update on my hypoglycemia

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
update on my hypoglycemia
9
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 11:30am
Well things are going good, boy am i happy Easter is over ,all that good stuff to eat.But i did leave all the candy alone, and was very good.Well my levels have been good they have been in the high 70's i have had only one high of 168 and just a couple of lows in the 50's and 60's.My head has not hurt that bad the last weeks and i have not had the fast heart beat.Just wantde to give you all a update on me.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-26-2004
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 12:15pm

Julie,


I'm you feel better!

Nancy

 


Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 2:31pm

Hi Julie!!! I am so glad to hear things are going so well!

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iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 2:36pm
Im happy also that things are going good, i dont want to ever have the same thing happen again.The hard part is the no candy but it's not as hard as i thought, just in the evening once in a while i will want some candy but i know i cant.I know that in anouther couple of weeks i will be past the feeling of wanting the candy also.This web site was a great help for me i think without this site i dont think i would have excepted that there was something wrong
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2003
Tue, 04-13-2004 - 10:15pm
Hi Julie-

My name is Amy--I'm hypoglycemic too! I was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia about 2 years ago. Are you reactive/functional (where the wrong foods, like too much sugar, make you crash), or do you have fasting hypoglycemia (where it's really low if you haven't eaten in a long time)?

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Wed, 04-14-2004 - 12:00am
Hi Amy

I’m not really sure I just found out a little over a week ago. I was low after about 2 hours after dinner I was in the low 50's than the next morning I knew there was something wrong. I had a headache felt very weak and had the very fast heart beat (I hate that the most) also I was having a hard time talking it was as if I was drunk. I tested and I was 32, I came straight to this site as I was not sure or as I should say did not want to believe there was something wrong. I called my doctor's and had to talk to his nurse she told me he said to see her the next day and have nothing with sugar, they did not seem to bothered so it made me think well maybe its not so bad. I even called my mom who works for a doctor and she said oh that’s normal people do that. So with this I thought oh its o.k., but I should have listed to all these ladies on this site, they were begging me to go to the E.R.They really was worried for me and it helped knowing I had them there. Well when I went to the doctors the next day he told me that the nurse never said anything about the 32 levels and that that was very bad and I should have been seen ASAP. He told me I was hypo and that I can’t have any sugar unless it gets super low again than I can have something sweet to bring the levels up. He also gave me paper work with symptoms and that was it. He was busy that day and I really wish he could have spent more time with me. But to answer you question and sorry to go on for so long, I think it’s after food as the 50's reading I had was about 2 hours after spaggeti.Im trying to find out as much as I can, any tips or advice you can share will be a great help.
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2003
Wed, 04-14-2004 - 12:32am
OK...well, firstly do NOT take anything I say as overriding anything your doctor tells you. I know a lot about dealing with reactive hypolgycemia, but not really anything about the other kind. Reactive hypoglycemia is much less serious and easier to control.

You were REALLY low! I can sympathize with the problem you had with the nurse. Shortly after I suspected hypo was my problem, I went to the ER because I couldn't walk on my own after eating a bowl of strawberries (and nothing else) for breakfast. The nurse got annoyed when I asked her for a blood glucose test and told her I was not diabetic--and refused to give me one. by the time I got to see the doctor it had been 1 1/2 hours, and of course I was feeling much better by then, just tired and hungry with a bit of a headache. If I had not already been experimenting with a carb-restricted diet and learning about hypoglycemia, I probably would not have gotten any answer as to what had happened.

I skimmed through some of your posts....be carefuly using candy and glucose supplements when you have crashes. Obviously, if you are dangerously low (like you were), you need something quick. However, if you are a reactive hypoglycemic, the ideal is to eat something that is balanced with carb and protein. The reason for this is that something that's just carbs (sugar) will fly through your system and leave you low again. If you must resort to using pure sugar, eat something that will go through your system more slowly as soon as you are able to help prevent another crash.

Headaches are to be expected. If I eat too many carbs, I will wake up the next day feeling like I am hungover, even if I have not had any alcohol.

As soon as possible, find out which kind of hypoglycemia you have--reactive (also called 'postprandial' or 'functional') or fasting hypoglycemia (sometimes referred to as 'real' or 'true' hypoglycemia). This will help you to know what information is correct for you, and how to handle your condition. I'll warn you, info is kind of hard to find--a bit ironic, considering how many people have this sort of sensitivity to sugars. The principles of controlling it, though, are pretty simple. Let us know which kind you have, and I'm sure that we can point you toward some resources.

