I think i might have hypoglycemia

[Bluetit1802]

I did tell her, i just didn't say the number.

It is the number that matters! If you just said "low" how does she know it was in the danger zone? She might of thought you were 3 or 4. Tell her the number.

 

[catapillar]

I did tell her, i just didn't say the number.

The actual number is the essential bit of information.

 

[ghost_whistler]

I've just had an awful nights sleep, or lack thereof. I will try and get an urgent appointment today.

If I tell the number, what more will they do than tell me to eat something sweet?

 

[Bluetit1802]

I've just had an awful nights sleep, or lack thereof. I will try and get an urgent appointment today.

If I tell the number, what more will they do than tell me to eat something sweet?

How can you eat something when you are in bed asleep - presumably you were low before you tested on waking, and may have been even lower. You need to tell her everything and push for a referral to an endocrinologist.

 

[lindisfel]

I well remember my dear departed father in law being told by the doctor you may as well jump under a bus if you keep smoking. He stopped . Please listen GW and make sure you keep waking up, your low readings could be really serious. best wishes D.

 

[ghost_whistler]

I saw another dr who's arranging a referral to an endocrinologist. She took a blood glucose reading as my appointment was early and i didn't have time to eat. It was 5.6. She is going to try and get me a measuring kit.

The blood tests taken the other day revealed nothing unusual and came back ok.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I saw another dr who's arranging a referral to an endocrinologist. She took a blood glucose reading as my appointment was early and i didn't have time to eat. It was 5.6. She is going to try and get me a measuring kit.

The blood tests taken the other day revealed nothing unusual and came back ok.

Well she sounds like a keeper - make sure you see her every time. Excellent news about the endocrinologist and blood test kit.

Did you ask for a print out of your blood test results? "nothing unusual" and "OK" isn't really good enough. They may have been within normal range, but right on the limit of this and about to tip over. If you ring reception and ask, they should have one ready for you to pick up next visit.

 

[ghost_whistler]

How can you eat something when you are in bed asleep - presumably you were low before you tested on waking, and may have been even lower. You need to tell her everything and push for a referral to an endocrinologist.

Well she sounds like a keeper - make sure you see her every time. Excellent news about the endocrinologist and blood test kit.

Did you ask for a print out of your blood test results? "nothing unusual" and "OK" isn't really good enough. They may have been within normal range, but right on the limit of this and about to tip over. If you ring reception and ask, they should have one ready for you to pick up next visit.

That wasn't her comments verbatim. She was simply explaining that the tests didn't reveal anything problematic.

 

[Lamont D]

I saw another dr who's arranging a referral to an endocrinologist. She took a blood glucose reading as my appointment was early and i didn't have time to eat. It was 5.6. She is going to try and get me a measuring kit.

The blood tests taken the other day revealed nothing unusual and came back ok.

My bloods are normal, my hba1c levels are normal, but I have RH!

Good news about the monitor and endocrinologist.

 

[amazinmo]

For about 15 years I've had the symptoms of feeling really hungry very often and becoming weak and shaky and faint if I don't eat. I can't miss meals and struggle if I don't get to eat when I need to, as well as trying to manage my weight. Unfortunately I don't have an official diagnosis as the doctors have been completely useless in diagnosing anything, though they are keen to tell me it isn't diabetes. I've done finger prick blood tests which didn't seem to get any results. I've seen nutritionists who couldn't recommend anything remotely helpful other than the most basic "try and eat healthily" (well, obviously!), and I even did a test where I had a morning appointment with the GP who got me to drink a glucose drink before eating that day. They tell me the results don't yield anything, but the symptoms persist and it's really debilitating. I don't know what else to do. Eating healthily is difficult and expensive. I have insomnia (though very rarely do i wake up hungry). I've been advised to eat things like porridge for breakfast, but that actually makes my symptoms worse (other cereals are better - ironically as is something like a fried breakfast, but I don't have those if very very rarely for obvious reasons). I could go back to the GP but so far they've been worse than useless, and our service locally is suffering due to cuts. The first doctor i spoke to just said, in respect of managing, scoff a packet of biscuits if you're busy. Clearly that's bad advice, but if anyone can relate to what I'm saying I'd be grateful, thanks.

