very confused about contradicting BG Levels

[Nicola_F]

Hi all, I posted in here once before asking for advice, I suppose this is both an update and trying to work out, where I go from here and what is actually fact. In the past I had been told that my low BG readings which were primarily just under 4 or4.5 were nothing more than a figment of imagination, well recently, this year things spiraled out of control, hitting harder and more frequently. I changed doctors, in fact changed entire county lol and talked to the new doctor. I've a blood test which was negative, but was sent for IGF-1 which came back as low, since then I've passed out twice and friend has brought me round, the last time she called the diabetic specialist at Luton Hospital, who admitted me last week for five days, being discharged early late Monday afternoon.
There I was told, low BG was around or under 2.8, normal BG levels ranged from 3.5 through to late teens, by one nurse and into the 20's by another nurse, high BG was above that. Whilst there, I underwent a battery of tests, including a seventy two, though it turned out to be an eighty hour fast, now I know the last night I made a mistake, my low BG level concerned the nurses and they called a doctor, the problem was because in the past it was put down to me, I said I was ok and didn't need to see the doctor, there was also the fact that perhaps I was slightly embarrassed and felt seriously drained and just didn't want to move. However reading through the dis-charge list, which details every BG test they did and there was a lot of them every 2-3 90% were under 4.5 or on that mark, which apparently is normal (we're talking 3.2-4.5) I had one which I don't recollect which is marked as 1.8 and abnormal, no further action, others range from 8.0 through 11.8 again which is in normal range.
My doctor told me anything below 4.5 is low, anything above 7 is high, completely contradicting everything I was told in the last 96 hours, so I suppose my question is what is classed as a low BG and what exactly is a hypoglycaemia or when does it become that as they say my blood glucose level did not drop below what is considered acceptable.
thanks in advance
Nicola

 

[this is too difficult]

Ah this is also my worry. welcome to the forum Nicola.

 

[Brunneria]

Ye gods, p*ss up organising in breweries springs to mind. How can trained professionals be so incompetent?

I agree that normal blood glucose can be in the 3s, but not in the 20s!!!

I think the best advice you've had is from your new doctor, but that isn't the full story, just a very simplified one.
But if you want the full story (or at least the fullest story I've found so far) have a look at this site
http://www.bloodsugar101.com - the pages looking at normal blood sugar.

What are your low blood glucose symptoms?
Have they diagnosed you as hypoglycaemic?
What diet have they recommended?

There's another person, @nosher8355 , on this site who has been battling similar symptoms. Hopefully he'll be along to compare hospital experiences with you.

I was a reactive hypoglycaemic for years, before slowly transitioning into diabetes (which is a MUCH more pleasant experience, in my opinion)

I'm sure nosher can tell you what diet is working for him.
For me, it was going low carb, and replacing the dropped carbs with fats.
It was such a relief not to keep having to stuff down carbs, to pull myself up from a low, only to go too high, then drop again. Over and over...

In my case the only reason I was hypoglycaemic was because when I ate carbs, my body over reacted by producing too much insulin, which dropped my blood glucose too low.
Cutting the fast release carbs and eating slower release foods, prevented the swinging highs and lows.

Your experience may be different, of course, but you may find some useful info on this site - so keep coming back!

 

[Nicola_F]

Ah this is also my worry. welcome to the forum Nicola.

lol not sure if its a worry or if it should be, a friend who has type 1 who contacted the hospital, when she found me passed out, has told me most of the results on the three sheets of paper are low, everything else seems to have some degree of uniformity to them, but BG levels seem to range wildly, person to person, so utterly confusing

 

[this is too difficult]

lol not sure if its a worry or if it should be, a friend who has type 1 who contacted the hospital, when she found me passed out, has told me most of the results on the three sheets of paper are low, everything else seems to have some degree of uniformity to them, but BG levels seem to range wildly, person to person, so utterly confusing

Passed out is certainly not good.

