Reactive Hypoglycaemia

[Miss.T. Morning]

Hi, @Winnie53,
Yes, I suffered quite a lot from blurred vision, including a distinct visual alteration before diagnosis. As @Brunneria said, it is as similar to when T2s get enlarged blood vessels in and around the eye. Retinopathy is similar. I get blurred vision when I go above normal levels as a warning that I am not in normal levels range.

Do you need glasses?
Maybe, if you don't, it could be that having near or perfect vision, would be less likely to get the symptoms of blurred vision.

Hi Lamont D,

I have glasses but now need 3 or 4 different pairs to take around with me.. My normal ones, when the vision is good. A pair with one covered lens for blurred vision. Prescription sunglasses that have a black patch for one eye. A pair containing a prism that proved useful for the first time I had the double vision as the images were so far apart that it was able to rein one side back. However the double vision I'm getting now fluctuates with my diet and the prism no longer works for me. Sometimes its just a matter of closing one eye (either one) but that leads to a stress/tension headache.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

The thing I've learned from my experience of Hypoglycaemia is that doctors know very little about how to treat the condition and symptoms.
And more importantly, what is healthy, for those like me, it is definitely not!

Using your blood glucose monitor is all trial and error, you have to be regimented in using it as a tool. Start a food diary and log what you eat, portion size, pre meal test, one hour after, two hours after, and after at three and four hours.
The only other time I would use your glucometer is to find out what your blood sugar levels are, if you feel awful.
You will learn a lot from keeping a food diary. Your blood sugar readings will tell you what foods are spiking you too high, which doesn't, how much of certain foods you can tolerate, and see how well you are doing.
There is a sticky about recording blood sugar levels at the top of the forum page.

Best wishes

Thanks Lamont D, I'm going to start a food diary.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

@Miss.T. Morning according to the information below, if you are experiencing double vision, you should be seeing two of everything, then, if you close one of your eyes, just one of everything. Are you experiencing double vision or blurry vision?

If your vision is blurry, don't get a prescription for glasses until your glucose levels have normalized. If you are experiencing double vision, it's doubtful that it's due to hypoglycemina.

Winnie 53, I am experiencing both double and blurred vision and definitely related to my diet as it comes and goes depending on what and when I eat. But hopefully the glucose monitor will help me to work out how foods are affecting my vision.

 

[Winnie53]

Thanks for taking the time to provide more information Miss.T. Morning. I've never experienced double vision. Sounds really miserable. Glad you're noting what you're eating and your glucose levels so you determine what the pattern is. Have you seen the ophthalmologist yet? Or are you still waiting?

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Thanks for taking the time to provide more information Miss.T. Morning. I've never experienced double vision. Sounds really miserable. Glad you're noting what you're eating and your glucose levels so you determine what the pattern is. Have you seen the ophthalmologist yet? Or are you still waiting?

Hi Winnie53, how are you?
I have had 2 appointments with opthalmologist with another booked for June.
As they cannot determine the cause I have had several tests and now waiting for results. But I now want to talk to opthalmologist about blood sugar.
Every hypo I have always starts with a tightening in my left eye, an optician has told me that he hears that a lot from diabetic patients.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Hi Lamont D,

I have glasses but now need 3 or 4 different pairs to take around with me.. My normal ones, when the vision is good. A pair with one covered lens for blurred vision. Prescription sunglasses that have a black patch for one eye. A pair containing a prism that proved useful for the first time I had the double vision as the images were so far apart that it was able to rein one side back. However the double vision I'm getting now fluctuates with my diet and the prism no longer works for me. Sometimes its just a matter of closing one eye (either one) but that leads to a stress/tension headache.

Sorry, covered lens glasses are for double vision not blurred vision.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Thanks Lamont D, I'm going to start a food diary.

Hi Lamont D,
So glad I have started regular bg testing. Felt awful after breakfast this morning but thought it was same food as yesterday. BS went up and now realise I had blueberries instead of raspberries with yogurt. This is going to be such a useful tool in fishing out food items that can easily be exchanged for more suitable choices.

 

[Winnie53]

Miss.T. Morning relieved to hear your ophthalmologist is taking your symptoms seriously. And glad to hear you're making progress learning how the foods affect your glucose levels.

