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Really confused newbie

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Vigman

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Hi. I'm a parent of a type 1 diabetic who was diagnosed at age 11 and is now 17, so I know quite a few of the basics!

However, I had acute pancreatitis last January and since then have had increasing periods of symptoms of 'hypos'. Recently, when I felt bad, my BS has only been 3.5-4mmol, so are these real hypos for a 'non-diabetic'?

My triglyceride levels are very high (400+), and my BS now drops below 4mmol even two hours after a substantial, balanced meal.

I'm wondering whether I am overproducing insulin, have post-pancreatic diabetes type 3c, or am starting to become a type 2 as the pancreas initially over produces insulin in the early stages.

My GP is not that bothered, but I am. I never have high BS readings, but do have excessive thirst and urination!?
Do these symptoms ring any bells with anyone here, please?

TIA

Vigman
 
Normal non diabetics do get blood sugars as low as 3.3 so your levels are not strictly abnormal.

It is always possible that you have got some pancreatic damage (but that would tend to give you higher blood sugars) or that you are in the early phases of type two (which as you say can give you hypoglycaemia usually after eating lots of carbs).

The thirst and so forth could point to a diabetes diagnosis.

You could see your practice nurse or GP to get a fasting bs and hbaic test. This has a good chance of diagnosing you or excluding you. You are not likely to have diabetes if your hbaic is 5.4 or less. Levels over 5.8 are pretty suggestive and 5.4-5.8 is somewhat in between.
 
Thank you for that reply. I certainly know (ie feel unwell - dizzy, sweating, confused, tired) when my blood drops below 4Mmol. My fasting level on waking this morning was 3.9.

I have heard that over-production of insulin can actually be a first stage of insulin resistance (and also of benign tumours of the pancreas).

All I know is that since my pancreatitis these sugar dips used to happen once a fortnight, then once a week, now 3 times this weekend and finally twice today.

I will ask for an hba1c again when they test my blood to see if recently precribed statins have reduced my triglyceride levels.

Thanks again

Vigman
 
Your best bet would probably be to get your own meter and test say 1/2 hour, 1, 2 and 3 hours after eating. It sounds like you may have Reactive Hypoglycemia where the insulin is generated too late and too much, your BG spikes after eating and then drops rapidly causing the symptoms either from a *genuine* hypo is just from the speed of the drop back to "normal". This can be an early stage of Type 2. Your high trigs are also suggestive of insulin resistance.

The best treatment is to reduce the carbs to a level where your BG no longer spikes, and hopefully that will also cancel out the lows - and bring your trigs down. There may be times when you will need to eat *more* carbs to prevent a low before it happens.

I'd take some actual meter readings in to see your doctor.

I had some weird side effects from Atorvastatin which I suspect ( I wasn't testing at the time) were due to it whacking my BG down, you could try dropping the statin for a few days and see if this improves. A different statin might be doable, I don't get any side effects from simvastatin. Others are the other way round.
 
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