Hypoglycemia?Whats causing this?

Hi im new here, came across the forums while endlessly searching for answers as to whats going on with me. 3 years ago i was told i had panic disorder after having what (im questioning now) were "panic attacks". sorry if this is long

I feel horrible day in and day out, hoping someone can help me. im 24 female 5' 5" weigh 110 so i am underweight, had a heap load of blood work all clear except a couple elevations of bilirubin.. and my calcium runs high end of normal at 9.9-10.3 and low vitamin D. ultrasound for elevated bilirubin found nothing wrong with gallbladder or liver or pancreas.., last years a1c was 4.6 but i also weighed more.

I have had poor eating habits and doc said I was not eating enough. so i have been trying to eat more and feeling awful, but lately it is so bad. I scheduled a doc appointment but cant be seen for another month, i bought a glucose meter after having dizziness and unsteadiness while walking, ( it comes in waves and feels like my legs cant hold me up, off balance),heart palpitations, highly agitated and irritability, weird head sensations, pressure in my eye, out of it, cold clammy hands and feet. this is whats happening.

my fasting blood sugar in morning is from 75-85
which i know is in normal range.. perfect right.. well heres the not so perfect and makes no sense, anytime i have felt bad i have tested and been 72-84, thats when im having the whole leg thing, panicky feelings, agitation/irritability and whatnot.
I have to eat every 2 hours because no matter what i eat i drop at the 2 hour mark oatmeal is the only thing i can wait 3 hours on. i also feel bad as my numbers go up, but always feel worse when they drop. exhausted all the time, waking up angry in the morning etc.

so examples of meals/foods would be
a small boneless skinless chicken breast, green beans (from can), and a baked potato.
1 hour after blood sugar is 136, 2 hours after 77

a scrambled egg with piece of brick cheese melted on top with a piece of buttered wheat toast.
1 hour bs 93, 2 hours bs 87, 3 hours bs 83 feel shakey and crappy and on edge time to eat.

chicken and green beans
2 hours after bs 79

half a wheat bread, chicken, cheese, mayo sandwich
1hour bs 103, felt horrible had to take bs early @ 1 hour 35 mins bs 78

apple & string cheese
1 hour bs 110


can anyone help me make sense of this? is it some form of hypoglycemia, i know my levels are normal but im definitely moderately symptomatic! more so i just want to sit and lie in bed all day i feel icky i dread having to get up and make something to eat because eating makes me feel so bad!

Hi trin123, welcome to HealingWell.  My gosh, I'm so sorry you're going through all this.  First, you need to know that no one is a doctor here.  We can only offer what we know or think.  I don't know exactly what's going on. 

On paper, your blood sugar is probably exactly normal except for the 136 an hour after a decent meal.  The only food in it that could have caused that spike was the baked potato.  Your other readings were great.  What's not great is how you're feeling.  At those blood sugar results, you should not have been feeling like that because those readings are not truly hypos.  On the other hand, a person who had been living with really high blood sugar who then comes down to these normal ranges might actually feel exactly as you described.  The puzzle is that you said your A1c last year was 4.6, which is an average of about 82 (right at "normal").  However, this is only an average.  What you might not know is if your blood sugar spiked really high and dipped really low or if it had been more or less level.

So, I am not sure what to think exactly other than you should see an endocrinologist.  He or she could order different kinds of tests that might indicate what's really going on.  When patients have episodes like this, their doctors usually tell them to eat smaller meals more frequently and not to overload on carbs because if you overdo carbs, you may spike high and then crash and this would give you more uneasy feelings.  So, it's good that you are eating every few hours and I would make the protein and vegetables and no more baked potatoes.  Or, try half a potato or just mash one potato and eat part of it (maybe half or less than half).

This is presuming your episodes are related to blood sugar which is why I think you need to see an endo in order to confirm if you're having blood sugar problems or not, and maybe some other tests like thyroid or anemia.  There may be other physical reasons for these episodes.

I wish you could get in to see the doctor sooner than one month!  Any chance of getting an earlier appointment?  Or, could you go ahead and see an endo sooner?  Does your doctor know everything that you've experienced as you've written here?  heart palpitations, agitation, and all that?

I wish I could help more.  Maybe others can respond with some answers.  In the meantime, keep your eating plan.

 

Thankyou so much for your reply! I will call first thing tomorrow and see if i can get in sooner, my doctor didnt do a fasting test on me. I was told by several anxiety patients from a support group i am in online that ' that's the first thing most doctors will rule out, so im not sure why that hasnt been done. I have been to an e.r once convinced it was my blood sugar a year ago, they took my blood sugar after i had 3 lifesavers in car before walking in and it was 99 i felt so aweful and to hear it was anxiety. im just about betting i was in the low normal range... had these symptoms and the lifesavers were enough to bring me back up. anytime i would get panic attacks (which started 3 years ago, 2 years after i had my son) i would eat life savers and recover, they would hit again then i would have a couple more recover again. like someone hit a switch.

I had chicken again tonight with some canned carrots- 1 hour 20 mins after my blood sugar is 78. i thought carrots would raise me and the chicken would hold me steady from protein. up in my earlier post i had the same bs level around same timing after 1/2 sandwich., wish i could figure it out, my biggest fear is having a seizure or fainting or going into a coma.. if im feeling bad in the 70's i dont want to know what happens if i drop any lower. of course anxiety is not helping and probably highlighting the reactions i am having. right now at 78 i feel spacey i had allot of cheese today not sure if i should eat more or not, cheese and peanut butter seem to be my go to's.

