[mamade2]

Hello! I have been wondering lately if I could be hypoglycemic. I have some of the symptoms (feeling tired, shakiness/lightheadedness when I haven't eaten for a while-- a shortish while--etc.) I was wondering if anyone here has this disease, and if so, what does your diet look like? Is it basically a general sugar-stabilizing diet like the Glycemic Index diet (which actually I don't know much about, either, but I've herad about it.) Is it true you can't eat fruit? Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions here, but I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks!

 

[tboroson]

I was so convinced that I was hypoglycemic, because I would start getting shaky/lightheaded after maybe two hours after eating. I'd never been like that before I had kids. Buy my doc said it was normal... I don't know, I'm still not convinced. But, I can say - eating lower on the carb spectrum definately helps. It prevents my blood sugar from swinging around so drastically, and provides high protein/high fat food that takes longer for my body to digest and use.

 

[babygrant]

I'm also convinced I am hypoglycemic but my doctor says no...yet has never sent me for a blood test. If I don't eat every 2 or so hours I get very very weak and shaky. Sometimes I can't even talk properly because I am so weak. If I pop a mint in my mouth, within 30 or 40 seconds I feel fine again.

 

[Boobs]

I do the exact same thing, Angela.
Yesterday, I had a bowl of miniwheats and rice milk at 9:30. I usually eat lunch around 11:40-12:00. At 12:40, I was on the phone with my sil and I couldn't complete a thought. I couldn't get out what I wanted to say and I was shaking so bad I couldn't even get my lunch together. I felt terrible. I felt 100% better and back to normal after I finished eating my lunch.
I've never been tested though.

 

[mamade2]

Hmm, sounds like a lot of people with similar symptoms. I remembered I had my bloodwork results from my pregnancies and when I looked at those, the fasting glucose levels were normal-- high 80s, low 90s (I think hypoglycemic would be below 70.) But I know my symptoms definitely go away after eating, so I think regardless of whether I get a diagnosis (and I probably won't bother to get a doctor's appointment just for this, though next time I'm there I'll bring it up) it would make sense to change my diet somewhat. I have also read that caffeine can make it worse, so I will tone down my java habit a bit (but not completely!) and see if that helps.

Thanks!

 

[Boobs]

I also wanted to add that I do much better on a higher protein diet. I was a vegetarian for 2 years and vegan for 9 months and I never felt right. As much as I hate it for ethical reasons, I feel much better and more balanced when I eat meat with a meal.

 

[saratc]

I had the same symptoms and when tested, my doctor said that I was not hypoglycemic. I went to eating lots of small meals a day which really helped. What really works for me is to eat whole foods. With my current whole foods diet, my symptoms are gone but I notice that when I eat out and have a high refined carbs meal, I get very tired right afterwards and within a couple of hours, I get weak and very cranky. It's really the refined carbs that I think is wreaking havoc on the blood sugar.

Oh, and I do eat lots of fruit with no problems in my diet but I stick to whole fruits and never drink juices.

 

[mamade2]

Thanks! I guess that is more motivation to change over to whole foods. I keep telling myself I should, but so far I haven't taken the plunge. Sigh. I do do lots of small meals, but I'll make sure they all include protein, too.

 

[JustJamie]

I am hypoglycemic.

I was diagnosed when I was 17, after my 6th or 7th episode of passing out during the class period immediately following lunch.

My diet consists of lots and lots of protein, little bitty amounts of carbs, and avoid sucrose like the plague. I also am supposed to have small meals throughout the day.

I usually start out breakfast with an egg, a piece of toast, and a small (4 oz) glass of juice. 2-3 hours later, I'll have another piece of toast with peanut butter, and a glass of milk or a bottle of water. 2 hours after that, I have lunch - usually a salad with feta cheese and walnuts on it, sometimes I'll dice up ham or chicken if we have some left over, and a glass of tea. 2-3 hours after lunch, I have some sort of veggie sticks, or maybe an apple, either with cheese or more peanut butter. Dinner, I splurge, and will do a full meal of meat, starch, veggie, fruit, and milk. I do that because I don't like having another snack between dinner and bed, usually just a glass of tea or water.

If I start feeling weak, juice is an instant pick-me-up, but I have to have protein pretty quickly thereafter, or I'll crash and burn.

Amazingly, though, I haven't had any problems keeping my hypoglycemia under control since my DD was born. I was certain it would get worse while breastfeeding...I also didn't develop gestational diabetes, even though the doctor who initially diagnosed me assured me I would develop g.d. if I ever got pregnant.

For those of you who were told you didn't have it, did you have a 12 hour gtt? That's what it took for me to be diagnosed...it sucked, I wasn't allowed to eat anything for 24 hours prior, then had to have blood drawn 13 times in one day.

I was a sad panda...and my arms actually scarred from it.

 

[mamade2]

Wow, a 24-hour fast and 13 blood draws! Yikes. I think I'll skip that

. Actually, I think I am going to make some changes in my diet (that I should be making anyway, just for general health) and see if that helps.

Thanks for sharing your story.