 

[Lamont D]

Just logged on, I have been diagnosed as a rare condition of reactive Hypoglycemia with diabetic complications. In the past couple of years I've had all the tests including the seventy two. (Mine turned out to be around 80 hours too! My first cuppa was like manna from heaven). My bloods differed from yours as during the seventy two mine never dipped below 4.0. This is what they were looking for. I have a condition that when I have any carbs my bloods bounce around wildly for hours, up and down until I can get them normal. Normal is between 4-6. I test before eating and two hours after and I have to get the blood level back to normal or just slightly above.
Do you have a reactive blood sugar low, to not eating?
The blood that they took, (not the glucose test) when you had a low or hypo, is sent to the labs.
I think you will be sent to an endocrinologist for diagnosis and prognosis. Mine is brill and up to date on dietary and latest meds.
What meds have they give you?
What have they recommended for your diet?

You will find all the information on here about hypoglycaemia and reactive hypoglycaemia as Brunneria has suggested.
I also looked up on medical pages within the internet, there are lots of it, just educate yourself, see which is the same symptoms and there are many!
Ask your docs questions, find out what it is you have. They like to be tested on their knowledge, even if you think it is a silly question.

My diet mainly consists of meat, salads, pulses, fruit very low G.I. Foods. The odd yoghurt and my treat before bed is a pice of 85% dark chocolate.
You can also eat a lot of dairy foods, I have omelette or a fry up (grilled) full English for breakfast. There are a lot of dietary advice on this site. LCHF is the way to go if you have been diagnosed as hypoglycaemic or Reactive hypoglycaemic.

Always carry something that will help you get your blood levels up if you feel a low. If you bloods bounce eat or drink something that is low GI. Not sweets, lucozade or glucose tablets because that will make you hyper and then you will crash later. Get a meter off your GP and test, test, test.
I'm a guinea pig, and finding out what affects you and what doesn't is fun if you make it that way. Get your family and friends to help you and talk to them as well, especially if you have already had visits to your hospital.

Everybody is different and the whole range in conditions concerning diabetes is sometimes mind boggling. When you think of all the different things. People like or dislike, things they eat and don't eat. The different allergies and different symptoms, this is such a big subject, that's why, there is a lot of confusion. Get control of your condition, I have a full healthy life, even though my bus pass is due. I don't limit myself.

This is the start, there is a long way to go, keep your head up and welcome to the site. Do not be afraid to ask, there is always someone on here who will help you. I hope I have helped.


LILAC. Life I Love against Carbohydrates.

 

[Brunneria]

Great post, @nosher8355

I agree with EVERYTHING you have said.

The best emergency low carb snacks I have found that are also handbag friendly, are these:
Peanut 9bar (the other varieties are ok, but a bit higher in carb)
Peanut boost blobs
Fat bombs
Homemade low carb cookies (almond flour and butter, not carbs)
Nuts and seeds
70% cocoa solid choc (Aldi do some great mini bars)

I'll pop back after work and put in some links, but in the meantime, google will find you all of the above.

 

[Nicola_F]

Just logged on, I have been diagnosed as a rare condition of reactive Hypoglycemia with diabetic complications. In the past couple of years I've had all the tests including the seventy two. (Mine turned out to be around 80 hours too! My first cuppa was like manna from heaven). My bloods differed from yours as during the seventy two mine never dipped below 4.0. This is what they were looking for. I have a condition that when I have any carbs my bloods bounce around wildly for hours, up and down until I can get them normal. Normal is between 4-6. I test before eating and two hours after and I have to get the blood level back to normal or just slightly above.
Do you have a reactive blood sugar low, to not eating?
The blood that they took, (not the glucose test) when you had a low or hypo, is sent to the labs.
I think you will be sent to an endocrinologist for diagnosis and prognosis. Mine is brill and up to date on dietary and latest meds.
What meds have they give you?
What have they recommended for your diet?

You will find all the information on here about hypoglycaemia and reactive hypoglycaemia as Brunneria has suggested.
I also looked up on medical pages within the internet, there are lots of it, just educate yourself, see which is the same symptoms and there are many!
Ask your docs questions, find out what it is you have. They like to be tested on their knowledge, even if you think it is a silly question.

