Can someone please help me

Kellie*

Newbie
Messages
4
Every single night after eating dinner I’m experiencing severe headache lightheadedness to the point of nearly passing out, blurred vision and I get really hot. I’ve checked my sugar when it happens and it’s usually around 9 to 10 so I don’t think this is causing it. Spoke to my doctor and she hasn’t got a clue what’s happening but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared to eat because the symptoms are so terrifying. I ended up calling an ambulance over the weekend it was that bad but they couldn’t find anything other than my blood pressure runs a bit low .It doesn’t happen after breakfast and I don’t eat lunch because I have a late breakfast because I can’t stomach eating early in the morning. If anyone has any idea what is causing this I would really appreciate any suggestions. I can’t go on like this
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Every single night after eating dinner I’m experiencing severe headache lightheadedness to the point of nearly passing out, blurred vision and I get really hot. I’ve checked my sugar when it happens and it’s usually around 9 to 10 so I don’t think this is causing it. Spoke to my doctor and she hasn’t got a clue what’s happening but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared to eat because the symptoms are so terrifying. I ended up calling an ambulance over the weekend it was that bad but they couldn’t find anything other than my blood pressure runs a bit low .It doesn’t happen after breakfast and I don’t eat lunch because I have a late breakfast because I can’t stomach eating early in the morning. If anyone has any idea what is causing this I would really appreciate any suggestions. I can’t go on like this
What are your blood sugars like the rest of the day? You shouldn't go higher than 8,5. I know I'd feel horrible at a 9 or 10... You say when you eat, but not what you eat... Can you tell us what your meals look like on average?

I hope you feel better soon!
Jo
 

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
What are your blood sugars like the rest of the day? You shouldn't go higher than 8,5. I know I'd feel horrible at a 9 or 10... You say when you eat, but not what you eat... Can you tell us what your meals look like on average?

I hope you feel better soon!
Jo
Just a guess: low blood pressure, gastroenteritis
 

Kellie*

Newbie
Messages
4
What are your blood sugars like the rest of the day? You shouldn't go higher than 8,5. I know I'd feel horrible at a 9 or 10... You say when you eat, but not what you eat... Can you tell us what your meals look like on average?

I hope you feel better soon!
Jo
I don’t check my sugars during the day and to be completely honest my eating isn’t the best for breakfast I have 2 oatabix and then for dinner I have a bowl of no added sugar muesli which I know is probably still too high in sugar, i really struggle with food. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression which really affects my eating habits. I never leave the house
 
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JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
I don’t check my sugars during the day and to be completely honest my eating isn’t the best for breakfast I have 2 oatabix and then for dinner I have a bowl of no added sugar muesli which I know is probably still too high in sugar, i really struggle with food. I suffer from severe anxiety and depression which really affects my eating habits. I never leave the house
Hello, me. (Sorry, you sound like I'm reading a mirror image of myself) I've spent decades pretty much housebound, partially due to physical issues, but mostly because my depression and generalised/social anxiety kept me prisoner. You can guess how a pandemic affected me eh. (Now all my irrational fears were suddenly rational! Eek, people!).

When I was diagnosed I was at a very, very low point, and I couldn't fathom being bothered to actually whip out pans to cook for myself. Usually I just had a big mug of milk with instant coffee and a massive load of sugar to keep me going through the day. I didn't over-eat by any means, often having just one proper meal a day, but what I did ingest was quite horrid. Alas, muesli and breakfast oats of any kind are really, really bad for us... And I've found that making scrambled eggs takes about as long as putting milk in the microwave, so it wasn't such a heartache to start cooking for myself. Sometimes it's a matter of finding something easy. Like just throwing something in the airfryer, and letting it do all the work. (salmon, chicken, roast, mixed veggies, whatever). Throw it in raw, pull it out done. No-brainers for dinner. Stir fries with cauliflower rice and cheese take no time whatsoever, and you can throw in whatever herbs/spices you want.

