Hello everyone. This is my first post on here, as a short-time stalker of the forum. I’m really struggling with what we believe to be RH. I had a mixed-meal test which didn’t show a hypo low enough to confirm the diagnosis (my BG was 3.6 and it has to be 3.3 I believe…). They’re now checking it’s nothing else but they gave me a libre 2 and I’ve been verifying the readings with finger pricks. Even if I don’t go low after everything I eat, I go back to 4 after an hour of eating, sometimes less. It definitely seems I have more insulin than I need! I constantly feel weak, tired, starving hungry and get a lot of headaches. I’m just wondering how people cope, as it’s not possible for me to always eat every 90mins as I’m having to do. I know some people find keto helpful but I don’t understand how I won’t just be hypo all the time if I have no carbs! I’m limiting high GI foods but it’s doing next to nothing. The extreme hunger and tiredness is horrible. Thank you so much and sorry for such a long post..
Hi and welcome to our forum.
And yes, it is so difficult if you do not understand the reason why you produce too much insulin, and the symptoms and 'reaction' is really awful.
Ok first of all, did the doctors do an hba1c blood panel tests?
How long was the mixed meal test?
3.6 could be a hypo for you. And my specialist endocrinologist said the level is usually 3.5, but some would say under 4 is a hypo. As with all hypoglycaemia conditions, and there is more types than RH, it is individual.
I hope an extended glucose tolerance test is the next step. And that should be around five hours.
That is why some doctors tell you to eat every three to four hours.
It is to stop you going low.
It doesn't stop the excess insulin.
It doesn't stop the spikes if you have too many carbs.
It won't stop the symptoms, side effects as you describe.
It won't help with overeating.
It won't help your bank account.
It won't help you worrying about what to eat six times a day.
It won't stop the overnight hypoglycaemia, if you have a carb filled late meal.
You have hopefully read some threads on our forum.
And if you have, in my experience, going very low carb will help you so much.
You will not, if it is RH, go hypo, without carbs.
Indeed I am an example of someone who avoids carbs as much as possible.
I found through doing a lot of experimenting, that carbs are unnecessary and are not as essential.
And, common with similar conditions, we tend to eat sparingly, as in intermittent fasting or something similar.
Bear in mind, that, after a lot of testing even low GI carbs will still trigger the reaction for me and others that have Hypoglycaemia.
I am from young, lactose intolerant.
My intolerance to any sugars is awful.
it is the same with carbs, which includes Wheat, grains, starchy veg, rice, etc.
This is why, my BG levels spike, with them.
I spike abnormally high.
My body reacts cos of this, by over production of insulin.
This drives my BG levels down, similar to a sugar crash, down into hypoglycaemia.
The symptoms you describe are atypical of RH. It is your body's way of telling you, that something is not right. You are not doing healthy eating for you.
You need a healthy diet for you, for you.
We all have different tastes etc.
And our intolerance levels are different and individual.
Keep asking.
I will try and help as much as I'm able.
Finally, the last definitive diagnostic test, is called a fasting test
This is because, if you go hypoglycaemic whilst fasting it is not RH.
If you don't go hypoglycaemic whilst fasting for more than three days, then it is RH.
So why would you keep eating all day, every day?
Every test is a test that is designed to eliminate other conditions, there is no diagnostic test for RH.
Best wishes.
And yes, I do long posts.