Medical Center for Eating Disorders

When your blood sugar drops too low, you may be at risk of experiencing a hypoglycemic episode 😬

Here are our three recommendations to prevent your blood glucose from going any lower:

1️⃣ Consume some form of simple sugar to bring up your blood glucose to an appropriate range. Simple sugar options include honey, juice, or fruit snacks.

2️⃣ Follow up the simple sugar snack after by eating a combination of carb + protein + fat. These options include a PB&J sandwich, peanut butter crackers, or a Boost.

3️⃣ Eat every 3 hours. Since the brain can't store its primary fuel (glucose) your body needs a continual supply.

Please note: if you are experiencing symptoms of a hypoglycemic episode such as fainting or having seizures, call 911.

One of the most common questions we get asked is "Why do I feel so full so quickly even when I eat small amounts of food?"

Short answer: There’s a good chance it's due to a medical condition called Gastroparesis (delayed gastric emptying).

Gastroparesis (Gastric= stomach, Paresis= paralysis) causes delayed stomach emptying and is a result of restriction of calories and weight loss. It can happen in bodies of all shapes and sizes. The stomach muscles paralyze to halt digestion and hold food in the stomach for much longer than normal periods of time. This slowing down of digestion helps to conserve energy during periods of restricted intake. It also gives the intestines more time to pull as much nutrition as possible out of the food that is coming in.

Symptoms: early fullness, bloating, abdominal distention, nausea, and only being able to eat small amounts of food at a time.

It can be quite painful and make eating very uncomfortable when it happens. It also can prolong and worsen malnutrition and weight loss if not treated quickly and appropriately.

The good news is that it is almost always reversible with increasing nutritional intake.

The pickle is 👉🏻 how to get more nutrition in when Gastroparesis causes eating to be so uncomfortable? 🤷🏼‍♀️ 🤔

There are a few prescription medications we use in combination with temporary changes to consistency and quantity of foods (liquid, soft, low fiber, etc.) that can help to reverse it.

What medical speciality actually treats eating disorders?

Those with eating disorders are in “A Medical No-Man’s Land” because:
👉Psychiatry refers to medical because of the physical/medical issues.
👉Medicine refers to psychiatry because of the psychiatric issues.

So where does that leave us? 😦

Right here. In Houston, TX. Bridging the gap at Medical Center for Eating Disorders. 🩺

We hope you find a little happiness today! ❤