Hypoglycemia, panic attacks & the gastric sleeve

[TortugaRachel]

I was a diabetic before my sleeve. I have dealt with the highs and lows that come with it.

Since my sleeve, I occasionally get hypo times, but like jane said above, it's only when I am not watching what I eat. When I ingest those fast digesting carbs, I know I'm likely to pay for it. Not always, but enough times to make me wary.

Jane, very nice explanation of how the hypo hits, thank you for that.

My symptoms include hot flashes, shakiness, and sometimes sweating. Shaking is the big indicator for me. As a former diabetic, the immediate thought is to drink some juice or something sugary. If I relax and eat a bagel or something slow digesting, as jane suggested, it works much better in the long run.

Like Ann, I don't watch carbs anymore the way I did with diabetes. I know having those slow carbs play an important role in my overall health. Instead, what I do now is eat my proteins first, veggies second, breads third, if I even have room for the breads. Sometimes I will combine the breads and veggies and alternate bites of each, but always protein first. If I feel myself getting full but the protein isn't gone yet, I will take a bite or two of the veggies or bread to help balance things out and avoid problems.

Really, it all comes down to listening to your body. It takes time to relearn how to eat. We're basically like toddlers in that respect, and the time aspect can be frustrating. Ultimately, though, if you're stressing over this, talk to your doctor, a nutritionist, and a therapist. I say "and" because you need to be as well informed before surgery as you can get. After surgery is the worst time to start doing the research.

[Quarry]

Thanks, everybody.

Given the financial blow and possible health negatives, I think I'll not opt for a sleeve.

Since I have virtually perfect health and literally can do everything I want, the answer should be logical. No one on either side of my family is diabetic. My aunts, whom I most resemble, are thriving, jovial and bright-minded at ages 81 and 91. My mother avoided getting treated for high blood pressure (which I don't have) and died at 89. I have my dad's blood pressure; he died at 102. Neither of my parents was physically active. Mom was born crippled, Dad had polio in one leg. I, on the other hand, enjoy laboring like a farm girl, when the weather allows.

I will continue to monitor treatments on the horizon. In September the results of a clinical study on embolizing the artery that connects to the gastric fundus via a catheter will be released. That might be a better fit for me.

I thank you for your imput and am glad everyone is so satsfied with their choices. I hope I helped contribute to a discussion that leaves us all smarter and wiser.