My diet mainly consists of meat, salads, pulses, fruit very low G.I. Foods. The odd yoghurt and my treat before bed is a pice of 85% dark chocolate.
You can also eat a lot of dairy foods, I have omelette or a fry up (grilled) full English for breakfast. There are a lot of dietary advice on this site. LCHF is the way to go if you have been diagnosed as hypoglycaemic or Reactive hypoglycaemic.

Always carry something that will help you get your blood levels up if you feel a low. If you bloods bounce eat or drink something that is low GI. Not sweets, lucozade or glucose tablets because that will make you hyper and then you will crash later. Get a meter off your GP and test, test, test.
I'm a guinea pig, and finding out what affects you and what doesn't is fun if you make it that way. Get your family and friends to help you and talk to them as well, especially if you have already had visits to your hospital.

Everybody is different and the whole range in conditions concerning diabetes is sometimes mind boggling. When you think of all the different things. People like or dislike, things they eat and don't eat. The different allergies and different symptoms, this is such a big subject, that's why, there is a lot of confusion. Get control of your condition, I have a full healthy life, even though my bus pass is due. I don't limit myself.

This is the start, there is a long way to go, keep your head up and welcome to the site. Do not be afraid to ask, there is always someone on here who will help you. I hope I have helped.


LILAC. Life I Love against Carbohydrates.

Thanks for the reply, I'm hoping to see my Doctor in the 48hrs, my lifestyle is pretty hectic, I burn masses of energy, as I'm a full time 24/7 carer, so having to spend time I hospital was stressful in that respect. When I got discharged they gave me no meds or advice, as they made a huge mistake, earlier by telling me I wouldn't be going home, as the fastening never finished till mid-day, so I cancelled the lift I had arranged, it was only four hours later when the senior discharger came round and told me I was leaving and my lift was by that times about two hundred miles away working. They din't tell me when results from the lunch time bloods would be available, I'm guessing the usual 7-10days. I'm slowly reading through the site and its information, , that's going to take time as I have to catch up with the five or six days that I wasn't able to around for the friend that I care for, as none of her help actually turned

 

[Lamont D]

I also had a lot of fun getting out of my prison, lol! My discharge was long and comical.
At the moment, you need to see your GP, eat regularly, say something small, every two to three hours. When first diagnosed before meds I was eating six small meals a day. Nightmare cos I'm a fussy eater, back to three sensible plate sizes a day now. If you don't you will probably get the afternoon slump around 4 o'clock, insist on a meter, that's what you may have to live by. Because of your working life you will skip meals and rush food, I'm sure, that the person your caring for, eats regular and is probably on a diet of some sort, have your food at the same time.
Because it's summer, I have been eating salad with everything, there are very little carbs in the salad and you can add other foods to them, watch out for dressings as they are full of sugar, if you look through the site you will find plenty of ideas.

Let us know how you get on and ask questions, even if you ask your GP what he thinks it is, so you can start your new life style.


LILAC Life I Love Against Carbohydrates

 

[Nicola_F]

Thanks to all who replied, got to see an emergency, stand in doctor yesterday, who looked through the various paper, results of random BG's the hospital had given to me and after a couple of minutes she my medical notes doesn't show I'm diabetic, which was kind of a surprise, as the very top of the papers I'd given her states no further treatment required, which I pointed out to her. She said she was confused, which I have to admit to I bust out laughing and came out instinctively with the quip, that she was, how did she think I was coping, probably not the best comment to make, but then that's just me. So I now have to see my usual doctor on Saturday. In the meantime, the hospital has been in touch and I have another appointment for twelve weeks, so I'm doing really well in clearing things up lol

 

[Nicola_F]

Hopefully a final update lol, the hospital have confirmed that its reactive Hypoglycemia with probable diabetic complications, their words, and that I should expect both my doctors (gp) and the hospital consultant to be in touch, now I kind of feel a pratt for not getting it checked out sooner and thinking/believing it was just in the mind as the original doctors said so many years ago. At least now hopefully things will begin to improve and I know dietary changes will have to made. Big thanks to Nosher8355 and everyone else