Hello,
I'm hoping someone can help me out here: recently, I seem to be getting suddenly drowsy during or a few minutes after almost every meal, no matter the size or composition. Sometimes it's worse than others. Most of the time it just feels like dry eyes, but at other times I feel a bit light headed. (During these times, I also tend to get very lightheaded upon standing.) Lower carb meals (veggies only, or high protein/fat + low carb) don't cause this quite as badly, but they still do. I seem to get very hungry every 2 hours or so, to the point where I feel I have to eat something. (It's very rare I get shaky or anything, but frequently I get very, very... peckish.)
Basically, I'm wondering whether I've developed reactive hypoglycemia, or whether this could be due to other causes. If so, what could those causes be?
Here's a little history:
About a year and a half ago I had a glucose tolerance test (2hr) and the following were my results:
Fasting blood sugar: 79
1hr blood sugar: 81
2hr blood sugar: 71
At that point I had been feeling very similar symptoms. My doctor said my pancreas may be overproducing insulin, particularly because he expected higher numbers after 1 and 2 hours. Changing my diet and engaging in more exercise eventually eliminated the symptoms. Since that point, I've lost nearly 14 lbs, mostly due to dietary changes due to gastroparesis (post viral idiopathic; this has since started to clear). (FYI: I've lost almost 100 lbs in the past 5 years, going from 324 to 226.)
I stopped exercising as much and started to eat a higher carb diet (mostly whole grains and fruits, but white bread and junk food have slowly snuck back into my diet, especially after my dad opened a pizza restaurant). Despite the weight loss, I still have most of my fat around my midsection: it's a family thing. Family also has a very long history of diabetes. (My mom's side: everyone has it, except my mom, but only because she's worked for years to avoid it.) I recently started working out with a trainer, although these symptoms started after I started working out again.
Now, I know I'm not diabetic: recently I had my fasting blood sugar levels tested various times (buying life insurance). All fasting blood tests came in between 77 and 82. Could these symptoms be caused by anything else other than hypoglycemia, like sinus infections, changes in weather, anxiety, environmental allergies (which recently caused a case of eosinophilic esophagitis) or migraines (which I have, with auras, currently untreated)?
Thanks for any advice.