feeling light headed in the morning

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
feeling light headed in the morning
11
Thu, 04-22-2004 - 8:22am
Since I'm new here I'll give a bit of history first. I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia as a teen (about 20 years ago). Then about 5 years ago, PCOS, since I stopped having menstral cycles. I took metformin for about 6 months, my cycles returned and I was able to get pregnant. Things have been pretty okay. Sporatic checking shows my fasting numbers around 110 and my 2h numbers around 140.

So here's my problem. I started weight watchers about 4 weeks ago. Up until this week I've felt fine, but lately I've been shaky and lightheaded when I get up. My fasting yesterday was 98. I had a bagel with cream cheese and checked again at 1h. It was 165 and I was feeling better. I checked at 2h and I was 140. The numbers seemed fine to me and I was fine for the rest of the day. This morning same thing. Fasting was 108. Drank some OJ and checked 1h later and it was 88. So what's up? Those numbers seem fine to me. Could it be blood pressure?

Any insight would be great.

TIA

Krista

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-08-2003
Thu, 04-22-2004 - 11:24am

~~~Fasting was 108. Drank some OJ and checked 1h later and it was 88. So what's up?


there is you're answer. OJ has sugar in it. It raises you're level up then crashes fast.


the other numbers seem fine. did you feel different after drinking the OJ? different that day than the day before?

 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Thu, 04-22-2004 - 1:13pm
i can tell you that i have hypoglycemia and every morning i wake up with a headache from hell.... I check my levels and they are always in the low 70's.I know that is still within the Normal rage but i can tell when its getting low as the headaches kick in.
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2004
Thu, 04-22-2004 - 1:49pm
Isn't it just awful trying to figure this stuff out. I suffer from sugar crashes as well. My dr says to drink OJ but to stay away from glucose tablets. Then I've been told Oj is not a good idea cause it raises your BG quickly but then it drops again. I try to eat fruit. Watermelon works well for me. I remember one morning I checked my BG before breakfat it was 118. Then I ate a bowl of Cheerios and a banana. Within about 10 mins I started to feel sick. I tested again and it was 70! Only 35 mins had passed since my 118 reading. I quickly ate the watermelon...like a ton..I didn't even cut it..lol...just kinda dug my face right in. It was slower then cookies...but I need to stop doing that...then I followed it up with some protein once I felt better. It's terrible I know. I have been hypoglycemic for about 5 years now but it's always been very predictable. The last 5 months or so have been a nightmare. I can't control it at all. I feel like a ticking time bomb. The thing is..too sometimes I check my morning numbers..like today for example it was 72. I felt fine...no different then the mornings it's up over 110. Yet there have been times when I feel hypo..check the numbers and it's in the 70's. So why then does that number make me feel sick during the day but not in the morning?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Fri, 04-23-2004 - 3:35pm
I tried the glucose tablets in the week when I went low within 5 mins it went up to 180's.I was than worried I was going to crash again, being hypo is no joy ride. Someday are good some are bad others just make no sense at all. I think a lot has to do with how active you are that day and how much you burn off. The mornings are very hard with the headaches but I can tell when it’s getting low because of that. I don’t think there is anything I can do to stop it from getting low in the night; I have even got up in the middle of the night because my head hurts so badly. I just check myself regularly in the day time and take my numbers serious now, and I have also learned that if it gets down to the 30's again I need to get my butt to the ER ASAP!

This weekend we are going to seaworld with the kids and in really wondering how its going to go, with all the walking i wonder if im going to burn my food quick and get low.Im going to take stuff to eat on and off!
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2004
Fri, 04-23-2004 - 5:56pm
I have never had the opportunity to check my numbers right after eating glucose tablets. Everytime I have used them it's been in a store or appointment or driving the car or something. I always feel sick after too..to my stomach. It's hard when you keep going up and down. I always say to myself next time I'm gonna eat right...then the next time comes and I panic and eat the first crappy thing I can find. Handful of cookies or something.

