Reactive Hypoglycemia So Confused!!!

[GDTulls]

I just received the results of my tolerance test. Fasting glucose level 6.1 & glucose level of 3.2 2 hours after intake.

What does this mean? Is my body creating too much insulin or is this type of result to be expected?

 

[Lamont D]

I just received the results of my tolerance test. Fasting glucose level 6.1 & glucose level of 3.2 2 hours after intake.

What does this mean? Is my body creating too much insulin or is this type of result to be expected?

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia or RH, I apologise because by forum rules I cannot say wether or not those results you have posted is definitely RH, because it is only the first in a series of tests to diagnose whatever condition you have.
Was this glucose test, an extended OGTT, (oral glucose tolerance test) or a two hour test?
Your low of 3.2 is indeed a hypo level, can you tell us what symptoms you are experiencing? Do you know if you have a lot of episodes of Hypoglycaemia?
Indeed, you are correct if your condition is Hypoglycaemia, RH is caused by dietary intake that triggers an overshoot of insulin. The graph from your blood readings every half hour will show the quick spike after the glucose, followed by a steady decline to the hypo level when the insulin response drives the hypo.
How did they get your blood glucose levels up? Did you get the rebound effect?
What advice have you had?
Sorry about the questions, but in my experience, not many health care providers are too savvy with Hypoglycaemia.
We have our own forum, called reactive hypoglycaemia. It is a source of good knowledge about how and why it happens and also how control the condition.
It may help you with how you intend to go forward.
Do you have a specialist endocrinologist, if not get your GP to refer you.
Keep asking, knowing and understanding what is happening is important.

Best wishes and welcome to the forum.

 

[GDTulls]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.
I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia or RH, I apologise because by forum rules I cannot say wether or not those results you have posted is definitely RH, because it is only the first in a series of tests to diagnose whatever condition you have.
Was this glucose test, an extended OGTT, (oral glucose tolerance test) or a two hour test?
Your low of 3.2 is indeed a hypo level, can you tell us what symptoms you are experiencing? Do you know if you have a lot of episodes of Hypoglycaemia?
Indeed, you are correct if your condition is Hypoglycaemia, RH is caused by dietary intake that triggers an overshoot of insulin. The graph from your blood readings every half hour will show the quick spike after the glucose, followed by a steady decline to the hypo level when the insulin response drives the hypo.
How did they get your blood glucose levels up? Did you get the rebound effect?
What advice have you had?
Sorry about the questions, but in my experience, not many health care providers are too savvy with Hypoglycaemia.
We have our own forum, called reactive hypoglycaemia. It is a source of good knowledge about how and why it happens and also how control the condition.
It may help you with how you intend to go forward.
Do you have a specialist endocrinologist, if not get your GP to refer you.
Keep asking, knowing and understanding what is happening is important.

Best wishes and welcome to the forum.[/QUO

Thank you so much for your reply, I am under PCOS investigation at the moment, that was the only reason the GTT was ordered! I have had a blood test which showed I dont have diabetes or pre diabetes. To be honest looking at the symptoms I go through spells every day but I didn’t know what it could be until I looked up 3.2 glucose level.

My doctor hasn’t reviewed my test results himself yet I was given the figures by reception, I have actually made an appointment to go see them on Friday to get some definitive answers (hopefully).

My confusion arose from having lower glucose levels after an intake, I thought this could mean that my body is overcompensating somehow because my pre test levels were normal.

 

[Lamont D]

Thank you so much for your reply, I am under PCOS investigation at the moment, that was the only reason the GTT was ordered! I have had a blood test which showed I dont have diabetes or pre diabetes. To be honest looking at the symptoms I go through spells every day but I didn’t know what it could be until I looked up 3.2 glucose level.

My doctor hasn’t reviewed my test results himself yet I was given the figures by reception, I have actually made an appointment to go see them on Friday to get some definitive answers (hopefully).

My confusion arose from having lower glucose levels after an intake, I thought this could mean that my body is overcompensating somehow because my pre test levels were normal.

