Low Blood Sugar Levels, Anyone Else Dealing With This

[dally099]

hi everyone, just wondering who here is dealing with low blood sugar that can help me out, ive noticed since going gluten-free i tend to get a little spacey at different time through out the day usually 2-3 hours after i eat. i find that i get tired and my head feels spacey and dizzy and some times i stand up and feel woozy, i also feel a little nausus. so i bought my self a monitor, im tracking the results for a few days but have allready found that my levels are what i think are low, this morning upon waking it read 4.7 (85), last night after working out (i ran on my eliptacal for 30 min and lifted weights) it was 4.5 (81) so i had a snack before i went to bed. about 3 hours after lunch yesterday i didnt feel well and i was 4.7 (85) again, so i had a cookie and a glass of juice and 20 minutes later it read 4.8(86) and 30 minutes later i was up to 5.2 (94) (this was at about 4:30pm) then before supper at 6:00pm i was at 6.3 (113), but 2 hours after supper i was 5.8 (104). anyone else dealing with this that can give me some advise. im going to track for another day or 2 but when do you go to your doc, i have seen people that get way lower then this so maybe its all in my head? any help would be great, thanks

[missy'smom]

If you are at all concerned about your blood sugar you should see a doctor. Doctors are pretty informed about this and it's very easy to test for. We get so used to figuring things out for ourselves with Celiac but blood sugar is something you should let your doctor help you with. If you're going to track your results and share them with a physician, IMHO it should be done according to the standard method, that is precisely timed according to when one has eaten. I'm sorry I don't remember the exact timing, It's been too many years. I had gestational diabetes and managed it by diet alone, which is quite a feat if I may say so. Just for trivia sake, I had a waking blood sugar of 70. Please also check out the ADA or other website, they have info about both high and low blood sugar.

[VydorScope]

First off, all those numbers are in the NORMAL range.

Fasting blood sugar should be 70 - 110. Random readings between meals will be in the 80 - 120 range, but real close to a meal (less then an hour, can be as high as 140 or so. I would say it is likely that what ever is causing your problem is NOT blood sugar related. But if you want to use a easy and accurate home test to check your levels with here is a quote from my post else where:

(the thread is here--> Open Original Shared Link )

Nancy, try this test....

First you need to fast for at least 8 hours. It easiest to do this while you sleep.

Next test your blood. A normal reading at this point is 70-110. (if you reading is OVER 115 or 120, stop the test and get an appointment with an endocritologist or how ever its spelled to get the Oral Glucose Tolerance test asap)

Next eat a meal that is sugary, but not something out of hand for a normal person. Bowel of cereal and glass of juice would work fine. Note the time you START the meal.

Once you have eaten , do not eat or drink again till your done with this test, else you will have to start over. Test your blood every hour for the next 4 or so hours

At 1 hour your reading should be the highest, do not worry about this number. Anything less then say 140 or 150 would be reasonable. The numbers you get in hours 2 and 3 will likely be above 100, but less then 140. If you ever get a REALLY high reading like 190 or 200, you need to stop the test and see a doc like I mentioned after your fasting score. DO THIS ASAP if not sooner.

At hour 4 if your score is ABOVE 80, retest in 30 mins. If it still is about 80 , try one more test in another 30 mins.

If you score falls below 70 (for example mine got to 40) during this test STOP THE TEST AND EAT, you have hypoglycemia.

Take your results to a trusted doc, but based on what you already said, I doubt its low blood sugar. Maybe dehydration? You drink enough? Have you been tested for anemia? Its common in folks with celiac disease and could cause your symptoms.

[dally099]

HI, i do take iron allready its possible that i need a little more in day. thanks for all the help

[dally099]

hi, so im wondering how is it then that right before eating i can have levels of 4.6(83), 1hr after meal 5.0 (90), 2hrs after meal 4.7(85), hour 3 after 5.0 (90), is this the norm after eating? u mention that levels shouldnt be over 80 after four hours from eating. thanks

[VydorScope]

hi, so im wondering how is it then that right before eating i can have levels of 4.6(83), 1hr after meal 5.0 (90), 2hrs after meal 4.7(85), hour 3 after 5.0 (90), is this the norm after eating? u mention that levels shouldnt be over 80 after four hours from eating. thanks

No, I did not say (or if i did its a typo I missed) that your "shouldnt be over 80". All the numbers you gave are NORMAL.