How long have you been like this? I've been hypo for about 5 years. It use to be more like reactive hypoglycemia...where I would crash if I waited too long to eat. NOW, I've had crashes WHILE eating. Or right after eating. It sucks. Have you gained weight because of this? I have packed on way too many pounds since this got out of control. In December when things started getting really bad..I was storing chocolate bars and pop in my car. Candy and chocolate in my purse. I remember discovering that cheesecake worked real well. So I started making sure there was always a cheesecake in the fridge. I was buying like 3 a week. I just kept getting fatter and fatter. My dr thought I was depressed. Who wouldn't be...I would fall apart if there was no cheesecake in my fridge! I hate this.
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Sat, 04-24-2004 - 12:22am
I just found out about 3 weeks ago, after my husband was saying that be bets my levels are high as i eat to much candy.He had Diabetes so he has a meter, he was right it was 180.The next day i though what the heck i better check it just to make sure it was in the 50's i had something to eat and after a little while i felt really bad my head hurt and i was having trouble talking it was like i was drunk.I checked my levels and it said 32.That's how i found out, and yes in the short 3 week i have gained weight maybe 6 or 8 lbs.Its driving me nuts but what can i do! im trying to eat right but i have noticed that i have felt more hungry over the last couple of months.The one thing i can not stand and it did it when i was in the 30's was the very fast heart beat and the hand shake, i always know im getting low because the hands shake very bad.
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 04-24-2004 - 12:37am

Julie,


Your hand shaking and headache are part of an autonomic response cause by your body secreting epinepherine. Your body is making epinepherine trying to get your blood sugar back up into a normal range. This is a perfectly normal response and it is good that you are learning to recognize it.


Since you are so thin, it is also good that you are gaining some weight. Unfortunately most of us are grossly overweight and that is part of the cause of our type 2 diabetes. If I remember correctly, you weigh less than 100 pounds and you are 5'4". Is that correct? If it is your weight should be between 106 and 136. Now I am sure you don't want to be on the high side but the low side means that you have gained 10 pounds and that is fine. How have you managed to keep your weight so low, what with three pregnancies?


I am really glad that you are starting to do better. you really had us all worried.


Have a Happy Earth Day!

Mary Frances


cl-maryfrances40


Co-Cl Diabetes Board


iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2004
Sat, 04-24-2004 - 12:19pm
Julie I hear ya..boy do we sound alike. I was telling my dr about the crashes and when they were occuring. This is when we decided to use the home monitor and see what was going on. Honestly, I expected to see my numbers all the time in the 70's or 60's or something. So when my first reading came out in the 170's I almost fell over. I bought the machine..tested just to see how it works..and there was a reading in the 170's..it was about 3 hrs after I last ate. Then over the next few days I came to realize..my numbers were generally high..and my carshes were very rapid. I think though the lowest I ever got a reading on was 68.

Everyone kept telling me too..that I was eating too much crap and that's why my numbers were high. My point was that never before in my life had I eaten this way..I was doing it now cause I HAD to. My numbers as it turns out were going from the 140's to the 60's in the matter of about 15 mins. ALL THE TIME. It took this monitor to finally prove I wasn't enjoying eating garbage all day. There was something wrong with me. Now I know I have sugar swings.

Are you just managing this with diet alone? What kind of tests have you done?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2003
Sun, 04-25-2004 - 4:36pm
Mary frances you right i was just under 100lbs but i have gained a couple lbs in the last couple of weeks.Im not sure why i am low in weight after 4 kids too.I had gallbalder surgery about 7 years ago at ages 18 and at that time i was 75 lbs i was very sick with it and have gained weight but never got over 115lbs.

I think yesterday i started to have a crash while i was at sea world i started to have the light head feeling and also like i was going to pass out/I know it was hot "sunny southern california" but i gets water in me and had a hat on.I had a glucose tab ASAP and i think that helped a little.I started the fast headbeat as well, i dont understand why.I packed a lunch so that i could stick to my diet i had water and a turkney sandwich with cheese, Also for breakfast i had egg on wheat toast.Im surprised how quick my sugar can go from 120 to 180 than down to 70's within 5 mins.
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Mon, 04-26-2004 - 7:39pm

After the glucose tab how soon did

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