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Hypo symptoms when not hypo

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AJLang

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
I’m really confused and my gp doesn’t know what to suggest. Today has been the worst. Three times today I’ve had the bad jelly feeling in my arms which has always been my hypo symptom and it makes me feel absolutely awful until it passes. BGs have been steady between 5.3 and 6.8 when they’ve each happened and heart rate and BP have been normal. It’s quite distressing because I don’t know what to do and feel really awful like a really bad hypo. Eating when they happen doesn’t help either. These bouts have been happening more and more freuquently this year.
 
Maybe stating the obvious to an experienced member of ‘the club’ but is your meter reading correctly??

maybe you’re going from quite high to lower fast so it feels like a hypo? I sometimes get that. The gradual hypo I sometime don’t notice until I have a cracking headache afterwards.
 
Thank you Bexlee but it's not that. I've had virtually a straight line on my Libre since 8am until now (5pm) and the results on my other BG testing machine have only been around 0.3 different on my testing machine. The lowest has been 5.3 and the highest 6.8. But thank you for the suggestions because it could have been that.
 
Sorry to hear you are having these issues.
It sounds like it is nothing to do with the Diabetes and glucose levels, and well done on getting a nice flat graph whilst feeling rough. I hope that you get to the bottom of things and start to feel better.
 
If it is any consolation I have the same problem. I get the jelly legs and palpitations, almost identical to a hypo but my readings are in range and stable. I also get really bad muscle fatigue when I raise my arms to wash my hair or put a bridle on a difficult horse. I have started HRT in the hope it might be linked to the menopause and whilst the HRT (when I can get it is fantastic in lots of ways) I am still having this problem of phantom hypos when my readings are reasonably steady. I had one yesterday that I was absolutely convinced was a hypo but it came back as 6.8.... I tested a second time just to be sure because I felt so hypo.
I did worry that I might have developed ME but I'm not so sure. The doc ran a whole host of blood tests, including for other autoimmune disorders but nothing showed up. It is slightly reassuring that I am not the only one experiencing this, even if we don't know why.
 
Really odd Amanda, I’ve had ‘false ones’ where BG has been moving rapidly, but these aren’t those. But I’ve also had ones (the trembly anxiety feeling) where I’ve either been half expecting them, or where I’ve had some other anxiety causing situation.

Are you calm generally? Or might your jelly legs be a borrowed symptom for something else?
 
Hormones would be my guess if it’s not diabetes related but it could also be neurological - not necessarily ME or anything like that but might be tightness in the muscles in your neck and shoulders giving you jelly arms. Has the GP done any blood tests to check the basics like anaemia too? One of the problems when you have a chronic illness (or several) is doctors can just shrug and take a guess that it’s related to that and not treat new symptoms as they would in a generally well person.
 
I’m really confused and my gp doesn’t know what to suggest. Today has been the worst. Three times today I’ve had the bad jelly feeling in my arms which has always been my hypo symptom and it makes me feel absolutely awful until it passes. BGs have been steady between 5.3 and 6.8 when they’ve each happened and heart rate and BP have been normal. It’s quite distressing because I don’t know what to do and feel really awful like a really bad hypo. Eating when they happen doesn’t help either. These bouts have been happening more and more freuquently this year.

AJLang - Does it feel like you have adrenaline in play when these things happen?

Have you ever had anyone have a look at cortisol with you? I wonder if that's doing odd things for you. It's a circadian hormone, which they often reckon to measure by a 24 hour urine collection, if a blood test is in range, however as I understand it, the saliva test - 4 saliva collections through the day.

That might be a total red herring, but I just wonder.
 
Are you taking any new or recently changed medication that maybe causing the symptoms Amanda? Statins gave me loss of muscle strength particularly down my arms which made my arms feel very wobbly and weak. Just a thought . 🙂
 
I was wondering about new meds too - I get hypo symptoms when I use my Ventolin inhaler, which is confusing because it generally raises my blood sugar. I also get something similar sometimes if I haven't had Anadin Extra for a while and start taking it again - that is like a sudden adrenalin rush making me shake.
 
Thank you very much everyone. Lots to think about p. Sorry for short reply but I’ve just woken up feeling hypo like although my is 5.2. Not on any new medications. I will look at your replies properly later when I’m hopefully feeling more with it.
 
Hope you feel better soon Amanda
 
10 years ago I had the same problem . It turned out it was the Menopause . I was so confused at the time and scared to go to bed . My GP prescribed HRT and the symptoms disappeared .
 
Hope it clears up soon Amanda may be worth contacting your hospital team by phone, take care. xx
 
Thank you very much everyone. The menopause makes complete sense as does anything else to do with hormones, particularly adrenaline which the urgent care doctor suggested getting tested when I had my ambulance ride a few weeks ago. Fortunately I have an appointment tomorrow with my good GP - it seems ages ago when I made the appointment. It makes total sense to ask her about these possibilities. With regard to anxiety I’ve been in a good place in recent weeks so don’t think it is that but you never know.
All the basic blood tests were done very recently and came back good to excellent. It may be caused by my CFS/ME and/or silent migraines but my instinct, which is usually right when it comes to my health, suggests that there is a good chance that it is caused by something else.
 
If it is any consolation I have the same problem. I get the jelly legs and palpitations, almost identical to a hypo but my readings are in range and stable. I also get really bad muscle fatigue when I raise my arms to wash my hair or put a bridle on a difficult horse. I have started HRT in the hope it might be linked to the menopause and whilst the HRT (when I can get it is fantastic in lots of ways) I am still having this problem of phantom hypos when my readings are reasonably steady. I had one yesterday that I was absolutely convinced was a hypo but it came back as 6.8.... I tested a second time just to be sure because I felt so hypo.
I did worry that I might have developed ME but I'm not so sure. The doc ran a whole host of blood tests, including for other autoimmune disorders but nothing showed up. It is slightly reassuring that I am not the only one experiencing this, even if we don't know why.
Oh I’m so sorry that you’re going through the same things, I hope that you find a solution to yours soon x
 
I sometimes shake alot and am not hypoing. It is one of my big signs that I have hypoed when do! Gets quite confusing.
 
I sometimes shake alot and am not hypoing. It is one of my big signs that I have hypoed when do! Gets quite confusing.
Im sorry to hear this Dan, I hope it gets better for you.
 
I went to see the lovely GP today who said it could be because of the menopause. She has prescribed me 3 months worth of HRT but said it usually doesn’t work for these symptoms but worth a try. She has also referred me to the rheumatologist because my fatigue has been becoming progressively over the last year. She thinks it could be the CFS/ME getting worse but that rheumatologist could carry out further tests.
Afterwards I went to the fracture clinic and after twelve weeks it still hasn’t healed so at least another three weeks in the boot and then a further review. He did say about possibility of CT scan and having plate inserted but there is absolutely no way I would be able to manage on crutches. So there will be further discussion at next review if necessary.
 
Glad that you got to see your preferred GP and that things are being followed up.
 
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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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