Non-diabetic looking for advice

[DavinaD123]

Hello! I appreciate this is a diabetes forum but was wondering if someone could offer some advice. I am awaiting a doctors appointment (called everyday) but yet to have bloods!

I have had, what I think, are hypos since I was 13 or 14, I am now 21. I used to control them quite well but very recently they are very severe to the point of being only 10 mins into exercise I am having a hypo. I like to think my diet is varied and I don’t eat unhealthily. I am always hungry and my quality of sleep of recently has majorly dropped with getting to sleep late (around midnight) and waking everyday around 5. I quite heavily dieted but during this had no hypos (around 4 months of dieting). Now I am no longer dieting these hypos are very bad. I am planning to speak to the doctors ASAP for advice but wondered if anyone could offer some advice? It’s happening not just with heavier exercise but with light exercise (my rabbit escaped so I ran after it and it started).

Many thanks for any help!

 

[Inka]

Hi @DavinaD123 When you say you’re having “hypos”, what happens? How do you feel? Does this only happen when you exercise?

 

[DavinaD123]

Hi @DavinaD123 When you say you’re having “hypos”, what happens? How do you feel? Does this only happen when you exercise?

I am not sure how to reply directly to you, this all looks funny sorry. Thank you for your response!

It used to just be slight shaking and would go away a couple of minutes after eating or having something sugary. Now I feel very shaky, uncomfortable and can feel a bit light headed/vision can go funny. It now goes a little while after eating. I can feel quite hot too.

no, not only exercise. Today I was working at my laptop, with no exercise at all it started.

 

[Inka]

You replied to me just right 🙂

The only way you could know for sure if you’re having a hypo would be to test your blood sugar when you’re feeling shaky. Hypos are very rare in people not taking medication like insulin which lowers your blood sugar. Occasionally people do over-react to food and have low blood sugar, but you specifically mention exercise causing it. That doesn’t fit really.

There are a number of causes of shakiness like you describe eg dehydration or low blood pressure, just to name two. Those can also cause ‘vision problems’.

You mention dieting. Are you overweight? Do you eat regularly and eat a fairly normal diet?

 

[DavinaD123]

You replied to me just right 🙂

The only way you could know for sure if you’re having a hypo would be to test your blood sugar when you’re feeling shaky. Hypos are rare in people not taking medication like insulin which lowers your blood sugar.

There are a number of causes of shakiness like you describe eg dehydration or low blood pressure, just to name two.

You mention dieting. Are you overweight? Do you eat regularly and eat a fairly normal diet?

I had thought about blood sugar testing! Maybe something to try whilst I am awaiting a GP appointment.

No I am not overweight (9st and 5ft 3). I eat normally now and have a variety of foods and even junk foods which I wasn't having over the dieting period. When I was a teen and having these episodes I wasn't too worried about what I ate. Now I eat healthily and watch what I eat I still get them and now worse.

Thank you for taking to the time to reply! I am sorry if this was the wrong place to come but someone recommended I give it a go!

 

[brisr949]

Before i was diagnosed im now more sure that i used to have hypos..drinking can cause morning hypos which until the drink was out my system i had a few some days.

 

[Inka]

This isn’t the wrong place at all. You don’t have to have diabetes to post here and all questions are welcome 🙂

Personally, I’d not bother with a blood glucose meter until more obvious things have been ruled out, which your doctor could do with blood tests eg for anaemia, etc, and just a general check-up (I appreciate that’s hard now). That is, check your blood pressure and so on.

In the meantime, carry on as you are, eating well and regularly and drinking enough water. If you’re prone to feeling dizzy, then take extra care just to make sure you don’t fall or stumble.

I know it’s easier said than done, but trying to improve your sleep can only help too. I find being really tired can make me feel dizzy and strange physically.

 

[rebrascora]

It would be really helpful if you were able to get hold of a BG meter and test your blood when you feel these episodes. It certainly sounds like you could be having hypos.
There is a disorder called Reactive Hypoglycaemia where the blood glucose goes high after eating carbs and then plummets 2-3 hours later causing a hypo. I don't think there is any particular treatment but I have read that eating lots of small lower carb meals (grazing) rather than 2 or 3 large carb heavy meals a day can be helpful to manage it. You might like to do some research on it. It is very rare so your GP may not have heard of it. Having BG readings at the times you feel bad showing that you are hypo would be really helpful in demonstrating the problem to a doctor.
BG meters can be bought relatively inexpensively (approx. £15) for a basic model. If you feel you need to self fund we usually recommend the SD Gluco Navii or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 as these meters have the cheapest test strips @£8 for a pot of 50 and you often go through quite a few test strips so it makes sense to buy one of these models. The test strips for some other BG meters can be two or three times that price and since you usually get through quite a lot of test strips it makes sense if you are self funding to go for one of these cheaper ones.

