Hypoglycemia?

[beejayw1]

Not to get into a lot of detail, but I appear to have hypoglycemia, which has various unpleasant symptoms that come on when your blood sugar level drops low. Usually it's taken care of (I gather) by limiting the types of carbohydrates you eat (for example, no wheat products) and by eating small meals spread out over the day.

I have to get a Glucose Tolerance Test and talk to my doctor, but based on my observations and what I've been reading, I have a case of it (apparently rather mild). It's generally viewed as a precursor to diabetes, and adult onset diabetes (again, rather mild) runs in my mother's side of the family.

Does anyone here have any experience with hypoglycemia? Any suggestions?

[donleyk]

Hello. There are a few of us on the boards that have it.

I haven't finished Dr Willet's book Eat Drink and Be Healthy but buy into his philosophy. You may want to take a look at it.


In general I try to stay away from the refined stuff (especially bagels, they just wipe me out) and that has helped. Do you have specific questions?

[Kayaksoup]

I was very hypoglycemic as a kid, and I still suffer when my blood sugar drops. I'm at my best when I eat frequent small meals and avoid sugar etc.

[beejayw1]

I don't have any really specific questions yet (I did do some reading on what to avoid, and found some good links). I need to get the Glucose Tolerance Test, but since the symptoms seem to come about 4 hours after eating, especially if I've had a carb-heavy and protein-poor meal, and they subside quickly once I've eaten, I think I'm probably right on the money.

One thing I read had some rather weird suggestions for eating:


Upon Awakening
1/2 orange or watermelon (8" diam. 3/4")

20 min later

2 soft-boiled eggs with butter
1/2 C. asparagus
rose hips tea w lemon
or
1 pork chop
1/2 C. green. Beans w butter

Snack
1 oz. meat w lett. & mayo
or
2 T cottage cheese
carrot sticks
or
1 sardine w 1/4 med. apple
or
1 T nut butter mixed w sesame seed on celery
4 oz milk

Lunch
2 oz beef w melted cheese
salad of 1/3 C peas w celery, lettuce, mayo
4 oz tomato juice
1/2 med apple
or
4 oz tomato juice
1/2 avocado w fish salad; (1/2 cup) lettuce, mayo
1/2 med. Apple
herb tea

Snack
few mixed nuts 11
4 oz milk or yogurt
or
hard boiled egg w lemon salt & pepper

Snack
1/4 C leftover salad; 1 oz meat or
2 T fish salad

Dinner
2 oz roast
onions & gravy
1 med chd carrot
1/2 C buttered zucchini
tossed salad
fresh tomato
med peach
peppermint tea
or
2 oz bkd. Chicken
1/2 bkd. acrn sq. w butter
spinach w butter
coleslaw w shredded carrots, sour cream,dilut. apple or pineapple jce.
peppermint tea

Snack
1 oz chees in cabbage leaf YUCK!
or
1 oz. chicken w celery and mayo.
club soda in 2 t. froz orange jc

Snack
1 oz pt roast
tossed salad
or
1 scrambled egg w butter. 1 sl. cheese

If this is how I must eat, I'll do it, but it sure sounds odd...

[Kayaksoup]

I don't know what works for others, but I usually eat 5 "meals", Starting with an egg white "omelet". 10:00 I usually have a small handful of pecans (10 halves) or a piece of cheese. Lunch would be around 1 and involve protein, usually cold turkey or chicken and a green salad. Sometimes I'll have soup instead, but one that has a lot of beans or fish. 3:00 is afternoon snack, usually cottage cheese, but sometimes fruit and yogurt. I try to avoid plain fruit because My blood sugar drops a lot faster after eating that. Then I have a "normal" supper around 7pm.
I should tell you that I developed this plan by listening to what my body told me and not with the help of any professional. And I have only been doing it for about 4 months, but it seems to work. and if I come off my schedule at all, oh boy do I know it:rolleyes:

[donleyk]

Kayaksoup- that sounds good. Eggs do me well and I have the best luck going hours without food with them. Nuts are a great hold me over too. Some fruit that are high in fiber are good. Apples with peanut butter is a great mini meal for me. Mornings are my biggest problem. If I start out with a good breakfast I am okay.

