Do other people with type 2 feel unwell like shakes, headache, drowsiness when they eat. It doesn't matter what meal I eat or how big or small. Also I'm having hypos around 90 mins after eating. I have tried to tell my diabetic nurse but she is not much help. It is driving me mad. I have tried all sorts. Thank you.
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Hi everyone im new here.
- Thread starter Cherath
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Hi. I have a meter to check. About 60 to 90mins after food I check and its around 4.2 and I feel just terrible shakes sweating that sort of thing. I was on metformin but I felt worse on them as my glucose hardly ever spikes. Mine just keeps dropping. I'm on a really good diet. From what research I've done it sounds like reactive hypoglycaemia. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Cheryl
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome from me too.
It must be very unpleasant feeling so unwell after eating. Can you give us an idea of the typical sort of things you would eat and drink for breakfast lunch and evening meal so that we have an idea of what you consider a very good diet.
It is well worth keeping a food diary with your BG readings and a note of when you feel unwell. Is it after every meal. Do you test when you feel sleepy.
Since you think it may be Reactive Hypoglycaemia I would do some intensive testing around meals. ie test before eating and then at half hour intervals to see what your levels are doing and if they are going very high and then dropping dramatically. Technically 4.2 is not hypo but if you are going high and then coming down it will feel like a really bad hypo even if it isn't dropping dangerously low, so it would be good to know how high you are going first and which foods are causing the most dramatic peaks and troughs.
If you can make a note of approximate carb content of the meals that might help and don't forget drinks too.
Totally horrid being on that high/low rollercoaster so really do sympathize but if you can come back to us with more facts and figures and details of what you are eating it might help us understand what is going on better and enable us to give you more specific advice.
Out of curiosity, what was your HbA1c result? .. that is the blood test used to diagnose diabetes and will usually be 48mmols/mol or more if you have acquired a diabetes diagnosis but can be up into 3 figures if things are seriously awry. If you have RH then the chances are your HbA1c may well not be all that big a number as the highs and lows can cancel each other out over time, so again that might help to indicate what is going on.
It must be very unpleasant feeling so unwell after eating. Can you give us an idea of the typical sort of things you would eat and drink for breakfast lunch and evening meal so that we have an idea of what you consider a very good diet.
It is well worth keeping a food diary with your BG readings and a note of when you feel unwell. Is it after every meal. Do you test when you feel sleepy.
Since you think it may be Reactive Hypoglycaemia I would do some intensive testing around meals. ie test before eating and then at half hour intervals to see what your levels are doing and if they are going very high and then dropping dramatically. Technically 4.2 is not hypo but if you are going high and then coming down it will feel like a really bad hypo even if it isn't dropping dangerously low, so it would be good to know how high you are going first and which foods are causing the most dramatic peaks and troughs.
If you can make a note of approximate carb content of the meals that might help and don't forget drinks too.
Totally horrid being on that high/low rollercoaster so really do sympathize but if you can come back to us with more facts and figures and details of what you are eating it might help us understand what is going on better and enable us to give you more specific advice.
Out of curiosity, what was your HbA1c result? .. that is the blood test used to diagnose diabetes and will usually be 48mmols/mol or more if you have acquired a diabetes diagnosis but can be up into 3 figures if things are seriously awry. If you have RH then the chances are your HbA1c may well not be all that big a number as the highs and lows can cancel each other out over time, so again that might help to indicate what is going on.
Hi. Thanks again for responding. I have a very good diet. This is the type of things I eat. This my actual plate My last score was 49. Not joking it was very good. I don't drink alcohol. I do smoke though. The only time I feel normal is when my glucose reads around 8.0. After eating the max my glucose usually goes to is around 10.0. I have written a letter to my diabetic nurse with a print out of this plate explaining in much details. Hopefully she will get me some help. Thank you. Cheryl
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Drummer
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Oh dear - that looks very much like high carb and low fat - fine if you can cope with it, but if you can't it will do exactly what most type twos feel when they eat high carb foods.
Leadinglights
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Yes, what occurred to me was that the potato was much bigger than the chicken breast and the mixed veg has sweetcorn, carrots and peas all higher carb than say broccoli or cabbage. The jacket potato could well have been 50g carb on it's own. Even if you replace the potato with rice it would be pretty similar carb wise.
Have you got the book or app Carbs and Cals as you may find that very useful to see the carb vale of lots of foods and visually as well as weights and value.
You are having quite a high carb hit in that one meal.
Have you got the book or app Carbs and Cals as you may find that very useful to see the carb vale of lots of foods and visually as well as weights and value.
You are having quite a high carb hit in that one meal.
Hi @Cherath and welcome to the forum.
I agree that while the meal you show looks good from an 'EatWell Plate' point of view, but it is absolutely awful for somebody with either Type 2 diabetes or Reactive Hypoglycemia.
For both those conditions it is carbohydrates, not fat that is the problem. So if you must have chicken rather than lamb, beef, pork, salmon, herring or sardines etc. Then at least eat chicken thighs with the skin on , so you get some healthy traditional fat and stay fuller for longer.