Maybe your confused by:

At hour 4 if your score is ABOVE 80, retest in 30 mins.

There is nothing wrong with the 80 score there, I just say that if you got a normal score at 4 hours, then stretch the test out to 5 hours just to be on the safe side. Your numbers do not indicate ANY blood sugar problem at all. I am not a doctor, but you are consistently getting scores in the normal range. I do not even see a single score out of line. In my NON DOCTOR opinion you are barking up the wrong tree with looking for a blood sugar problem.

[dally099]

hi there, thanks for all your help, just trying to think and figure out why im still tired a lot, started taking iron and thats helping. i think my doc thinks im a nut sometimes im only a little nutty! thanks again for the help one last thing i could possibly have to worry about, i worry about diabetes as it is very prevelent in my family, im a healthy eater and exercise daily also have heart desease in the family so these are things that i dread having to ever deal with.

[ravenwoodglass]

hi there, thanks for all your help, just trying to think and figure out why im still tired a lot, started taking iron and thats helping. i think my doc thinks im a nut sometimes im only a little nutty! thanks again for the help one last thing i could possibly have to worry about, i worry about diabetes as it is very prevelent in my family, im a healthy eater and exercise daily also have heart desease in the family so these are things that i dread having to ever deal with.

I am diabetic and the numbers you are quoting are the numbers I shoot for. If you have think you are having a problem then you should see a doctor for confirmation but your readings are not out of line.

The feeling ill after every meal has me wondering though, are you living in a home where you are being exposed to CC? Are you still on any meds, and if so have you checked them to be sure they are safe. The FDA in all it's wisdom does not apply any protection for us when it comes to drugs, either script of OTC. Generics in particular are very dangerous for us to take without checking. My doctor makes sure I don't get them at all. Everything is "DAW" dispense as written. Make sure everything has been checked.

What you may want to do is start taking sublingual B12, that will help some with you energy levels. Look for any sources of CC diligently whether food or non-food items and eat as simply as you can until you heal. I know it is hard to go without processed food, at first at least, but until you heal it is the best thing you can do for yourself.

[VydorScope]

hi there, thanks for all your help, just trying to think and figure out why im still tired a lot, started taking iron and thats helping. i think my doc thinks im a nut sometimes im only a little nutty! thanks again for the help one last thing i could possibly have to worry about, i worry about diabetes as it is very prevelent in my family, im a healthy eater and exercise daily also have heart desease in the family so these are things that i dread having to ever deal with.

The first things to check with tired is are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating well? (you said you were) Are you exercising?(you said you were) Are you getting enough liquid? Are you sure theres no gluten sneaking in to your body some how?

If all those are yes, the next thing to check is Anemia. Ask your doc to test you. DO NOT just start taking Iron. Iron over dose can KILL. Sure it takes a lot to get to that point, but it does show the danger level of messing this up. Until your gut heals anemia is a common problem in Celiacs. Who cares if your doc thinks your a nut. If he is a good and trustworthy doc he really can help you out with all this.

[elye]

Yep, I too am type one diabetic and your blood sugar levels are normal. How about hypothyroidism--have you had this checked? Many of us who have a couple of autoimmune conditions also have low thyroid...tends to come with the territory, and hypothyroidism can keep you exhausted. My energy levels went way up when I started on thyroid meds and got myself up to the normal range.