My son had these symptoms went to see endocrinologist who told him he produes too much insulin!!

 

[Lamont D]

My son had these symptoms went to see endocrinologist who told him he produes too much insulin!!

That is one of the main causes of Hypoglycaemia.
Hyperinsulinaemia is the precursor of T2 diabetes as well.
What sort of dietary advice was he given?
I know of other cases in children where the doctor has suggested that it can be normal in children and they will grow out of the condition as their bodies develop.

I produce too much insulin on my secondary insulin response, this can be controlled by a low carb diet.

As I've said there are different types of hypoglycaemia, is he getting more tests?

Best wishes

 

[ghost_whistler]

Hello, sorry for not responding. I have been doing my best to get past this issue but I don't think the GP really listens. I have not really moderated my diet and I'm struggling with the idea of keto. I'm very frightened of the induction phase, particularly with respect to already suffering low blood sugar episodes.

Also the strict requirements I find to be very onerous; according to the macros required I'm to eat no more than 20g carbs, 180g of fat, and 104g of protein. I entered my height and weght correctly afaik. I don't know how i can manage thar amount of fat and I'm scared the consequences of failing to do so mean that you either end up starving or producing glucose again (from excessive protein). As I said before Itried this for a day, but couldn't even get past breakfast without feeling extremely hungry within thirty minutes. Never mind properly entering the induction phase.

Doctor gave me a blood sugar meter, but i've run out of strips. The last test I could make was during a crash yesterday afternoon when I got 3.3. The really low reading i mentioned before was probably wrong as I don't think I manipulated the strip correctly. Unfortunately I really don't feel I'm getting much support from the doctor as I would like - which further adds to the worry of trying keto. She suggested I have an insulin blood test which could only be done at the hospital; that was three weeks ago and they still haven't done the test yet. I asked to see an endocrinologist and a dietitian weeks ago and, when I saw her last week, she told me they hadn't even written the letter yet so it will be months before anything happens.

After yesterdays crash, I just don't think I can take this anymore. Even though I've lived with this condition for years it's really only been a mater of survival. I can't help but worry that it's only going to get worse (that's how it feels), and i'm not in control, I'm just surviving. Keto sounds fantastic and people who are on it all seem to be really positive about the experience but the initial phase and struggling with finding enough to eat (i live in a village, there really isn't a lot of choice for food here and the diet doctor recipes are just too exotic for me). I have always struggled with dealing with diet and changing, I have always found making changes extremely difficult and really need to have my hand held during this process. Unfortunately without access to a dietitian (assuming he or she is ok with keto diets) I don't know what to do. I don't want to try this diet unprepared or find that the keto flu is making my blood sugar really crash. I think that would be dangerous.

The doctor just thinks I have a 'very reactive metabolism', whatever that means. Just sounds like a copout. I have been tracking my blood sugar and for the most ppart it's ok, but it can vary during the day from around 5 and a half to between 8 and 9, even going as high as 10 on a couple of occasions.

I've managed to get an appointment later but with the oher doctor I saw last month. Our surgery isnt well organised and the roster seems to change at a moment's notice, and they are not open in the afternoon. It's really frustrating trying to get help. This doctor is a bit nicer than the usual one I see who I really don't think listns as well as she should, but I mentioned low carb in passing to her before and she was not impressed.

I really don't know what to do at this point. Something has to change because I simply cannot go on like this. I don't have a life. Sorry for the long winded response but I am really struggling. It would be great if there was a keto place you could go and get through the induction phase without being on your own and struggling.

 

[azure]

So what's the lowest reading you've got @ghost_whistler (ignoring the previously mentioned low, which you now believe was a mis-test)?