Yes, your pre test levels are in normal range, so are mine, I am non diabetic, that means that my hba1c and fasting levels are normal, it is after food that the pancreas is triggered to overshoot.
I have read that PCOS can effect your dietary choices, it is asymptomatic of hypoglycaemia, the symptoms can be very similar, I have also read that it can be mistaken either way and produce insulin imbalance.
I would advise further tests, such as more blood tests, extended OGTT, possibly a fasting test. A mixed meal test to see which foods you maybe intolerant to.
Hypoglycaemia is individual and there are many types, such as I have ' late reactive hypoglycaemia', I do not hypo until three hours after a carb laden meal, there is gastric dumping and others.
Have you had a scan or an endoscopy for stomach problems?
Do you have or aware of food issues such as allergies or like me lactose intolerance?

Let us know how you get on with your GP, ask for test results, get them printed if possible.

Best wishes

 

[GDTulls]

So went to my GP, they had no answers. Have asked me to go back on Wednesday to give them time to ‘interperet’ the results. Very frustrating considering my blood sugar dropped to a very close to dangerously low level. Fun times.

 

[kitedoc]

So went to my GP, they had no answers. Have asked me to go back on Wednesday to give them time to ‘interperet’ the results. Very frustrating considering my blood sugar dropped to a very close to dangerously low level. Fun times.

Hi@GDTulls, I, like @Lamont D, am wary of offering diagnosis for your results. So the following is not to be taken as health professional advice or opinion. What I offer here is a pathway:
In the Home section of this site, red horizontal menu up top under "Living with Diabetes" and then , Glucose levels (far left) and then "fasting blood glucose levels " it gives you a range of for Normal as 3.9 to 5.4 mmol/l. What that is says to me is that the lowest level that a normal blood sugar should be is 3.9 mmol/l. And one usually expects that in conditions other than fasting the blood glucose levels will be higher, as this section also shows.
Back to the red horizontal Home menu: In the section on "Complications of Diabetes" look at hypoglycamia to see the definition.
So use of diabetes.co.uk enables me to guess that a level of 3.2 mmol/l result 2 hours after start of the oral glucose test is equivalent to hypoglycaemia. (hypo- low, -glycaemia - glucose in the blood).
Google 'hypoglycaemia' and look at mayoclinic.org - hypoglycaemia. Hypoglycaemia is defined and causes given.
Please do not be alarmed at the long list of causes - as is noted many are rare.
Now -- my question to you is: Why could not your GP do what you just did or something similar to find information?
And secondly: That information might make it relatively easy to know what type of specialist could investigate things further.
My Best Wishes with interacting with your GP and getting to the bottom of your test results.

 

[Lamont D]

So went to my GP, they had no answers. Have asked me to go back on Wednesday to give them time to ‘interperet’ the results. Very frustrating considering my blood sugar dropped to a very close to dangerously low level. Fun times.

You do need a referral, your doctor just doesn't understand what or why you are going through, your doctor needs help and between the two appointments, he has probably sought information and guidance from his local endocrinology department at the local hospital. The unfortunate part in this, is the specialist may not have the knowledge or understanding him/herself. In my experience and I was extremely lucky to find my specialist, one of a few, who had the experience and knowledge to use the relevant Hypoglycaemia tests to confirm which type of hypoglycaemia I have.
If you have read our forum and the many different types of Hypoglycaemia, which are not easy to diagnose, and because the symptoms are also part of different conditions to do with hormone response, and organ conditions
That is why a referral to an experienced endocrinologist in Hypoglycaemia is essential, he has the tools to do a complete diagnostic test.

Knowledge is so important, so is getting the right balance in your diet, and of course getting a true diagnosis and treatment that works for you.
But it will take time.
Stay strong and insist you get the best treatment for you off your doctor.

Best wishes

 

[Lamont D]

So went to my GP, they had no answers. Have asked me to go back on Wednesday to give them time to ‘interperet’ the results. Very frustrating considering my blood sugar dropped to a very close to dangerously low level. Fun times.

Did your doctor treat the hypo?
How?
How was you feeling through the hypo?
Did you get the rebound effect?
Hope you are okay now!
Best wishes.