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Reactive hypo

C

Charlies96

Member
Messages
9
I have recently been diagnosed with RH and my appointment for the diatocian isn’t for few weeks and diabetic appointment next month my hypos are getting out of hand when I had glucose tolerance test they dropped to 2.7 and I felt awful . Will I get glucose meter to check my glucose levels ? What wil the appointment be for next
 

Hi @Charlies96,
Welcome to our forum.
I have some good news and some not so good.
The good is that you have had the good sense to join the forum, the not so good is the steps you have to take, to get control of the condition.
RH is an individual condition and we all have different symptoms and when we spoke, and when we go hypo.
More good news is it is controllable, the bad news is that it is probably a complete change of the foods you eat, because even healthy food can be bad for you. The basic foodstuff you have eaten all your life, has probably contributed to your diagnosis.

I have noticed you have read the sticky thread in our forum, there is a lot of important information you need to educate yourself with, especially what foods are doing to you.
For this you will have to start finding out which foods you are intolerant to. You need a food diary, to show your doctors and your dietician.
More bad news, I'm afraid! Your dietician and your doctors will insist on eating healthy carbs. But I have found that these healthy carbs are just as bad as normal carbs and will trigger the hypos!
More good news, I have had control since after diagnosis and rarely have a hypo. There is no reason why, when you get your dietary intake sorted, you can have a healthy lifestyle.

Okay, what tests have you had?
What did your endocrinologist advise?
Any mention of medication?
Any other conditions?
 
Thank you for the reply , I have had loads of fasting blood tests all tests 4mmol and below and then they asked me to get refers to endocrine I think iris and the symptoms I was describing such as shakes sweating dizzy and a erg of hunger and when I have a sugar drink it disappears like it’s never happens I’m always tired and have other problems what I’m not down to the bottom of with abdominal pain and mouth ulcers and sores on my face had cameras up and down nothin come back from anything so when this started I said am not stopping till I no somethin so it was happening more often so when I had blood test it come back as blood sugars 3.9 and cortisol levels was low so I had snthaten test which was fine and then prolong glucose tolerance test I had a glucose drink and sat there for 9 hours and every hour it dropped lower and lower down to 2.7 when I had the hypo I was sweating and they wanted to stop the test but I told them to carry on, when it finished I went home and got a letter a few days later saying it’s RH , and I haven’t seen dietician yet or haven’t had my follow up appointment yet it’s 19th June , but now when it happens I panick that it’s dropped to 2.7 because the feelings are the same as when I done the test , not on any medications .. will I get a glucose meter to check them myself? Now people are believing me and my symptoms
 
Wow!
I know how that feels!
Getting a diagnosis is the first step towards getting your health back.
Yes, you need a glucometer, insist on getting one from your doctor, I had to get my endocrinologist to tell my GP to issue one, I have just had an upgrade.
Insist on plenty of test strips and get thrall that you need on repeat prescription.
If you are like me, your surgery will not have another RH patient on their books and likely not be aware that testing and recording are an important part of getting control.
They surgery doctors, dsns and other staff, will not of even heard of RH, so be patient with them, explain what is happening to you.
If you don't know, a brief description.
You eat carbs, your initial insulin response is weak, you derive too much glucose from the carbs, you spike high and quickly, because of the low insulin, your brain triggers your pancreas to provide more insulin, this is called an overshoot, your pancreas creates too much insulin and drives your blood sugar levels down into hypo levels.

You gain control by not initiating the spike, no spike, no hyper, no hypo!
Staying in normal blood sugar levels is the best treatment for RH! Stability in your blood sugar levels will give you better health.

If you have a hypo, don't go to something high carb to get out of hypo levels, only have a few carbs to nudge your blood sugar up back into normal levels. Then test and have a very low carb meal to stabilise your blood sugar level. If you have too many carbs, you will what is called a rebound effect. This means the treatment for the hypos will trigger another hypo. You have to be careful, keep to low carb and get control.
Start tomorrow, avoiding carbs as much as possible, eat protein, and some natural good fats, if you go through a day without hypos and all the horrible symptoms that occur because of the fluctuating levels. You will have actually stopped the roller coaster ride and that is just the start.

Learn as much as you can by reading the RH forum, also have a read of the low carb forum, the recipes and ideas are something to think about.

Best wishes
 
Do you have to be on any medication? Isit a form of diabetes ? And my doctors are awful don’t think they wil give me a glucometer
 
Charlies96 said:
Do you have to be on any medication? Isit a form of diabetes ? And my doctors are awful don’t think they wil give me a glucometer
Click to expand...

Most of us on this forum seem to manage by dietary control, and without medication for RH.

