Hypogylcemia?

[mshanson3121]

I've been getting these spells - my heart rate is up (120ish), I feel kinda trembly, and I'll get chills, sometimes I'll feel a bit flushed. Often happens late at night when I'm tired and it's been awhile since supper (4 or 5 hours). It happened at church on Sunday, I hadn't had anything to eat yet, just a small glass of milk at about 8:30. Around 10:30 I had a cinnamon bun, a muffin and a glass of Tang. About 45 minutes later I had the spell. Now, it did go away on it's own after about 20 minutes. Sometimes they happen at random times in the day, I do find eating something seems to help.

Could these be hypoglycemia spells? At first I thought maybe they were anxiety attacks, I've had a couple of those in the past - but only due to legitimate reasons (stressful events in my life). I read up on GAD and panic attack disorders, and I don't fit any of the signs/symptoms (I sleep great, I'm not a worrier, I'm not a negative/worst-case scenario person, they're not disrupting my life etc...).

Since they seem to improve with eating, I'm wondering about the hypo. My maternal grandfather, my mother and my sister all have type 2 diabetes (my grandfather dx'd in his 40s, my mother in her 40s, my sister in her 20's -  though she has other health issues, and I'm 30).

[kvturner]

Did they think that was what you are dealing with? If so, you still do not have diabetes. What happens when you have a reactive hypoglycemic reaction is that more insulin than needed is released into your bloodstream after a high-carb meal.

Things you can do to help would be to exercise regularly, eat a proper diet, avoid unnecessary sugar intake, and eat smaller meals more frequently. Or smaller meals, with regular snacks.

If this still doesn't help, talk to your doctor again. It should.

[mshanson3121]

Once upon a time my doctor had mentioned something to me about reactive hypoglycemia?

[kvturner]

Type 2 Diabetes doesn't commonly induce HYPOglycemia. If you are worried, borrow one of their kits when you are feeling shaky, and test. Or test first thing in the morning after fasting for the night. If this is not possible, you might be able to walk in to a clinic or your doctor's office and ask for a quick blood sugar test.

I don't have diabetes, but I do have lower than average blood sugars sometimes. When I start feeling myself drop, I grab some juice, or a snack, and then I go about my day. Just keep some granola bars with you or something. They'll help.