Good morning! I'm not sure how you will react to food so I'm not sure what to suggest other than whatever is the standard reply for this kind of thing - if it's your blood sugar. I believe the best way not to spike would be to eat a complex carb (a carb that has a lot of fiber) because that should only cause a slow rise when eaten along with a piece of protein. Pure sugar, white bread, soft drink, etc. will all probably give you a fast rise which is what you don't want.

Having some tuna fish with a little mayo, a slice of cheese, lettuce, a tomato slice, and one piece of whole grain bread "should" be a balanced meal or even a snack.

I can't eat popcorn so I don't know if you can but a handful with some nuts and regular milk might be ok. An egg omelet made with some cheese and a couple of green beans and one slice of whole grain bread might also be ok.

Doctors always want to rule out the physical causes before they say it's anxiety. This is what I went through many years ago. In my case, it was anxiety. My symptoms were not as severe as your but they were similar.

In any case, I think you should have more tests to see if it's blood sugar, thyroid or something else and that's why I think an endocrinologist is the best doctor to see now.

With the levels you're having according to your posts, you will not go into a coma. Your blood sugar is not low enough for that to happen. I think if you are nervous about this that it will make you anxious and fearful and those feelings could cause the other physical feelings - this is possible.

How are you this morning?

Ok, see how the oatmeal works. One thing that might help the morning fasting to be a little higher is to eat something small at night before you go to sleep. Maybe try some unsweetened yogurt, or some peanut butter and a slice or two of an apple. I wouldn't suggest an entire apple yet. Or the apple slices with a couple of slices of cheese. Try that and see how your reading is in the morning.

And, try to stay in the moment and concentrate on what your day's schedule is: your child, work, some errands, some tasks, etc. and try not to think about how you're afraid of what your blood sugar is going to do. Can you get in some walking around outside or biking or playing a game with your child or a pet if you have one? Make a list of things you need to do or a shopping list, maybe some activities you'd like to do and so on and try to go about your day without worrying about the blood sugar while still keeping to your eating plan. Maybe this will help getting out of this cycle.

And keep a daily journal: blood sugar and time, what and when you eat, blood sugar before and about 2 hours after eating, any activities. This will help you and the doctor see this part of your life.

If you are taking ANY medication, whether prescribed or supplements, also write that down. Sometimes the side effects of these can be a problem. I'm trying to think of everything.....

I hope your day goes well!

Your numbers seem fine. You can see that the oatmeal raised your blood sugar from 67 to 132 after 45 minutes. That's quite a jump from 67 but then 15 minutes later you went down to 120 (which is a lot better than 132).

So, you ate peanuts last night around 11 and your morning fasting was 67. See if you can bring that a little higher by eating some carbs with the protein. Try some apple and cheese or peanuts/peanut butter at night and see what your fasting is.

At what readings were you feeling odd? By the way, it's great that you're keeping all this logged because this is the only way you can show the doctor what's been going on.

Interesting reading 78 is not low and if you have the shakes, then I think it has to be something else I was 2.8 this morning and didn't have the shakes usually around the 2 level get them and you where not close to that my opinion I think it is something else.....just my $0.02 worth

Yeah, I don't know either. This is why it's important to write it all down so you can see if there's a trend or some commonality in the readings and the food and the feelings. I know it might be hard not to stress or obsess over this when you're keeping a record, but do try to keep all that in the background and go on with your life.

Are you working or attending school?

I have a feeling these episodes might be more related to anxiety because the blood sugar readings you've written here should not be causing these symptoms. There's one exception and I mentioned that in one of the previous posts, and that is when some people may experience the shakes and uneasiness at normal blood sugar levels after they have been living for awhile with critically high blood sugar. Their bodies 'think' they're experiences hypoglycemia only because they had become used to dangerously high blood sugar.

In any case, I do understand feelings of anxiety and panic because I went through some months of that when I was in my 30's. When I learned more about anxiety and how it affects me, I was able to begin controlling it. I did take meds for it for a few months - after the doctor put me through every test to make sure it wasn't my heart, etc. My gosh, I was at my wit's end (and honestly my husband was no help!). I can't explain how I overcame it all but I came to realize that I wasn't going to die, first of all, and I just started to have a different outlook on what I could and could not control and how some of this was not important.

Anyway, I hope the appointment goes well with the doctor. I do think you should continue to eat as you've been eating because you may feel comfortable doing that. And, allow yourself a treat with your child now and then; go and play and forget about some things you 'need' to do. How old is she?

! Good point, Will. Maybe some allergy testing should be done!

"He" agh! I don't know why I thought you had a daughter. Well, try to enjoy some activities with him. If you two have bikes, take rides. Anything that keeps your mind elsewhere is helpful I think. Let us know how the appointment goes.

please help im freaking out my bs said 152 45 minutes after 1/2 subway footlong. i kept retaking it over next 20 minutes thinking this cant be right in order 152, 137, 134, 160, 137is my meter or strips just messed up all of a sudden or can a normal person spike this high.. im so scared

!/2 of a Subway sandwich is over 40 carbs also depending on what you put on it