When I was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I bought one of the more expensive glucose meters available because that's what my health care provider gave me years earlier. Big mistake. The strips cost 86 cents each which made me very hesitant to test more than a few times a day. Then an acquaintance shared I could do much better on cost. And she was right. I now buy strips that only cost 20 cents each - (and the meter to go with them only cost $9). Now I test up to 10 times a day.

So, even if you're using test strips that are "free", know that you can always buy another meter with cheaper test strips to enable you to test more often throughout the day as needed.

I've since found a few references to low glucose levels causing double vision...

"Diabetes can also cause blurriness or double vision due to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). In this case, lens shape is probably not to blame. Low blood glucose can make it hard for the brain to focus on what the eye is seeing. Vision usually returns to normal when glucose levels rise."

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/diabetes-and-your-eyes-more-than-retinopathy/

I'll continue to follow your updates here.

 

[Lamont D]

Hi Lamont D,
So glad I have started regular bg testing. Felt awful after breakfast this morning but thought it was same food as yesterday. BS went up and now realise I had blueberries instead of raspberries with yogurt. This is going to be such a useful tool in fishing out food items that can easily be exchanged for more suitable choices.

What sort of yoghurt are you eating?
If it is low fat yoghurt it could possibly be that what is causing the blood sugar rise, unless you have issues with fruit.
I recommend Greek style full fat yoghurt, because there are far fewer carbs!
And full fat yoghurt does not raise my blood sugar levels.

It is all about trial and error.

Best wishes

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

What sort of yoghurt are you eating?
If it is low fat yoghurt it could possibly be that what is causing the blood sugar rise, unless you have issues with fruit.
I recommend Greek style full fat yoghurt, because there are far fewer carbs!
And full fat yoghurt does not raise my blood sugar levels.

It is all about trial and error.

Best wishes

I always buy the organic full fat plain yogurt, I think its Yeo (something like that) its usually OK. Used to have a slice of Hovis Granary toast too but have managed to stop that, but bg starts going down about 11am, so been having a ryvita and butter around 11, which is keeping me good until lunch time. Its really amazing the positive difference to my stability since following some of the tips on this site, I am so grateful.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Miss.T. Morning relieved to hear your ophthalmologist is taking your symptoms seriously. And glad to hear you're making progress learning how the foods affect your glucose levels.

When I was re-diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, I bought one of the more expensive glucose meters available because that's what my health care provider gave me years earlier. Big mistake. The strips cost 86 cents each which made me very hesitant to test more than a few times a day. Then an acquaintance shared I could do much better on cost. And she was right. I now buy strips that only cost 20 cents each - (and the meter to go with them only cost $9). Now I test up to 10 times a day.

So, even if you're using test strips that are "free", know that you can always buy another meter with cheaper test strips to enable you to test more often throughout the day as needed.

I've since found a few references to low glucose levels causing double vision...

"Diabetes can also cause blurriness or double vision due to hypoglycemia (low blood glucose). In this case, lens shape is probably not to blame. Low blood glucose can make it hard for the brain to focus on what the eye is seeing. Vision usually returns to normal when glucose levels rise."

https://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com/blog/diabetes-and-your-eyes-more-than-retinopathy/

I'll continue to follow your updates here.

Winnie53, thank you for the link. It would seem that the cause of double vision is not as straight forward as I thought. It does fluctuate with my bg levels but maybe there is something else going on too. I'm awaiting a blood pressure diary (to check against high blood pressure) and the results of a blood test for Myathenia Gravis. In the meantime I'm going to stick to the LCHF diet. The stability of bg I'm experiencing this week is phenomanal. I had been searching for years to find the right diet but was afraid to eat too much protein and fat and very unsure about reducing carbs, until now. The reassurance of this community has increased my confidence around food. Previously I was fearful of eating.

 

[Brunneria]

Winnie53, thank you for the link. It would seem that the cause of double vision is not as straight forward as I thought. It does fluctuate with my bg levels but maybe there is something else going on too. I'm awaiting a blood pressure diary (to check against high blood pressure) and the results of a blood test for Myathenia Gravis. In the meantime I'm going to stick to the LCHF diet. The stability of bg I'm experiencing this week is phenomanal. I had been searching for years to find the right diet but was afraid to eat too much protein and fat and very unsure about reducing carbs, until now. The reassurance of this community has increased my confidence around food. Previously I was fearful of eating.

