Not sure what is happening to me

[mocktrial]

Hi and thank you for reading. I am new on here and need some advice please. I have dr's appt in the morning. I have been autoimmune for 20 years and was diagnosed with Lupus 8 yrs ago. Long before this I was and still am experiencing hypo's 2 to 3 times a week. symptoms are shakey, clammy, racing heart, pale, confused and feel faint. this has happened a few times in the supermarket (quite embarrassing)
Anyway I decided to get a self test BG meter as assuming the readings would be really low. well they are all over the place. I am testing correctly with clean hands. after meals the readings have been as high as 24 and during hypo as low as 3.
Last march my husband called an ambulance due to another issue, I had pluerisy and had detached the intracostal muscle. He tested me then as routine and was 3.2. He forwarded those to my GP and said I needed to ring them asap. I spoke with a doctor who said this could be normal and didnt warrant follow up.
I suffer with headaches, flashing things in my eyes, frequent palpitations, exhaustion, irritability bordering on angry sometimes.
Withing 2 hours the readings can be down to 8 and then bizarely I can have a day where all is normal between 5.5 and 7
I am just very confused and a little scared as to what could be going on. thank you in advance for your help. I am wondering if this could be LADA

 

[Rachox]

I’m no expert but this sounds a bit like reactive hypoglycaemia to me, what do you think @Brunneria or @Lamont D. In any case you must persevere with your Dr as he/she should acknowledge the effect it’s having on your life and that it warrants proper investigation.

 

[mocktrial]

Many thanks Rachox for your reply. I had a light lunch at 1 pm and its now 5.45 and my BG reading just now is 9.6?

 

[Brunneria]

Hi and welcome @mocktrial

None of us here can give you a diagnosis or medical advice, however...

If you conducted a systematic blood glucose testing regime, with tests before eating, after (to catch the peak), at 2 hours (to see if you are back to normal) and then whenever you get these symptoms (to see if you are having a hypo), then you would be in a very good position to go back to your doc to discuss your findings...

And if you combined that testing with a comprehensive food diary, then you might spot certain foods or portions, or carb amounts that matched your symptoms...

The info you gather may well shed a lot of light on what is happening.

 

[mocktrial]

Many thanks. Hopefully the GP will shed some light in the morning.

 

[Burlsygirl]

Hi Mocktrial -
I have LADA myself but also had the symptoms you are describing a few months ago, very confused! Went to my docs and found I had overactive thyroid...may be worth testing for it? Especially if you've lost weight? Hope you get some helpful answers tomorrow...

 

[Lamont D]

Many thanks. Hopefully the GP will shed some light in the morning.

Hi, those symptoms are definitely not right, your GP probably has no experience in these types of conditions. I would insist on a referral to a specialist endocrinologist.
Regardless of whatever is happening to you, you need tests.
The extreme blood glucose levels, high and low are asymptomatic with Hypoglycaemia, but if you have been autoimmune for so long, I would not like to take a guess at anything specific. As others have said, a food diary approach is always helpful and will give your doctors an idea how often and why it is happening to you.
If you realise that the roller coaster ride of your blood glucose levels are the cause of your symptoms and the anger, anxiety, headache, palpitations and so on.
I have in my experience, very similar symptoms, but these symptoms can be many conditions, the need to find out why is probably within, what your lifestyle and food choices are. Your blood glucose levels rise because of what you eat and drink, they drop because your metabolism has an imbalance of hormones, in my case, insulin.
Yours may be an adrenal or cortisol, so that is why testing is important and only an endocrinologist can give you those.
The one thing you can change is your dietary intake..
This will help with blood glucose levels.

Best wishes and let us know how you get on with your GP.

 

[mocktrial]

Good morning to all. Well, the GP took me very seriously for which I am delighted. we went through the BG readings, tested my stomach for any lumps and bumps around the pancreas (all ok) and has booked me in for an armful of tests on Thursday am. From the readings and symptoms he is pretty sure I will test positive for diabetes but is obviously guarded until we get results. Many, many thanks for all of your helpful replies.