Thanks for your response. From your reply it would seem to confirm that my lack of symptoms is indeed related to hard physical work. At least I know the fix now….whether it’s sustainable going forward is another unknown. Given we know the probable fix, does this help work out what is actually wrong with us?! Why it happens, what organ or process is not working? Just would be interested to know
Good question.
The symptoms you are getting relate to the rollercoaster ride of your blood glucose levels.
You wake up with your blood glucose levels in fasting levels, which is more than likely in normal levels, hence along with Hba1c normal levels, which confirms the non diabetic levels you are at before your first meal.
You have breakfast, which unless it doesn't have carbs, but something like cereal for instance or toast or porridge, that is what I was recommended. No milk or sugar because i am lactose intolerant from a youngster.
After the meal, your glucose levels go up rapidly because your first insulin response over time, if you are like me, weak and not enough to stop the surge. I have been known to go from normal levels to mid teens,. Then something to and from your brain sends a signal, I have heard that it is called by some as the gut brain trigger, this signal is telling your pancreas to get more insulin into your blood to counter the high glucose. This is called the overshoot. And what this secondary insulin response does is push your blood glucose levels down into hypoglycaemia or the symptoms of having a hypo. So by mid morning you are getting more signals to have more carbs because of the symptoms, you lack energy and you feel tired and more.
So it is normal to have something and as you are likely to have carbs even a snack bar to tie you over to lunch, what you are actually doing is putting in more glucose, and your glucose levels go up again, you have another spike and trigger the overshoot again. You have the symptoms of hypoglycaemia.
By this time it's the afternoon and you have eaten again, lunch is a quick sandwich, more carbs, more spikes and more insulin overshoot, more symptoms. Then around dinner you have potatoes with your protein and it starts again, then because of the craving for more carbs, you may indulge in a supper.
This constant rollercoaster ride of blood glucose levels, up, down, up, down all day long is as you would appreciate is not recommended for your health, the longer you persist with carbs, tolerate the symptoms, the worse your health will be. This consistency of too much glucose, then too much insulin will have a major impact on your endocrine system and organs over time.
You have an intolerance to certain foods mainly carbs, to treat the condition, go Keto and I would recommend intermittent fasting.
Remaining in normal levels is essential to a healthy life for me. And it works.
Yes, working will help because we need to keep to a certain level of exercise per day, and it does occur that too much strenuous exercise can cause the same symptoms.
So, now that I'm retired I do most of the cooking cleaning garden and shopping.
I also have a rule that helps maintain normal blood levels. Fifteen minutes after eating, I go for a walk for fifteen minutes. It helps digestion and does just enough to help with control. This along with all the chores is keeping my health really good and no hypos. And no symptoms.
It is not only working, but doing the work helps, but because it is related to food, I believe it is necessary to find how intolerant you are, by testing before and after meals, just to discover how intolerant you are.
Your insulin response is the culprit, and if you have insulin resistance and if your insulin can't link to the glucose, the insulin you produce has to go somewhere. And too much insulin is really bad.
How you got where you are now, I don't know, there are many reasons for it.
Keep safe and keep asking.