It's about figuring out what works for you. It does get better, honest. (I actually go out for daily walks now! I still get panic attacks, but they don't keep me behind my front door.).

You'll get there. Honest.
Jo
 

Kellie*

Newbie
Messages
4
Hello, me. (Sorry, you sound like I'm reading a mirror image of myself) I've spent decades pretty much housebound, partially due to physical issues, but mostly because my depression and generalised/social anxiety kept me prisoner. You can guess how a pandemic affected me eh. (Now all my irrational fears were suddenly rational! Eek, people!).

When I was diagnosed I was at a very, very low point, and I couldn't fathom being bothered to actually whip out pans to cook for myself. Usually I just had a big mug of milk with instant coffee and a massive load of sugar to keep me going through the day. I didn't over-eat by any means, often having just one proper meal a day, but what I did ingest was quite horrid. Alas, muesli and breakfast oats of any kind are really, really bad for us... And I've found that making scrambled eggs takes about as long as putting milk in the microwave, so it wasn't such a heartache to start cooking for myself. Sometimes it's a matter of finding something easy. Like just throwing something in the airfryer, and letting it do all the work. (salmon, chicken, roast, mixed veggies, whatever). Throw it in raw, pull it out done. No-brainers for dinner. Stir fries with cauliflower rice and cheese take no time whatsoever, and you can throw in whatever herbs/spices you want.

It's about figuring out what works for you. It does get better, honest. (I actually go out for daily walks now! I still get panic attacks, but they don't keep me behind my front door.).

You'll get there. Honest.
Jo
Your so right I think it’s due to my no motivation and no energy that I can’t be bothered cooking up meals, I also find my problem is there isn’t much food I like. I am really struggling with it and these symptoms I’m getting are absolutely terrifying and as you can imagine they bring on massive panic attacks. I have had anxiety and depression since I was 21 I’m now nearly 40 it was so bad at one point I was bedridden with the symptoms it caused I couldn’t eat I was constantly being sick and ended up at 6 stone. I’m on so much medication and still I feel the way I do. Have any of the symptoms after eating happened to you?. The doctors can’t give me any answers, I was told this morning to have an eye test but how could my eyes cause the symptoms I’m having after eating?
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Your so right I think it’s due to my no motivation and no energy that I can’t be bothered cooking up meals, I also find my problem is there isn’t much food I like. I am really struggling with it and these symptoms I’m getting are absolutely terrifying and as you can imagine they bring on massive panic attacks. I have had anxiety and depression since I was 21 I’m now nearly 40 it was so bad at one point I was bedridden with the symptoms it caused I couldn’t eat I was constantly being sick and ended up at 6 stone. I’m on so much medication and still I feel the way I do. Have any of the symptoms after eating happened to you?. The doctors can’t give me any answers, I was told this morning to have an eye test but how could my eyes cause the symptoms I’m having after eating?
Glucose gets in everywhere. That means it can also get into your eyeballs. That's why when people suddenly drop their blood sugars, they have blurry vision for a while: their brain's been compensating for the glucose in there, and it has to learn not to do that anymore. So fluctuating blood sugars can affect your vision.

When I have a hyper from unexpected sugars, like when I was served my husband's sugary drink and didn't realise it contained sugar until I'd already had half of it... Flushes, palpitations, wobbly knees, confusion, headache etc. That basically happens to me when my bloods go up hard and fast. Others might have other symptoms. But it happens. You might want to start testing regularly to see what your blood sugars are up to. Do it before a meal and 2 hours after, or, should you feel horrid, check when you do so you know what your blood sugars are doing. A pattern might emerge. (You're aiming of a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l between the before and after the first bite numbers). https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ might help some.

