Just a question...

[Elleon_arual]

Hello all...

Ok so I've been on doxy (200 mg a day, I know it's not enough) for about 2 1/2 weeks now... supposed to be on it at least 6 weeks until I see my doc then we are going to go over the next step of action. I start to feel good one day then I feel awful the next so it's always a surprise how I'm going to feel when I wake up.

Anyways, I've just had an "episode" is what I like to call it. It's happened I think roughly about 3 times since I started the doxy.  My body just loses all energy and seems like all sugar and I get very shaky and weak.  My head starts swimming (and my main symptom is dizziness so this ***** even more!) If I am standing, I need to sit down. It only lasts about a minute and that's it.  I've always had a problem with getting very weak and shaky when I went a while without eating, I would need to eat something with a lot of sugar in it to feel better.  Someone (not a doctor) told me I have something called "retroactive hypoglycemia".

I have cut out A LOT of sugar from my diet ( I try to keep it under 20 grams a day) since getting diagnosed with Lyme and I'm wondering if this is the problem? Like I just got super weak and shaky at work.  I ate two little pieces of chocolate and feel better.

I feel like I'm in a catch 22 because Lyme likes sugar but I feel like I really need the sugar because of my hypoglycemia.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[Ricobord]

I have had the same symptoms you describe, much like an extreme version of hypoglycemia.  I have read of others with Lyme who describe their blood sugar suddenly plummeting.  

I learned that it was important to eat every couple hours, even when I didn't feel hungry. There were times I had no appetite and I simply didn't feel hungry. Only when I felt suddenly faint and shakey and even nauseous did I realize I hadn't eaten in 5 or 6 hours.  It doesn't mean you should overeat, so adjust meals to be smaller accordingly.  On the flip side, many Lyme patients get too thin, so also make sure your calorie intake is sufficient.

An apple or carrots are definitely better than a candy bar as the fiber in the apple slows down the natural sugar absorption.  A little sandwich is better than a pure carb snack.  The problem with the quick fix of some sugar is that while it does help boost the blood sugar quickly, if you don't eat anything else, you'll just promptly crash again.  I find when I eat sugar, I just end up feeling worse.  That's really hard for a sugar lover like me.

So keep a good supply of healthy snacks at home and at work, and set a schedule to eat every couple hours.  Prevention is the best approach to this symptom.

[cave76]

PubMed brings up no reference to "retroreactive hypogylcemia"
Google doesn't either.

I think that the person who told you that mis-spoke.

Sugar: It's probably always best to limit your white sugar in-take since it's empty calories and doesn't offer other nutrients like, say, an apple does.

Sugar is sugar. Whether it comes from a piece of bread or a candy bar it has to break down into glucose before it can pass through the intestinal wall to be used for energy.