Darn Dumping Problems

I really can play the glad game most of the time these days--after all, look at me--I am like a totally new person from the person I was a year ago. However, there still are some remnants of my disease that aren't my favorite things. One is the infamous "dumping syndrome" that I've told you about before. I try to be so careful in what I eat and when I eat...but I still have these moments where I go into hot flash mode, and experience dizziness or lightheadedness. I have to be where a fan can blow cool air over me, and then I must eat something or I feel very weak and vulnerable. This happened to me Sunday night, and then again tonight. On Sunday it was our monthly fast Sunday, where we fast for 2 meals. I hadn't done it for months, but Spence and I talked about it, and decided that I could at least fast breakfast, and then eat lunch before I went to church. I don't think that settled very well with my body, because that night I had my typical reactions. Spence knows to move me into one of our bedrooms, where the bed is very close to the fan, and the cool air seems to help me "heal" faster. He brings me crackers, and usually something to drink to help get my blood sugar more normal again. It takes about 20-30 minutes, and then I am feeling more myself again. It happened to me tonight--I got dizzy as I was talking to a good friend on the phone. I get kind of weird too--kind of delirious (somewhat)--my son, Brady, lets me know when I start talking a little bit weird! My reactions are usually related to something I ate--either I eat too much sugar, or I eat sugar when I'm already full...or I just plain eat too much. I do wonder when I'll really figure this out--I may go for 2 weeks with no incident, and feel like I'm all better, but then something happens, and I throw off my eating patterns...and I'm having problems again. It really is so minor compared to other things I've had to deal with, but it is something I need to get better at so i can overcome it.

I am thankful I can do so many of my old normal things. Today I helped with the luncheon for a funeral--it is so nice to be able to help in that way. But even so, I find that things like that totally exhaust me. I came home, and was resting for a good part of the afternoon. But I am able to work out several times a week, and I am definitely getting stronger. So many things to be thankful for--just need to keep working on getting used to the "new plumbing" in my body!