I wasn't exactly alive, so to speak, by the time I was diagnosed five years ago. I just existed. I was so extremely tired all the time, depression was strangling me, and my panic attacks were crippling. You know how it is, from the sound of it. I didn't have the muscular strength to lift a fork, and I didn't care enough to, either. While I have always been a clinically depressed introverted borderliner, how bad it affects my life was very, VERY dependent on what my blood sugars were doing. When I got them under control, my panic attacks were still there, but I could often fight through them. A few years ago I started going outside by myself for my doc's appointments, because my husband couldn't take the time off any more and I felt like it was something i should at least try to do to unburden him some. About a year after that I finally caved and started going to a physical therapist for the shoulder pain that'd been with me for years already. That was once or twice a week, by myself, a 3 km round trip on foot. (I can't ride a bike due to chronic hip bursitis, and I can't drive a car because being as panicky as I am, I can slam brakes in fast traffic, so... Never got a license. So walking it is.). I'm doing things I never thought I'd be capable of, which other people take for granted: walking to my doc or the vet, the chemist's etc... Mainly things that really need doing, but I also went out for a well over 2 hour walk when there was snow. Took me a few days to gather courage, but when it looked like it was a now-or-never thing, I went. It took me days to recover, but I did do it, which was unfathomable before I got my blood sugars sorted. And for the record, as a teen my mom was convinced I was anorexic. I kept throwing out my school lunches. But I was so very stressed in school (one big social situation, day in, day out), my stomach hurt a lot, and it got that much worse when I ate. So I stopped eating lunches, to ease the pain. Hunger was easier than that gnawing/burning sensation. But I do see how you can be put off food entirely. Just... Start small. And if you can't do it for yourself at this moment, do it because at some point it could well make you feel better than you are right now. Anything is better than this, right? It can get better. One low carb meal at a time. It'll take a few weeks/months maybe, but you'll notice the difference.

It'd do no harm to get yourself checked out for low blood pressure etc, but I'm guessing if you have blood pressure done at the doc's you'll have something similar to white coat syndrome: just being there'd put your numbers up from the stress of it. Might be useful to buy a cheap home monitor, where you can test when you're relaxed.

Try and be good to yourself. It'll improve your quality of life. It's not as dark as things seem right now.
Jo
 

Hertfordshiremum

Well-Known Member
Messages
385
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Your so right I think it’s due to my no motivation and no energy that I can’t be bothered cooking up meals, I also find my problem is there isn’t much food I like. I am really struggling with it and these symptoms I’m getting are absolutely terrifying and as you can imagine they bring on massive panic attacks. I have had anxiety and depression since I was 21 I’m now nearly 40 it was so bad at one point I was bedridden with the symptoms it caused I couldn’t eat I was constantly being sick and ended up at 6 stone. I’m on so much medication and still I feel the way I do. Have any of the symptoms after eating happened to you?. The doctors can’t give me any answers, I was told this morning to have an eye test but how could my eyes cause the symptoms I’m having after eating?
First thing I get if I have a sudden rise in BG is blurry vision and a headache. You can tell a lot from your eyes it was actually the optician who told me he thought I might be diabetic when I was diagnosed. I didn’t have any typical symptoms apart from vision problems and headaches but he was right.
 

Lamont D

Oracle
Messages
15,796
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Every single night after eating dinner I’m experiencing severe headache lightheadedness to the point of nearly passing out, blurred vision and I get really hot. I’ve checked my sugar when it happens and it’s usually around 9 to 10 so I don’t think this is causing it. Spoke to my doctor and she hasn’t got a clue what’s happening but I’m getting to the point where I’m scared to eat because the symptoms are so terrifying. I ended up calling an ambulance over the weekend it was that bad but they couldn’t find anything other than my blood pressure runs a bit low .It doesn’t happen after breakfast and I don’t eat lunch because I have a late breakfast because I can’t stomach eating early in the morning. If anyone has any idea what is causing this I would really appreciate any suggestions. I can’t go on like this