 

[Brunneria]

Hi again! Good to hear from you. I have been wondering how you were doing.

Your fear and concerns are quite understandable in the circumstances, and I think it is something most of us RHers have gone through (assuming that you do have RH, which is still not confirmed).

How about starting off by making a few small changes, rather than going the whole hog? It would take longer to see the full benefits, so might take a bit of faith to start with, but it would be a gentler introduction to the changes, and ease you into it.

I'm very glad you have some appointments on the way, even if they seem to be a long time coming.

 

[ghost_whistler]

So what's the lowest reading you've got @ghost_whistler (ignoring the previously mentioned low, which you now believe was a mis-test)?

3.3, which was yesterday.

 

[ghost_whistler]

Hi again! Good to hear from you. I have been wondering how you were doing.

Your fear and concerns are quite understandable in the circumstances, and I think it is something most of us RHers have gone through (assuming that you do have RH, which is still not confirmed).

How about starting off by making a few small changes, rather than going the whole hog? It would take longer to see the full benefits, so might take a bit of faith to start with, but it would be a gentler introduction to the changes, and ease you into it.

I'm very glad you have some appointments on the way, even if they seem to be a long time coming.

Thank you.

I read that if you ease into it, you are worse off in that it takes longer to achieve ketosis, which means longer experiencing all the problems related to glucose. I'm trying to do that, but it's not easy. I've just had breakfast of a small portion of kale (i don't have enough to last otherwise), two sausages and two pieces of bacon. Normally i wouldn't eat so much greasy food (it was grilled though). But even that isn't enough fat according to the instructions i've read elsewhere. Also i'm starting to feel the edge of hunger again already!

It seems to me like i'm between the devil and the deep blue sea: clearly my current diet isn't working (unless the problem happens to be caused by something beyond carbs), but reaching ketosis really feels onerous. Everyone that does it seems to be very positive about it, but I really struggle to know how to get by. Then there's concerns that induction causes hypoglcyemia, which i've read elsewhere, and how do you cope with low blood sugar episodes during induction? You can't ignore it, no matter the diet you're on.

 

[azure]

3.3, which was yesterday.

Ok. So that's much better than your mis-test : ) 3.3 could even be closer to 4, allowing for the margin of error every meter has.

All you can do while waiting for your appointments is to keep detailed records so you can show them to whoever you see. That will provide a lot of information. Record blood sugar, of course, but also food and any extras like exercise, etc

Have you set an alarm to test during the night too? If not, you could try doing that so you can get a proper nighttime test result.

Sorry if youve already answered this but the forum is being very slow today and I can't click back easily - but have you have a recent oral glucose tolerance test?

 

[ghost_whistler]

Ok. So that's much better than your mis-test : ) 3.3 could even be closer to 4, allowing for the margin of error every meter has.

All you can do while waiting for your appointments is to keep detailed records so you can show them to whoever you see. That will provide a lot of information. Record blood sugar, of course, but also food and any extras like exercise, etc

Have you set an alarm to test during the night too? If not, you could try doing that so you can get a proper nighttime test result.

Sorry if youve already answered this but the forum is being very slow today and I can't click back easily - but have you have a recent oral glucose tolerance test?

I've tested during the night several times, there was no low readings at all. Night is never normally a problem for me, only a couple of times a year will i feel compelled to eat. I might not sleep well (which is why i'm able to wake up), but hypo isn't the issue there.

The symptoms aren't regular, but they are enough to cause me consternation. I don't get them every day. I've no idea what the hell is going on and I just want it done.

I've not had a recent oral test. I had one years ago. I don't think the doctor thinks further tests will yield different results, like I said she just thinks I have a weird metabolism. The test I had before was done early in the morning (about 8-30 - 9am iirc) and i had a drink of some clear glucose liquid. I stayed in the surgery for a short time and then, when nothing weird happened, they sent me home. I don't remember feeling bad later on that day, but this was years ago. I know some people stay in hospital doing fasting tests for days! I couldn't possibly endure that

 

[AndBreathe]

@ghost_whistler - You do seem to be going through it at the moment. I feel for you.

