First post…Hello everyone

Lurcher Kal said:

Hi all…. Waiting for the GP surgery to open at 8am to get an appointment…I have been monitoring my BMs/CBG’s for the last 6 weeks and they rarely go above 9.0mmols….on a morning 1st thing they can be anything from 1.8-3.2 mmols. I have extreme fatigue, zero interest in anything and my constant lenses prescription has changed 4 times this year for vision problems.

I’m female, 48, no past medical history at all….

Yesterday at work was the final straw….( I’m staff nurse on a trauma & orthopaedic surgical ward ), it was about 4pm and I felt lousy….head was banging, couldn’t think straight, Pulse 101, temp 37.6, I was sweating, wet through….my blood glucose was 2.7mmols, took 2 Glucogel Tubes from the hypo box and rechecked an hour later and it was 4.8mmols

I had eaten and drank as normal….I had drank approximately 1.5litres of water since waking up by 4pm.

Breakfast: muesli, almond milk, banana and honey.

Lunch: tuna, rice, grated carrots and an orange.

Think I need a bit of an MOT lol…..
?Diabetes, ?Hypothyroidism, ?Addisons

Anyone with similar experiences??

Thanks for reading
Much love
Kal x

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Hi Kal,

Low blood glucose isn't an indication for diabetes, high is. I do notice you eat a lot of carbs, so... Maybe read up on a condition called reactive hypoglycemia? It happens when you eat a lot of carbs, your glucose spikes for a moment, and your pancreas overreacts by putting out far too much insulin, resulting in a hypo. I'm not entirely sure the 1,8 was correct as around that number you tend to pass out, and you were still aware enough to test. So when it goes to extremes, it is worth it to wash your hands and check again. Maybe putting on a CGM for two weeks would tell you whether you spike and dip, with a food diary alongside.

If it is RH, the thing is to not have a glucose spike, so you also avoid the corresponding overshoot of insulin. The way to do that is basically to go low carb, which also works for T2 diabetics. So while this is geared to T2's, it can help for RH as well: https://josekalsbeek.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-nutritional-thingy.html

As for a test, if this sounds like something that rings a bell for you, ask for an extended oral glucose tolerance test. (And do make sure it is extended, as a regular one might miss the resulting hypo and you'll get hit with in on your way home!). Maybe throw in a HbA1c as well, as people with RH can develop T2 eventually.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Jo

Lurcher Kal said:

Hi Jo, thank you so much for the reply, it was tested yesterday afternoon at work, by one of the staff members whilst I was sitting down having a moment….the 1.8 was accurate and this is the normal pattern every afternoon…..1.8, 1.9, 2.1, 2.4, 2.7…..yesterdays food diary was just an example, it was a quiet “ish” day after the consultant strikes so we had actual breaks and time to eat during the day…normally I just have a Huel protein shake….x

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Huel has a bunch of products, and I'm not familiar with any of them, but from what I gather the main macro is carbohydrate? Could be wrong though. Still... With consistent extremely low blood sugars, I think I'd try getting in touch with an endo and get this thing sorted. Because you are dangerously low and I sincerely hope you don't have to drive like that. And I'd get a CGM as well: the more they know about how you respond to meals and fasting (like when you sleep), the faster you'll have answers.

Lurcher Kal said:

Thanks again….I heavily researched huel as a clean source of vegan protein as I don’t tolerate dairy products….per 400cal shake is only
17g carbs and 40g plant based protein….thanks for all your info….GP confirmed appointment today for 2pm

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Good luck this afternoon! Fingers crossed for some answers!

Hi @Lurcher Kal my understanding is that there are a number of possible reasons for low blood sugars (reactive hypoglycemia is just one) and you need an appointment with an endocrinologist to schedule the tests required to identify the reason....

Good luck