Diana- That diet sounds funky and a hassle. Find a good high fibre cereal if you like them. Kashi GoLean Crunch works for me. I eat it with strawberries in season. Banana now.

Oatmeal only works about half for me. I can usually feel my sugar drop a couple of hours later.

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by donleyk
Diana- That diet sounds funky and a hassle. Find a good high fibre cereal if you like them. Kashi GoLean Crunch works for me. I eat it with strawberries in season. Banana now.

I started noticing that I felt shaky, sweaty and jittery in the morning if I didn't have a good breakfast, and then usually about 4 1/2 hours after that. I tracked what I ate for a couple weeks and the symptoms that went along with it. When I up my protein intake, I get less symptoms. (annoying that they 'feel' like anxiety)

Anyhow, I understand I'm supposed to avoid wheat. Does Kashi GoLean have low wheat? Maybe I'll try it.

I like eggs, too.

[badunnin]

Diana - here are the ingredients for Kashi Go-Lean (found at http://www.kashi.com )

INGREDIENTS:
Soy Protein, Soy Grits, Corn Bran, Corn, Evaporated Cane Juice, Honey, Whole Oats, Long Grain Brown Rice, Whole Rye, Whole Hard Red Winter Wheat, Whole Triticale, Whole Buckwheat, Whole Barley, Wheat Bran, Oat Bran, Whey, Sesame Seeds, Salt.

[wallycat]

Diana, it sounds like you have reactive hypoglycemia.
Hope this isn't too boring...here goes..

If you have had a fasting glucose test (bloodwork without eating for 12 hours or so) and your glucose level was under 110 (though some docs would like to see it under 105, but this number is reserved for pregnant women), this is one elmination for diabetes.

Some feel that postprandial (after eating) levels carry more weight because, heck, we eat more often throughout the day than we do fast :)
THe numbers (and these can vary depending on the glucose meter you are using) but typically, it should be under 160 after 1 hour and under 120 after 2 hours. If you are peaking over these numbers but eventually come down to 120, you are considered impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).

If your fasting level is 110-125, you are considered impaired fasting glucose. Anything over 126 is considered diabetic; or two random checks any time of day that are over 200 with symptoms.

If your folks have diabetes, you stand a greater chance to get it, but it is not a given. Exercise and good diet can, in some individuals, either stall development or completely prevent it--but not everyone. If you do everything right, you can still end up with this and it is NOT YOUR FAULT.

The misconception is that one should cut out carbohydrates but study after study after study reveals that individuals with IGT or IFG who consume the GREATEST number of WHOLE GRAIN carbs seem to have the least amount of diabetes...even when it is in the family.

Hypoglycemia can occur for a few reasons...in a nutshell, if you consume a fast acting (high glycemic) carb, the sugar gets dumped into your blood stream quickly and your pancreas tries to dump out an appropriate amount of insulin to counter act the fast rise; usually it over-guesses and now you have too much insulin coursing your body, the sugar drops quickly and now there is not enough sugar to counteract the insulin so your glucose drops. In some people, the drop is still within normal range (no lower than 64) but it is the speed with which the drop occurs that causes the sweating, shaking, irritability and anxiety like feeling. In others, the drop is quick, but also well below the 64, which also produces the same symptoms.

By eating a protein or fat with your carb, you delay gastric emptying, which in turn, slows how quickly sugar can enter your blood stream and prevents the roller-coaster with your blood sugars.

Whole grains are supposed to have a similar effect due to the bran and germ that slow the emptying, but some find that without the protein or fat, they still have some symptoms.

If you need more info or have specific questions, feel free to post or PM me and I'll answer what i can (or tell you where you can locate the info).