It may be that your doctor will provide you with a meter, but the odds are against it. Unfortunately because the blood often goes high and then low with this disorder, they can cancel each other out and it may not show as an overall raised HbA1c level (this is the test that doctors do to test for diabetes) and the chances of going low whilst at the GP surgery and getting tested are slim, so home testing may be really important.

 

[DavinaD123]

Hi! Thank you for your reply! For breakfast everyday I have 40g of porridge with fruit and sweetener. I work in type 1 diabetes and have actually heard of that! Also hence why I brought my query to a diabetic thread! It’s hard to know what to do but I will keep my eye out whilst in pharmacies etc to see if I can get a blood glucose tester, even if it’s just to use until I go to the doctors or speak to them. Thank you for your message!

 

[DavinaD123]

This isn’t the wrong place at all. You don’t have to have diabetes to post here and all questions are welcome 🙂

Personally, I’d not bother with a blood glucose meter until more obvious things have been ruled out, which your doctor could do with blood tests eg for anaemia, etc, and just a general check-up (I appreciate that’s hard now). That is, check your blood pressure and so on.

In the meantime, carry on as you are, eating well and regularly and drinking enough water. If you’re prone to feeling dizzy, then take extra care just to make sure you don’t fall or stumble.

I know it’s easier said than done, but trying to improve your sleep can only help too. I find being really tired can make me feel dizzy and strange physically.

Thank you again for your message! I am due a health check anyway as I have one every year for medication. I will see if I can possibly combine everything and have it done at once. I don’t think my blood pressure was an issue last year. Thank you for your advice. I really appreciate it!

 

[Inka]

@DavinaD123 Combining everything sounds a great idea. I would keep an open mind and not assume they’re hypos. Let the doctor do a general check up and see what comes from that.

It’s unpleasant when you don’t feel 100% so I sympathise. I hope you get it sorted and feel better soon

Take care - and I hope you have a restful night.

 

[rebrascora]

Many people here on the forum who self fund buy their BG meter online usually from Amazon or direct from the manufacturer. We usually recommend those models with the cheapest test strips as that is where the costs add up fast. The SD Gluco Navii Blood Glucose Meter or the Spirit Healthcare Tee2 are relatively inexpensive to purchase at approx. £15 for the meter and additional test strips are just £8 for a pot of 50 whereas many other brands/models can be double or triple the price for test strips.

 

[DavinaD123]

@DavinaD123 Combining everything sounds a great idea. I would keep an open mind and not assume they’re hypos. Let the doctor do a general check up and see what comes from that.

It’s unpleasant when you don’t feel 100% so I sympathise. I hope you get it sorted and feel better soon

Take care - and I hope you have a restful night.

Hi, coming back to this!

my mum took it upon herself to buy a blood glucose monitor with strips. I’ve had said episode, and it is post meal 3 hours for breakfast and I had a snack of fruit about an hour ago, with a blood glucose of 4.4mmol. I do not really know what this means in terms of blood sugars. Could you help?

Thank you

 

[Inka]

@DavinaD123 4.4mmol is a perfectly normal non-diabetic blood sugar 🙂

It isn’t a hypo, if that’s what you’re asking.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Please get checked for anaemia (including low folate levels). That’s a more likely candidate as your BG level is normal.

 

[DavinaD123]

Thank you - no I literally have no idea! Thank you for your help, the doctors given me a blood form which I’m going to get my bloods done tomorrow. Least it rules something out.

Thank you for your help and being so friendly.

 

[Inka]

Good news about the upcoming blood test 🙂 I hope you get some answers, or at least a few things ruled out. There’s so much it could be. Even simple things like a vitamin deficiency can cause symptoms.

Please do let us know how it goes.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Thank you - no I literally have no idea! Thank you for your help, the doctors given me a blood form which I’m going to get my bloods done tomorrow. Least it rules something out.

Thank you for your help and being so friendly.

Hope you get to the bottom of it @DavinaD123 🙂