Feeling Unwell

Hi, I am confused at the moment because, although my blood glucose pin prick results are good - tending to measure 5.4 at fasting and often the same at 1.5 hrs and 2.5 hrs after meals - I am having episodes of feeling light headed, spaced out, sometimes near to fainting, or feeling nauseous.

The HBA1C test showed 43 mmol - I understand that equates to 6.1 on the !old’ percentage based scale.

So, following a low carb diet seems healthy for blood glucose. And across 2 months I’ve lost about 8-10 lbs of weight. I had a lot of fat around my middle, which has reduced. My clothes fit better and my size and proportions look more ‘normal’.

I know that mostly sounds positive. But the episodes of feeling poorly are really horrible! They tend to happen when I am out and about, shopping. Or out in large and bright environments.

I also feel more short tempered more often than before.

I have a tendency towards low blood pressure but it can also be ‘normal’.

Supposedly I’m doing the right things for reversing
Prediabetes. But I feel more ill!

Has anyone any possible insight on this, or similar experiences?

Many thanks,

Diana

Thank you, everybody, for your insights, advice and sharing your experiences.

When I’ve tested my blood glucose during these episodes when they’ve happened at home, my level is showing as normal (I think) - typically around 5.4.

I will splash out on some diawipes as I never seem to be near anywhere for hand washing when the more severe episodes happen, out and about.

The Keto flu sounds possible. I’m not adhering to a strict figure of carb intake. But it’s a pretty big leap from what was previously involved (eg biscuits, cakes, white rice, noodles and pasta - in large portions - along with pancakes, sourdough, baguettes and some brown toast, and various cereals and potato dishes) to the current diet which has virtually no pasta, much smaller portions of brown rice, mostly only whole grain bread and half the portion size of before, along with more beans and lentils and a few sweet potatoes, in place of the heavier carbs of before. I still have a measured amount of cereal but only once a day now and it tends to be muesli as first choice. If I have porridge it no longer has honey with it. Honey and jans are off the menu. Nut butters are on, but maybe more with something like celery than on toast (as before). So, not strictly Keto but the Keto flu symptoms fit.

Then again that’s true of hypoglycaemia - and I didn’t know that could kick in above 4.0.

My blood pressure does read quite low sometimes, during the low-energy episodes, using a wristband type of monitor. I too really struggle to move! It’s a bit like digging heels into a depleted mule!

Electrolyte issues might equally be relevant, although nothing showed up on recent kidney function tests. I have experienced problems like that before, though and recall they can make for feeling very rough!

I am having my heart rhythm checked over 24 hours just to be on the safe side. I see an endocrinologist to monitor another issue and also mentioned this to her - she thinks I should eat a small snack between meals. The prediabetes nurse said the same - and to drink more water. When the episodes hit, what seems to help is stopping walking, sitting down, eating a small snack (eg a few nuts/seeds/raisins - on holiday it was a few bites of a white magnum ice cream!) and drinking water.

I’ve noticed what makes it worse is stress. And during these episodes I am more sensitive to light and noise; I feel ungrounded, as though I can’t fully feel my feet.

Anyway, I appreciate all the input. If I have any more news on a definite cause, I will let you know. If it is Keto flu then I think I have passed the halfway mark.

TheFloppyOne said:

Hi Diana,

If your doing low carb you will run into Keto Flu and it can last any where between a 1 week to 2 months.
You will go to toilet more than usual during the 1st few days.
Your know when your half way though because your breath will smell funny and your urine will smell like nail polish.

I am doing Dr Bergs Keto Diet and my carb intake is less than 10g a day.

My symptoms are the following.

Really low energy.
Dizzy.
Very light sensitive.
Aches and Pains constantly.
Panics.
Moody.

I have also been doing this a month so I guess we are on a similar time frame. I've lost 21 lbs in weight.

Best advice can give is eat around 400g to 600g of leafy greens, avocado and ultra low carb veg (under 5g per 100g).
Follow that up by using an electrolyte replenishment powder in your water to hydrate.
Put 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast on your food. 2 meals a day or 3 if your still adapting.

If your blood sugar drops very low get some Page Yogurt which is 3g carb per 100g. Take 2 tbsp, wait 15 minutes then retest with your BG meter.
Tomatos are also a good way to get your BG up but have them with a meal because the more you eat the more your pump insulin up.

Check Dr Berg out

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@TheFloppyOne I’ve just been revisiting this information as it’s very useful. Further down the line, now, I can say that I’ve had a reduction in those symptoms - which were definitely very much the ones described for Keto flu, even though my carb intake was not quite that low.

I have an idea that moving from having had a really quite high sugar intake to relatively low carb might have similar side effects during the early adjustment stage though. After all, there has been that theory around for a long time that too much sugar intake generally creates blood sugar highs and lows, which may make even non-diabetic people feel unwell.

Something else I have concluded may be significant is that, when I was having episodes of feeling unwell when out and about, I would tend to panic - as it’s quite disorienting, suddenly feeling faint and/or your mind going blank at a supermarket checkout (and not just at the cost of the bill in Waitrose!) As stress can raise blood sugar, I think the panic/anxiety about feeling suddenly unwell was making those episodes worse.

Overall, I’m having far fewer symptoms like that, and less often. So I figure that:
A) I’m over any Keto fly, or similar effect from reducing even just a high sugar intake to a lower one
B) the removal of high carbs means my body isn’t caught in trying to process sugars it’s struggling with and the cycle of them swirling around the blood system or heading back to muscles/converting into belly fat - all of which might cause symptoms of feeling tired, as the body is quite busy with all of that going on
D) I’m relaxing more on the odd occasions when I do still feel a bit ‘off’; eg I go sit down somewhere and have some water (I carry a small. bottle in my bag or coat pocket) - so I’m triggering less panic/anxiety which maybe means less adrenal activity and less blood sugar raising.

It all seems to the good, anyway, even if I can’t add anything scientific to explain the differences!