Confusion over BG?

[veganlass]

I have not been monitoring BG's lately and started again this morning.

Fasting was 11.3 then I had 2 slices of weight watchers malted bread toasted, marg and a smear of low sugar jam.

two hours later I checked my BG and it was 4.6 !!? Why is that?.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Not sure. I have read about 'reactive hypoglycaemia' in t2s where in response to high levels post meal more insulin is released and a hypo results. While not strictly a hypo that was a pretty big drop over a short period perhaps suggesting quite a lot of insulin activity?

 

[veganlass]

I am not on any medication yet.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Sorry, I didn't mean insulin you'd injected, I meant that your body might have released more insulin in response to an 'Oooh heck!' rise in BGs.

It seems it's more common where BGs rise really rapidly (eg eating sweet things on an empty stomach) and given what you said about what you ate that seems a bit unlikely, I was just clutching at straws really...

What is the cause of reactive hypoglycemia?
The exact cause of reactive hypoglycemia is still unknown, but there are several hypothesis that might explain why it can happen.

* Sensitivity to epinephrine, a hormone that is released in the body during times of stress.
* Insufficient glucagon production. Glucagon is also a hormone which has the opposite effect of insulin. It raises blood glucose levels.
* Gastric surgeries can also cause reactive hypoglycemia because food may pass too quickly through the digestive system.
* Enzyme deficiencies can also cause reactive hypoglycemia, but these are rare and occur during infancy.

How to manage reactive hypoglycemia

* Limit foods with a high sugar content, especially on an empty stomach. For example, eating a doughnut first thing in the morning can trigger a hypoglycemic episode.
* Eat small, frequent meals and snacks.
* Eat a varied, high fiber diet, with adequate servings of protein, whole grain carbs and vegetables, fruits, and dairy foods
* Carry pieces of hard candy with you, for those times when you feel your blood sugar dropping.

http://diabetes.about.com/od/whatisdiabetes/qt/reacthypoglycem.htm

 

[trophywench]

9.1g carbs a slice, with the jam say 20g - well sans injected insulin that would shoot my BG up by 6.0 and being malted would certainly hit me even quicker than white .....

I definitely go with the reactive hypo theory.

 

[Robster65]

It does sound like the most likely explanation. Is the malted bread supposed to be low GI or just low calorie ?

I stick to seeded and/or wholegrain but realise this may not suit your regime.

I presume the jam would include some sugar, which would push through fairly quickly.

And as Mike says, on an empty stomach, the BG may rise quite quickly, catching the pancreas sleeping. By the time it squirts a load of insulin out, the spike has passed but it's too late to recall all that insulin. So the BG drops, although in your case, it seems to have brought it down to a perfect level.🙂

Rob

 

[Vicsetter]

Sounds about right to me, you need to test at 1 hr as well next time, to see if you have spiked. I've used it previously just to kick start my metabolism/insulin production (but only in moderation). However if I had a fasting readin of 11.3 I wouldn't eat anything with carbs in it.

 

[veganlass]

Thanks folks. 🙂