Has anyone suffered blackouts over 12 months post op?

[Danko]

I am now 15 months post op and have been doing fairly well, back at work part time, eating better and pacing myself. However yesterday afternoon in the supermarket I realised that I was having a partial blackout, felt very dizzy and headed for the exit. The problem was, although I have been going to the same supermarket for 25 years, I didn't know where the checkouts were. I completely lost my orientation. Luckily, a shop assistant saw my distress and found me a chair and fetched me a glass of water. After about 10 minutes I felt better and was able to drive home, had a mug of tea and a short nap and felt fine. I hadn't been doing anything different to my normal routine earlier in the day and had eaten as normal about 2 hours earlier. Has anyone else suffered a similar episode?

[margie1]

Hi Danko yes I have and i am also 15 months post op it can be scary and I too feel better after a drink and rest unfortunately this has happened when i have been at work so had to persevere until it went off which is awful but hoping this will eventually stop happening

Marg x

[Hidden]

I think that this might possibly be an insulin spike that you suffered, possibly linked to what you had to eat two hours beforehand. I think I would go to your GP and ask for your blood:insulin levels to be checked / monitored. You might like to have something sweet with you (some people use jelly babies) as a reassurance. If it is an insulin spike, having something sweet rapidly restores the balance. Needless to say you have to be careful when you are driving until you establish the cause for definite (if you can).

[spike3]

I agree with Alan, I'm 6+yrs post op and still occasionaly suffer from this, however i have grown to recognise the symptoms and always have a small bottle of lucozade which i find does the trick and normal service resumes quite quickly. i.e 10/15minutes. i think its a symptom of "late dumping" . but as Alan suggested get it checked out to make certain.

All the best for the future.

Brian

[Markxj in reply to spike3]

Also agree with Alan. I am 5 years post op and still have these symptoms and carry a mars bar. It is difficult when out and about but you learn to recognise the symptoms. It is late dumping which usually can occur either half and hour after eating or two hours. I was really worried about this at first as no one had told me of this problem but now learned to live with it.

[Danko]

Thank you everyone for your comments and guidance. It must be late dumping. I haven't suffered this much before although I experienced early dumping a lot in the months following my op. In an effort to gain some weight I have recently been eating a bake at home mini baguette every day with ham or chorizo filling. Not in one go!!!! I have it in 3 portions from about 11am through to 2pm. I suspect I might have eaten it more speedily on Friday before a meeting which would explain what happened. I am seeing my surgeon soon for a check up so I will talk to him about it. Thanks again. Martin.

[jay2908]

I also carry werthers original toffee sweets and snack on them throughout at the day, even if I don't feel shakey. When I go shopping at supermarkets, I first visit the chocolate/snack section and put a few treats in my shopping trolley. Should I feel a little disorientated/dizzy/shakey I open a treat up and eat it to keep me going until I get home.

[lizthebob]

How weird I had exactly the same happen to me n Asda about 15 months post op. Tried to phone my partner but couldn't work out how to use my phone. Really odd feeling. Got back to myt car eventually and after eating a banana eventually felt better. Very alarming but it looks like it's not unusual!

[Danko in reply to lizthebob]

That's just like my experience except I was in Morrisons!!! I find bananas are good for my digestion and have at least one a day. Maybe the sugar content helps balance things like the sweets etc mentioned in the other posts.

[lizthebob]

It's funny but the few times I have felt like this it is almost as if I crave a banana. It is as if our bodies know what we need in an emergency!

[david001]

Hi Danko

I'm afraid so and agree with the other posts on here. Depending on how soon after you have eaten, it is probably related to 'dumping syndrome'. One feels dizzy, disorientated and possibly a little sweaty. With your insulin and sugars out of kilter, a banana or a sweet and a glass of water with a 10min sit down should get you back on your feet again. You are only 12mos post op - over the next year or two you will get to know your new body better and your dumping will settle down. In the meantime don't overdo it. All the best

[Bernadette]

I had a very worrying episode like this when I was driving, I was able to carry on very slowly until I came to a garage, where I just about staggered into the shop part, bought my self a cola and bar of chocolate, I did not bother paying first as there was a queue but starting drinking the coke, it was one of the worst times I have suffered this. It was about two hours after having alot of beetroot soup at a friends house. It was frightening at the time and I realize now it was late dumping

[Mentalmicky6]

I know the feeling, I'm 3.5 years post op and occasionally have late dumping, my remedy is I always have an apple near by and a cold drink. They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

[Robotgirl]

That sounds like either a spike or from stress... I would never be able to eat the filling like that... For me, if there is any sort of concentrated sugar or too much oil, I will go hypoglycemic. I also will go hypoglycemic when I get too stressed... IE. Shopping... I can't explain that either except I don't like to shop (I know, not typical for a woman, but I really hate it...). If I'm outside working or doing a lot of anything, those things don't tend to stress me out... Unless I've been sweating for two hours in ninety five degree heat without eating or drinking which is bad anyway... I always go hypoglycemic then... I've tried being more conscious about this, but I love working outside and I get lost in my work sometimes because that's how I get my stress out...

[Fendersnow]

Yes i agree with a lot of these comments. I believe it is a dumping issue(blood sugar imbalance). Initially i just let it run its course and would virtually pass out not knowing who or where I was. I would and still get the symptons of sweating on my arms and upper lip before it starts. I always carry dextrose tablets with me and if i catch the symptoms within 5 minutes or so of starting and take a tablet then all is fine. Drinking juice also works but takes longer to hit the blood stream for me. The trick for me is to have regular snacks throughout the day and not go for more than 4 hours not eating as this seems to bring on the symptoms.

[Hsbc]

Hi all I am ten years post op and had this same thing with a partial collapse after a few months and then about for complete blackouts every few months and it’s definitively a version of spikes in insulin digestion and dumping . After the fifth frightening episode this summer when I broke my nose with the fall , i made the decision to surrender my driving license as I didn’t want to damage anyone on the road. I try to sit after food until i am sure that i feel normal - ish’! Sorry can’t give a more useful answer than to confirm all the above . Very best