house. When it comes to sugar in my life it seems to be a

damned if I do and damned if I don't situation.

B

[Guest guest]

I know there are many, many of us who have (or are still) or are just starting

to suffer with this. Whether it IS or is called late dumping (may or may not be

the same thing) or whether it's a blood sugar plummet off a cliff, I've had 'em,

and I call it misery.

Would those who know a little about it please chime in? My own attacks go like

so:

standing there minding my own business, hands go cold, mouth goes dry, knees

buckle and I crawl into kitchen. TODAY, I throw together &by than hands are

shaking violently, lights are flashing in front of eyes) a PBJ, fast, and start

eating ASAP. That seems to have arrested a few in progress.

Eating or drinking protein just before or during, using sugar to stop it (even

mixing some up in a glass to drink!)--nothing stops it like PBJ. That's 2 sides

PB, light film of J on trashy white bread. LOL!

Anyone else have any better recipe to snap out of it before hitting the floor?

Have done the blood a coupla times, but my glucomter only says : " LO " under 52.

I KNEW it was low, sheesh. But every other time I've tried it, my brain was too

intermittent to remember how to make it work. Scary.

OK, and here's another weird thing. I haven't had a debilitating one since

maybe last spring. Is there a 7.5 yr statute of limitations on this?

Thanks,

Vitalady T

www.vitalady.com

If you are interested in PayPal, please click here:

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[Guest guest]

I get all these " similar " type of symptoms in phases when my weight drops

to low, I get them often and when I get my weight back to my " happy " size I

don't have them -- I don't know what " triggers " an episode but it is either

a " freezing " episode or a " hot " episode and I feel it coming in my finger

tips and lips first... tingling, numbish (grab food then) or the rest of the

stuff just plows on at me till I'm in bed (or couch) handful of peanuts or

spoon with PB to lick off... at one time a shot of OJ would do the trick but

not always and that was only for the " cold " episodes... (those most often)

shaking hands, blurred vision, weakness... lots of real uncomfortable things

that seemed to just require a fatty type food or a sugar juice drink...

when my weight is stable and happy I don't get either, when my weight is up

I don't get either so I'm thinking I only get this thing going on when my

body is not happy camping weight wise (no exact number to go by yet.) Below

120 it seems to happen much more often.

I don't have one of those little blood machine things so I have no idea

what my blood sugar is when it happens but it hasn't happened in a long

time.... I'm thinking the year to 18 months period was probably my worst for

those episodes but then they stopped and I haven't had them anymore at all.

There wasn't a change in my diet (semantics'.... when I say diet I just

mean what I eat daily.. not like loosing weight I'm on a diet thing) -- I

thought it was just a phase my body went through as part of the adjusting to

the final " this is your new body size " thing *shrug* and it did pass...

I should add though that I did used to get the cold ones before I had

surgery too... not as bad, drank apple juice, it went away... same symptoms

though of starting in the fingers tingling, lips, moving to being very cold,

shaky, weak, blurred vision... and so on ...

SO... for me it isn't just surgery related -- on the up side, hasn't

happened in a long time so maybe my body is nutritionally happy now. (?)

>>> Anyone else have any better recipe to snap out of it before hitting the

floor?<<<

No, I grab OJ if I have it (rare) usually grab the jar of PB and take it to

the couch with me... hold on and have been known to suck it off my

fingers... don't know what I'd do now since I don't keep either OJ or PB

anymore (I was the only one who ate/drank either)

>>my brain was too intermittent to remember how to make it work. Scary.<<<

Yeah, brain blinks off... or maybe it just focuses on getting the right

something down to stop it but thinking is shot for a while...

Happened more in the afternoon/early evening than any other time of day

though -- I do remember that... even before surgery it was the later part of

the day when it would happen.

hugz,

~denise

[Guest guest]

>

> Anyone else have any better recipe to snap out of it before hitting the floor?

Have done the blood a coupla times, but my glucomter only says : " LO " under 52.

I KNEW it was low, sheesh. But every other time I've tried it, my brain was too

intermittent to remember how to make it work. Scary.

>

This is the toughest thing I have had to deal with, bar none. I get the

crippling foot and leg cramps sometimes, but I get the RH reaction ALMOST EVERY

NIGHT. It wakes me up in the middle of the night: cold sweats, heart pounding,

flashes going off before the eyes, etc. So much fun to wake up in the middle of

the night in order to pass out. I guess it's better than NOT waking up, huh?

Last time it happened (2 days ago) my blood sugar was 42. That's like, drop-dead

low, right?

There are 3 things that help stop the attack:

1. Peanut butter, on a spoon, straight from the jar. I couldn't make a pb&j

sammie to save my life during one of sleep attacks.