Although some people are given medication, I haven't seen any convincing studies (or any studies at all, actually) showing that the meds have a significant effect.

If I were you, I would try to get my head around the fact that controlling RH is a solo sport, and you will find that dietary control is your biggest tool in the toolbox. Also, as @Lamont D said above, most medical professionals and dieticians are fixated on the idea of drip feeding carbs into you, to keep your blood glucose UP. My experience, and that of many on this forum, is that the real trick is to keep your blood glucose rock steady by avoiding the carbs that start the roller coaster effect.

minimal carbs => minimal insulin release => no insulin overshoot => no hypo.
 
In simpler terms. This is RH, a glucose crash following a high carbs/glucose and insulin spike.



My solution has been...carbs lite, fats friendly meals that results minimal glucose/insulin fluctuation. Note also that hypoglycemia symptoms are due to low glucose AND ketones. Keeping our brains adequately fueld is the solution to many of our problems...

 
With the glucometer ? Can you use any type of strips and needles for the machines?
 
can you use any strips and needles with the machines
 
Charlies96 said:
can you use any strips and needles with the machines
Click to expand...
Each glucometer needs specific strips to be used.
Presuming you can get a glucometer from your doctor, make sure you also get a prescription for the test strips (as they are the expensive bit)
 
Hi @charlie96

You can start today - without a glucometer - by simply not eating carbs.

Have a chicken salad with mayo for lunch instead of a sandwich, and tonight have protein (meat, fish, eggs, cheese, tofu, quorn, etc) with veg, but no potato, rice, pasta or bread.

Have cheese, nuts or olives as snacks instead of crisps, biscuits or cakes.

It really is that simple.

Here is a link that explains it better than I can.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/60-seconds

If you decide to self fund a glucometer, the two cheapest brands that I know are the Tee2 and the Codefree.
You can get 50 strips (that means you can test your blood glucose 50 times for less than the cost of a single prescription fee).
 
Charlies96 said:
can you use any strips and needles with the machines
Click to expand...

I would insist on a glucometer, if you have the diagnosis, having a means of tracking your blood sugar level is so important to how you treat the condition.
As I said, I had my endocrinologist insist to my GP that I needed one, if your endocrinologist is convinced his diagnosis is correct, then the need for a glucometer is essential. If you do get no help from your GP, then telling your GP that your endocrinologist has suggested it will go a long way.
Getting to where you are has been a battle, one more skirmish is justifiable.

But I wouldn't be surprised if you have to self fund one!

Best wishes
 
Hi Charlie,
The strips are dedicated to a particular glucometer.
The Codefree is very cheap and so are it's strips. It works ok and gives a reliable indication within limits. Most seem to have accuracy limitations and each set of strips may have a shift up or down within the limits of a particular model.
You could always check yours, when you get one, against your surgeries diabetic nurses meter.
Readings given are an indication and are valuable in tracing the dramatic changes or absence of them with R.H.
regards
Derek
 
Hi is it possible to have a hypo when your in the bath ? I felt really strange and my heart was beating out my chest and I panicked and got out the bath my glucose meter is in the car so I didn’t go and get it , not getting used to keeping it on me all the time .
 
I would imagine so, but it might not be the cause, your timing is probably coincidental, as it would probably be your blood pressure.
Having a hot bath will increase your blood pressure.

If it was a hypo it would be food related, so the actual experience of bathing wouldn't cause the hypo.

Best wishes.
 
It was defiantly a hypo and I hadn’t eating before it it was horrendous and it feels like after I have one am wiped out and then I go into like a downer mood , been the same today really down , the consultant said he’s guner try diet controlled for a couple of months and if nothin changed go on tablets but they have horrible side affects what tablets would there be ?
 

Did your specialist say what dietary control he meant?
I ask because most doctors including endocrinologists and dieticians, insist that healthy carbs are part of that diet, I was advised to eat this dietary regime with complex carbs, however i still went hypo!
Unfortunately for me, carbs always trigger a hypo!
They will ask you to have healthy carbs and starchy vegetables as part of a healthy diet, you will need these nutritional for brain function, and too eat regularly to offer the hypos!
It doesn't work in the long run, you still eat too much and it doesn't stop the rollercoaster ride of blood sugar levels.

I am on a drug called sitagliptin (Januvia). If your specialist is up to date on diabetes drugs, he may try this Gliptin. It won't stop the hypos if you eat too many carbs, but eating a low carb diet it will lower the trigger point to cause the insulin overshoot.

As far as I'm aware, there is no known drug that will stop the hyper/hypo scenario.
There is no cure, just control and the best control is avoiding the foods that trigger the insulin overshoot.

Let us know how you get on.

Best wishes
 
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