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Newie With Hypoglycemia

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Posted 7/31/2014 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi folks,

A few weeks ago I had a Glucose Tolerance test that showed I was mildly hypoglycemic. I centered on the word "mildly" and didn't realize the seriousness of the malady.
Prior going to bed last night I followed hypoglycemic recommendations and I got almost eight hours sleep, (rare for me), and woke refreshed. I thought I will get my walk in first and then have my decaf and breakfast. An hour after waking and my walk I began having weakness in my forearms and then terrible anxiety set in. At first I thought it was a general anxiety attack but after reading about hypoglycemia I thought it may not be general anxiety. I treated the hypoglycemia as suggested and a half hour later my anxiety began to resolve and I was feeling better although a little weak.
I went online at now realized I did two of the biggest no-no's, not eating after sleeping so long, and exercising on an empty stomach. If that attack was mild I would hate to see what severe one is like.

I would appreciate any and all the help and suggestions I can get. Thanks.
Posted 7/31/2014 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HealingWell. Please look through the different threads and posts here that talk about hypoglycemia because there are many. I'm sure you are concerned about your health.

What did your doctor instruct you to do? Do you have a blood sugar meter so you know what your levels are?

In general, in order to keep the blood sugar more level, it's best to eat smaller meals more frequently and not to eat a lot of carbs at one time, for example: a pasta meal or a rice meal. If you choose to eat pasta or rice or potatoes, bread, etc. you need to also eat a portion of protein (meat, fish, chicken, etc.) and a variety of vegetables.

If you keep a food journal with your blood sugar readings, you'll also know what food will cause you to spike and crash.

Can you please tell us a little about yourself? How old are you? Male, female? Any family members with diabetes?
Posted 7/31/2014 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
Lanie,

Thanks for the post.
The doctor said I had mild hypoglycemia and no need for meds. She suggestion dietary changes.
She didn't make mention of a meter.

I am 70 y.o. male and no family history of diabetes.
Posted 7/31/2014 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Honestly, I'm a little surprised the doctor didn't refer you to a dietitian but in any case, it seems you were given instructions about eating.

As I'd written above, the usual advice to avoid episodes of hypoglycemia is:

- smaller and more frequent meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner and at least two maybe three snacks in between)

- not a large amount of carbohydrates at one time (so NOT a meal based on rice or pasta); a balanced meal that may include a small amount of carbs but also protein and vegetables

- always eat breakfast (as you found out!)


The point of all this is to keep your blood sugar as level as possible because people who are prone to hypoglycemia are also prone to high spikes in blood sugar after eating carbs and then crashes which may give you the shaky and anxious feelings.

I'm glad you found us here and I hope we can answer your questions.
yeah
Posted 8/20/2014 6:19 PM (GMT 0)
My brother and I have hypoglycemia through my mother, I've had a few events, not many. With me what happens is I'll have a bunch of sugar and then BAM, an hour later I'm sweating, cold, and shaking, trying to find a 3 person meal to attempt to devour.

What you need to help prevent this? PROTEIN. It's your reserve. I"m pretty sure what happens is your blood sugar goes up, your pancreas sees this and makes insulin, perfectly normal... then it keeps producing either cause it thinks there's too much or that there is more coming!

What I've been told to do when this happens?
1) good carbs
You need something to get your blood sugar up NOW, but you need something that isn't going to piss off your pancreas more, get a small fruit or something, don't get candy or soda or any crap like that. Some complex carbs can help out as well.
2) EXPECT your pancreas to continue the insulin dump!
Grab protein, you need something for you liver to work with. When your blood sugar drops like that your liver is supposed to pick up the slack. If your liver doesn't have anything to work with then you go/stay hypo. Meat, milk, peanutbutter, beans, something with a bunch so your liver can have extra to work with after the event is over.
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