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Depending on what I eat, that is exactly the symptoms I get.
My food choices are like you, are limited, I was a very picky eater and I had an aversion to many so called healthy foods. On top of that I have lactose intolerance
Through experience and testing I know that is my glucose levels going up too fast.
But, I wouldn't diagnose, the same condition that I have. You need tests.
Two things that drew my attention. The fasting levels on your second blood test which included in your c-peptide test a result of too much insulin for the types of diabetes mentioned.
I would recommend getting a referral to a specialist endocrinologist

I had a breakdown last summer, and I had confirmation that I had severe anxiety and clinical depression, and it took over a decade for me to get a true diagnosis. My GPs didn't have a clue either. I have had brilliant counselling and my latest GP has been so helpful. I am gradually getting better and moving forward.
My advice, talk to someone who you can talk freely to. Somebody that won't judge you and can support you. My GP took time out to have phone appointments and got me a counsellor, I had health issues and my GP got me the tests and scans.

Best wishes, keep safe.
 

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
Glucose gets in everywhere. That means it can also get into your eyeballs. That's why when people suddenly drop their blood sugars, they have blurry vision for a while: their brain's been compensating for the glucose in there, and it has to learn not to do that anymore. So fluctuating blood sugars can affect your vision.

When I have a hyper from unexpected sugars, like when I was served my husband's sugary drink and didn't realise it contained sugar until I'd already had half of it... Flushes, palpitations, wobbly knees, confusion, headache etc. That basically happens to me when my bloods go up hard and fast. Others might have other symptoms. But it happens. You might want to start testing regularly to see what your blood sugars are up to. Do it before a meal and 2 hours after, or, should you feel horrid, check when you do so you know what your blood sugars are doing. A pattern might emerge. (You're aiming of a rise of no more than 2.0 mmol/l between the before and after the first bite numbers). https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ might help some.

I wasn't exactly alive, so to speak, by the time I was diagnosed five years ago. I just existed. I was so extremely tired all the time, depression was strangling me, and my panic attacks were crippling. You know how it is, from the sound of it. I didn't have the muscular strength to lift a fork, and I didn't care enough to, either. While I have always been a clinically depressed introverted borderliner, how bad it affects my life was very, VERY dependent on what my blood sugars were doing. When I got them under control, my panic attacks were still there, but I could often fight through them. A few years ago I started going outside by myself for my doc's appointments, because my husband couldn't take the time off any more and I felt like it was something i should at least try to do to unburden him some. About a year after that I finally caved and started going to a physical therapist for the shoulder pain that'd been with me for years already. That was once or twice a week, by myself, a 3 km round trip on foot. (I can't ride a bike due to chronic hip bursitis, and I can't drive a car because being as panicky as I am, I can slam brakes in fast traffic, so... Never got a license. So walking it is.). I'm doing things I never thought I'd be capable of, which other people take for granted: walking to my doc or the vet, the chemist's etc... Mainly things that really need doing, but I also went out for a well over 2 hour walk when there was snow. Took me a few days to gather courage, but when it looked like it was a now-or-never thing, I went. It took me days to recover, but I did do it, which was unfathomable before I got my blood sugars sorted. And for the record, as a teen my mom was convinced I was anorexic. I kept throwing out my school lunches. But I was so very stressed in school (one big social situation, day in, day out), my stomach hurt a lot, and it got that much worse when I ate. So I stopped eating lunches, to ease the pain. Hunger was easier than that gnawing/burning sensation. But I do see how you can be put off food entirely. Just... Start small. And if you can't do it for yourself at this moment, do it because at some point it could well make you feel better than you are right now. Anything is better than this, right? It can get better. One low carb meal at a time. It'll take a few weeks/months maybe, but you'll notice the difference.

It'd do no harm to get yourself checked out for low blood pressure etc, but I'm guessing if you have blood pressure done at the doc's you'll have something similar to white coat syndrome: just being there'd put your numbers up from the stress of it. Might be useful to buy a cheap home monitor, where you can test when you're relaxed.Frankly, I am not convinced that diabetes in itself can be the sole culprit, with the exception of hypoglycemia.

