BS 67 after Orange juice

[Mobunny]

My sis is 37, 5'5"(107 lbs)and previously healthy & exercises. Recently, she has developed dizziness, shakiness "foggy brain/spacey", feeling very off for well over 2 weeks now. Last Sunday, I happened to take her bs 30 minutes after a breakfast of eggs,bacon, hashbrowns and orange juice. It was 67. It is a week later and the strange feelings have gradually gotten worse now with a tingling, numbing sensation in her extremities with the other symptoms as well...slight nausea
I showed her how to do the monitor... This morning after breakkfast she felt really bad & so she did her reading. It was so low the monitor said LOW, and the instructions say call a doctor. She called me after immediately drinking syrup because she felt bad. She went to the family Doctor. After a lunch she then went to the dr. appt later on.
The Dr. blew it all off. She asked for a finger stick test. He told her when they took her bs it was in a normal level. He said she shouldn't test anymore and that was it.He thinks she's fine. Except for some "drainage in her throat". She doesn't have a cold or flu.
Unfortunately, she feels horrible and is wondering what to think now.
She is not crazy so....what next? Personally, I think she is hypoglycemic and feels bad when the bs falls as well as when it low. Your advice is well appreciated!Thanks!
Mobunny

[JDRF-Team-BL]

Dear Mobunny,
     i am not a doctor or medical person, just a diabetic giving my opinion from personal experience. i  certainly don't know what to saay except maybe get another doctor with a list of her blood sugar results from the day before the appointment. i don't know what can cause hypoglycemia in someone not taking insulin but maybe with the proof of the recorded results the doctor with do more testing.
hope this helps, bret

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Another diabetic volunteer here.  I've had Type 1 for over 35 years.  I think that BL has hit the nail on the head.  Keep good records and see a different doctor.  Unfortunately, many MDs who aren't specialists, seem to be minimally tuned in to the early signs of diabetes.

Many folks who eventually develop Type 1 diabetes (yes, even adults get that) begin with a phase of hypoglycemia... My endocrinologist (an MD who specializes in treating folks with endocrine diseases like diabetes) decribed it as our pancreas spittin' and sputterin' as it's being stressed.  Often in these early days, our pancreas doesn't respond at the right time or in the right amounts in the presence of carbohydrates.

Your sister is quite slim for 5'5" .. if she has lost weight in recent years, it's even more important for her to be evaluated by an endocrinologist, as unexplained/unintended weight loss can be a symptom.  Caught early, your sister might "enjoy" a fairly lengthy honeymoon period where she'd need relatively little medication.  If she does have Type 1, however, she *will* eventually require daily insulin, as our insulin-producing cells are eventually destroyed by our outawhack immune system.  

[JDRF Team SGG]

I have a good childhood friend and an ex-sister-in-law who iare both classic hypoglycemics. Althought they have displayed these symptoms for years, neither one is diabetic. One of them actually will pass out completely occasionally at work, and her co-workers know to keep orange juice in the refrigerator for her. The other is more of a reactive hypoglycemic, in that certain foods seem to trigger the pancreas to over-react. In her case, caffeine is a real no-no, as are foods like cookies or candy, for both kinds of foods over-stimulate her pancreas. Both women are in their late 40's to 50's now and neither has developed diabetes. I point this out to make the point that hypoglcymia is not always related to diabetes. Another college friend (male) developed severe symptoms of hypoglycemia after changing VITAMIN brands, of all things. He noticed that there was Chromium in the new vitamins and did some reading on Chromium. He discovered that the added Chromium was the cause of his new symptoms... threw out the vitamins and is fine now. I frankly know nothing about Chromium and hypoglycemia and simply throw out this possibility with one eyebrow raised.

But my point is that the body is a complex thing, and it chenges through the years. Many doctors do seem to not take hypoglcyemia seriously, but it can make you feel terrible and can make you unsafe to drive a car if it happens while you are on the road. I would suggest that your friend seek a doctor who does believe that hypoglycemia exists and who will work with her to get it under control. As we know all too well, glucose levels vary throughout the day. Actually being in a doctor's office when the symptoms of hypoglycemia happen is unlikely, so numbers seen during random checks at the office are not likely to show up the problem. I woud agree that she should write down the records of when the episodes happened and what the numbers were. She might also think about what she ate the meal before the episode, how long it had been since she last ate, etc. in order to try to find a pattern.

Lastly, she should do some research on her own. There is a lot written about how to manage this problem, and she can go on the web and find some diet tips that might help her.

[Teach2]

This fall, I drank Heartwise Orange Juice to lower my cholesterol.  (I was also on Zoloft 25 mg/day.)  I started experiencing dizzy spells and, because I didn't connect it to the OJ, continued to drink it.  The dizziness became very severe and I started experiencing a tremendous amount of anxiety symptoms.  I went to the doctor and he took my bs and it was borderline low.  He suggested drinking OJ when I felt dizzy.  So I did and it became a nightmare.  Finally, someone at work suggested that it might be the OJ causing all of this.  I stopped the OJ immediately but my system was so whacked out and stressed (I had wreaked havoc on my adrenale glands) that I am still not feeling back to 100%.  I went on a different anti-anxiety and am feeling better but I am still experiencing some brain fog and occasional dizzyness (sort of).  I consulted a nutritionist and she is going to run a food allergy test.  I don't know if this relates to your story or not.  Would love feedback from anyone who has experienced similar.  Thank you.

[powerfulmind]

I CAN RELATE TO TEACH2 ALOT, IVE BEEN HAVING DIZZY SPELLS FOR THE LAST 3 MONTHS, ITS SO HARD TO MONITOR WHATS GOING ON WHEN THEY OCCUR. ONLY THING IVE NOTICED FROM MY TEST ARE WHEN I EAT SUGARY FOODS, SUCH AS CANDY , CAKES, REAL SWEET JUICE ETC, I CAN GET REALLY DIZZY.

I ALSO RELATE TO THE ANXIETY PART AS WELL, IT SEEMS AS SOON AS THE DIZZY SPELLS START THE ANXIETY STARTS TO KICK IN, MAKING IT THAT MUCH MORE WORSE. ITS A TERRIFYING FEELING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS I JUST JOG AROUND THE HOUSE OR OUTSIDE, DRINK SOME WATER AND IT SEEMS TO GO AWAY.  IVE BEEN TO DOCTORS AND THEY DID ALL TYPES OF BLOOD WORK AND EVERYTHING ALWAYS COMES BACK EXCELLENT, WHICH LEAVES ME VERY CONFUSED BECAUSE I GET THESE DIZZY SPELLS ALOT. NO DIABETES, NO HYPOGLYCEMIA, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

LIKE ONE OF THE OTHER WRITERS ON THIS BLOG STATED, YOU SUGAR LEVELS ARE PROBABLY ALLRIGHT AT THE MOMENT YOU GET TESTED. SO DOCS JUST PASS IT OFF AS ANXIETY OR SOMETHING. IT JUST REALLY ***** HA TO BE HONEST.

I JUST STAY ON GOOGLE AND DIFERENT BLOGS TO GET IDEAS TO HELP MYSELF. AND I STAY AWAY FROM SUGARY FOODS AND DRINKS. ANY INFO ANYONE CAN GIVE ME WOULD BE GREAT HELP !