Newbie here, advise on low sugar please

[Hazel1010]

Hello , I’m not on any medication for diabetes or test daily and had the standard borderline contact from doctors about 6 months ago.During this time I’ve had a heart scare which seems to be sorting itself out thank goodness, long story short over the last 6 months I really got to work on my diet , lost 2 stone so far so I’m just under 13 at the moment.
I was an avid walker but due to periods of extreme fatigue I’ve had to cut down a lot and tend to do shorter walks 2/3 miles locally .
Recently I’ve had aching legs , my toe nails are thickened and brittle , blurred eye sight with a strange scaliness on one of my eyelids ( lord help me I’ll never be in a beaut contest ‍♀️) and every now and then it’s as though I suddenly been unplugged ….I mean extreme …..I was walking home yesterday and I was hit like a veil dropped over me and almost sat on a wall to call someone to get me .
those of you with experience, please can you tell me is this a sign of too low sugar , I literally went from everything sugar to as low as I can go , any help please …and I know you are not doctors but time and experience counts for a lot

 

[Kaylz]

What are you eating on a day to day basis? Just it isn't sugar alone that effects BG it's total carbohydrates so if your still eating carbs a hypo is unlikely to begin with

The fact you aren't on any medication means its unlikely you had a hypo, non diabetics dip below 4 without any issues and it isn't dangerous like it is for those on blood glucose lowering medication like Gliclazide and insulin

Generally a hypo is accompanied by shaking, sweating, vision problems, unable to concentrate, tingling parts such as lips (mines is the tip of my nose)

It may be worth buying a cheap BG meter to test and see what's going on especially periods where you feel "off" like you did xx

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Well done on the changes you have been making @Hazel1010

Sounds like they will have had a very positive effect, and 2 stone weight loss is a tremendous achievement.

Weakness and fatigue can be one of the warning signs of impending low blood glucose, as can crushing tiredness. But if course, these can be caused by other things too!

There’s a write up along with common symptoms of hypoglycaemia here:

What is a hypo (hypoglycaemia)?

A hypo is when your blood sugar level, also called blood glucose level, drops too low. This is usually below 4mmol/l. A hypo, also called hypoglycaemia, can happen quickly. So it’s important to always have hypo treatments with you. It's also important to know what the signs are and how to treat...

www.diabetes.org.uk

There is also a fairly common experience of warning signs being triggered after the start of diabetes treatment when your BG is not approaching dangerously levels, but is just lower than it has been for some time.

There’s a sort of internal ‘thermostat’ which can gradually accept high blood glucose levels as ‘normal’ and therefore trigger warning signs when you are still above 4.0mmol/L

These can be quite unpleasant, but aren’t necessarily dangerous. Treating them with approx 5g of carbohydrate is usually sufficient to dissipate the symptoms.

As @Kaylz says, the best way to know for sure if these feelings are related to your BG levels would be to get hold of a meter and to check your levels when the symptoms are happening. The most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

 

[Hazel1010]

What are you eating on a day to day basis? Just it isn't sugar alone that effects BG it's total carbohydrates so if your still eating carbs a hypo is unlikely to begin with

The fact you aren't on any medication means its unlikely you had a hypo, non diabetics dip below 4 without any issues and it isn't dangerous like it is for those on blood glucose lowering medication like Gliclazide and insulin

Generally a hypo is accompanied by shaking, sweating, vision problems, unable to concentrate, tingling parts such as lips (mines is the tip of my nose)

It may be worth buying a cheap BG meter to test and see what's going on especially periods where you feel "off" like you did xx

Hi , thanks for your reply a typical day for me is
low sugar no is & peanut butter breakfast
wholemeal wrap , ham and salad lunch
small portion low fat cottage pie, mixed veg, no sugar yog
snacks banana, apple , orange, 2 sugar free digestive biscuits

 

[Hazel1010]

Well done on the changes you have been making @Hazel1010

Sounds like they will have had a very positive effect, and 2 stone weight loss is a tremendous achievement.

Weakness and fatigue can be one of the warning signs of impending low blood glucose, as can crushing tiredness. But if course, these can be caused by other things too!

There’s a write up along with common symptoms of hypoglycaemia here:

What is a hypo (hypoglycaemia)?

A hypo is when your blood sugar level, also called blood glucose level, drops too low. This is usually below 4mmol/l. A hypo, also called hypoglycaemia, can happen quickly. So it’s important to always have hypo treatments with you. It's also important to know what the signs are and how to treat...

www.diabetes.org.uk

There is also a fairly common experience of warning signs being triggered after the start of diabetes treatment when your BG is not approaching dangerously levels, but is just lower than it has been for some time.

There’s a sort of internal ‘thermostat’ which can gradually accept high blood glucose levels as ‘normal’ and therefore trigger warning signs when you are still above 4.0mmol/L

These can be quite unpleasant, but aren’t necessarily dangerous. Treating them with approx 5g of carbohydrate is usually sufficient to dissipate the symptoms.

