Hi, I was diagnosed with RH last May. I have got used to having no sugar and very low carbs as I hypo every two hours. It took me a year of nearly loosing my job after 32 years, to finally get them to listen to what was happening to me, after a huge fight, taking them to appeal and staying very strong. People have no idea how hard it is to balance. I am only just in Type 2.
Reactive Hypoglycaemia
- Thread starter LouisSunny
- Start Date
Thank you 
I work for a very large bank, so it wasn’t easy!!!
The hardest thing is if I slip up in anyway, generally eating out it comes and bites me on the bum.
It’s funny how people just think it’s cutting out sugar in you tea or cakes etc.... I have to look at everything I eat. I weigh my carbs and it seems to work. Obviously if I’m busy physically or mentally I drop down really quick. I carry jelly babies on me all the time, as 4 of them pick me up really quick if I go into a hypo. I’m lucky I get the warning signs of not being able to see and shaky legs. I also find it hard to put words together. I have found a Fitbit alarm, that I set for every two hours is a fab find.
I work for a very large bank, so it wasn’t easy!!! The hardest thing is if I slip up in anyway, generally eating out it comes and bites me on the bum.
It’s funny how people just think it’s cutting out sugar in you tea or cakes etc.... I have to look at everything I eat. I weigh my carbs and it seems to work. Obviously if I’m busy physically or mentally I drop down really quick. I carry jelly babies on me all the time, as 4 of them pick me up really quick if I go into a hypo. I’m lucky I get the warning signs of not being able to see and shaky legs. I also find it hard to put words together. I have found a Fitbit alarm, that I set for every two hours is a fab find.
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 15,913
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Hi and welcome to the forum.
Getting your balance right is so important, like you, I work full time.
I find fasting helps, not eating agrees with me.
I now only eat to sustain nutrition, as having to be careful all the time, and with a lot of intolerance, it just makes sense to eat just enough and eat what my body wants, which is weird, and getting your head around being weird, it can be such a battle.
It took me over ten years to get a true diagnosis. It was only my endocrinologist that had a clue what was happening!
So I empathise, and know how difficult it all is.
Control is vital with reactive hypoglycaemia, stopping the hypos, is important.
This is why I am in ketosis as much as possible, my body uses ketones for energy, I don't need carbs at all, the very few I have are in natural foods, such as protein and fats. I only have saturated fat, even vegetable fats are bad for me.
I know this through thorough investigation and testing.
Can you give us a usual daily dietary intake and any carbs you have, as I've found that even low GI carbs are just as bad as high GI!
If you're not sure of how or why you go hypo, ask away, or just want to post how you got diagnosed, it helped me so much to understand my condition.
Best wishes
Hi, I was eventually sent for a 5 hour glucose test at the hospital. At first the diabetic nurse couldn’t understand why I was dropping so low and falling over a lot, being only just in type 2? I was going from hyper to hypo all day.
I find that oats/porridge lasts me really well in the morning. When I was in the main City branch I would drop down 1 hour 35/40mins as the branch was so big & busy. Now I am at a smaller branch, which is much better. I eat bang on every two hours. I have a lot of Greek Yogurt with seeds. It’s a trial and error thing really, what lasts me longer. Can’t have white bread, pasta or rice only wholemeal. I eat meat but not much, also lots of roasted vegetables. Plain crackers suit me & oatcakes. I only have 50g of carbs per meal and 15g of carbs per snack.
I had a great app called carbs & Cals really helped me.
I find that oats/porridge lasts me really well in the morning. When I was in the main City branch I would drop down 1 hour 35/40mins as the branch was so big & busy. Now I am at a smaller branch, which is much better. I eat bang on every two hours. I have a lot of Greek Yogurt with seeds. It’s a trial and error thing really, what lasts me longer. Can’t have white bread, pasta or rice only wholemeal. I eat meat but not much, also lots of roasted vegetables. Plain crackers suit me & oatcakes. I only have 50g of carbs per meal and 15g of carbs per snack.
