Possible Hypoglycemia - Need Help Understanding Testing Process

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to this part of the forums. I have a question about testing for hypoglycemia. I had a problem with hypoglycemia that I believe was caused by an herbal medication I was told to take. I had to stop exercising because I would become very sick afterward. It took a while to figure out that my blood sugar was dropping too low. I think the problem has passed now that I've stopped taking the medication, but I don't know how to be sure. I've checked my blood glucose level with a meter. I'm always on the lower end of normal, whether I'm fasting or I've eaten within a few hours.

I'm nervous about exercising again because I became very weak, and I exercise by myself. Would an endocrinologist be able to test me to see if I'm really over my hypoglycemia? Can he/she do some sort of exercise test to see if my blood sugar falls too low? I am not at all familiar with this.

Thanks in advance.

Unfortunately, the herbal product didn't alert me that hypoglycemia was a possible side effect. It said to expect to feel worse before I felt better, so I dismissed the warning signs as part of my other problems. The real problem came when I skipped breakfast and nearly blacked out. That never happens to me. I can normally go a good portion of the day without eating and not have any problems. I used to run 8 miles without any problems.

By "a couple of hours," do you mean 2 hours? I checked my levels today 3 hours after I ate. I was at 87. That seemed low-ish since that's about what I am before breakfast, but maybe my levels are supposed to stay in a consistent range? I haven't been testing myself regularly because I'm bad at it. I have a hard time making myself bleed enough to do the test. I have my tester set on the maximum depth for the puncture. I just don't bleed much.

I talked to my primary doctor about it a while back, but he didn't seem to be thrilled with doing a full hypoglycemia test. He gave me a few regular blood tests that all came back normal. I thought an endocrinologist might be better, but I'm still not sure he/she could test me accurately enough to alleviate my concerns about exercising.

Thank you so much for your help.

I am not feeling sick during the normal course of my day. However, I haven't tried skipping a meal (I rarely do), and I haven't tried exercising. Do you know if normal exercising, say 30 minutes of cardio, would significantly drop my blood sugar? What I was planning to do was to start exercising again in small amounts and then test my blood sugar immediately afterward, but I don't really know what to expect. All of the documentation I have talks about "fasting" blood sugar.

You may be right. I'm probably over thinking it. I'm just nervous because of feeling like I was going to faint with no one around. I ended up having to lie on the floor a few times, and that really unnerved me. I have other problems that make me lightheaded or dizzy, and this just added to the problems. I was hoping for some definitive test that would tell me that I'm definitely back to normal, but there doesn't appear to be one. It would be helpful if I had a training partner, but I don't.

I do my cardio (running) outside if the weather permits. Otherwise, I run at the gym. I do my strength training at the gym. I always keep my cell phone with me because I use it to track my workouts. I've wondered about how soon before I work out I should eat, but I haven't found information yet for hypoglycemics (which I'm probably not anyway). My other reasons for lightheadedness and dizziness are related to my Lyme disease. I can handle those. I just have to be careful.

I've heard about drinking OJ, and I'm curious about why it seems to be such a good remedy. I would think any sugary drink would work. I don't drink OJ because it can hurt my stomach, but I could keep some on hand for emergencies, I guess.

Thanks for all of your help. This really threw me for a loop. I didn't want to have to learn about my blood sugar levels on top of everything else.

I have some of those gel packs for running. I'm going to keep them handy when I start exercising again. I was curious about OJ because people mention it specifically instead of just saying to drink juice or other high sugar beverage.

The episodes were certainly unnerving, and I didn't need another complication on top of what I already go through. I feel like I've had to earn a medical degree just to figure out how to take care of myself! Ha ha!

Thanks again for your help.

I'm glad you found out.  Herbal supplements may affect health in ways we don't want, so it may be a good idea to tell your doctor what you plan on taking.  They may also interfere with prescription drugs you're on.  Lots of reasons to be wary.  I don't think a non-diabetic normally has the means to test blood sugar (because there's no need to) and an episode of hypoglycemia could be dangerous.  Thanks for the warning.

It's just too bad that you had to learn all this the hard way!  I don't mean to sound trite!  Honestly - we're talking about some serious health consequences here.  This is all new to me, so maybe others will also benefit from the information you are posting here as well.  And a further concern, then, would be for diabetics who are on diabetes meds.  If they were to take the herbal supplements, it would also be bad.  I'm presuming the supplements were for Lyme's disease?  What are they?

Ah, well, I know that curcumin is a substance in tumeric and some people feel it acts as an anti-inflammatory for them.  It seems that a lot of diseases and medical conditions have inflammation present.  I'm not familiar with the other one.  In any case, different people may have different reactions.  Also, it might have been a result of interaction between the two, you know?  In any case, make sure you have those lab tests for liver and kidney function, etc. so you and the doctor know your body is ok with these supplements.  Sorry about the Lyme.