T2 controlled with diet question

[Zedd]

Hi everyone.

I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last year at the age of 38. I have probably had it for a while, as 18 months before I was referred to opthalmology with a microaneurysm in each eye. I had an hba1c test at that time but was mistakenly told my results were normal.

I've been controlling my diabetes with diet, and have lost over half a stone, I was about 8 stone 8 when diagnosed and am now 8 stone. This seems to be working as my hba1c has dropped from 50 to 43.

However, I do have times when I go very shaky (my hands shake), my thoughts get jumbled, and sometimes I feel faint. This sometimes happens during the final hour of my working day or while walking home. When I feel like that my blood sugars are around 5.4 and I've seen them drop to 4.0.

Does anyone else who is controlling their Type 2 diabetes with diet also suffer with feelings of low blood sugar? And how low is it normal for blood sugars to go with diet only control? I'd tried to bring this up when I saw the diabetic consultant but they didn't really answer me.

Thanks for reading.

 

[KennyA]

Hi and welcome. Well done on the reduction so far.

One of the problems these days is that a lot of the healthcare system seems to think that any HbA1c result that's below 48 is "normal".

Anyway - in my early low carb days I occasionally got what I called the "shakes" - exactly as you're describing. A bit of reading on this forum indicated that it might be "a hypo", so I tested next time it happened. Like you, I got low/mid fives. It is possible that in the time it takes to do the test, the liver has already started to dump some glucose.

Eventually I tried a CGM. That showed I was dropping into low 3 territory overnight, triggering a big glucose dump. I've had fingerprick readings through the day of less than 4. Fours and low fives are pretty much standard.

Your post made me realise that I haven't had "the shakes" for some time - years. Maybe it's something our bodies adjust to?

 

[Melgar]

Those low sugars symptoms are familiar to me too. Mine would seriously drop and they would come in swarms but they have lessened considerably over the past year. KennyA has given you a very plausible reason for them. We do focus on a blood sugar and diet cause because this is a diabetic site, but I also want to throw a non diabetic possibility, have you checked your blood pressure when you feel shaky. Just a thought.

 

[MrsA2]

However, I do have times when I go very shaky (my hands shake), my thoughts get jumbled, and sometimes I feel faint. This sometimes happens during the final hour of my working day or while walking home.

How do these resolve themselves?
If they pass then it may just be the body taking it's time to click in.
However they may also be signs of low electrolytes. Try upping water and salt

 

[Zedd]

Thank you all for you responses. I am glad to know I'm not alone. I didn't think it was possible to have hypo symptoms with diet only control. It will be interesting to see if they fade with time.

I hadn't thought about blood pressure, I do have a monitor so I'll check my readings next time.

My low sugar feelings resolve after I've eaten something, I'll feel OK after about 10 minutes, I feel like I absolutely have to eat something or I'll die, which sounds dramatic.

I did ignore the symptoms last month as they happened when I was cooking dinner. I ate dinner then fainted. My partner called an ambulance, they checked me over and my blood sugar was 8.2 (about 30 minutes after finishing eating) so they were dismissive of the faint being caused by that and told me I'd had a panic attack. My ecg showed tachycardia, my GP wasn't so keen to dismiss it as anxiety and thinks I'm dehydrated, so the electrolyte suggestion is very interesting.

 

[aylalake]

I was going to suggest blood pressure. For me it’s dehydration - I have those symptoms when my water intake has been low.

 

[jjraak]

Another vote for "false hypo"

Got mine in the months before dx ....clammy, shaky.. chocolate bar as a 'fix'

Cue going lchf. ..still got them.

Tested at low 5's.

Came to same conclusion as others...body struggling to adjust to less glucose coming in

I mention just in case you might get to the same point

I don't know of others, but I found going below 5 a real pain.
I get shaky, I felt dreadful.

As I got more used to lower fbgs, (8-7-6)...my body seems to have adjusted.

But it's adamant it will NOT let me drive it below 5 without kicking up a long, major & sustained fuss

I gave up, I let it pick it's happy place at 5 and no longer worry about going lower

And rarely get bothered by the shakes.