Very up and down at the moment

Hello everyone,

So I got "diagnosed " with pre-diabetes in winter 2014. My then doctor didn't seem to particularly care and didn't offer much help other than " eat slow releasing carbs lol " before kicking me out of the door.

I had a rough few months for a while , then everything has been gradually getting better as I've gotten a better handle on things. I have to take in quite a lot of sugar a day ( mostly through fruit and juice ) to keep myself from getting a crash.

The last 4-5 months have been brilliant, my eating has gotten better and I'm not eating nearly halfway as much as I used to, to maintain my sugar levels, I started regularly exercising again ( which at one point seemed impossible ) and I just overall felt better about myself . However the last Friday I had one hell of a crash at lunch, completely out of no where and thought I was going to collapse. Since then I haven't exactly been back to normal. I keep getting crashes at stupid times ( I had one at 4:30 this morning and one yesterday when I got into uni ) for no reason what so ever and I feel weak all the time.

I haven't felt this bad in two years. Anyone else experience this ? Im at a complete loss of what to do, I'm sort of just waiting for it to mellow out a little and will go to the doctor on Friday if it hasn't calmed down by then.

Geordie_P said:

What sort of crash do you mean? Like a hypo?

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Yep :/ I get all shakey, weak and feel like I'm about to faint so I have a glucose tablet, something sugary like a small chocolate bar or a banana and then some proper food and then I feel a lot better in 20 minutes or so. I haven't had any crashes like this in a few years though.

AndBreathe said:

If you have had these "crashes" in the past, have they been investigated at all?

Do you have a blood glucose meter to allow you to check your blood sugar scores at the time you feel low?

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I don't have a glucose meter, I keep meaning to get one but never seem to get around to it.

I had them back in 2014 a lot, then they sort of lessened and then I'd only get them very rarely. But I've had 4 in the last week.

I went to the doctors when I first started having them, first set of doctors just told me it was my period and sent me on my way. It took me months to get a doctor to actually sit and listen to me without instantly dismissing everything. I seem to struggle to get a doctor to actually take me seriously Every one I get seems like they can't be bothered with me.

I went to the doctors last Friday about it and got the same old " it's your periods lol" thing '.....

AndBreathe said:

For many people, seemingly unrelated hormones really do get into the mix with blood sugar levels, and/or general wellbeing. Many folks on the forum to comment how things can go a bit wonky at certain stages of their cycle.

To be honest, in your shoes, I would be acquiring a blood testing meter to actually assess what's going on in your body when you feel these lows. The sorts of symptoms you have could be so many things; stress, blood pressure, blood glucose issues are just off the top of my head.. Consuming sugar may "sort it", just by stopping what you were doing at the time and sitting still-ish for a few minutes.

I would also be keeping a diary of when these symptoms occur, along with where you are in your menstrual cycle at the time. Armed with that information, you may be able to have a different conversation with your doctor, should the symptoms continue. You never know, you may be able to work it out for yourself if it's something like, leading up to exams and haven't eaten much all day due to being in the library, or whatever.

You really do need to gather data. Going to the Doc saying you feel off, but feel better once you've snaffled some delicious sweetness doesn't really give him a massive amount to go on.

I hope things get clearer for you.

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Thank you for the advice I'll definitely get a glucose meter.

I'll start keeping a diary again , I kept and took one to the doctors back in 2014 and described all my symptoms to them but still got the same answer from them each time. I'm very careful to make sure I eat consistently throughout the day and I don't have any exams on my course ( thankfully ) I'll give it another go though Thank you for all the advice