blood sugar

[Ollies12345]

hi everyone, dad is 7 years post Ivor Lewis surgery. He’s 86 and doing well lately his blood sugars go really low all of a sudden to2 next few hours as high as12 we have brought him a monitor so he can monitor and eat something quick does anyone know why this is really appreciate some help best wishes to all xx

[Cavalier3]

hi Ollie’s, so this was explained to me by my dietician. The removal of our oesophagus and stomach means that food hits our stomach quickly. Our body doesn’t have time to prepare for food. If we eat too quickly or eat too much sugary food our pancreas will release too much insulin. Blood sugar drops and we go into reactive hypoglycaemia. It really is about eating small and often, not eating too quickly and being careful with sugary food. Wishing your Dad well x

[Ollies12345 in reply to Cavalier3]

Thank you best wishes to you x

[Spikey]

Cavalier3 is absolutely correct. I am 17 years post-op and still suffer from this occasionally, if I eat to much or eat the wrong things. It's associated with Dumping Syndrome, about which there are many posts on this forum. Food passes through the stomach too quickly, resulting in a rush of insulin, which causes hypoglycaemia. This normally results in a feeling of extreme tiredness, but can cause you to pass out.