I have suffered with hypoglycemia my whole life (and my mom is diabetic--type II but on insulin).

Good Luck :)

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by wallycat
Diana, it sounds like you have reactive hypoglycemia.
Hope this isn't too boring...here goes..

Thank you, Wallycat, and thanks to everyone else. You can't imagine how much I appreciate the information and the insights.

I think the first thing I need to do is get the Glucose Tolerance Test to confirm what actually is going on. (I'm playing telephone tag with my doctor's office right now on the scheduling situation).

Once that's done (and it sounds like such fun :rolleyes: ) I'll see where to go. I do have Acid Reflux disease (and was diagnosed with an ulcer at one point; I understand reactive hypog. sometimes develops in such cases).

One good thing I read: you can eat bacon! ;)

[Valerie226]

Do you have access to a blood glucose meter that works properly? they are easy to use & not that expensive but maybe you could borrow one. Most people run 70-110 fasting. (no food /drink for 12 hours) with a meter you could check your blood sugar when you feel symptoms.

Glucose tolerance tests can be misleading. they usually give you a bottle of sweet soda solution to drink down all at once on an empty stomach. (this does not resemble real world eating). people can & do get sick on this. but it standardizes the amount and type of calories. they will track your blood glucose after drinking the loading dose at timed intervals. If your blood sugar rises too high at any point or falls below 70 (and you feel symptoms ) then you have what you think you have.

[Luiza]

My father has hypoglycemia and I inherited it.I have problems with acid refux, but they arrived only a few years ago, while I had the symptoms of hypoglycemia forever. What helps me is the following: eating something every 4-6 hours, not eating sweets or sugary drinks (including fruit juice!) on an empty stomach (I forget this dictum once a year, and I live to regret it), and having milk with food (not sure why I have trouble with milk, and no, I don't have lactose intolerance). Meal size doesn't really matter; the meals end up being smaller by themselves as a consequence of eating more often. I don't have trouble with wheat or with fruits, but I do prefer breads, cereals and fruits higher in fiber. Apples are a very good snack for me. I am quite a bit more liberal with my olive oil than CL advocates, because I find it helps keep me fuller for longer. This works for me because I end up having very few sweets (by the time I finish dinner, I'm too full to contemplate dessert).

I do not really recommend taking the Glucose Tolerance Test. My father had one some years back and it was a very unpleasant experience for him. It turned out that the symptoms he was experiencing were indeed due to his hypoglycemia acting up, because after his divorce he ended up eating too many prepackaged foods (high in sugar). After he started cooking again, the symptoms subsided. So, in my opinion, you should just eat appropriately and see if you feel better. Also, you might want to tell your friends and relatives to feed you something (not a sweet) if they see you starting to get catatonic or anxious . DH does that, and it really helps, because sometimes I get too involved in something and miss the hunger signals completely (after which I stop feeling hungry and just feel unwell). By the same token, keeping a meal schedule really makes a difference.

Hope this helps. Low blood sugar is not life threatening, but it really is no fun at all.

[DocAgocs]

Cutting out refined stuff (flour, sugar, etc) is paramount. Also, and I know I'll take flak for this, an herb called Gymnema could become your best friend. It has been used in India and SE Asia for 2,000 years and is traditionally called "sugar destroyer." It has really interesting properties that help with weight loss by decreasing sugar cravings, but a LOT of clinical trials with humans shows it to be very effective for regulating blood sugar. Some people in these studies, done on people with full blown diabetes, were able to stop their insulin altogether. It works great. I have several monographs I could share but they are PDF's and I can't attach them to this message. If you PM your email address I could send them as attachments. If you don't want to do that, just reply to this and I will post the studies and the results. Could make a HUGE difference in your life, with no side effects. Worth looking into (and no, I don't sell it).

