hypoglycemia- UPDATE 10-19 it's diabetes mellitus (post 34)

[aTailOf2Kitties]

truth be told, I only feel good for about 30 minutes out of every 3 hour period.

I did not know about thyroid problems leading to hypglycemia, thank you MrSpunkysmon! I have a thyroid ultrasound scheduled for Thursday, so maybe that will explain a few things. Plus my hair has been shedding a little more than usual for quite a while and that would make sense too. No flaky skin thankfully, but as mentioned before I do have a chronically dry throat.

[kittycats_delight]

Hypothyroidism can make you dry and thirsty. It also messes up your metabolism by slowing it down. Your hair can turn to thatch and your skin can get dry and flaky. Creams do not help. And sometimes hyperthyroidism can have similar symptoms.

If I don't eat at a certain time, I get shaky, tired, and grumpy. Then I am a bit light for a while after I eat. Eating on time is best.

Hope you can figure out what's up so you can feel better. I hate feeling like crap.

Holy crap...I never even thought about my thyroid. My mom has issues with hers that didn't start until she was in her mid thirties. My skin has become really bad. I have been using an olive oil based cream that the doctor recommended. He said it was one of the best but it does nothing for me. I am definitely going to the doctor on monday and asking him to have my thyroid checked.

Thanks for posting about that.

[mrspunkysmom]

truth be told, I only feel good for about 30 minutes out of every 3 hour period.

I did not know about thyroid problems leading to hypglycemia, thank you MrSpunkysmon! I have a thyroid ultrasound scheduled for Thursday, so maybe that will explain a few things. Plus my hair has been shedding a little more than usual for quite a while and that would make sense too. No flaky skin thankfully, but as mentioned before I do have a chronically dry throat.

I don't know if it does lead to hypoglycemia. However, the thyroid hormone impacts a lot of body functions, so who knows. It can also affect muscle tone. I also have diabetes, (probably should have said that) probably from trying to eat a lot to keep my energy up. The thyroid is hard to get right sometimes.

It will also mess up your menses.

Hope you can get some resolution and feel better soon.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

now I'm really starting to wonder what is up. My boyfriend tested my sugar right before bed last night 9PM-ish, after I'd eaten a couple of pistacios. It was 130-something. I wasn't hungry so I didn't eat a full serving. Cats woke me up at 1AM so I ate a small handful of peanuts. At 4AM I ate a hardboiled egg. At 6AM (2 hours after the egg) I tested and glucose was 158. At no point has my glucose actually tested low. I am still going to eat a little bit every few hours like the dr told me, but I'm gonna try to remember to test first and keep track of things, now that I know I have a meter.

I feel much better this morning than I have in the past. Slight headache, but no shaking or confusion yet.

[wombat2u2004]

I thought doctors prescribe Glucose drinks for diabetics, and that knocks out having to eat every couple of hours. I'm not sure, I think I heard that once from my Mrs and it sort of stuck in my mind. I'll go ask her later about that.

As for thyroid problems, all kinds of symptoms can show, because the thyroid and the parathyroids control so many different things, so thyroid problems may not be the issue here (although it's a good idea to get it checked out).
My Mrs had one of her parathyroid glands removed not long ago....they are very small, about the size of a small pea, but the one she had removed had grown to as big as my thumb. One of the main functions of them is to control the calcium levels.....and hers were haywire. Now she is back to normal.

[momcat]

I've been on insulin for several years now but there's something that might help you out.

There are times when my blood sugar crashes. Ask your doctor about using glucose tablets. They're available at most pharmacys, you don't need a prescription for them, and they come in yummy flavors. I keep some in my back-pack, on my desk at work, and here at home. While the tabs are NOT a substitute for eating, they'll buy you some time to get some food. Another thing you might want to consider, ask your doctor to recommend a good nutritionist. Maybe a nutritionist can work with you on a food plan that will help keep things in line.

[katladyd]

When I am having a crash, my blood sugar reading is somewhere in the 60s. After I eat, it goes up to about 90 or 100. I hate this and do everything I can to prevent an episode. People who have never had it happen do not know how truly awful you feel. The shakes and disorientation are the worst for me.