When you see your GP, please do make sure you ask him/her for more test strips, so that you can track what is going on. That really will be a major tool in unpicking your puzzle. Do you keep a diary of what you are eating, and alongside it you blood scores before and after eating that meal/snack? That could really start giving your personalised feedback that could help inform you, and also make any future medical appointments grittier, in that there is real, personal, up to date data to be examined and discussed.

As far as your most recent doctor describing your condition as a 'very reactive metabolism', that's not a million miles away from how I, personally, might explain reactive hypoglycaemia in the simplest terms. I don't suffer with RH, but have read quite a bit about it, having been around these parts for a while now.

In order to understand things, I'm one of those people who likes to visualise things. My way of visualising RH is to imagine someone juggling. Nothing special. No flaming hoops or knives, just maybe three tennis balls. It takes concentration, and attention to detail, but it isn't dangerous. That balls go up, reach their peak, then they come down, at a steady rate, they're caught and it all happens again. In the end it's just a routine. That's a normal metabolism.

Where someone has RH, they can do some juggling, and whilst the do it in nice calm conditions, where the conditions allow them to rhythmically recycle those balls, they do fine, but if they juggle under a low ceiling, the balls, rather than just stop climbing, then drop in the usual, controlled way, they bounce off the ceiling and come down a bit fast. When they come down that fast, it catches us off guard and we can't react quickly enough to catch them, so they fall to the floor. That's how I see it.

In that circumstance, the person has to adjust how far up they throw the ball, so that they have the skill to catch it on the way back down. That's exactly how trimming back the carbs works for RH. If the bloods don't do up with much oooomph, they won't rocket back down again.

My personal thoughts (not bourne out of personal experience) are that that ceiling will be personal to each RH sufferer. If there was a magic blood number that shouldn't be breached, the solution would be simpler.

My thoughts on your next steps would be to test, test, test, and keep records. The records should track intake of food, your blood testing and anything else "special", like heavy exercise or illness/colds; that sort of thing. You may then be able to see patterns for yourself.

Take it steady of the thought of going hard keto is too extreme for you in the first instance.

My feelings, however, would be that, if you have RH, you are much less likely to have crashes is you have reduced the carbs; provided you don't go from making sandwiched from bread to making them with two steaks and a chicken breast between!

Yes, carb/keto flu exists, but usually only for a couple of days - for those who experience it. It strikes me that you've been going through the mill for some time, and without some action things are unlikely to change. A change bringing discomfort for a few days could be a real investment in time.

Take it steady, maybe for you cut back, rather than cut out is the way forward.

 

[AndBreathe]

Thank you.

I read that if you ease into it, you are worse off in that it takes longer to achieve ketosis, which means longer experiencing all the problems related to glucose. I'm trying to do that, but it's not easy. I've just had breakfast of a small portion of kale (i don't have enough to last otherwise), two sausages and two pieces of bacon. Normally i wouldn't eat so much greasy food (it was grilled though). But even that isn't enough fat according to the instructions i've read elsewhere. Also i'm starting to feel the edge of hunger again already!

It seems to me like i'm between the devil and the deep blue sea: clearly my current diet isn't working (unless the problem happens to be caused by something beyond carbs), but reaching ketosis really feels onerous. Everyone that does it seems to be very positive about it, but I really struggle to know how to get by. Then there's concerns that induction causes hypoglcyemia, which i've read elsewhere, and how do you cope with low blood sugar episodes during induction? You can't ignore it, no matter the diet you're on.

@ghost_whistler - Bearing in mind what was in your breakfast, it could be that what you are feeling is a carb craving (if breakfast usually contains carbs for you), rather than true hunger? Sometimes those feeling masquerade as each other.