[wallycat]

Doc, I have heard this herb mentioned in folklore, but have been unable to find a medline study to substantiate this information. If you have access to any of these studies, I would very much like to see them (the type of study, results, type of publication, etc.)

THanks.

Cinnamon has been shown to allow the body to use insulin better so it has been shown to lower fasting glucose levels.

THere are other herbs, but I've been unable to find any reputable studies that substantiate these other herbs either (dandelion root tea, bitter melon, etc.)

[kwormann]

Have suffered from it my whole life. The low carb diet I am using helps and now that Im not eating sugar or flour (or very little), dont have episodes...as long as I eat regularly!

My gramma used to have it so bad she would keep nuts in her nightstand because she would wake in the middle of the night with episodes.....

[stefania4]

Is the world of medicine now acknowledging that this is a real condition? I had two doctors (10 and 15 years ago) tell me there was no such thing - it was imaginary OR the result of an insulin-secreting tumor.

I dropped some $ on a blood sugar monitor (the same model as a diabetic friend's), and discovered that whenever I got that weird, shaky feeling my blood sugar was below 60, and sometimes below 40, even though I was eating 3 meals a day. My doc still insisted nothing was wrong.

So I took some initiative and changed my diet. At the time I was a vegetarian, but I was a "no meat but lots of pasta and rice" veggie instead of a "quality sources of protein other than meat" veggie. I added fish and poultry to my diet, changed to whole grains instead of white rice, pasta, and bread, and reduced sugar (read: chocolate). Immediately I felt better.

FYI, I have also recently seen hypoglycemia attributed to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

[sneezles]

Having had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy and a family history of hypoglicemia and adult onset type II, the best thing that I learned is to never eat a carb without eating a protein (for the reasons that wallycat listed).

[wallycat]

Originally posted by stefania4
Is the world of medicine now acknowledging that this is a real condition? I had two doctors (10 and 15 years ago) tell me there was no such thing - it was imaginary OR the result of an insulin-secreting tumor.

I dropped some $ on a blood sugar monitor (the same model as a diabetic friend's), and discovered that whenever I got that weird, shaky feeling my blood sugar was below 60, and sometimes below 40, even though I was eating 3 meals a day. My doc still insisted nothing was wrong.

So I took some initiative and changed my diet. At the time I was a vegetarian, but I was a "no meat but lots of pasta and rice" veggie instead of a "quality sources of protein other than meat" veggie. I added fish and poultry to my diet, changed to whole grains instead of white rice, pasta, and bread, and reduced sugar (read: chocolate). Immediately I felt better.

FYI, I have also recently seen hypoglycemia attributed to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

Some medical professionals (as I understand, but I don't spend a lot of time in a hospital setting) look at the cause and define that rather than the symptom...so even though you GET hypoglycemica, the cause may be either a tumor (very rare), impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose (known as pre-diabetes..another word you'd never hear used even a few years ago).
Polycystic ovarian disease shows impaired glucose function in some individuals; so it wouldn't be labeled hypoglycemia, it would be either PCOD or IGT...and one of the symptoms is a hypoglycemic reaction. I know, it's strange and perhaps I'm not corrrect on this, but that is how I understand it.

As an aside, if you're experiencing odd stuff like this and have a good rapport with your doc, they may write a Rx for a monitor and strips, which should be covered 100% by most insurance companies.

[beejayw1]

You have no idea how wonderful it feels to read what everyone says and know that 'that weird, shaky feeling' is not something that's all in my head.

I'd almost come to that conclusion (it started for real around September, but I think I'd had a tendency toward it before) and I was half-convinced that it was in my mind until I started looking at the times it came on and what I'd been eating.

It's getting me choked up as I type this, just to know I'm not alone and others (people I've known of and have dealt with) have gone through this.

Thank you all so much!

