Under investigation for hypoglycemia

Good day everyone.

 

I was a long time user  (formaly Haljas) before, was on the forum before under CD...ughh,,,what a battle that was, but here I am once again and looking for help and advice.

 

So I have been tested over and over, and now I am seeing an endocrinologist,again, last year she said that I would need to be careful. now I am getting c-peptide testing and insulin level tests...

 

Kinda of scared,,,my glucose levels go down to about 2.9-3.5 2 or 3 hours after a meal..and I feel horrible..So the cpeptide test says 735 pmol/L. What does that mean??

 

Anyone offer any help, I would much appreciate it..

 

 Newfiegirl

Hi Newfie, your lab result papers should have the range for the tests on them.  If you don't have a copy of your labs, then tell your doctor's office that you want copies of them.  This is your right as a patient.  (And in the future, make sure you tell the doctor and lab tech on lab day that you want copies of the reports sent to your home.)  Now, you need to call the doctor's office and find out what these results mean.  There's no reason you should be in the dark. 

As far as I know (and that's not very much ;-), being overweight and/or on medications (are you taking any medications?) and/or being subject to stress can affect many things and contribute to a hypoglcemic condition or weird fluctuations in BG levels so yes, it may be possible to be borderline diabetic (hypoglycemic) without being DX'd as a full-blown Type II (your 6.0% A1c is right on the edge).

I found that losing weight affected almost everything positively -- especially things with gastro in front of them so it might be worth it to try our patented Nothing white 'cept cottage cheese & cauliflower diet, lose a few pounds and see what results.

What do you weigh now? How old are you? What kind of work do you do? (sorry for the personal questions but that's the way we are around here )

Hey Chris and Lanie,,thanks
Chris no worries on the personal note there....I work as a Medical Office Administrator, and because of a CD scare almost 2 years ago, I was put on Prednisone and had a reaction...and well now I sit at 220lbs. I am 36 yr old...I am on a lot of meds, for my many ailments...:(...

Endometriosis--Cyclomen
GERD--Prevacid
High cholesterol--Crestor
Fibromyalgia--Amitriptyline
Hypothyroidism--Synthroid
Tacchycardia--Bisoprorol

And well the gstroparesis....nothing right now...I had 2 injections of botox into the pyloric sphincter lst year...and had many kinds of meds, and antibiotics, to try and control the bad bacteria that grows in the gut when you cannot digest food...and then they wanted me to do an elemental diet, which is a drink that is already completely broken down for you...and it contains everything you need to survive,,,EXCEPT..my sugars would drop becuase I guess it didn't help that any..so I cannot take that .....so now I really do not tolerate any protein, fat, opr high fiber foods...yep leaves me eating little amounts of all of that to stay somewhat on the plus side of healthy.....(NOT)...lol..

So...I see Endo on May 28th and this time I am kinda scared.....Anyway if anyone can offer any words of wisdom...I am all ears,,,,,I was on this site when they thought I had CD and I loved everyone on here....great people and great advise.....

Hope to chat soon

and thnx for everything so far....

I'll give you an answer to your question.  It may or may not be the same as Chris would answer.  Some years ago, many doctors would tell us that an A1c under 7 was fine, and there may even be some doctors today who tell their patients that.  But there's a growing number of doctors who feel that an A1c which is closer to 'normal', that is, what a non-diabetic would have, is better for us and that would be under 6.

If you have hypoglycemia when you are not taking any meds that cause it, it is a bit different than the hypoglycemia that diabetics get. It's usually reactive hypoglycemia. Your body reacts to your meals by releasing too much insulin so your blood sugar drops too much. Then you eat, sugar goes up, insulin is released, then you drop again, bouncing up and down all day. The dextrose tablets may make you "bounce" more. It you feel you need the tablets, make sure you have some protein as well.

Reactive hypoglycemia is treated by diet. The goal is to keep your blood sugar as level as possible. Ideally, once you figure out how to eat, you shouldn't drop as often.

You might want to try eating small meals/snacks every two hours so that your blood sugar stays level. Ideally you should eat protein, complex or low glycemic carbs, and a bit of fat for each snack. With your gastroparesis, this will be a problem. Have you tried digestive enzymes?

You might tolerate a drink called "Isopure", not the powder, the drink that comes in a bottle like a soda. It has about 40 grams of protein but no fiber or carbs. It's marketed for bodybuilders so you probably won't find it in your local supermarket. It's pricey, about $4/bottle around here. I like all the flavors, especially the iced tea. I use it when I need to go on a clear liquid diet before medical procedures and it keeps me from crashing.

Stay away from sugar, white flour, sweet fruits, and starchy vegetables. You can take what you should eat in a day and divide it into between 6-8 small meals/snacks. I used to keep peanut butter crackers on my nightstand in case I woke up hungry.

I've had reactive hypoglycemia for over 20 years and feel much better when I eat the way I should. I always carry almonds or walnuts or other protein snacks so I never have to go without food. I have mild gastroparesis, I do digest my food, just slower than I should.

I wish I had better advice but you can't really eat the foods I would suggest. Maybe if you just try eating a little bit of whatever you can tolerate every 1.5 to 2 hours it would help. Also, eat something shortly after you wake up.

Good luck, I hope you find some help.