Low blood sugar, diabetes?

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ill by mouth

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hi guys .
i havent had a dx of diabetes but have been very ill for a year or so. i get a lot of ectopic beats, extreme fatigue , breathless, trouble choosing words etc.. ive had ambulances out a few have checked my blood sugars which have normally shown 5.4ish a few hours after eating. my symptoms are worse at night/evening/early morning..

i bought a monitor and did a few readings myself over last couple of days.
woke up = 5.4
4 hours after lunch before dinner 5.4
30 mins after hotdogs = 11.8
4 hours later.eat few biscuits . 30 mins after = 3.7
symptoms noticeable all day but worse before last reading about half hour after eating a large cookie/biscuit

does this suggest diabetes to anyone . gp didnt think it was worth looking into too and i assume hospital bloods do that h1b (i know thats wrong but u get idea) test when i was admitted and didnt mention it but i know they tested for damage of my pancreas by blood enzymes as had stomach pain.

any help.. thx guys
 
Welcome @ill by mouth Those are all normal blood sugar readings. The 11.8 is a little higher than normal but you’d just eaten and as the blood glucose meters have a margin of error of up to 15%, I wouldn’t worry. The meters aren’t for diagnostic purposes.
 
Diabetes is high sugar not low sugar. When I was diagnosed my blood sugar was approaching 30. Ectopic beats and breathlessness aren’t diabetes symptoms so I’d speak to your GP about those.

Why did the ambulances come out? Were you worried about your heart? Have you had an ECG? Why were you admitted to hospital? Was that because of your stomach pain?
 
so the reading just under 12 not really anything to worry about?.
yes heart erratic, lot of ectopic beats i had ecg recently .it was sinus but the ranges wewre all out by a bit qrs etc. apprently heart team dont think theres any big issue there.

im getting a lot of infections as well but mainly its heart erratic, breathless on exertion, i get some eye twitches , feel confused ( i have a photographic memory but struggle to think what i had for dinner etc). the symptoms feel like they vary a lot . the stomach pain is mainly cramps nothing to bad.

does the reading of 3.7 mean anything. would that cause noticeable symptoms similar to anything i mentioned? it seemed to drop after eating the biscuit before recovering. my gp isnt concerned . ive tried to get another appt. but because i spoketo 111 gp for about 5 seconds gp said everythings been checked and offered routine appt in 3 weeks time. oneof the ambulances actually refused to take me to hospital as ecg wasnt "anything life threatening"

ty for your reply inka x
 
3.7 is a normal blood sugar @ill by mouth Excuse the personal question but are you overweight? Why are you concerned about diabetes? Your symptoms aren’t symptoms of diabetes, so I wondered why you’re concerned about it?
 
Depending upon the test meter you have 3.7 could also just indicate that you didn't get enough blood on the test strip.
30 mins after eating a cookie I would expect your levels to be high and going higher, especially if you had diabetes so the low reading is likely rogue, but none diabetics can naturally go below 4 and diabetics usually only drop below 4 due to an overdose of diabetes medication which clearly doesn't apply in your case.
The 11.8 30 mins after hotdogs could be a rogue reading or assuming you had it/them with a white bread bun and perhaps ketchup again is not out of the ordinary. If you just had the hotdogs with no bread, it would be more surprising but also more likely to be a rogue test strip. There is something like a 15% error margin on test strips and the higher you are the bigger that % can look in numbers terms. Don't be fooled by the decimal place in the reading, they are nowhere near that accurate.

Random testing really isn't helpful for diagnosis or anxiety but your symptoms and test results certainly don't indicate diabetes.
 
only as my symptoms vary so much and dizziness/confusion made someone suggest it, thus the recent tests. i only wrote on here when i noticed my blood sugar goes down after eating and symptoms got worse . tbh just trying to help myself as gp isnt. im happy with someones opinion that knows like yourself tho. it puts my mind at ease in this regard atleast. yes am overweight but lost about 30lb in last few months without trying.

thx again
 
i should add these tests were similar over two days , similar foods , similar results.. i just wrote one day to simplify it. hot dogs with rolls . blood sugar dropped for a while after eating cookie but eventually rose .
 
the meter came with like 20 strips , i did readings best i could using control fluid and double checking things till ran out of strips. tbh i just wanted someone other than my gps advice . inks believes these readings are well within normal and wouldnt cause severe symptoms and i wil have to continue my search elsewhere. its been a long year tho.
 
If you had lost that 30lbs due to diabetes you would expect to see BG levels consistently mid teens and above before you ate and going higher afterwards. It sounds like there is something going on but almost certainly not diabetes with those readings.
 
ty B'bra good to know. the reason i had ambulance out last week was a like sinking feeling then one funny heart beat after another till got dizzy. as it started happening regularly after food what my friend said about confusion and diabetes stuck in my mind. but u all seem to believe im barking up wrong tree 🙂
thanks for your input too. gl
 
Must be scary! Hope you are able to find the source of the problem and steer your GP towards a potential diagnosis. Don't rule out anxiety and depression as a possible cause. Mental health can cause real physical symptoms. I know because I have struggled with it for many years, but my diabetes was very clear cut and my BG levels just suddenly went through the roof. It can be different for Type 2s and come on much more slowly but you would still get high BG levels rather than low and generally put on weight in the early stages of Type 2 rather than lose it. At your young age, Type 2 would also be unlikely.
 
ill by mouth said:
only as my symptoms vary so much and dizziness/confusion made someone suggest it, thus the recent tests. i only wrote on here when i noticed my blood sugar goes down after eating and symptoms got worse . tbh just trying to help myself as gp isnt. im happy with someones opinion that knows like yourself tho. it puts my mind at ease in this regard atleast. yes am overweight but lost about 30lb in last few months without trying.

thx again
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For some reason diabetes is people’s favourite thing to suggest that others have. It stems largely from ignorance. Diabetes doesn’t cause dizziness or confusion.

Apparently ectopic beats aren’t uncommon. It’s only when they’re severe that it’s an issue. You’ve had an ECG so that’s good. I know that anything to do with the heart can cause anxiety, so maybe that’s contributing. Sometimes it’s a build up of lots of little things that make us feel ill: stress, a lack of sleep, poor digestion, low on certain vitamins, etc etc. There’s no underlying big problem, just lots of little ones.

Concentrate on eating well, getting enough sleep, getting enough exercise and fresh air, and relaxing. If you haven’t already, I’d also recommend cutting caffeine out. Have decaff coffee, weak or decaff tea, caffeine-free soft drinks, etc.

I hope you feel better gradually x
 
Hope you find the shared experiences of forum members reassuring @ill by mouth

Good luck in getting to the bottom of your breathlessness, dizziness and confusion
 
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ill by mouth said:
ty B'bra good to know. the reason i had ambulance out last week was a like sinking feeling then one funny heart beat after another till got dizzy. as it started happening regularly after food what my friend said about confusion and diabetes stuck in my mind. but u all seem to believe im barking up wrong tree 🙂
thanks for your input too. gl
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Have you had your electrolytes checked, sodium, potassium levels as if they are out of whack it can lead to heart issues.
What is your blood pressure like.
 
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