I had a great app called carbs & Cals really helped me.
Lamont D
Oracle
- Messages
- 15,913
- Type of diabetes
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Treatment type
- I do not have diabetes
Hi, I was eventually sent for a 5 hour glucose test at the hospital. At first the diabetic nurse couldn’t understand why I was dropping so low and falling over a lot, being only just in type 2? I was going from hyper to hypo all day.
I find that oats/porridge lasts me really well in the morning. When I was in the main City branch I would drop down 1 hour 35/40mins as the branch was so big & busy. Now I am at a smaller branch, which is much better. I eat bang on every two hours. I have a lot of Greek Yogurt with seeds. It’s a trial and error thing really, what lasts me longer. Can’t have white bread, pasta or rice only wholemeal. I eat meat but not much, also lots of roasted vegetables. Plain crackers suit me & oatcakes. I only have 50g of carbs per meal and 15g of carbs per snack.
I had a great app called carbs & Cals really helped me.
You are lucky in some ways!
That amount of carbs would really make me so ill!
Porridge oats was the cause of my doctors referral to my endocrinologist.
The hypo I had in front of her, she couldn't understand why!
Do you understand why you have to eat every two hours and maybe because that I have been doing this a lot longer than you, my experience has shown that if I fast or eat as low carb as possible, I don't have to do that!
It is about controlling your diet which doesn't trigger the second insulin response, by not going hyper because your first insulin response is weak. That is why you need to keep topping up when eating carbs, no carbs lowers the amount of glucose, so your initial insulin response can cope with the glucose. If you don't hyper, you won't go hypo! I have not gone hypo since my last eOGTT, a few years ago.
Most of what you are eating regularly, I avoid completely!
The reason for the symptoms is because, too much insulin, an imbalance between glucose and insulin, effects the brain, the brain sends signals to warn you that the brain wants more glucose, hence the hunger and craving for sweet things..
Do you have you readings from your eOGTT?
This was my last eOGTT reading. This test was done in February 2015.
Fasting........5.3
30 mins.......7.2
60 mins.......8.7
90 mins.......8.7
120 mins.....8.0
150mins......5.7
180 mins.....6.0
210 mins.....4.0
240 mins.....3.7
270 mins.....3.5
Test stopped.
The reason why my spike was so low is because I was used as a guinea pig in a trial to use a Gliptin, which is a diabetic drug which stimulates a better initial insulin response. Despite the Gliptin, I still went hypo.
If a response of 8mmols is a hyper, which is not really that high, the amount of insulin produced by the secondary response, is far too much for the amount of glucose that was still around after three hours! Hence the hypo.
Not having the hypers and hypos has improved my health so much, it has also helped in my working life. To be fit for my job, is vital and feeling good, having lots of energy and not feeling tired, makes for a better lifestyle.
I call myself weird because, I don't eat like others, my body doesn't work normally.
My approach to how I live, eat, and battled to get my health back is the reason I post on here. My experience of having RH and successfully treating and controlling the condition, means I try to give options on dietary advice which works for me.
It might not work for you.
But do give a lot of thought to the reason why you hypo. What triggers this?
There is no cure, it is a dietary condition. What you eat effects your balance between insulin and glucose levels.
As I said, I will help if I can.
It is not easy, it means, taking the time and effort to change to eating 'not normal' for everyone else. But it will be healthy for you, I believe!
For example, today.
Fasted till 3pm.
Gammon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes.
6pm.
Small bowl of salad with roast chicken.
9pm.
Greek full fat yoghurt, four strawberries, a piece of dark chocolate.
Not bad for being weird!
I stay within normal blood glucose levels throughout the whole day, no symptoms, great energy, don't feel hungry, no cravings!
I have found a way to be healthy again, I don't want to return to those horrible symptoms I had before diagnosis. I don't have to.
Maybe you can
