hypoglycemics...
Discussion
Calling all hypoglycemics on ph.
I suffer with hypoglycemia, and I just don't seem to be able to manage it well. Being a med student I know all the ins and outs and what I should do to help... But I'm actually looking for real world experience on this one!
I had a bad doo today with it. I had breakfast before work (bowl of cereal). Got to work at 7. At 10ish i thought i should probably have something to eat. Felt great tbh, so i didn't eat Ng. Come 11 and bam. Shakyness, dizziness, the works.
It seems once ive had an attack then its pretty much guaranteed that I'll feel crap the rest of the day, no matter what i eat.
I will admit to being stupid and eating a role of polls this morning, which probably had something to do with it!
Doc doesn't want to put me on meds, and thinks the best way forward is to eat properly.
Any real world advice?
I suffer with hypoglycemia, and I just don't seem to be able to manage it well. Being a med student I know all the ins and outs and what I should do to help... But I'm actually looking for real world experience on this one!
I had a bad doo today with it. I had breakfast before work (bowl of cereal). Got to work at 7. At 10ish i thought i should probably have something to eat. Felt great tbh, so i didn't eat Ng. Come 11 and bam. Shakyness, dizziness, the works.
It seems once ive had an attack then its pretty much guaranteed that I'll feel crap the rest of the day, no matter what i eat.
I will admit to being stupid and eating a role of polls this morning, which probably had something to do with it!
Doc doesn't want to put me on meds, and thinks the best way forward is to eat properly.
Any real world advice?
KardioKate said:
I will admit to being stupid and eating a role of polls this morning, which probably had something to do with it!
Assuming that is Polos, methinks you might already know the answer. If you are a reactive cause rather than hormonal then you need to stick with complex carbs to stop the rapid rise in BS levels which triggers the overproduction of insulin.
MOTORVATOR said:
Assuming that is Polos, methinks you might already know the answer.
If you are a reactive cause rather than hormonal then you need to stick with complex carbs to stop the rapid rise in BS levels which triggers the overproduction of insulin.
Tbh I seem to get it both ways If you are a reactive cause rather than hormonal then you need to stick with complex carbs to stop the rapid rise in BS levels which triggers the overproduction of insulin.
But yes, I think I should've eaten something proper rather than the polos.
Anyway just had lasagne and feeling much brighter
I used to be like that when I first started uni, probably down to bad diet and skipping meals but I was advised to take Chromium tablets as apparently they regulate your blood sugars. Not sure about the research behind this but it seemed to work, sounds like you'd benefit from grazing as such ie, nuts, carrot sticks, fruit etc.
Did the Doctor tell you that this could be early Diabetes?
Buy some Glucotabs. You need to treat a hypo with fast acting glucose, then a snack of complex carbs 15 mins later.
You can buy a Glucometer in the pharmacy or get it on prescription - check blood sugars if feeling shaky and treat with glucose.
Start doing post-prandial testing - 1-2 hours post meal and monitor what foods 'spike' your blood sugar as spikes cause insulin release then put you on the hypo rollercoaster.
You should also ask your Doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test as it sounds like you have impaired glucose tolerance, which can be an early precursor of Diabetes.
Buy some Glucotabs. You need to treat a hypo with fast acting glucose, then a snack of complex carbs 15 mins later.
You can buy a Glucometer in the pharmacy or get it on prescription - check blood sugars if feeling shaky and treat with glucose.
Start doing post-prandial testing - 1-2 hours post meal and monitor what foods 'spike' your blood sugar as spikes cause insulin release then put you on the hypo rollercoaster.
You should also ask your Doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test as it sounds like you have impaired glucose tolerance, which can be an early precursor of Diabetes.
BladeMonster said:
Did the Doctor tell you that this could be early Diabetes?
Buy some Glucotabs. You need to treat a hypo with fast acting glucose, then a snack of complex carbs 15 mins later.
You can buy a Glucometer in the pharmacy or get it on prescription - check blood sugars if feeling shaky and treat with glucose.
Start doing post-prandial testing - 1-2 hours post meal and monitor what foods 'spike' your blood sugar as spikes cause insulin release then put you on the hypo rollercoaster.
You should also ask your Doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test as it sounds like you have impaired glucose tolerance, which can be an early precursor of Diabetes.
As I said I'm well aware of the ins and outs of the condition, as I'm a medical student!Buy some Glucotabs. You need to treat a hypo with fast acting glucose, then a snack of complex carbs 15 mins later.
You can buy a Glucometer in the pharmacy or get it on prescription - check blood sugars if feeling shaky and treat with glucose.
Start doing post-prandial testing - 1-2 hours post meal and monitor what foods 'spike' your blood sugar as spikes cause insulin release then put you on the hypo rollercoaster.
You should also ask your Doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test as it sounds like you have impaired glucose tolerance, which can be an early precursor of Diabetes.
It's more the practical side of things / managing it when at work etc... I was wondering about.
RemainAllHoof said:
Learning about the GI diet might be useful? Eat slow-release carbs? Only questioning the idea as you likely know more than me about the illness.
Funnily enough I have been reading up on such things. I think I need a better breakfast, and then small snacks. It's always around the same time at work I tend to 'crash', so if I can avoid that it'll be much bettererer I suffer a similar thing - if I don't eat, I get the shakes and feel run-down. Only way forwards is to avoid complete hunger ie eat regularly. I can't think of many jobs where you couldn't sneak a bit of something every hour or less. In fact, if you were in such a job, you could probably explain to your boss your requirement and they would be flexible in one way or another.
RemainAllHoof said:
I suffer a similar thing - if I don't eat, I get the shakes and feel run-down. Only way forwards is to avoid complete hunger ie eat regularly. I can't think of many jobs where you couldn't sneak a bit of something every hour or less. In fact, if you were in such a job, you could probably explain to your boss your requirement and they would be flexible in one way or another.
My boss is truely excellent. In fact I don't even think of him as a 'boss' - he's a mate. He already knows I get the shakes etc... and tells me to eat if he notices me shaking slightly 
Proper lovely bloke, so no problems there at all!
KardioKate said:
My boss is truely excellent. In fact I don't even think of him as a 'boss' - he's a mate. He already knows I get the shakes etc... and tells me to eat if he notices me shaking slightly
Proper lovely bloke, so no problems there at all!
Well, then, you know what you need to do. Proper lovely bloke, so no problems there at all!
Perhaps buy a digital watch with an hourly chime and snack on something when it goes beep.
RemainAllHoof said:
Well, then, you know what you need to do.
Perhaps buy a digital watch with an hourly chime and snack on something when it goes beep.
Indeed. I've been doing it the other way around, in that I almost time myself to see how long I can go before starting to feel crap. Not a good way to do it, I know. It is strange though, some days I can go on next to nowt... other I just can't.Perhaps buy a digital watch with an hourly chime and snack on something when it goes beep.
RemainAllHoof said:
I suppose the feeling can be amusing when you know what is happening. 
Not really. It's horrible, but I do seem to get quite severe symptoms when my sugar has only even dropped a little bit.I get this sort of 'glassy vision' thing going on first (I really can't describe it properly -it's like looking through a window all the time. A slightly grubby one at that), then hand tremors. If I let it get severe then I my heart races at everything, and I just feel worn out /legs ache even just standing up. Almost feels like I'm going to faint.
It's not nice. Not one little bit!
EDIT : I did faint once. I was visiting a member of family in hospital so was taken downstairs to A&E, but my sugar was fine. I think it was more to do with 2 hours sleep over the last 48 hours. That was years ago though. I still worry it' going to happen again with the hypoglycemia though. Although I know it won't. Meh.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff