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Why won't levels stay up?

Kaz261

Well-Known Member
Messages
413
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
Diet only
As you know I'm just getting over a nasty stomach bug that lasted most of last week. My eating has almost returned to normal but I'm having trouble keeping my levels up. Any ideas?

Yesterday for example my fasting level was 4.6 which is becoming the norm for me. I had my usual breakfast and snack and I felt a hypo coming on before lunch with my bs dropping very quickly to 4.4. I had another similar experience later in the evening.

I woke at 2.30am and checked my bs and it was 5.1. I ate a couple of Brazil nuts. At 6.30am it was 6.1 and at 7am it was 4.8.

I've just eaten my lunch of salmon and prawn salad. Felt fine before eating and didn't check my bs but an hour and a half after eating I'm 5.0 and feeling like there's a hypo looming again.

Don't really know what to do about it. I've eaten a biscuit and will follow up with something low carb in a minute.
 
You 're going through the mill alright!

What are your waking fasting levels? even if they are a bit up, you want to maintain that level through the day. Either by completely doing without the baddies or fasting just to stabilise your system. I would personally have a fasting day tomorrow.
Today, i would monitor what's going on and just eat little and often. Low carb, go for a walk as that will help either because it will settle your bloods or bring on the hypo, which I don't think you will hypo. Take something with you in case.

Because of the virus, it will keep buggering up your bloods until it clears your system. Hang on in there, take it easy, let us know how you are doing.
 
Thanks Nosher. My waking fasting level has dropped over the last few weeks and seems to be consistently around the 4.6 mark. I don't feel good at this level and it seems to continue for the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is my busiest day, so I can't risk fasting. I don't function well in the 4's and that's where I seem to stay if I don't eat.

I wish I knew how to get my fasting level back in the 5's.

I followed my biscuit up with a coffee and cream and a mini babybel cheese and an hour later I'm still only 5.3 and feeling on the edge.

I've just ordered one of those Freestyle Libra thingys. I need to get a better understanding of what's going on!

Here's the confusing part. Today's lunch was low carb and I was low very soon after eating. Saturday lunch I was a little reckless and had a very small amount of steak pie, a tablespoon of mashed potatoes with veg and my numbers were 5.7 before, 7.1 after 40 mins, 7.2 after an hour, 6.1 after 2 hours and 5.5 after 3 hours. No hyper and no hypo but the meal included carbs!

Weird, frightening and frustrating!!
 

I think that the frustration comes from wanting to be in the fives.
As you're aware, four is not in hypo levels. That's probably your normal level. I think and I'm only guessing that anxiety is playing its ugly hand here, you want to be in the fives and your body wants to be in the fours, so you are anxious that you will hypo if you go any lower. You have a full point to play with.
If you have a busy day tomorrow forget about testing and see how you feel until evening, then test before and two hours after, see how it goes.
The only way to boost your levels is by eating or drinking, and it might be too much.
 
You've probably hit the nail on the head Nosher. It has been a very stressful week! My only thought then is if my body naturally wants to be in the 4's, why do I feel so bloody rubbish when I'm there?! Whilst I'm heading to that level I get the awful anxious, shaky and very irritable feeling.

Also, can you see why the carb/low carb question is still unanswered for me? In theory, I should hypo after eating carbs, but I don't if I'm sensible with them and know what I'm eating. If I low carb, I can often be feeling the effects of low bs within and hour or so or eating.

I can't wait to get my libra to see if it can throw any light on what's happening.
 
When you were a lot less well, how bad did you feel?
Before you went on the low carb, did you feel just as bad?
Have things improved? Has your other symptoms eased or gone away?

Until the virus stops messing you about, would you know how well you are feeling?
Have you got the energy rush back. You are busy tomorrow, could you do that a few months back?

It's all to do with perspective!

The anxiety should go away unless you don't want it too! Stress keeps knocking on your door, if you were a piece of machinery, you would go to the default settings.
You need to relax and unburden your anxiety. If you run to your meter every time you feel different it can stress you more!

Kaz, next step is to do a Kaz day and have the day away from worrying about your bloods, still low carb and trust your body to take care of you. Find your default setting.

You have over thought and worried too much before. Have a few days away from it, we all deserve to do that after what we've been through.
 
Sound advice Nosher, thank you. I can't remember the last time I had a Kaz day, with no bs checks etc.

Tomorrow when I've dropped my youngest off at pre-school, I'm off to my friends house for a cuppa and a catch up. I've then been invited into school to have lunch with my oldest. I can't eat much of what's on the menu, but I'm sure I'll cope!

I will try and find my default setting (I like that) and allow my body to look after me. I've just lost a bit of faith in it lately


Here's hoping the Baggies beat Spurs tonight! That'll cheer me up no end
️
 
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I really do know what you mean by that last bit. I was really anxious about eating out and its took me a while to not wonder what I knew was really ok! Does that sound right?
I think because we should test, that we have too all the time and not trust our judgment on what we eat.
Because we are weird, does that mean we have to be so obsessed until we are comfortable with how our bodies react?

Enjoy, your Kaz day! Have a laugh and a giggle!
 
After a pleasant morning out I'm now back in hypo land! Started to feel shaky on way home from school and was 3.8 when I got in.

I ate a peanut protein bar on the way home and had a biscuit and coffee with cream and I gradually got my bs up to 6, but I feel terrible.

I can't accept that this is the way the rest of my life has to be and am wondering on my next course of action. Today is not the day for decisions but I need a plan.

Diet alone isn't working. My GP won't/can't refer me back to the Endo. I could pay a couple of hundred quid and see my Endo privately, but he says he's done what he can. I could pay and see a different Endo who doesn't know my history but if he wants to do further tests I would have to pay. I can't afford tests privately. My argument is that if I need them then they should be done on the NHS. I've worked all my life up until having my girls.

Any suggestions welcome.

I'm feeling a little defeated
 
Hello, same situation hère, but in my case hyperinsulin is causing weird not hypos at 3.8-4, and not feeling well. I havent read your history but whats causing the hypos in your case? My endo told me too eat fréquently and small meals. Avoid high glymenic fonds. Dont know if this can help u?
 
Hi, I have reactive Hypoglycemia which for the most part I have been able to control better by reducing carb intake.

For some reason though I go through phases where nothing seems to work and I have more hypos. I eat every 2-3 hours and any carbs I do have are low GI, slow release type.

Is there a treatment for hyper-insulin?
 
Losingmweight, small meals, exercice Low GI and metformin to stop the pancréas from producing so much insulin -
 

I sympathise Kaz. I've been experiencing the same. I really don't feel well in the 4s and struggle to raise them although I am sometimes guilty of not eating enough. My fasting reading was 4.3 yesterday morning and I had racing heart and shaking - it was a real struggle to get to work, I am going to try and have a snack before bed to see if that helps - perhaps a little cheese or some nuts. I'll let you know how I get on!
 
Sorry to hear you're struggling too Kaye. My fasting level now seems to be in the 4's every day. If I start low I seem to continue that way throughout the day. That's 4 days in a row I've had a hypo or close to one and it's scaring me!

Let me know how your bedtime snack goes. I have a snack around 9 and I'm usually in bed around 10. It doesn't seem to make much difference to my fasting level.

I've ordered a Libra so I'm hoping that will throw some light on what might be happening.

Take care

Kaz
 
Have you asked to be screened for insolinomas??? I was very surprised that they started screening me for that here but my insulin levels are too high. May is going to be a diagnostic month
 
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