[dally099]

hi, i had my thyoid checked and its normal, im on the thin side and lost more weight over xmas so this was the first thing my doc checked me for, the only way i can describe it is that it feels like when your 3 months prego (i had a hysterctomy last year so we know its not that!!) i was anemic when prego so it wouldnt surprise me at all. i eat healthy, excersise im training for a half marathon this year and a mountain long distance event next year so im trying to figure out everything before then, drink lots of water ahhh the body can be so much fun some times. i told my hubby this is karma getting me back for all the nasty things ive done in my life! thanks so much for all your answeres

[Guest j_mommy]

I deal with Diabetes in my job every day. I'm in home Health for the area tribe. For most diabetics exercise either drops their BS or Raises it. After your exercise your still within normal range. For diabetics goal range is usually 80-140, if you use insulin. "normal" people is under 100. You sound like you have the sympotoms of high BS. There definetly is something going on...I would check it out as the other posters say!!! Good Luck to you!!!!!

[georgie]

Your symptoms sound like me. I was dx as Reactive HypoGlycemic a couple of years ago by a 5 hour GTT with Blood Sugar and Insulin testing at 0 hour, 30 mins, 1 hour, 90 mins, 2 hours , 3 hours, 4 hours , 5 hours. With RH its not always how high the Blood Sugar goes ( or how low) but how FAST it drops. Some say its pre diabetes but some say not. Meanwhile I eat every 2 hours or so with protein at every meal, and stay away from sugar , simple carbs and even fruit and juices & artificial sweeteners and caffeine.

I am actually quite bad again at the moment. Going gluten-free has been the worst thing for my RH. I am eating far more carbs & sugar than I was before, and now my RH symptoms have returned. I am about to go back on a strict RH diet again.

A book that helped me was "The Insulin Resistance Diet" by Drs Hart & Grossman. Lots of good sound advise in that book. I don't have the 5 hour GTT every year - just regular 6 month checks of fasting blood sugar and fasting Insulin - and that tells me enough , even though the ranges for RH are slightly different than Diabetes, and the lab and /or Dr may not understand Reactive HypoGlycemia. I get my results and am able to interpret them myself.

If you Google 'Reactive Hypoglycemia' you will find lot of info. There is also a good yahoo group. People with RH often find they do well on Atkins - but you don't have to diet that severely - the book I mentioned has a good eating plan.

[VydorScope]

Georgie,

Her numbers do no support that at all. Her numbers are all normal. No lows, no rapid drops, and so forth.

[georgie]

Her numbers do no support that at all. Her numbers are all normal. No lows, no rapid drops, and so forth.

True. I had another look at the numbers. It would still be worth getting a long GTT of 3 or more hours done though. Its possible that the regular blood draws may paint the picture a bit better.That's why you need the 30 min one and regular 30 minute tests until the 3 hour mark. Its possible that the rise and drop may be happening between the hour test. At the 30 min point or 90 min. I was also told that blood draws are more accurate than a home unit for these types of readings.

Once the numbers are graphed you get a better idea. A flat graph can point to Insulinomas. All my numbers were in range too,but at a certain stage I dropped a certain % ( can't remember the # ) which is diagnostic.

[aikiducky]

A different look at this... you haven't been gluten free all that long. Three months into gluten free, I was still quite often tired. It has slowly gotten better, and now, after two and a half years, I feel pretty normal. I'm not saying you shouldn't look into this, but if you don't find anything obviously wrong, it might just be that you need more time to heal.

In the beginning after going gluten free, I also couldn't go for long periods of time without getting intensely hungry, to the point of feeling faint. That also went away after I had been on the gluten free diet for, I think it was closer to eight months or so. I used to always make sure I had some food with me if I left the house! That has also gotten better for me.

Pauliina

[georgie]

This is an example. Its my lab report on Glucose only.

0 hour - 5.4

1hour - 6.7

2 hour - 5.9

Normal so far ???

3 hour - 3.7

4 hour - 3.9

5 hour - 4.6

I have the Insulin measurements somewhere too - but this Glucose illustrates how so many with Reactive HypoGlycemia need to have the 3 or 5 hour GTT. And the nurses were doing a symptom record as well. As that is as important as the actual numbers. At 3 hours I was near collapse.

