Hypoglycemia? Post Ivor Lewis

[Ellapup]

Another Ivor Lewis post op question . I am almost 5 1/2 months post and seem to have a problem with hypoglycemia and it seems to be coming more frequent. I seem to eat constantly but have these spells of weakness I thought was from afib I have. Last spell I had was 1 hour after I ate and checked sugars and they were 75.

[Lab1]

Hi there I am 5 years post op. I am not diabetic. And I still get the low sugar dip. I always carry chocolate with me when I am out. It’s because your food some times goes very fast through the gullet. And where the oesophagus is shorter it goes straight To the intestines. Can make you sweat and shaky and disorientated not nice. I used to get them a lot. Now I get them a lot less. Hope this helps. Lab

[Ellapup in reply to Lab1]

Very encouraging, thank you for your response. Have had a few spells and very alarming and wasn’t ready now I know to find a seat and get something in me to fight it. I have afib also and thought it was acting up and maybe getting bad but test don’t show a problem there. Trying to refine my diet as weight still an issue, Seems I have finally leveled off and maintaining for the last 3 weeks. Had been feeling pretty good and started riding bike but then I had 4 spells of it in a week and felt like crap. Dumping was also an issue, just a bad week.

[kiddy]

Hi there I’m not a diabetic but suffer from this. I carry a banana and dextrose tablets with me. 1 or 2 dextrose make me feel better. Also be careful with sugar and high fat .Don’t drink with your food apart from sips of water. Plus have a snack or banana after exercise. My episodes are less now I’m nearly 3 years post op/chemo.

Best wishes

Debbie

[strangetimes]

Another here who suffers - whether it's hypog or ,as also suggested ,an electroyte inbalance I don't know .

V.unsettling ,disorientation,problems with vision ,huge desire to eat and drink ,shakey are most common features .Can progress to full body jerking ,cold sweats etc .

I've learnt to be more aware of onset and not to try and carry on as if all ok .I carry glucose tablets ,try not to panic ,sit down or keep still if that's not possible . I'm 5 years post op and while I dont think these episodes are less frequent I have become much better at spotting onset and heading them off .

[liz_crisp]

Hi I am 9 years post op and still get a low sugar dip after eating. 51/2 months is very early days into recovery. Dumping is normal and it can be caused by eating too much at one sitting, or food in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or certain foods will set it off but that is different for everyone. I find white bread cheese sandwiches, baked apples, pasta dishes and hot chocolate are disaster areas for me. But a friend finds Danish pastries are a problem for her and she can drink gallons of hot chocolate. Your body is out of sync due to the vagus nerve being cut. So when you eat your body expects to deal with sugar in the blood and produces insulin but the food often ends up in the wrong place in the gut and the iinsulin takes all available sugar out of the blood while the gut pulls water in to deal with the food. You will learn to recognise the onset and take action. I.e. dextrose, boiled sweets, a banana, orange juice, i used to use coke but since the sugar tax they have sweetners in which don’t really help. You will find the one that works best for you. I always have dextrose tablets with me. I can use a whole packet to balance out sometimes. Other times I just go to sleep if I’m at home.

It does improve but as time passes your gut changes and foods that once caused a problem are Ok and other foods will be a problem that were fine. It’s not a good feeling but it is totally controllable just takes a bit of time. Take care LIzzy

[grandylynda]

I suffer this way too but after 15 months i spot it comming more often. Sit still, have a dextrose tablet or two and do belly breathing. Always have a banana after excercise. Also i always carry dextrose tablets and high protien cereal bars. I find its more likly to happen when out of toutine such as this werkend whrn i hsve been awsy and mesls were not my normal time. Sorry, some of this typing is rubbish!

Its early days yet for you , you will find what works and gain the confiddence to cope away from home. Stay positive.

[gutlesswonder]

This problem has been covered extensively on this site over the past five years - search under 'Dumping' and 'Hypos' ---It is entirely manageable.

But please do take it seriously as the consequences of getting it wrong can be devastating .....coma and fractures.............. as several of us can testify.

After 27 years since my Ivor Lewis the incidence of my hypos is down from daily to less that one a month. Still too often--maybe I'm a slow learner.

[Ellapup in reply to gutlesswonder]

27 years , that puts a big smile on my face 😀

[Ellapup]

I want to thank everyone for there response and helpful advice . I am 7 months out now and doing very well. I have been feeling very good and exerciseing with yoga and bike riding. Weight has been holding steady but only with constant eating. I seem to do fine for a couple of weeks and feel I am making great strides and then I get hit with a week of fatigue that just stops me in my tracks . I don’t know if this is from the chemo and radiation but I have no choice but to rest