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Frequent hypoglycemia

I don't know if this this the right place to post this, because I don't have diabetes or pre-diabetes, but I do have blood glucose issues (fasting and non-fasting). I often get hypoglycemic when I don't eat enough sugar/sweets/candy. I know it sounds completely ridiculous, but it really happens! I've tried eating lots of carbs instead of sugar, but it didn't seem to help. Please don't get me wrong, I love sugar, but the thing is that sugar makes my IC (Interstitial cystitis) and SIBO (intestinal bacterial overgrowth) symptoms worse, so I'm looking for some way to reduce the amounts of sugar I consume without getting hypoglycemic. Any ideas?
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4851940 tn?1515694593
  :)
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your quick response. I usually eat lots of carbs. I was trying to cut the carbs, because I doctor told me to give it a try and see if it helps (I suffer from multiple chronic conditions and a decent number of autoimmune and SIBO protocols are low carb). I added the carbs back in as soon as I realized the low carb diet was making me feel bad.

I eat lots of rice, pasta, potatoes and lean meat. I also eat  a moderate amount of fruit and veggies. I eat a healthy breakfast every single day (a large bowl of cereal and yogurt or eggs).

Btw, I already drink like a fish.
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4851940 tn?1515694593
To be honest Jenn, I have no idea.  I did read about it a few weeks ago that the liver has something to do with glucose when I was reading up about how to cure diabetes.  It was all very complicated.

HbA1c and the A1c blood test is the same.  It is just that the Hb which stands for haemoglobin has been missed off.

If you are going for the blood tests, just ask to make sure that the liver function is also included.

It sounds to me like you are not eating enough.  Why would you want to cut your carbs?  Not all carbs are bad for you.  It is the simple carbs that you need to watch like sweets, cakes, biscuits.  

And if you are working out, you definitely need to have some healthy carbs to eat before your work out and some carbs when you finish your work out.

Your Hashimoto's may have something to do with the low sugar levels.  But make sure that you eat a good healthy breakfast.  Eggs, bacon, black pudding, sausages.  Porridge made with full fat milk and some cinnamon and raisins, just a few examples.  

If you need a sugar dose, have chocolate with nuts.

There are lots of good information on foods on the diabetic web site.
Don't follow any fad diets.  

Because you are experiencing a lot of sugar lows, make sure that you have bread, pasta, rice, potatoes (well that is actually a starch), with your meals, lean meat or fish and lots of different veg and fruit with skin.

If you do eat a lot and always feel hungry, it may be a good idea to get checked out to make sure that you do not have any parasites.  A stool test analysed at the laboratory would give results for that.

I don't have a monitor, but my husband does.  With a home blood glucose monitor, you just prick your clean finger and put a spot of blood on a testing strip, this is then inserted into the machine and it gives you the reading of your blood glucose at the time of doing the test.  

The HbA1C blood test gives the average of glucose in your blood over a period of 9 to 12 weeks.  This is because the glucose sticks to the red corpuscles and these are renewed every 9 to 12 weeks.

A glucose test is done when you have fasted.  A blood sample is taken and analysed.  You are give a glucose drink to drink straight away and shortly afterwards another blood sample is taken to be analysed.  This gives a much better picture on how your pancreas is working with the insulin that it produces.  If you start drinking like a fish and feel thirsty, you'll know that you have glucose intolerance, pre diabetes or diabetes.  If your doctor refers you for the test, the results will be sent to him.

The home testing kit is still a good way to find out how your eating is affecting your blood glucose.  You would probably be given a form and told when to test and write down the information on the form.

Hope you get sorted out very soon.
Best wishes.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your help.

I tried eating a low carb, low sugar diet with more protein, and within a few days I started getting lightheaded and my arms and legs felt kind of numb. It was kind of scary. As soon as I started eating sugar and more carbs, I started feeling better. Also, another thing to consider is I work out a lot (and I'm pretty skinny), so I probably need more carbs than the average person.

I don't know the exact numbers, but I've been told that my glucose levels are relatively low or close to the low end of the normal range, even after breakfast. A few weeks ago my doctor checked my glucose level (1-2 hours after breakfast!) and it came back out of range: 56 mg/dL (range: 65-100). I think that the highest my glucose level has ever been, was 121 (after eating).

My endocrinologist (for Hashimoto's) says that if the problem doesn't go away, I'll get a home glucose meter. Have you ever used one? How does it work?

I'm getting a physical next week, doctors usually run liver function tests during a physical exam right? or do I still need to ask for it? Out of curiosity, how can the liver cause hypoglycemia. Also, what's the difference between A1c and hba1c?
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4851940 tn?1515694593
I was reading my book called Foods that Harm and Foods that Heal and happened on the page on hypoglycaemia.

It does say that it is generally a sign of diabetes, but that hypoglycaemia may be caused by a problem with the liver.

