Oct 1 is PBH Day!

⚖️ I lost the weight. A lot of weight—150 pounds. But I didn’t gain better health. 💔 After gastric bypass, I developed post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH)—a severe form of reactive hypoglycemia. 🎢 Upper-GI surgery can permanently change how food moves through the digestive system, sometimes triggering an exaggerated insulin response after eating & resulting in hypoglycemia. This isn’t limited to one bariatric procedure; postprocedural hypoglycemia can occur after other surgeries that alter the upper GI tract. 🩸 In my case, even a small amount of carbs can start a brutal glucose roller coaster: spike, crash, repeat. 🍅 Even something as ordinary as ketchup can trigger it. On bad days, I can have a dozen hypoglycemic episodes. ⏳ It took 5 years to get diagnosed. Along the way, I was dismissed, blamed & sometimes left wondering if the thought bubble over a provider’s head was: “Sounds fake, but okay.” 🙃 But PBH isn’t fake. Emerging U.S. evidence suggests at least 1 in 12 people after metabolic/bariatric surgery may experience PBH requiring medical intervention. 📊 That’s why I started this petition. I learned that my experience was not unique. People living with PBH deserve informed consent before surgery, routine screening afterward, knowledgeable providers, access to appropriate monitoring & treatment, and coordinated long-term care. 📅 And that’s why tomorrow, Oct. 1, 2026, is worth celebrating. After years of research, clinical work & advocacy by researchers including Dr. Colleen Craig, Dr. Mary-Elizabeth Patti & others, PBH finally gets its own ICD-10-CM diagnosis code: E89.830. 📋 A diagnosis code doesn’t make an illness real. Patients already knew it was real. But formal recognition makes it harder to dismiss. 💙 This new code is progress—but it isn’t the finish line. We still need greater awareness, earlier diagnosis, better access to care & providers who recognize PBH before patients spend years searching for answers. 🤔 As a social worker, I keep coming back to one question: What happens to patients who don’t have the energy, education, confidence, time or resources to keep fighting until someone listens? 🗣️ Listen sooner. 👂 Take patients seriously. 🔎 Stay curious. ❤️ Don’t make patients become experts in their own illness just to be believed. ✨ Looking good is not the same as feeling well. 🌐 Learn more about PBH: uncoverpbh.com 🌐 Learn more about my advocacy: drjenncarson.com -Jenn Carson, Social Worker living with PBH