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

[aTailOf2Kitties]

anyone have it? How long did it take you to not feel like crap?

[Karen]

I knew a girl with it, once she knew, and set her watch to remind her to eat at regular intervals, she felt much better and normal.

[katladyd]

I have it and it is difficult to control. I have to eat every two to three hours, which makes it hard to diet but I have been losing weight very well this year. I have to eat lots of carbs, sugars don't keep that "icky" feeling at bay very long. I have to eat some pasta, rice, or breads to have any kind of energy. Luckily I have a fast metabolism, so I can eat lots of carbs and lose weight. I avoid sugar and sweets as completely as possible. From what I have been told, you have this for life, like diabetes. Mine is controlled through diet, but if I get busy at work and don't get a chance to eat, I definitely don't feel good.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

I've been eating and still don't feel good

[pomtzu]

Have you been diagnosed with this, or do you just presume that it's low sugar? If you are experiencing weakness, faintness or fatigue, it could be something else, like iron deficiency anemia.

[kittycats_delight]

I know this all too well. Simple sugars (fruit & such) don't do much for me. When I go low I have to have complex sugars like bread, crackers, muffin, pasta, rice etc). It's a huge pain in the butt. The feeling is like a panic attack for me. I shake, feel nauseated, lose all concentration etc and the fact that I suffer from panic attacks don't help as when I go low the bad feeling sets off a panic attack. On top of it I'm anemic. The doctors have tried everything and cannot get my iron levels up. I was on a 6 week therapy of iron supplements & iron rich diet and I only met the borderline of normal. Docs said my body just doesn't absorb or hold it so I will always be anemic. The anemia also gives some of those crappy, tired feelings.

Talk to your doctor to find out what brings your levels up best whether it is simple or complex sugars that way you will know what works best to keep your sugars up. Other than that all I can tell you is you will learn the feelings you get when you start to drop and can get something in you before you get to a low that makes you feel terrible. When that happens you will atleast be able to keep from getting the horrendous feeling and will catch it quickly.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

went to Dr yesterday and they said hypoglycemia, but they were sending blood off too, cuz my thyroid felt odd on one side.

So can you guys tell me what a typical day's eating schedule is like for you? Is extreme thirst all a part of this too? My throat's so dry I can barely swallow, even while drinking water.

[Freedom]

Dad is diabetic so he gets this now and again. Usually takes him an hour to feel better, but close to 5 hours to feel "right."

[pomtzu]

Question.
Do you crave ice?

[aTailOf2Kitties]

no, just have a dry throat. I'm not really "thirsty" per say just want to get some water down there. Granted I am munching on a pretzel at the moment, and had some peanuts during the night.

[kittycats_delight]

I always have dry throat. I drink about 4 litres of water a day as well & other liquids. I usually drink about a litre throughout the night. I have bad sinuses and they drain so that also dries out my throat and the doc says that they drain the most while I sleep. So that's why I drink throughout the night so much.

[pomtzu]

Just an FYI if you don't already know - craving ice is a sure sign of iron deficiency. I don't know if dry mouth/throat is tho.

KCD - did your docs ever consider iron infusion for your anemia? I have a similar problem and due to other medical conditions, my body does not absorb iron properly., so supplements do me no good. When my iron count starts dropping it never recovers and I have to have infusions. I last had a 5 week treatment in March when my hemoglobin dropped to below 8. Now I am monitored every 3 to 6 months and when it drops below 10, then it's more infusions. Last check in July it was 12.9 - very normal range.

And to both of you ladies - I have times when my blood sugar crashes and the only thing I can do is just get something to eat. It's such a miserable feeling - weakness, sweating, confusion, nausea. I never have any warning either - it just hits. Thank goodness these episodes are not all that frequent.

Hoping both of you get feeling better - it sucks feeling miserable.

[Charlie08]

I don't know if I have the hypoglycemic thing or not but I have been having a lot of trouble with what feels like low blood sugar and having to eat more often. I might have the start of diabetes, I am going to the dr soon for a blood test etc.

they also have what they call the blood sugar or glucose tolerance test.

[aTailOf2Kitties]

anyone else have problems with muscle aches after a meal? I'm all shaky and confused before I eat but achy and lightheaded afterward. Am I waiting too late to eat? I am having to eat everything slowly to avoid nausea but I'm still not going more than 3 hours until I eat again.

[mrspunkysmom]

went to Dr yesterday and they said hypoglycemia, but they were sending blood off too, cuz my thyroid felt odd on one side.

So can you guys tell me what a typical day's eating schedule is like for you? Is extreme thirst all a part of this too? My throat's so dry I can barely swallow, even while drinking water.

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.