Make an appointment to see your doctor.  Ask your doctor if you can be referred to have a glucose test done and also a blood test to check our liver function.

Make sure that you eat healthily and eat the foods that are slow energy release.  Eating the sweets will spike up your sugar very high and it will then immediately plummet down.  You want to avoid this happening.

Eat a healthy breakfast with slow release energy goods like porridge, egg on brown bread toast, wheetabix with soft fruit and milk, shredded wheat with milk and soft fruit, home made porridge made with milk or water with some cinnamon and a few raisins.

Two hours later, have a healthy snack - a piece of fruit, celery with peanut butter, a handful of nuts, a yogurt (read the label for sugar and fat content) - "low" does not necessarily mean healthy.

Book an appointment to see our doctor and ask for a glucose test and a blood test to check your liver function.
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231441 tn?1333892766
Ask for hba1c.  Then also a glucose tolerance test.
Alternatively, you can get a home meter and test what your blood sugar is when you are feeling low.  You could also check 2 hours after eating to see how high you go.

Many people find that hypoglycemia is the precursor to diabetes.

For diet, I believe you should be eating a lower carb (avoid sugars), moderate protein, high fat diet.  Small snacks of nuts, dried fruits, between meals.

The problem with eating sugar all the time is that when you eat sugar you make your body produce extra insulin this is what later causes you to go low.  You need to stop eating the fast acting sugar in order to stop the lows.

How low is low?  70 - 90 fasting and before eating is considered normal.  2 hours after eating normal is < 120, and even more normal is < 100.

Let us know what your actual blood sugar levels are, particularly when you are feeling low.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your help. How can I get a doctor to run these tests if they're so convinced I don't have diabetes?
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Avatar universal
Testing for diabetes using fasting and A1C is not adequate testing.   As Jemm suggested you need a glucose tolerance test.   That's going to show the real picture of what's going on.

In addition, to the OGTT which should be (a) 4 hrs with 5 points: fasting, 1/2 hr, 1 hr, 2hr, 3hr, and 4hr  (b) it should also measure your amount of insulin.

Most doctors won't do this unless you ask them to.   But you need both to get you a picture of what is really going on.
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Avatar universal
Thank you for your response. I eat a meal or a snack every 2-3 hours. I eat breakfast every single day and never skip meals. All my meals are balanced (complex carbs, protein, fiber & fat). I usually eat a large bowl of cereal and eggs or yogurt for breakfast. My snacks consist of yogurt, fruit, veggies and salty snacks when I'm trying to cut back on sugar. But if I don't eat some sugar during the day I still get hypoglycemic. Adding things like cookies, candy, popsicles and sugar to my diet really seems to help a lot and then I hardly ever get hypoglycemic.

I've been tested for diabetes several times, mainly because I experience some symptoms (e.g. frequent dehydration, even when I drink lots of fluids), but it always came back negative.
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4851940 tn?1515694593
First off, if you get symptoms of hypoglycaemia, you should book an appointment to see your doctor so that he can refer you to get checked out for glucose intolerance and diabetes.

You may be sent for a blood fasting blood check or given a glucose drink to find out.

All the sugary sweets and candy and simple carb foods (like cakes, biscuits, donuts) are spiking up your blood sugars very quickly, but then the sugar levels in the blood stream will plummet down very quickly too.

The types of foods you need to eat are those that have a slow release.

Make sure that you have a breakfast in the morning.  This can be a brown wholemeal or seeded bread with peanut butter and a half a glass of fresh orange juice; 2 Wheetabix with milk and some soft fruit; 2 Shredded Wheat with milk and a handful of soft fruit; some porridge that you can make with milk or with water and add a handful of soft fruit or some raisins/sultanas and/or cinnamon.

Have a mid morning healthy snack of a piece of fruit or natural yogurt (watch the labels for less than 3% sugar - healthy or low fat may be laden with sugar).

Have a healthy lunch with lean meat or fish and salad and a high fibre bread.

A healthy mid day snack

A healthy evening meal with lean meat/fish and lots of vegetables or salad (watch the dressings).

A healthy snack can also be a handful of nuts, a carrot, celery with cheese or peanut butter.

You still can have a small portion of sugar foods, but have a small portion as a treat.

Although fruit still contains fructose, you are still getting vitamins, minerals and fibre - hence slow release energy.

Still carry a candy bar should you start to get a hypoglycaemic attack, but it is better to eat smaller meals with 2 or 3 hours in between.  So do carry a healthy snack with you and also a bottle of water so that you do not get dehydrated.

You will find that once you eat properly and eat the right foods, you won't be getting the hypoglycaemic episodes.  Don't wait until you get a hypoglycaemic episode to have a healthy snack.  What you want to do is to eat properly to avoid them.

Book an appointment to see your doctor and get checked out.
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