How to Treat and Prevent Hypoglycemia after Gastric Bypass
If you are obese, you may take surgery to lose your weight. One of the most popular weight loss surgeries is gastric bypass. This surgery will reduce your stomach and you will have a smaller eating portion. This method is very effective to lose your weight, but it does not mean that there is no complication that may happen. One of the possible complications is hypoglycemia. Not all patients who take gastric bypass experience this complication. So, you need to know about it. This article will discuss about hypoglycemia after gastric bypass.
About Hypoglycemia after Gastric Bypass
Hypoglycemia is one of the most common complications of gastric bypass. It is a condition where your glucose is too low. Your brain can only work with glucose. If your glucose is too low, your brain cannot work well. It happens if you skip your meals, delay eating, eat foods with too much sugar, or eat foods with too many carbohydrates. You need to solve hypoglycemia after gastric bypass as soon as possible before the condition gets worse.
The Types of Hypoglycemia
There are three types of hypoglycemia. It is divided based on the levels of blood glucose. The first type of hypoglycemia is mild hypoglycemia. Mild hypoglycemia happens when your blood glucose is down to 4 MMOL/L. If you experience this, you will get hungry suddenly. You may feel shaky, nervous, or dizzy too often. Your heartbeat will be faster. Sweating is one of the hypoglycemia symptoms. Other signs of hypoglycemia are numbness, headache, and stomachache.
The second type of hypoglycemia is moderate hypoglycemia. Your blood glucose is lower than mild hypoglycemia. You have blood glucose between 2.5 up to 3.9 MMOL/L. If you experience this complication, you will get a headache. You often feel anxious. Nausea is possible to happen to you. You will be difficult to concentrate or feel confused. You may experience slow or slurred speech. Another symptom of this hypoglycemia after gastric bypass is impaired vision.
The last type of hypoglycemia is severe hypoglycemia. This is the lowest blood glucose condition where the blood glucose is only 2.4 MMOL/L or lower even 0. It is the worst condition. If you get severe hypoglycemia, dizziness often happens to you. Irritability is possible to happen. You may experience fatigue or drowsiness. Other possible symptoms are loss of consciousness, convulsions, and seizures. So, you have to be careful after taking gastric bypass. You can minimize this complication because it can cause many problems as mentioned above.
What to Do if You Experience Hypoglycemia after Gastric Bypass
If you feel those signs of hypoglycemia above, what you have to do? There are some actions that you need to do. You have to check the blood sugar glucose using a blood sugar meter. After you know your hypoglycemia level, you need to treat yourself with glucose tablet recommended. After taking the glucose tablets, you need to check your blood glucose 15 minutes later. If the tablet works, your glucose level should increase. It is a good idea if you drink a half cup of juice. You can consider eating a small amount of candy. Have hypoglycemia after gastric bypass requires you to limit carbohydrate.
How to Prevent Hypoglycemia after Gastric Bypass
Hypoglycemia can be prevented with some tips. One of the most effective tips to increase your blood glucose level is by eating small for 5 to 6 times a day. For example, you can eat every 2 to 3 hours. It will be very effective to make your blood glucose level stable. You cannot skip your meals such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Delay eating time should not be done. So, you need to plan and schedule your eating time.
If you want to eat carbs, you have to prioritize carbs that contain lower glycemic. You can digest it slowly that will be good to make your blood sugar glucose more stable. For example, you can consider eating quinoa, brown rice, and white rice. It is recommended for you to eat potatoes, black beans, lentils, and chickpeas. Those foods are good to increase your blood glucose so that you can minimize the risk of hypoglycemia.
There are still many other recommended foods that you need to eat. One of them is peanuts. It will be great for your snack. It will be better if you prioritize eating protein. You can get protein in vegetables. You should consider eating vegetables every day to keep away from hypoglycemia. Foods which contain sugar are not recommended. So, you have to avoid those foods. For example, you need to avid juice, sweet tea, sweet beverages, soda, puddings, ice cream, pies, candy, cookies, and cakes.
You should always track your blood glucose level. You can make sure that the glucose level is stable. If your blood sugar is stable, you will not experience hypoglycemia after gastric bypass. If it is needed, it will be a good idea for you to meet a dietitian. He or she will be able to help you to get a meal plan that can prevent hypoglycemia.
Tips Related to Hypoglycemia
The following tips can help you to minimize the risk of hypoglycemia or treat hypoglycemia. You need to plan your mini meals properly. Then, you should make a low volume portion and you should prioritize protein to choosing meals. You need to get healthful fats. You need to separate fluids and foods by 30 up to 60 minutes. That is all that you have to know about hypoglycemia after gastric bypass. Hopefully this will be a useful reference for you who take gastric bypass weight loss surgery.
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