As @Kaylz says, the best way to know for sure if these feelings are related to your BG levels would be to get hold of a meter and to check your levels when the symptoms are happening. The most affordable meters members here have found are the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Tee2 - which both have test strips at around £8 for 50

Thanks that link was helpful

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi , thanks for your reply a typical day for me is
low sugar no is & peanut butter breakfast
wholemeal wrap , ham and salad lunch
small portion low fat cottage pie, mixed veg, no sugar yog
snacks banana, apple , orange, 2 sugar free digestive biscuits

You are having some quite high carb snacks, all those things you mention many people would be very careful of, though your actual meals sound not too bad.
The symptoms could be high blood glucose rather than low.
Swapping to some lower carb things like nuts, berries or protein bars (Nature Valley or some own brand are less than 10g carb per bar) which would be better than the biscuits.

 

[ColinUK]

I’d also second the notion that it might actually be high glucose levels you’re experiencing rather than low.

 

[harbottle]

Aching legs sounds like high BG to me as well, as this is what I had last year prior to diagnosis.

 

[ColinUK]

Aching legs sounds like high BG to me as well, as this is what I had last year prior to diagnosis.

And for me it’s the vision thing which is a huge indication if I’m running high.

 

[Inka]

I agree with @ColinUK that it sounds more like high sugar rather than low. Just before I was diagnosed, I experienced symptoms like you describe - having to sit down, feeling like I had literally no energy, etc - and I thought I must be in need of a sugar boost so I bought a bar of chocolate!! It’s actually not unusual to confuse high and low sugar as they share some symptoms.

If I were you, I’d get a glucose meter. Not only will you then be able to check what’s happening when you have these episodes, you’ll also be able to see how your dietary choices are working.

Well done on your weight loss 🙂

 

[Hazel1010]

You are having some quite high carb snacks, all those things you mention many people would be very careful of, though your actual meals sound not too bad.
The symptoms could be high blood glucose rather than low.
Swapping to some lower carb things like nuts, berries or protein bars (Nature Valley or some own brand are less than 10g carb per bar) which would be better than the biscuits.

Thank you , I’ll have a look at the snacks

 

[Hazel1010]

I agree with @ColinUK that it sounds more like high sugar rather than low. Just before I was diagnosed, I experienced symptoms like you describe - having to sit down, feeling like I had literally no energy, etc - and I thought I must be in need of a sugar boost so I bought a bar of chocolate!! It’s actually not unusual to confuse high and low sugar as they share some symptoms.

If I were you, I’d get a glucose meter. Not only will you then be able to check what’s happening when you have these episodes, you’ll also be able to see how your dietary choices are working.

Well done on your weight loss 🙂

Thank you , now that leads to another quick question please , what’s the best routine for testing ?

 

[Hazel1010]

The usual routine is to do a fasting test as soon as you get up, ie before you eat or drink anything. I've usually tested within 5 minutes of getting up. This will show how well your body is managing your blood glucose levels in the absence of food or exercise. The NHS recommends a minimum 8 hours fasting before the test so testing when you get up works on the basis that you won't have eaten or drunk anything during the night.

The other routine is to test just before you start eating and then again 2 hours later, without having anything else to eat or drink in between (water is OK). The difference between the readings will show how much what you've eaten has affected your blood glucose. We look for a second result below 8.5 (or below 7.8 for non-diabetics, I believe) with a rise of no more than 3.

This might help, too:-

Checking your blood sugar levels

Knowing your blood sugar levels helps you manage your diabetes and reduces your risk of having serious complications – now and in the future. What are blood sugar levels? Your blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose levels, are a measurement that show how much glucose you have in your...

www.diabetes.org.uk

thankyou

 

[Inka]

Thank you , now that leads to another quick question please , what’s the best routine for testing ?

I’m Type 1 not Type 2 so others will have given better answers than me, but for food I’d test before eating and again 2hrs after the start of the meal.

 

[Elenka_HM]

I agree with @ColinUK that it sounds more like high sugar rather than low. Just before I was diagnosed, I experienced symptoms like you describe - having to sit down, feeling like I had literally no energy, etc - and I thought I must be in need of a sugar boost so I bought a bar of chocolate!! It’s actually not unusual to confuse high and low sugar as they share some symptoms.

If I were you, I’d get a glucose meter. Not only will you then be able to check what’s happening when you have these episodes, you’ll also be able to see how your dietary choices are working.

Well done on your weight loss 🙂

I also had extreme tiredness before diagnosis, blurry vision sometimes, and in my case didn't think I needed sugar but I was thirsty all the time (from all the visits to the toilet, ups) so drank a lot of juice and sugary drinks. Little did I know...

So yes, might be a case of high blood sugar instead of low.

 

[Drummer]

I would suspect high blood glucose levels due to the amount of carbohydrate in the foods you list - starch and sugars are digested and become glucose in the blood.
I suggest checking your intake of carbohydrate and maybe testing blood glucose levels after eating might reveal the true problem.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Many members have found Alan S’s ‘test review adjust’ approach a very helpful framework for BG monitoring around meals

You can find the blog post here: test-review-adjust

 

[Eddy Edson]

First thought is that you should talk to yr doc about this.

Does this match the eyelid thing? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthelasma

FWIW, I'd check that with yr doc, and also I'd ask about the possibility of peripheral artery disease, which might be consistent with yr leg aches, fatigue, toenail thickening. What are your cholesterol levels like, do you know?

Anyway, it's obviously natural to wonder if various probs have something to do with BG and dianetes, but most often they don't. Otherwise things would be too easy 🙂