[DocAgocs]

Wallycat, if you have access to these books, you'll find excellent monographs for Gymnema sylvestre. The most up-to-date one is in A Clinical Guide to Blending Liquid Herbs but the dosage information is hard to extrapolate for tablets. In that case, reference either Clinical Applications of Ayurvedic and Chinese Herbs or Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. If you have any interest at all in herbal medicine, this last book will blow your mind. It is absolutely amazing, particularly if you are of the mindset that herbal medicine is a lot of fru fru and no substance, at least no scientific substance. Big-time eye opener for me, I'll admit.

Anyway, if you want, just PM me your email address and I will attach (they're PDFs so I can't put them here) some articles and a monograph that I have which include all of the scientific journal references, too. The author of the books I mentioned above and of the stuff I have is Australian and he's using a good number of UK and Indian lit sources, so there's a possibility that MEDLINE doesn't reference them. The stuff I have is pretty technical, but anyone with training in science/health care will have no problem understanding it. And, I promise I won't stick you on my mailing list or anything if you give you email to me! :D

[sassysu3]

:( Dealing with Hypoglycemia here as well...for years. Diabetes runs in the family, distant family, except for my dad. I believe that his condition, although having a predisposition to diabetes, was brought to the fore from his choice of lifestyle. He is an alcoholic, which I also feel can run hand-in-hand, because of the bouncing around of the blood sugar level. Alcohol seems to boost up the sugar level fairly quickly, so perhaps that may be one of the reasons (subconsciously) someone of that disposition is drawn to alcohol. It's funny, in coincidence, how "happy hour" is, yes, after working hours, but also at a time when typically the blood sugar levels are low.

Yes, I am just talking off the top of my head, and may be off on some of my observances, but thought I'd share any-who.:)

I need to eat small meals throughout the day. And although it's said to be a no-no in the watching your weight arena, I do have snacks late in the night before going to bed...healthy ones though. I find I sleep better then.

I have found licorice root to help me level off my blood sugar. When I am consistant on taking it, my sweet needs don't seem as prevelent.

I usually hit a low anywhere between 2-5 in the afternoon.

Almonds are one of my choices of snacks...yum! Not too many though :rolleyes: .

I've had the GTT - it was bad. Towards the end, when I was at my weakest, the nurse was having trouble hitting the vein to draw my blood...my "tolerence" was low then!! I finally told her to get someone else to do it.

I don't think about the condition too much. I'm just used to having it as a part of my make-up. I eat rather healthfully, and have been for years, so I think this helps.

However, coupled with having Chronic Fatigue and Epstein Barr, I can get rather dragged out sometimes if I've taken on too much in my schedule and commitments.

Commismerating...
sassysu

[eas11]

Diana,
I was diagnosed with Hypoglycemia about 7 years ago by an endocrinologist. My primary sent me to him after hearing my symptoms and some initial blood tests (which showed a problem with my pancreas- aparently, sometimes hypo is caused by a benign tumor. It turned out to be a false positive blood test, BTW)
The Endo ordered me a Glucose monitor and told me to test immediatly upon having any symptoms and a couple of other times for a 2 week period. Also had me keep a log of foods/times/reactions...everything! He was not a fan of GTT as a diagnostic tool.
My symptoms were/are severe: cold sweat, mild confusion, shaking/jittery, and INTENSE hunger. Really. It is VERY uncomfortable. After BGL are back up to normal (at that time only sugar works) it takes awhile to feel better. Eating protien snacks is preventitive, but will not help to get the level up.
My doc explained all this, and validated my feelings with both tests and review of symptoms. He said true Hypoglycemia is not a common condition but was touted by protien diet fads in the past as something common. There was a lot of self diagnosis.
That's good that you are going to a doc. I would 2nd the idea of a monitor and suggest you keep a log.
I'm not sure, but I *think* 4 1/2 hours after eating is a little long for a reactive hypoglycemia... I was told the reaction occurs a lot sooner than that. Could it be your body just changing, and now you get hungry sooner than you have in the past? I know many people who feel light headed and a bit shaky when hungry.
A very low carb diet with some protien snacks keeps my hypo in check. When I eat carbs I need to remember to eat some protien no longer than 1 1/2 hour after the meal, otherwise I get a low reaction. It was suggested I keep a tube of that frosting writing stuff with me as an easy quick sugar source. I don't always have my bag with me, but that is a really easy way to get your level up quickly.
HTH.