[beeniesmom]

I hope they figure out what the problem is. I have blood sugar issues too. They are always too high. I have many of your symptoms but they are not as severe. I have to accidently skip a meal (forget to eat breakfast) to feel that sick. I hope you feel better soon.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

well it's been a week and I still feel pretty crummy. Even worse at times than before. Finally got my bloodwork back yesterday (was sent last Friday) and they told me everything looked OK, but my calcium was a teeeny bit high (just a couple of points) and my potassium was waaaaaay high.

Ultrasound appointment went smoothly. I got there early and was in and out before my official appointment time ever came up. Now I have to wait for the radiologist to look at the scans and get back with my doc. Finally went back to have more blood pulled and the doc came in while it was being drawn. I told him I was having weird symptoms (muscle aches, hot flashes, intermittant extreme thirst), but he didn't seem concerned and just told the nurse to add a couple more tests to the labwork.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

UPDATE:
Ultrasound showed that I have a nodule on my left thyroid and now I need to see an endocrinologist....I am so scared right now

[beeniesmom]

Hey, take a deep breath and stay calm. It's probably benign and what is causing your issues. So it's good that they found the problem. They are either going to take it out or leave it be. Either way, you will probably get medication to regulate your hormones. My MIL is going through the same thing. Her nodule has grown a bit so they are considering surgery to remove it. You are going to be just fine.

[Freedom]

I'm with Beenies Mom, calm down. Not been through it myself, but have a friend who had the thyroid removed. Daily meds control everything now and she feels better than she has in several YEARS!

Yes, a nodule is scary; and facing a surgery is nerve wracking. We are all here to help you through!

[Catty1]

I have nodules on my thyroid gland. The specialist said that nodules are not normal BUT that they are quite common.

I suppose if one grew big enough it might cause a problem - but nodules themselves are benign.

Big {{{hugs}}}

[beeniesmom]

Hey, How are you feeling and did they give you any more information about the nodule they found? I am taking my MIL for a consult tomorrow with a surgeon. They want to remove her thyroid because of all the problems it is causing.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I forgot to update my status last week, sorry. I went to the dietitian last Tuesday. She was working at a diabetes/endocrinology center that morning, so that's where I saw her. She helped me a good bit and said I needed to add some carbs to my diet. That opened a whole 'nother can of worms I'll get to in a minute... I told her I had a possible thyroid issue, but couldn't get an endocrinologist appointment. She said "hold on" and talked to the receptionist. She came back and said the endocrinologist there had a cancellation and could see me shortly.

I saw him next. He felt around on my neck and said he wanted a biopsy of my thyroid. I'm thinking "great, when will that be???". I lucked out. He had an opening for the next morning (Wednesday) so I went ahead and scheduled it. So far so good! I went in to see the dietitian, ended up seeing the doc too on the same day and keeping the ball rolling on the biopsy.

Wednesday morning I got up and checked my blood glucose. It was like 140 or something, even though I hadn't eaten since midnight so I skipped breakfast. I drove to my mother-in-law's house and checked it again. It was now like 160, 6 hours after I'd eaten. I figured I would casually mention this to the doc when I saw him for the biopsy. I told him and he said that sounded more like diabetes, but the glucose test would have shown that. I reminded him that my general practitioner never ran any kind of tests, other than an initial finger stick and sending off bloodwork. Endocrinologist said I needed a glucose tolerance test (GTT) which he scheduled right after the biopsy. So 2 days in a row I went in for one thing and ended up getting something else done that I really needed to do! My glucose was finally down to 106 when they gave me the sugar syrup and 211 2 hours later. They drew blood at the beginning, 1 hour later, and an hour after that. After the GTT, nobody told me anything other than to go home and wait for the lab results. I checked my sugar when I got back to the house and it was up to 280. I was hungry so I ate a piece of turkey and when it started coming back down I went back to work. That was Wednesday of last week....

I feel better but have not heard any results of any of last week's bloodwork. I will call them tomorrow. I was looking at my insurance company's website and they listed something about "NONTOX MULTINODUL GOITER" as a diagnosis. I guess that was from the biopsy? I'm not too worried about it at the moment. I am more concerned with my blood sugar issues for now... and I don't even know what my issue even is officially. That's what bothers me. I don't know what's wrong with me, or what I can do about it.

My boyfriend just blows everything off and tells me not to worry. He doesn't even seem to care that deep down I'm worried and confused about all of this...