new to this forum, need some advice

hi everyone, i hope you're all feeling ok this evening.

i am new to this forum, but not to the site. I am being tested for diabetes, due to feeling faint, nauseous, heart palpatations, sweating but cold, and all the other rubbish that goes with it. as soon as i have chocolate or a cola full of sugar, i automatically lift back up, but unfortunatly not for long enough.

Anyway my question is, if i do have diabetes why is it when i wake from having a nap during the day, i feel like poo. worse than any other time of the day? also what do you all think about my symptoms?

Thanks for reading and look forward to some replies.
Amy

You may or may not be diabetic, but it does sound like you have an issue with control of your blood sugar.

If you do not have one I strongly suggest getting a blood glucose monitor and some test strips. If you have health insurance ask your doctor to write you a prescritption for these as most insurance plans cover testing supplies. If you have to buy out of pocket there is nothing wrong with "store brand" meters and test strips, which can cut the cost of the test strips by half or more.

After you get your meter, for the first couple of weeks, test your blood sugar in the morning before eating anything and at least hours since you last had anything to eat. Then test again 2-3 hours after you eat, then again before lunch, 2-3 hours after lunch, before supper, 2-3 hours after supper and then again before bedtime (unless you end up going to bed within 3-4 hours after your last meal then you post supper and bedtime checks can be the same). Be sure to record each reading in a notebook. After 2 weeks, unless directed by a doctor to do differently, check your blood sugar 4 times per day, before each meal and before bed). In either case though be sure to check your blood sugar anytime you are feeling funny or bad.

After a month or so of this home testing you and your doctor may start getting a good idea about what is happening to your blood sugar and figure out what needs to be done.....assuming it is indeed a problem with your blood sugar.

While my best guess is that your blood sugar is dropping while you nap it could just as easily be that it is climbing really high. What a lot of people truly do not appreciate is how many of the symptoms of low blood sugar and high blood sugar is the same. It is how you really need to deal with it is where the big difference is. Eating something full of basic sugar can help a person feel better if they are suffering from low or high blood sugar, but in either case the positive effect is short lived and if you do not take the correct "long term" action you wind up right back where you started if not worse. With cases of low blood sugar that means eating something more than a candy bar. You need to eat "slow acting" carbs. I am talking about carbs you get from things like whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies, etc. These will raise your blood sugar slowly and keep it up longer. For high blood sugar the correct action usually involves taking insulin or even seeking medical help if you can't bring it down.

This is only very general guidelines. Your doctor can and should talk to you more about what you need to do once he is sure what is wrong with you. In the meantime go get yourself a meter, and at the very least test your blood sugar when you feel bad. If it is low go ahead and eat that candy bar or drink that regular pop and as soon as you feel a little better at all get to fixing and eating a snack or meal with some real food.

While my best guess is that your blood sugar is dropping while you nap it could just as easily be that it is climbing really high.

A few years ago, before I was diagnosed, I would need a daily nap. Because it was usually after a high carb breakfast & lunch, I now attribute this need for sleep to a high BGL as Jim noted. Like you, I would wake up feeling lousy and even disoriented. Since drastically cutting back on the carbs and monitoring what I eat in general, I no longer need to nap every day.

Another thing to consider is: hypoglycemia. My best friend suffers from low bs. With her, a high carb meal will cause her bs to spike high and then drop dramatically over 2 hours. This results in her feeling faint, rapid heartbeats, nausea, cold sweats and shakes.

Either way, diabetes or hypoglycemia it is a problem of sugar control. If you eat well balanced and low card your numbers should even out.