[wallycat]

eas11, you are correct that most reactive hypoglycemia happens within a few hours. I re-read Diana's post...I had initially thought she didn't include how soon this happens, but I mis-read. Thanks for pointing this out :)

Ordinarily, your blood sugar reaches the highest point it will get about 1 hour after the first bite of food you take. I have seen it vary anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours. I think a lot has to do with how well your pancreas is dumping out insulin and how efficient your muscles/cells are at using the insulin your pancreas puts out there.

sassysu, it is a misunderstanding that alcohol raises blood sugars. Perhaps this may be the case in a long-term alcoholic, but for most individuals, alcohol actually lowers blood sugar.
They warn diabetics not to drink without having food with them because the drop can be unpredictable, especially combined with insulin or other meds.

I too ALWAYS carry food with me. ALWAYS. I had smaller episodes of this when I was young, but since my 30's and up have noticed stronger and more frequent episodes. Even when DH and I travel on the motorcycle, I keep a PB sandwich in a jacket pocket. I also carry raisins and almonds in my purse.
I don't like that shaky, yucky feeling and DH doesn't experience it. He can go hours and hours and HOURS without food. Rather than biting his head off every 2 hours, I simply carry stuff with me. I wish I didn't have to, but it's less frustrating to do it.

As for a late night snack; this actually helps people maintain a lower fasting glucose number...it is to do with the Dawn Phenomena and the liver dumping out glycogen(sugar-like) for our bodies to use to start our day; by eating something later in the night, you maintain a certain amount of glucose in the blood stream and the liver doesn't dump out as much because your body appears prepared to start the day.

Diana, you are not alone :)

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by eas11
I 'm not sure but I *think* 4 1/2 hours after eating is a little long for a reactive hypoglycemia... Could it be your body just changing, and now you get hungry sooner than you have in the past? I know many people who feel light headed and a bit shaky when hungry.

Thanks for the info.

In reviewing the chart I've been keeping of symptoms and timing, I'm pretty sure it isn't normal hunger. I mis-stated the timing. From what I can see, if I eat at 8:30 am (especially if it's the 'wrong' type of food) I start feeling badly around 11:30. I note, as well, that I have the symptoms before I eat breakfast, and they take a while to subside.

The symptoms are far, far removed from the 'shaky when hungry' that I have had in the past. Shaky, perspiring, racing heart, almost dizzy, confused. It subsides after I have eaten, though takes some time.

Just this morning, by the way, I goofed and had an interesting experience. I'd eaten cheese before bedtime. At 5:45am I got up and had a cup of hot tea with milk and 2 tsp of sugar (I usually have Nutrasweet in my tea). Around 6:45 - 7:00 I cooked two eggs and ate them with a slice of toast I still got the symptoms - worse than I've had in a long time - around 7:30 am. I suspect it was from the sugar in the tea.

I will be getting the monitor at lunchtime (CVS store brand is not expensive) and will be tracking as you suggest. I won't be doing the GTT for a while, at any rate. I'll also be eating the evenly spaced snacks - half an apple, a handful of peanuts (not dry-roasted), and will see how it goes.

Again, thanks!

[sassysu3]

wallycat~I'm sure you are right about the alcohol, except, I thought the great dip in blood sugar level after consuming was because of the initial sharp rise that alcohol gives, since it's sugar content is so high. Is that correct about alcohol's sugar content? And if it is, wouldn't dumping that much sugar in liquid form, and doesn't alcohol thin the blood so the sugar gets into the system that much faster? Really, I'm not sure about the statements I've just made, however, I thought I had picked up this info somewhere in my archives.
Anyway, I honestly don't have any problem with shared info for my clarification...thanks ;) .
sassysu

[wallycat]

Originally posted by sassysu3
wallycat~Really, I'm not sure about the statements I've just made, however, I thought I had picked up this info somewhere in my archives.
sassysu

LOL :)

Alcohol is a very strange "food." The body actually process it more as a fat than a sugar. It does not cause a spike in glucose.