Try and be good to yourself. It'll improve your quality of life. It's not as dark as things seem right now.
Jo
So sorry you went through all that Jo. I appreciate your story as I, too had similar symptoms and medical misadventures, esp. panic attacks in the early stages. I trust doctors who are well educated in psychopharmacology and smart. It is easier said than done, as a diagnosis can be complicated by many physical as well as mental variables. You say that your blood sugars changed your situation and I can't deny someone's personal experience, but still I wonder if there were not some other interaction or change in your life, meds, interactions, etc.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
So sorry you went through all that Jo. I appreciate your story as I, too had similar symptoms and medical misadventures, esp. panic attacks in the early stages. I trust doctors who are well educated in psychopharmacology and smart. It is easier said than done, as a diagnosis can be complicated by many physical as well as mental variables. You say that your blood sugars changed your situation and I can't deny someone's personal experience, but still I wonder if there were not some other interaction or change in your life, meds, interactions, etc.
I get very, very irrational when my blood sugars are high. Panic attacks, suicidal tendencies and whatnot fly about. Going low carb eased my mental issues some, as well as taking my blood sugars down more than a notch. But that's about it. No change or addition in medication, big, life changing events or even small ones, or structural changes in my day-to-day. That was it, that was all. I'll never be a whole, well person and I know it, but my quality of life certainly improved. If there was anything else I could pinpoint, then there'd be quite a few online friends I would point in that direction, who are in a similar, if not quite the same, boat. If you have any other ideas though? I mean, I know gut health is a big one, but that is (still) improving much with my diet too. So... Interrelated, yeah, but still the basic source is the same. Diet makes a difference.
 

Erin

Well-Known Member
Messages
748
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
mean people, corrupt politicians, poverty, happy pharmaceutical ads;
I get very, very irrational when my blood sugars are high. Panic attacks, suicidal tendencies and whatnot fly about. Going low carb eased my mental issues some, as well as taking my blood sugars down more than a notch. But that's about it. No change or addition in medication, big, life changing events or even small ones, or structural changes in my day-to-day. That was it, that was all. I'll never be a whole, well person and I know it, but my quality of life certainly improved. If there was anything else I could pinpoint, then there'd be quite a few online friends I would point in that direction, who are in a similar, if not quite the same, boat. If you have any other ideas though? I mean, I know gut health is a big one, but that is (still) improving much with my diet too. So... Interrelated, yeah, but still the basic source is the same. Diet makes a difference.

Well, my mother always said that Endocrinology is the Queen of Medicine, and she even gave me her endo's no. and I suppose I should not have cancelled that appointment as my meds and thyroid function are related. But I can't deny that IF it is a repeated coincidence that high blood sugars cause mental issues then obviously the problem has to be solved by looking at what the causal interactions might be.
I think for most people highs are related to sleepiness and lows more so for cognitive and emotional problems. There must be another definite cause in your physiology to trigger that every time.
 

JoKalsbeek

Expert
Messages
5,937
Type of diabetes
I reversed my Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Well, my mother always said that Endocrinology is the Queen of Medicine, and she even gave me her endo's no. and I suppose I should not have cancelled that appointment as my meds and thyroid function are related. But I can't deny that IF it is a repeated coincidence that high blood sugars cause mental issues then obviously the problem has to be solved by looking at what the causal interactions might be.
I think for most people highs are related to sleepiness and lows more so for cognitive and emotional problems. There must be another definite cause in your physiology to trigger that every time.
Well... Borderline personality disorder and depression run in my family, though my anxiety disorders are unique for me, and top that off with PTSD... Like I said, I will always have issues. But they're not as bad as they were when my blood sugars were high. High blood sugars just magnified everything, made it much worse. Now I can go outside without assistance, keep appointments etc. But I think we might be derailing things now. ;)