Hi, I'm the resident hypocondriac (partly my fault, partly my doctors!). This morning my doctor had me back in his office to see how I was getting along with the blood pressured meds he had prescribed for me two months prior. We discussed how sometimes I feel really weak and "rubbery" and I get fatigued easily (I have insomnia). After about a half hour of talking he says "Hey, let's get some blood work done on you to check you for hypoglycemia." I have no idea what hypoglycemia is, when I asked him what it was his response was "It's sorat like diabetes, non-fatal though, don't worry we'll get you patched up if it is."
So ..what the heck? This is the fourth blood test he's run and the fourth thing he's come up with so far. Originally it was GERD+IBS+Anxiety Disorder, then it was high blood pressure plus those, then it was depression plus high blood pressure. Now it's hypoglycemia?
So the point of this rather ridiculous ranting is -- can someone actually tell me what this condition is or if it can kill me? Because my doctor (as you can see) is almost totally and utterly useless (he's getting replaced REAL soon too!).
Hi David,
In simple layman's language, hypoglycemia is the body's inability to properly handle the large amounts of sugar that the average American consumes today. It's an overload of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and stress.
In medical terms, hypoglycemia is defined in relation to its cause. Functional hypoglycemia, the kind we are addressing here, is the oversecretion of insulin by the pancreas in response to a rapid rise in blood sugar or "glucose".
All carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains, as well as simple table sugar), are broken down into simple sugars by the process of digestion. This sugar enters the blood stream as glucose and our level of blood sugar rises. The pancreas then secretes a hormone known as insulin into the blood in order to bring the glucose down to normal levels.
In hypoglycemia, the pancreas sends out too much insulin and the blood sugar plummets below the level necessary to maintain well-being.
Since all the cells of the body, especially the brain cells, use glucose for fuel, a blood glucose level that is too low starves the cells of needed fuel, causing both physical and emotional symptoms. There are lots of symptoms associated with hypoglycemia:
In medical terms, hypoglycemia is defined in relation to its cause. Functional hypoglycemia, the kind we are addressing here, is the oversecretion of insulin by the pancreas in response to a rapid rise in blood sugar or "glucose".
All carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains, as well as simple table sugar), are broken down into simple sugars by the process of digestion. This sugar enters the blood stream as glucose and our level of blood sugar rises. The pancreas then secretes a hormone known as insulin into the blood in order to bring the glucose down to normal levels.
In hypoglycemia, the pancreas sends out too much insulin and the blood sugar plummets below the level necessary to maintain well-being.
Since all the cells of the body, especially the brain cells, use glucose for fuel, a blood glucose level that is too low starves the cells of needed fuel, causing both physical and emotional symptoms. There are lots of symptoms associated with hypoglycemia:
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Mental confusion
- Nervousness
- Mood swings
- Faintness
- Headaches
- depression
- Phobias
- Heart palpitations
- A craving for sweets
- Cold hands and feet
- Forgetfulness
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Inner Trembling
- Outbursts of temper
- Sudden hunger
- Allergies
- and Crying spells
So, your doctor is looking to see if your A1C is abnormally low and also if your blood sugar reading was low. This would indicate that he should treat you for low blood sugar.
Hypoglycemia is NOT sorta like diabetes. A diabetic does not produce enough insulin in response to the sugar in his blood or has a resistance to the insulin he is producing; whereas the Hypoglycemic produces to much insulin throwing the body into shock and coma if it is serious enough. It is EXACTLY the opposite reaction from that a diabetic would have and is in fact the reaction many diabetics have to taking to much medication.
Lets see what your tests say when they come back.
Warren
- It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. - James Gordon, M.D.
I can only please one person per day, today is not your day...tomorrow doesn't look good either.
Warren,
Thanks for the answer. A lot of those symptoms sound like some things I've been having lately. I suppose my doctor is not as quacky as I had once thought. It just becomes frustating over the course of six months to have your doctor give you more medicine than a drug addict would have in his/her house and offer no "definite" source of trouble or diagnosis. I've been reading up on hypoglycemia and the nurse told me that if any time between now and when the reading comes back I feel disoriented I should try to eat a tablespoon of sugar or a half a glass of orange juice and if that helps - it proves it right there. Is there any harm in doing like she said or should I just tough it out and wait? BTW - what medications (if any) are used to treat this condition if it is present anyway? My understanding from my mother having it is that it's essentially something you deal with by dieting.
Thanks for the answer. A lot of those symptoms sound like some things I've been having lately. I suppose my doctor is not as quacky as I had once thought. It just becomes frustating over the course of six months to have your doctor give you more medicine than a drug addict would have in his/her house and offer no "definite" source of trouble or diagnosis. I've been reading up on hypoglycemia and the nurse told me that if any time between now and when the reading comes back I feel disoriented I should try to eat a tablespoon of sugar or a half a glass of orange juice and if that helps - it proves it right there. Is there any harm in doing like she said or should I just tough it out and wait? BTW - what medications (if any) are used to treat this condition if it is present anyway? My understanding from my mother having it is that it's essentially something you deal with by dieting.
there is absolutely no harm in doing what the nurse has asked you to do, it fact it's probably a very good idea.
Warren- It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. - James Gordon, M.D.
I can only please one person per day, today is not your day...tomorrow doesn't look good either.
Is there medication that might be prescribed or should I just sit and let life take it's course on this one and go with a better diet and excercise course?
Hi David,
You are a long way from the "medication" route. I would suspect that simple diet and the occasional "coke" or OJ can keep you normal. You first have to acertain that there IS a problem to treat it; and then you have to acertain to what extent the problem IS a problem. All this before anyone is ever going to prescribe you meds. So take some Blood sugar readings and eat healthy and above all, see what your doctor tells you.
Warren- It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. - James Gordon, M.D.
I can only please one person per day, today is not your day...tomorrow doesn't look good either.
Thanks Warren. I felt a little wobbly today and so I made some tea with a tablespoon of honey and one sugar and I have felt great for six hours. Feeling a little lousy right now, going to repeat the process and see what if anything it does. I am going to keep my diet this way until I see my doctor on Tuesday/Wednesday.