For either kind, though, eating frequent small meals is probably your best bet. This will keep a steady, moderate flow of glucose going into your bloodstream.

Protein and high-fiber carbs give longer-lasting, slower-processing energy than white flour, white rice, potatoes, white pasta, bananas, raisins, sugar, etc.

Eat a piece of fruit instead of fruit juice, whole grains (in small portions) instead of refined, and ALWAYS match up your carbs with fats and proteins.

Exercise and weight control help a lot, and getting enough sleep seems to help with my symptoms, as does enough water (I don't know if it helps the actual levels, or just how I feel).

Be careful when exercising. Be sure to eat something balanced about an hour/hour and a half before exercise. Exercise is good for your overall control, but if you do it without eating it can cause a crash.

Be careful with caffeine and alcohol, both can trigger crashes--I had a very bad crash on a New Year's Eve before I knew what was wrong with me. I did not drink all that much, however I do not remember leaving the party and was violently ill for about two hours before passing out. If you want a drink, wine is a better option than mixed drinks. Remember--you cannot metabolize protein when you have alcohol in your system, so plan accordingly and go easy on it.

A bag of peanuts is a great purse-snack.

OK..there's a start. I don't want to get too specific or post too much information without knowing which kind you have. Don't try anything without talking to your doctor or nutritionist first. Definitely keep a journal of what you eat, what you BG levels are, and how you feel for a couple of weeks. It will help you to understand what foods are your worst triggers (refined wheat products and rice seem to be my worst ones) and what your ideal time spacing is for food.

It's scary, frustrating, and sometimes a bit infuriating at first. A couple weeks after my diagnosis I got really upset in the grocery store because I was surrounded by all these things I suddenly could not eat. Once you get used to it, though, it's not that bad...I try to look at it as I have a built-in alarm that makes me eat healthy. Not much consolation when faced with a big slice of chocolate cake, but what can ya do? (BTW--you can make great shortbread with soy flour and Splenda)

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Wed, 04-14-2004 - 12:52am
Thank you for all the info, im doing the same thing i will go to the store and see something and as im walking to go pick it up its like a smack to the head "WAKE UP".Than i have to turn around and say a couple of bad things to myself in my head and than go on to the next thing.Your righ it's hard to find anything and once you type in hypo on the search all these kinds of things come up about Diabetes.My husband has Diabetes so in a strange kind of way its helped, i know about the sugar free stuff a little more than someone going into this blind.Just the day to day levels are the hard thing to get used to, some days im in the low 60's other days the 70's and than i have days thats its up and down.I know i eat different things every day but its amazing how much it can change.Have you noticed that once you crash your head hurts for a couple of days after and that your memory is kinda bad.After my last crash i was still out of it for about 3 days, i was having a hard time thinking of words.I was to get a medical alert band but my husband says there is no need do you have one.As i said he is diabetic but he is not that good about it, he drink sugar free stuff but he will still eat the candy and pretty much what ever he wants.So i guess getting advice from him about the band is not the best person to ask!

Once again thank you for all your info
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Wed, 04-14-2004 - 1:37am

Julie,


I am so glad that you are doing better and that you enjoyed the Easter holiday. It is hard with four children around and the things that they like for Easter but you made it. Congratulations. I hope your husband did a s well.


Hugs,

Mary Frances


cl-maryfrances40


Co-Cl Diabetes Board


iVillage Member
Registered: 06-06-2003
Wed, 04-14-2004 - 1:35pm
The good news is that the longer you are following your new diet, the fewer crashes you will have. You'll be more aware of them, though.

You'll also get a sense of how much 'safe' food there really is out there--there really is a lot of variety, it's just not the sort of things we are accustomed to on an 'American' diet.

A big one is don't be afraid to ask restaurants to substitute things. I am almost always able to get vegetables instead of starch (sometimes it's an extra $1 or $2), burgers without buns, etc. IHOP has grain pancakes and sugar free maple syrup. Ruby Tuesday's and TGIF's have low-carb menus (but use sparingly as they use a ton of cheese and salad dressings). Most italian restaurants will give you sauteed spinach instead of pasta with your entrees.

Feel free to ask any questions you may have. Just please check with your doctor to make sure that we are both talking about the same condition. MOST rules should be the same (they really apply to everyone, it's just that most people don't get sick if they don't follow them), but there may be important differences I do not know about.