For those who have been reading the blog for awhile will note that I have been struggling with hypoglycemia or lower blood sugar for about two years. I hung in there, sometimes by a thin thread, tied a ever so tight knot on the end and kept hanging on.

Finally, I have had some success.

Here's my experience

In the beginning: I was doing great for about three years. Walking the loop, which is the 2.48 mile walking track in the center of Wrightsville Beach, NC. It's a great place to walk, lots of people who add that sense of community , with a gentle ocean breeze. As you make your way across two bridges over the intracoastal waterway, there are rich, beautiful marshlands and smell of salty ocean air. It winds around through the main street just a block away from the ocean giving that small town atmosphere of small shops and seafood fare. On occasion, the local churches along the route will offer a cooler of iced water and a smile. It just makes you thankful to live at the beach. This walk is as healing to the soul as it is to the body.

At the time I could walk the loop then repeat the top section again, from the History Museum around to the City Office buildings, past the tennis courts and playground through the road beside the Fire Station which added up to about three miles. Some days, I would do it twice in one trip. I had this great idea to sign up for a 1/2 marathon and was just getting ready to train, with a local group for a walk at one of my long-dreamed of destinations at Kiawah Island, SC. 

And then it happened, for several days in a row, I couldn't make it around even half-way. My blood sugar dropped dramatically and I was in trouble. Being unprepared it threw me "for a loop" alright. It was a pretty scary adventure, I had no food with me, no money to purchase any food, although I passed by several restaurants and a local grocery. I spotted several police cars, but I really couldn't justify asking for help. I kept looking at people faces as they passed, wondering if I should ask for help. I was trying to decide if anyone cared enough to sacrifice there walk to help someone who was about to hit the curb. I was confused and close to fainting. I finally made it to my car, drove to the first fast food restaurant just over the bridge and ordered a burger. It was a close call and it started to happen everyday from then on. My walks ended and with it my dream of walking in the marathon and getting to visit my long awaited retreat at Kiawah.

My mission from that point was to figure out what to do next. I made an appointment with my surgeon and talked with several dietians, an endocrinologist and over the course of the next year and a half, did everything I was told and knew to do to bring it under control.

The situation got worse and worse as time went on, despite my best efforts. I ended up at the local eating disorder clinic with a great nutritional counselor who really helped me with some limited success. After several weeks, she realized it was more about a chemical imbalance instead of what I was eating. She recommended a specialist in the area who had experience dealing with hypoglycemia and gastric bypass surgery patients. Although, I say I had "limited" success, it keep me out of the emergency room and on my feet, which was a huge success, I learned about how to eat for hypoglycemia and how my new altered body works, which was priceless, but it wasn't enough to correct the imbalance. 

It took me 5 months to get an appointment with Dr. Parker. He did several tests and prescribed a drug (Acarbose) that would slow down the rate at which my body absorbed carbohydrates. After several months on the medication and several adjustments in dosage, I am finally seeing relief.  I am not 100 percent, but feeling so much better.

Finding Solutions

Walking:Recently I've even started back with my walking routine, which is major because there for a while I couldn't even do light housework without lowering my blood sugar drastically. And several weeks ago, I even walked the loop. It was an emotional event...I was so excited. Although I think that trip was a little pre-mature, I am walking everyday now. Usually about 20 to 30 minutes at a time is best and after each meal. Walking has leveled out my blood sugar and it feels so good just to be able to walk again. I try to walk about 200 to 300 calories off a day (see HMR chart on left sidebar under links to discover how many calories you burn for your weight, per minute).

Counting carbohydrates: I still have to count my carbs very closely, but not quite as close as I did before the medication. I still stay with the 15 to 20 range per meal, I just don't have to be so exact. I am really hoping it continues to work. But for now, I'm learning how to get things back to a more "normal" life, or as normal as it gets for life after bariatric surgery!

I keep my sugar intake to below 9, the lower the better. 

Eating more often: I do eat more often. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If I don't eat correctly for breakfast it can throw my whole day off. 

When I walk I make sure I've eaten well; protein and complex carbs, high fiber. Then I make sure I get rehydrated and eat a healthy, high fiber snack. High fiber is one of the important elements, because it takes longer for your body to digest.

I also eat an afternoon meal. Because my meals are small, getting that afternoon meal in is important. It keeps me from getting too hungry before dinner, it stabilized my blood sugar and insures that I have proper calorie intake and protein. 

Dinner, then a light snack before bedtime. 

An emotional battle: I really understand how frustrating it can be to struggle with problems that there seemingly has no solution, but I was determined to find an answer. It was a little disheartening to have to go on prescription medication again. That was one of my biggest goals of having surgery. I began to feel all those "hopeless" feeling return and all those all "tapes" playing again in my head about how things never change and it was always going to be hopeless. 

Medication: I have had to go on medication, and it has greatly helped. Although it's not just about the medication alone. I worked really hard at finding a solution. I think that is the thing that makes the difference. You just can't give up to defeat. Even though there were times when I wanted to throw in the towel, even have the surgery reversed...I'm glad I didn't. 

I also went back on thyroid medication, which also offered some relief.

Gastric Bypass Surgery does carry risk, this one I was unaware of in the beginning...there is so much the professional don't know about what happens to our bodies when it's altered. But it was my decision. Losing the weight has given me my life back, allowed me to do things I would never do. I have to remind myself that I had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other life threatening diseases that treatened to shorten my life. Even with the little or actually "very big" hiccup of hypoglycemia, I can say that I'm glad I had the surgery, I'm glad I lost all the weight, I'm glad I put in the effort of dietary changes.

Was it easy, NO...it was hard. Was it hopeful at the time...NO, not at all. 

But I am making it through...and it has made me stronger and wiser...so for now...I'm back to doing the things I want and need to do. 

Below on earlier posts, are the trial and errors I went through to find a solution. It was a long hard road, but my prayer is that if it will help someone else have an easier road I'll share with you all the information I can. You have to work at finding a solution that works for you, but I'll share some things that I found that work for me. So stay tuned and let me hear from you...

Got to go....time for my morning walk...and oh...next I've scheduled for myself, a message....oh, yeah...life is good!

Thanks for your support and help

 A huge, gigantic, and extra-ordinary hug and  "thank you" to Chaundra Klien at the Chrysalis Center for her help finding my carbohydrate balance and to Dr. Parker and his wonderfully helpful staff at Hanover Medical Specialist. Chaundra and Dr. Parker listened to my needs, trusted me in that I was diligent in my eating and worked with me to find a solution that worked for me.  They didn't just hand me a generic answer.  That was a tremendous and emotional support as well as physical. I have the utmost respect for professionals who really have a the heart to listen "between the lines". Healing is not just about the physical, but is also ministers to the emotional needs of the whole person.