2. Half a carton of nsa yogurt

3. A glass of buttermilk. I know, I know - milk=naughty naughty. But it works,

and FAST.

I have found nothing, absolutely NOTHING, that prevents them. My PCP (the

wonderful one that you all covet) is completely stumped, as is my surgeon. I do

not know what to do. I'm pretty terrified, actually.

hugs,

Ann

[Guest guest]

,

Mine come and go too. It began just as a little shakiness and a faster heart

beat and being cold and calmy. Mine only started, where I really paid

attention, about a year ago. I know it gets scarey. The last major one I

had, it seemed to take all my energy afterwards. Anyway, I've never been

considered a diabetic but decided to try orange juice. It takes more than a

sip..maybe a glass. If I catch it early on, it helps almost immediately. If

it gets bad too quickly, it takes about 20 mins before it starts to work for

me. I keep orange juice on hand just in case. It seems for me there is no

real pattern of when it might hit. I have used starch such as crackers or a

piece of white bread as well.

Another thing I have to point out. I have discussed these episodes with my

family. They know what to do if I need help. I have never fallen down. Just

the same, if my youngest sees me getting shaky, she insists I sit down and

gets me some juice. Sometimes my hands are just a shakin and I don't even

realize.

I have also upped my iron intake and they seem to be farther between. This

may or may not really be a factor.

Dawn

Reactive hypoglycemia

> I know there are many, many of us who have (or are still) or are just

starting to suffer with this. Whether it IS or is called late dumping (may

or may not be the same thing) or whether it's a blood sugar plummet off a

cliff, I've had 'em, and I call it misery.

>

> Would those who know a little about it please chime in? My own attacks go

like so:

> standing there minding my own business, hands go cold, mouth goes dry,

knees buckle and I crawl into kitchen. TODAY, I throw together &by than

hands are shaking violently, lights are flashing in front of eyes) a PBJ,

fast, and start eating ASAP. That seems to have arrested a few in progress.

>

> Eating or drinking protein just before or during, using sugar to stop it

(even mixing some up in a glass to drink!)--nothing stops it like PBJ.

That's 2 sides PB, light film of J on trashy white bread. LOL!

>

> Anyone else have any better recipe to snap out of it before hitting the

floor? Have done the blood a coupla times, but my glucomter only says : " LO "

under 52. I KNEW it was low, sheesh. But every other time I've tried it,

my brain was too intermittent to remember how to make it work. Scary.

>

> OK, and here's another weird thing. I haven't had a debilitating one

since maybe last spring. Is there a 7.5 yr statute of limitations on this?

>

>

> Thanks,

>

>

> Vitalady T

> www.vitalady.com

>

> If you are interested in PayPal, please click here:

> https://secure.paypal.com/affil/pal=vitalady%40bigfoot.com

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

<

>

I'll have to keep that in mind. Pre-op, I had these episodes fairly often, a

few times a month. For me, the symptoms were so severe that I did the fastest

thing to stop them: eat pure sugar, a spoonful of jam, honey, etc. I took to

carrying little packets of sugar in my purse, because God help me if one hit

while driving or on the train.

I have probably only had 2 or 3 of these episodes since my surgery. I think the

eating of protein and spacing out of meals meets with all guidelines for

controlling low blood sugar, so I chalked it up to that. Each post-op episode

seems to have been triggered by too much coffee ingested with no protein (like

having toast, or cereal, or a waffle). I actually can't recall the last time I

had one, and I am hoping it stays that way!

Next time I'll try the PB&J though!

Kate

[Guest guest]

I've been blaming mine on my return to insulin usage. I use 5 units

of a new timed release insulin at 10:00 pm and by 2 am every night

(morn) I'm up with what I think is an insulin reaction. Heart

pounding-sweating-hands shaking-can't think-insides have turned to

mush thing. I crawl out of bed and eat whatever isn't nailed to the

floor, just please God make it stop before I die, eating. I don't

think that even in my death throes I could possibly eat peanut butter

even to stave off death and I can't think clearly enough to mix a

protein. Usually, try to keep jerky and a cookie or hard candy

available. Pop in the candy/cookie chomp and then follow it up with

the jerky, and then crawl back to bed and wait for it to stop. Now I

wonder if it is just the insulin causing this. Hmmmmmmm.

Alice

The Loon

RNY 12/28/00

>

.....This is the toughest thing I have had to deal with, bar none. I

get the crippling foot and leg cramps sometimes, but I get the RH

reaction ALMOST EVERY NIGHT. It wakes me up in the middle of the

night: cold sweats, heart pounding, flashes going off before the

eyes, etc. So much fun to wake up in the middle of the night in order

to pass out. I guess it's better than NOT waking up, huh?....