I agree that while the meal you show looks good from an 'EatWell Plate' point of view, but it is absolutely awful for somebody with either Type 2 diabetes or Reactive Hypoglycemia.
For both those conditions it is carbohydrates, not fat that is the problem. So if you must have chicken rather than lamb, beef, pork, salmon, herring or sardines etc. Then at least eat chicken thighs with the skin on , so you get some healthy traditional fat and stay fuller for longer.
Hi. Thank you so much for responding. Yes I've realised that this is a good well balanced meal for a non diabetic. I had just started a new meal plan called second nature. I thought it was a really good group and paying £10 a week for it. There is plenty support on it. I have closed my account at second nature as I sent them a photo of that plate and the nutritionist said it was a good plate and this is a diet which was supposed to be high fat low carb. When she said that plate was OK and you guys said it wasn't then I got confused. So finished the second nature program because of that. So Thank you everybody for your help. Thank you Ian for the tip.
TheClockworkDodo
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Hi @Cherath and welcome to the forum 🙂
My OH has reactive hypoglycaemia, and your description of your symptoms does sound as though you might too - being drowsy immediately after meals because your blood sugar goes up too fast and then being shakey shortly afterwards because it's coming down again too fast is the classic sign of it. 4.2 isn't hypo, of course, as people have said, but you may be having actual hypos and just not checking at quite the right time - or you may be having "false hypos" (feeling hypo because your blood sugar is coming down) - either way it's not pleasant, and tends to get people into a circle of eating more carbs, and then having their blood sugar going up and down again.
There's a useful Wikipedia article about RH here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia - if you scroll down to the treatment section there's a lot of good advice (much of which is also good for type 2 diabetes). Eating little and often (eg by splitting all your meals and never having a main course and a desert at the same time), eating plenty of fibre, getting exercise every day (just going for a walk is fine, it doesn't have to be anything more strenuous), and eating something fatty (eg a yogurt) last thing at night are the things which have helped R most.
R would eat the foods on your plate, but maybe not the potato and the sweetcorn in the same meal - and he is not diabetic, he just has the RH. As you say, it's a good well-balanced meal, just not for a diabetic.
My OH has reactive hypoglycaemia, and your description of your symptoms does sound as though you might too - being drowsy immediately after meals because your blood sugar goes up too fast and then being shakey shortly afterwards because it's coming down again too fast is the classic sign of it. 4.2 isn't hypo, of course, as people have said, but you may be having actual hypos and just not checking at quite the right time - or you may be having "false hypos" (feeling hypo because your blood sugar is coming down) - either way it's not pleasant, and tends to get people into a circle of eating more carbs, and then having their blood sugar going up and down again.
There's a useful Wikipedia article about RH here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactive_hypoglycemia - if you scroll down to the treatment section there's a lot of good advice (much of which is also good for type 2 diabetes). Eating little and often (eg by splitting all your meals and never having a main course and a desert at the same time), eating plenty of fibre, getting exercise every day (just going for a walk is fine, it doesn't have to be anything more strenuous), and eating something fatty (eg a yogurt) last thing at night are the things which have helped R most.
R would eat the foods on your plate, but maybe not the potato and the sweetcorn in the same meal - and he is not diabetic, he just has the RH. As you say, it's a good well-balanced meal, just not for a diabetic.
You are exactly right spot on. My diabetic nurse is finally starting to listen to me. She is doing another test. Its frustrating when you are talking to other diabetics and they just don't understand. I'm really glad you have replied to my post. Thanks for that. Cheryl
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Hope you can make some tweaks to your menu to reduce your glucose variability and keep things a little more steady for you.
Feeling strong symptoms when still above 4.0 might indicate that your general glucose levels are running a bit on the high side, and your glucose thermostat may be a little out of kilter? This should reset as you spend more time in the recommended range.
Feeling strong symptoms when still above 4.0 might indicate that your general glucose levels are running a bit on the high side, and your glucose thermostat may be a little out of kilter? This should reset as you spend more time in the recommended range.
Hello. I have tried with a monitor off the doctor and 1 I bought. My body definitely does not like under 8 it just won't function. The diabetic nurse is getting more tests. I have chronic panceatitis. I've probably spelled that wrong. That might have something to do with it. I have had a good look around the net and some people cannot run on normal levels. Thanks. For your reply. Much appreciated.
Lucyr
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This suggests you’ve been running your blood sugars too high for too long. If you can slowly bring them down your body will adjust so that normal blood sugars feel okay. It isn’t safe to keep your blood sugars at a higher level to avoid the false hypos when improving levels, you’ll set yourself up for complications of diabetes.
Hi. I have started the keto and to be honest I feel alot better. It just seems so wrong though to eat full fat foods. It does make sense though as I'm having virtually no carbs. There is so many keto recipes and to be honest they are really nice. Shaking has calmed down allot and my glucose is a lot more steady. I'm enjoying trying different recipes. I love it. Where has it been all my life. Thanks Cheryl
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Good to hear your shaking is calming down. Hopefully your warning signs will reset in a month or two, and you won’t get troubled by warning signs until they are needed 🙂
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