To "thin" the blood means to make the platelets less sticky; it would not really affect hemoglobin/red blood cells (for the most part). How glopy or non-sticky your blood is will not affect the blood sugar response. This has more to do with the pancreas and liver.

The theory about alcohol and blood sugar is that while the liver is busy detoxing the alcohol ingested, it cannot process any food you have eaten and it cannot readily dump out any glycogen so your blood sugar drops.

I hope I haven't overtaken this thread. I apologize to have added so much. I'll just read now and enjoy the other posts. I too am feeling much less left-out hearing others share their stories :)

[Valerie226]

I meant to add this earlier but got sidetracked.
Doing your own blood sugars is easy but you need to practice test when you feel normal. when you are weak,confused, dizzy, and shaky is not a good time to be reading instructions or fumbling with unfamiliar tools. In my experience, meters are very similar but have differences.
I am "normal" but had one hypoglycemic experience. I was on about day 5 of an adkins diet. I had eaten eggs and cheese an hour before but my blood sugar was less than 50 & I felt absolutely horrible. cold sweaty, shaking, dizzy, nauseated. ate a cracker & was fine in under 5 minutes. That ended my adkins experience. Good luck with your diet adjustments.

[eas11]

Diana,
I remember my endo doc asking me if I ever had the symptoms before eating breakfast and/or more than 3 hours after eating. The reason for that is that FASTING Hypoglycemia is more rare, and I believe more serious, than Reactive.

[Luiza]

Wallycat, thank you for "overtaking the thread" :) I always learn new things from this BB. So this is why I have trouble with alcohol? I thought this was just another weird thing I inherited from my father, but I didn't realize it's related to hypoglycemia. In my teens I had plenty of my age-mates trying to convince me that if I drank enough alcohol the shocky, depressed state will go away and I'll feel happy :rolleyes: Needless to say, it just gets worse. I can't imagine being an alcoholic :confused: But then again, I know plenty of people with asthma who smoke, and I can't comprehend that either.

Diana, if there is something I learned in the past two years it is this: If I think I have a health problem, I do. Do not second guess yourself, and do not let any doctor convince you it's in your head. It's only after I started insisting I have a problem which has to be dealt with that I started receiving the diagnosis and the care I needed. Good luck!

[wallycat]

Doc,
I received your pdf files and I"m a little confused.
THese look like parts of a book rather than studies that have been conducted. The book is put out by Mediherb, but they mfg. herbs...wouldn't they be inclined to publish favorable things so people would WANT to buy more herbs? I realize that some herbs are very beneficial, but I'm one of those people who needs to see how they got their decisions.

I guess what i was looking for were stuides that SHOWED how this herb acted in people. How many benefited? How many had no effects? How was the study conducted? How long? How low did the blood sugar go?

Perhaps I misunderstood what information you could show me. I apologize if my request was unclear.

[AvrilH]

I am mildly hypoglycemic. My brother is too - he deals with by keeping a 2-liter of coke in his police car at all times!

But I have learned that protein is my key to avoiding the proverbial shakes too. Who knew peanut butter could save me so much grief?!

Here's a question for everybody though: Do you find that if you have a "crash" that you are particularly sensitive for some time after that? I had a terrible crash recently (I had just worked out and was going for lunch with my dh. I told him I was crashing, and he said that the lunch counter was right close by. IT WAS NOT.) Anyway - it took me a full hour to feel steady again, and then had small crashes for days.

Is this familiar to anyone?

