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reactive hypoglycemia

fliss

fliss

Active Member
Messages
37
Location
York
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
I'm thinking
Hi Im fliss and a newbie.

I am 53 and just been diagnosed with the above.

I recently had a 5 hour glucose intolerance test! my readings were as follows

4.5
8.9
4.8
1.9 :shock:
2.5
3.3

I have been following a low GI diet for the last 12 months so I had reduced my carbs. After explianing this to the consultant he put me on metformin (sp)

does this mean I am border line diabetic! I only found this out by accident I had gone to see him because of my under active thyroid - are the two connected!

sorry about asking so many questions, but I am so confussed!

I have noticed over the last few weeks that if I have even the smallest piece of chocolate I start to feel ill..

thanks you for listening
any help gratefully received.
 
Welcome fliss!
It sounds as though you have a confusing diagnosis which hasn't been properly explained to you - I'm not sure I understand it either so forgive me for only offering patchy information.
Three of your blood tests are definitely hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) by anyone's definition and if I tested my blood and got 4.5 I would consider myself about to become hypoglycemic. Even 4.8 would make me consider what exercise I was about to do and what food I had eaten/was about to eat. The 8.9 is the only one that is 'above normal' sugars.
You say you feel ill when you eat chocolate - can you explain what you mean? Do you feel sick, or shaky? Or do you feel thirsty, or what kind of 'ill'? If your blood sugar's 1.9 you will be feeling ill because of low blood sugar; but in that case, chocolate should be making you feel better
as it will raise the blood sugar to a normal level...
YES your thyroid and blood sugars are very likely to be connected, the two things often are.
Did your doctor explain why he put you on metformin (which lowers blood sugar) when you already have low blood sugar? I'm not saying he's wrong, there may be a very good reason (eg that it evens everything out), but he should explain to you why he thinks it is a good idea. Have they given you a blood glucose meter and testing strips? That would seem to me to be the first weapon in your armoury of understanding what is happening to your body.
It sounds to me as if they haven't given you the support and help you need to understand what is happening to you. If you have the strength to go back and ask (and I know it's not always easy) then you should feel confident that you have every right to do so.
Does this help at all? If not please ask questions here as well - don't ever feel bad about asking questions, of us or of doctors!
 
Hi thank you for your reply.

the consultant said, I was border line type 2. My blood glucose levels were all over the place no happy medium, either up or down. the metforim is to try and balance it out.

roughly an hour or so after eating I start sweating badly, when I test (I do have a meter) my suger is high. then it crashes down which then makes me feel (headachy, dizzy, can't concentrate, sleepy etc etc)

I do have chocolate if I am hypo, but if I have any when bloods are normal it makes me shaky and sweaty.

Iam really confused about it all, I don't seem to be getting any help from my GP or practice nurse either.
 
I'm not surprised you are confused.
I do wonder if there is something else going on besides blood sugar that is making you sweaty/shaky? Usually, sweaty/shaky means an adrenaline reaction of some kind, either from hypoglycaemia (which is not the case for you as you are testing and getting normal levels) or from fear (unlikely to be the cause for you unless you are terrified of chocolate!)... not being a doctor I don't know what else might cause it, but perhaps there is something happening which is just coinciding with eating chocolate? Or something else in the chocolate besides the sugar which is causing a reaction?
The only other thought I had on this was that when I was first diagnosed, I often got sweaty/shaky with normal or even high blood sugar because my blood glucose was ABOUT TO DROP very fast. It was the rate of change that triggered the feeling. Most doctors are not aware of this phenomenon but several other diabetics I have talked to agree it exists.
Hopefully someone else on here will have had more helpful experiences and can give some insight. In the meantime I'd just record everything very carefully, type of carbs and amount eaten, exercise done, blood sugars and all the symptoms, and see if you can spot patterns yourself.
 
Hi Snodger

I think you could be correct, My bg levels do fall very fast, and that is when I get the sweat, shakes etc.

I will start keeping a food diary - I am only been doing the bg diary at the moment.

this week as been awful.

My bg level overnight before breakfast as been about 4.2, then dropping after breakfast not sure if that is normal, I usually eat porridge or something similar.
Oh well go back to see the consultant at the end of next month.

thank you for your advice
 
Hello Fliss

Like previous poster I too am a bit puzzled why your doctor has started you on metformin :?

Looking at your first post there doesn't seem to be too much wrong until the afternoon. Try eating a bit more in the way of carbohydrate for your meals and eat regularly and then monitor your bg levels. Metformin will make your bg levels drop to a certain degree but I have a feeling that your doctor wants you to be able to enjoy the food that you eat without worrying too much about eating 'low carb' style.

Even if you didnt use Metformin, yr bg levels are too low especially later in the day so if you are eating very little or skipping a meal, stop and start eating a bit more and then just use yr bg meter to keep a note of how much food you are able to tolerate before yr bg levels start to go above a normal level.

I'm not type 2 by the way, I'm IDD but I think my advice is fairly sound but if in doubt check it all out with your doctor. The hypo feeling that you are getting can be sorted, you've just got to tweak your diet a bit.

Good luck :)
 
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