Can anyone help me with this problem???

[SouthJ]

I have a problem which has been going on for several years and I can't seem to get to the bottom of it. I'm 38 years old and have the following symptoms - an occasional feeling of fatigue in the center of my chest, in my arms and in my legs. It's not a weakness because I still have all my strength. It feels more like a fatigue or cold rubbery sensation. I also notice a slight trembling and twitching in my fingers and thumb. When I get the fatigue in my chest, it feels almost as if something has sucked all the energy from my body through the center of my chest and I need to go lay down. I've run blood sugar tests from waking to sleep and during several of these episodes and my low reading was 58 (at waking) and high reading was 114 so I don't believe my glucose ever left the normal range. The thing that baffles me is why I tend to get these feelings of fatigue shortly after eating a meal (usually 30 mins to 1 hour after) and can usually resolve the feelings by drinking a coke or eating something. Sometimes the feelings come on so strong that I feel almost disoriented and faint. This sounds just like reactive hypoglycemia but the glucose readings don't back that up. I also have had severe difficulty with anxiety and have difficulty sleeping with a buzzed or tense feeling at night. I also have heart palpitations (PVCs) and sometimes wake up with a racing heart. Everything I read points me towards hypoglycemia but the glucose reading have left me confused. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[JDRF Team SGG]

I must agree with Annalise that any reading below 80 can make you feel pretty awful even if not considered dangerously low. Most doctors consider a reading below 70 or 80 (different doctors use different numbers for the low end of normal) to be hypoglycemic, and I can assure you that I feel absolutely awful when readings get down to 50's and 60's even though I can function very normally. I have been told by doctors that some diabetics who suffer from frequent hypoglycemia (I am one of those) can have little spasms of the heart muscle when hypoglycemic, for I have had sensations like this when hypo. So reactive hypoglycemia sounds like a possibility to me. A reading of 114 only tells you what the glucose level is at that moment, not if it was lower before rising to 114 or if it is dropping a the time you tested from 114 to something lower. I think many of us insulin-dependent diabetics can feel when our glucose levels are sharply dropping even if the glucometer says the number is OK. In my case, the feeling is ALWAYS correct, and I can count on needing some juice in about 15 minutes to a half hour if I get that sensation but find the glucometer telling me that my sugar levels are normal. So you may be feeling a drop in action.

Also, the palpitations you mention could be an indication of thyroid problems. You may want to have your physician check out your thyroid function with a simple blood test, for the thyroid can cause all sorts of odd symptoms, including heart palpitations, when not producing the correct amount of hormone for your needs. This is a simple thing to test for and may be worth checking out.

[Annalise]

The volunteers of this forum will have much more information for you. But I think I can safely say that your morning reading of 58 would be considered low.  My son, who is 7, has Type 1 diabetes, and we give him juice for any reading below 80 in order to bring his glucose levels up and prevent a severe episode of hypoglycemia (i.e. pass out).

[JDRF-Team-BL]

southj,
    i'm no doctor so i'm not even going to venture a guess. Have you ever brought up these problems with your doctor? There seem to be various possiblities going on which only a doctor may discern.
    The doctor may order some new different blood tests to furher clarify the proper issue, that i could only guess at.But if you do go to see a doctor bring in copies of the times you checked your blood sugar for him to see.
    But if i were in your shoes i'd also feel that hypoglucemia was the cause, especially where it is resolved by eating. But i've never had blood sugars go low so close after a meal, generally only when my insulin is peaking. Maybe others who read this will have experienced this will leave a comment about their resolving the problem.
    i do know that if it involved the feelings of low blood sugar i'd want it to end.
hope you eventually find the answer, bret