[wallycat]

Originally posted by AvrilH
Here's a question for everybody though: Do you find that if you have a "crash" that you are particularly sensitive for some time after that? I had a terrible crash recently (I had just worked out and was going for lunch with my dh. I told him I was crashing, and he said that the lunch counter was right close by. IT WAS NOT.) Anyway - it took me a full hour to feel steady again, and then had small crashes for days.

Is this familiar to anyone?

WIth me, it's less about how often I have them (the episodes) and more what I've eaten and what time of the month it is in my cycle.
My glucose levels run higher the week before my period after I eat just about anything. And the 2 weeks after, I am RAVENOUS no matter how much I eat and notice the swings in how I feel for that icky shaking feeling--and my glucose levels hardly budge no matter what I've eaten.

I think I'm reeeeally looking forward to menopause :eek: :o ;)

[swquilts]

Another hypo here. My last poke on the GTT test showed a 42! :eek: I was a wreck. After I was done I called the nearest Chinese food place and got some "comfort" food!

My doc gave me some moronic diet to follow....sheesh.

I find that if I have some protein at each meal and 1 lo cal snack I don't have any problems. But, when I do go low I seem to feel it a bit the next day, a little fuzzy, not quite with it.

Some snacks I like are jerky (particularly TJ's turkey teriyaki), Laughing Cow cheese on some wasa crackers, a stick of light string cheese, hard boiled egg. Essentially, protein with a tad of carbs.

It is NOT a hard problem to control.....don't worry! :)

[beagle9]

This Hypoglycemia I guess.... I did not know what it was when it hit, other than just eating something and waiting to get straightened back out, inwhich came very fast. It seems however that since I am getting up in age, this sympton is becoming more noticed or more often maybe. I changed my diet and started watching what I eat and drink and it seemed to help alot. Stoped eating fried foods and went strictly on water for drink. This helped me to not have these symtoms for quite sometime now. Lately however, I fell off of the diet wagon and returned to drinking some soda's (i.e. Pepsi) and started to eat the fried foods again and whoops their it is back again. It seems that depending on the situation or occurance it can subside quick or maybe not so quick. This time it was not as quick as I would like for it to subside. No sweating but the shaky weak feeling was the experience. There is diabieties on my dad's side of the family, but not my moms. My dad doesn't have it, but my uncle and a few of his kids have it. One takes the shot! I ask many many people about this experience, and they all say they experience this same weak feeling until eat something and get straightened back out also time and again. My daughter and wife experience this situation also.. Well going back on my diet to try and keep this from happening.. Wish me luck!

[sandyjc]

I have been reading the post. So far no one brings up the fact about gaining weight, which I have! :( I was on Weight Watcher's for about a year, and lost 16 pounds, my husband lost 45! But, being hypoglycemic, the 20 points were not enough for me to feel satisfied, so I cheated and ate bigger portions.Now I am back where I started, only more depressed. I feel like all that I can think about is food. I try to eat whole grians, lots of fiber- like double fiber bread, lean meats,tuna in water( I hate the taste of most fish), shrimp, whey protein, whatever is good for me,I try to cook.I can't eat nuts, milk products, or fruit because I am lactose intolerant, have diverticulitis, and I really get sick from spicy foods. I am 53, 5') and now weigh 137 pounds.My mother died from diabetes complications, and my older brother is severly diabetic. I am so afraid of becoming diabetic. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia when I was 37, so I have had it for 16 years.It seems to be worse as time goes on. I am so tired of fighting it, and stay pretty depressed. Most diets call for the fruits, nuts, butter,fish, and milk products that I can not eat! HELP!!!!!!

[Gilgamesh37]

You should check with your gastro/PCP again, or ask for a second opinion. Current thinking on diverticulitis does not prohibit nuts or seeded fruits and veggies--the only food strictly forbidden is popcorn. I know that many old-school docs still tell their patients they can't eat any nuts or strawberries or tomatoes, etc., but that's not the cutting edge research and belief.