That is wonderful news.
Hopefully your double vision will get properly explained, but in the meantime, if LC is helping with the bg levels... fantastic.
Isn’t it great to find something so simple, so commonsense, and that actually works.

Now you get to adjust, tweak and tailor make it into a personal way of eating that suits you and your lifestyle.

 

[Winnie53]

So glad they tested you for Myathenia Gravis. Hopefully you don't have it. But if you do have an autoimmune disease, it's better to know now so you can learn how to slow down or stall its progression...as you continue to learn how to eat and live healthier. So much has been learned in recent years about how to manage autoimmune conditions. For this I'm most grateful.

Also glad to hear you're doing better. I can't imagine not knowing what my glucose levels are after testing for so many years. It takes time to figure out how much fat, protein, and carbs work best. It's a process. Sounds like you've found a good balance this week. That's good.

 

[KarenTh]

My sister has reactive hypoglycaemia. What are the symptoms for you? Do you know if it's genetic? I have LADA.

A book that has really helped me is worth ordering. “Reactive Hypoglycemia - A personal journey into managing this condition” by KE Lytle. Every time I read it I learn more and it’s been very instrumental in supporting me back to healthy days!

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Is there any benefit to a doctor diagnosing RH, given that the test sounds awful to actually be given glucose and that the medical community seem unaware of it and its treatment?

 

[Winnie53]

A book that has really helped me is worth ordering. “Reactive Hypoglycemia - A personal journey into managing this condition” by KE Lytle. Every time I read it I learn more and it’s been very instrumental in supporting me back to healthy days!

Thanks for the recommendation. The reviews on this book are glowing...

"This book is one of the top two books that I have read on reactive hypoglycemia. The author provides a realistic view of how long it takes to achieve 100% health, the issues you will encounter, and many helpful suggestions to take control of this condition and feel better faster. I did as the author suggested and purchased a home blood glucose monitor and used it as he described in his book and it did indeed greatly speed my stabilization. I followed most of the author's helpful hints and tips with good success. I found the fact that it is easy to read and provides helpful information by describing his journey to be a big plus."

I like that the author used a glucose meter to sort out what was happening. Going to add it to my library.

 

[Winnie53]

Is there any benefit to a doctor diagnosing RH, given that the test sounds awful to actually be given glucose and that the medical community seem unaware of it and its treatment?

Perhaps after reading one book on hypoglycemia, you'll be able to make more of an informed decision on whether or not to do the test. One of the reviewers of the above mentioned book said it was a 45 minute read and that they would read it a few more times before returning it to the library.

Not sure if this will be helpful, but the 5 or 6 hour test I did wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Was relieved.

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

A book that has really helped me is worth ordering. “Reactive Hypoglycemia - A personal journey into managing this condition” by KE Lytle. Every time I read it I learn more and it’s been very instrumental in supporting me back to healthy days!

Hi KarenTh,
Thanks for the book title, I'm going to order it now!

 

[Miss.T. Morning]

Perhaps after reading one book on hypoglycemia, you'll be able to make more of an informed decision on whether or not to do the test. One of the reviewers of the above mentioned book said it was a 45 minute read and that they would read it a few more times before returning it to the library.

Not sure if this will be helpful, but the 5 or 6 hour test I did wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Was relieved.

Winnie53, thanks for finding the quote for the book review. I nearly missed the message but have now ordered the book.

 

[Lamont D]

Is there any benefit to a doctor diagnosing RH, given that the test sounds awful to actually be given glucose and that the medical community seem unaware of it and its treatment?

All the tests I had done were under the supervision of my endocrinologist, by a staff sister or equivalent nurse, in a hospital, who was within communication at all times. GPs do not have the necessary skills for this sort of testing.
I would not worry about the tests as they are used for diagnostic tests, which do give so much detail for the endocrinologist to recognise the next step in diagnosis.
Despite my first eOGTT, as a first for my endocrinologist and sister and the subsequent issues with it, the next few tests, were really good and managed well at the end of the tests.
I think it is more worrying, if not given these tests.

Keep asking, best wishes