Non-diabetic need help?

[Mikee5]

In the last month I've switched to a lower carbohydrate diet (about 50-70g a day) and experiencing very bad low blood episodes after eating and randomly throughout the day. I would phase out, get disorientated, slur and get dizzy. I can't concentrate or form a sentence. This affects my mental performance at uni. I eat vegetables and fruits, lots of protein and some fat. I don't eat grains or starches and have completely elimated refined sugar from my diet. I've never experience this before the diet change and have had blood tests confirming that I am not a diabetic (a month go before the diet change). Diabetes runs in my family.

So why am I experiencing this? Even after a small meal with vegetables ill start feeling terrible. Should I increase carbs? Introduce more starches? My doctor has been extremely unhelpful and has suggested I add pasta and bread back in my diet and refused another blood test!! Really desperate here

 

[Mikee5]

Any one?

 

[mickey121]

Maybe get a free meter on diabetes uk website they come with some test strips so you can check


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[noblehead]

If you were fine before reducing the carbs in your diet then the logical things to do is increase them again, you may not have to increase it by that much....... say 130g a day and see how you get on?

 

[AMBrennan]

Low blood sugar is really more a result of diabetes medication than the condition itself, so I am not sure how much help people here can offer. Unfortunately, Wikipedia at least lists dozens of causes of hypoglycemia and similar things like idiopathic post prandial syndrome.

However, I disagree with noblehead here - a healthy person should not have to eat carbs to keep their BG up because your body can produce adequate amounts regardless of diet. The onset might coincide with the change in diet but it is not because you need to eat at least X amount of carbohydrates per day. However, this might be the easiest way of resolving the problem.

I'd say that the first thing to try and do would be to actually take a BG reading when you feel low; if that comes back low it might convince your GP to have another look at the case.

 

[ilnar]

or more likely, he just isnt eating properly.

 

[janeecee]

If your blood test was a fasting blood glucose test taken from a venous sample then I would advise caution, and get yourself a meter to check your levels at different times of the day, especially 5 minutes before a meal and 2 hours after the start of a meal. Do this with breakfast, lunch and dinner on various occasions. My fasting levels are 'normal' but after meals are on the high side of normal/prediabetes range.

It may be you are just not eating enough calories to sustain you and that's why you feel unwell and it may have nothing to do with diabetes at all. The only way to find out is to check at various times with a meter. Also, make sure to eat some carbs when you are testing as low/no carb meals may result in a false positive.

You need to find out if and how well your body is dealing with raised glucose levels. Try some of your previous meals at the same quantity of carbs. You will find out soon enough if you have a problem from your meter readings. If you are readings are in the 7s 2 hours after a meal, see your GP.

 

[Anonymous]

In the last month I've switched to a lower carbohydrate diet (about 50-70g a day) and experiencing very bad low blood episodes after eating and randomly throughout the day. I would phase out, get disorientated, slur and get dizzy. I can't concentrate or form a sentence. This affects my mental performance at uni. I eat vegetables and fruits, lots of protein and some fat. I don't eat grains or starches and have completely elimated refined sugar from my diet. I've never experience this before the diet change and have had blood tests confirming that I am not a diabetic (a month go before the diet change). Diabetes runs in my family.

So why am I experiencing this? Even after a small meal with vegetables ill start feeling terrible. Should I increase carbs? Introduce more starches? My doctor has been extremely unhelpful and has suggested I add pasta and bread back in my diet and refused another blood test!! Really desperate here

I note you are not a diabetic. Not sure why you chose to reduce your carbs. The last thing you want is those symptoms whilst studying at uni especially. You're probably using up more energy than normal (from what I know of uni life!). I experience some of those symptoms when I hypo and I am on 250-350g carbs per day! Walking a total of 3 miles a day (4 x dog walks) is enough to set me off. Hypos are not restricted to diabetics. I have always suffered them when not eating enough and my son who is 27 does too and he isn't diabetic.

By the way, I was 7.3 exactly two hours after breakfast today, and 4.3 one hour later and I am an old (62), sedentary ******.

 

[LittleGreyCat]

Perhaps if you post a sample daily food diary to show what and how much you are eating?

Also, if the faintness is during or after exercise.

Have you tried taking a glucose tablet, a sugar cube, or sucking a boiled sweet, when you feel faint?
If so, does this bring you quickly back into focus?

As others have said, the best way to confirm that you are having hypos is to test your BG - probably best to first establish a meal that pushes you into the symptoms then test before the symptoms start as once your concentration goes testing will not be easy.

It is quite possible that you have trouble balancing your BG in the opposite way to diabetics - Google 'Reactive Hypoglycaemia' or 'non-diabetic hypoglycaemia' - and that you need to keep up a regular intake of carbohydrates to keep your BG up to normal levels.

Please note that including highly sugary things in a meal or snack can have the opposite of the expected effect - quick spike in Insulin production which forces your BG low.
However I note that you say you have eliminated refined sugar.

Also, you don't say why you have adopted this diet.

Are you trying to lose weight?

Are you worried about your family history of diabetes and are trying to get settled into a T2-friendly diet to protect your pancreas and give it a better chance of a long and effective life?

Hope this helps

LGC

 

[Neil Walters]

How many calories are you consuming per day and do you keep a record?


Diagnosed type II 1998 2 x 80 mg Gliclazide, 4 x 500mg Metformin and 1 x 100mg Sitagliptin

 

[sharonValerie]

Hi There, many people suffer with hypoglycemia WITHOUT being diabetic or having anyone in their family being diabetic. You absolutely must each some carbs. That's what your body is telling you. If you got to the Doctor he will tell you the same. It's your bodys way of saying you do not have enough energy (Sugar) to maintain what you are doing. One of my best friends is is not and no one in her family has diabetes, but hypoglycemia does run in her family. She had to eat Carbs regularly throughout the day to avoid it.

Good luck, and I'm glad your test to see if you had diabetes was negative.