[VydorScope]

This is an example. Its my lab report on Glucose only.

0 hour - 5.4

1hour - 6.7

2 hour - 5.9

Normal so far ???

3 hour - 3.7

4 hour - 3.9

5 hour - 4.6

I have the Insulin measurements somewhere too - but this Glucose illustrates how so many with Reactive HypoGlycemia need to have the 3 or 5 hour GTT. And the nurses were doing a symptom record as well. As that as is important as the actual numbers.

Fine, but her numbers are:

4.6 - 0hour

5.0 - 1hour

4.7 - 2hour

5.0 - 3hour

And so on (dont have all her posts in front of me to copy..)

That is very much normal and healthy blood response. Home meters are very accurate, they have to be, many diabetics would die if they were not.

IMO, I think the most likely is anemia, which needs a blood draw by a doc an testing in a lab. She needs to see her doc. She has reach the point where she needs to have a blood panel drawn and check her various nutrition levels. Most celiac disease are deficient in some, if not many vital things because of damage to their gut, and until that damage is healed will struggle with symptoms like hers or like aikikduck describes. Iron is the most likely culprit in this case, IMO.

My numbers as a point of reference were about

85 - 0 hour (5)

140 - 1 hour (8)

119 - 2 hour (7)

90 - 3 hour (5)

40 - 4 hour (2)

(not sure on the conversion, uses a online tool i found..)

Sorry do not have the conversion formula handy, but you can see the nice curve there which is very hypoglycemia typical. That was a while back, I am now much more "brittle" and my most recent test was..

100 - 0 hour

50 - 90mins.

As you can guess I did not continue the test beyond that! Your numbers show you were caught fairly early and had not yet reached the brittleness of where I was in my first test, thats a good thing! Hypoglycemia is extremely dangerous, and very much under estimated in todays world.

[georgie]

Gosh your numbers were bad. You must have felt terrible. I felt bad enough with mine. What triggered my 5 hour test was doing the 2 hour GTT and collapsing into a near unconscious state at the hour mark. I started vomiting, and the test was stopped ( foolishly they didn't do a blood draw) and I was left alone in a room for 15 mins while they got me a cup of coffee. In that time I went near unconscious, and as the coffee was boiling hot when delivered - was getting worse. I managed to ring my hubbie for help, and he came to the hospital with some orange juice and he, and the nurses ( who had been found by this time ) managed to revive me. So I went to see a specialist and he did the 5 hour test under stricter conditions.

My HypoG is much worse at the moment on the gluten-free diet. Any tips ? The sugar cravings are terrible. I am trying to eat more protein but it makes me feel ill. I had been baking lovely gluten-free cakes and must have overloaded - and now I feel really ill and unstable again. I am also dairy free at the moment , and that has only made matters worse re my RH.

[VydorScope]

Gosh your numbers were bad. You must have felt terrible. I felt bad enough with mine. What triggered my 5 hour test was doing the 2 hour GTT and collapsing into a near unconscious state at the hour mark. I started vomiting, and the test was stopped ( foolishly they didn't do a blood draw) and I was left alone in a room for 15 mins while they got me a cup of coffee. In that time I went near unconscious, and as the coffee was boiling hot when delivered - was getting worse. I managed to ring my hubbie for help, and he came to the hospital with some orange juice and he, and the nurses ( who had been found by this time ) managed to revive me. So I went to see a specialist and he did the 5 hour test under stricter conditions.

My HypoG is much worse at the moment on the gluten-free diet. Any tips ? The sugar cravings are terrible. I am trying to eat more protein but it makes me feel ill. I had been baking lovely gluten-free cakes and must have overloaded - and now I feel really ill and unstable again. I am also dairy free at the moment , and that has only made matters worse re my RH.

Yes, but I will warn you it bucks the current "best' advice of experts. Go with a HIGH FAT / HIGH PROTEIN/ LOW CARB diet. It was been the ONLY thing to get me stable. I am talking get rid of the grains, sugars, simple carbs, fruit juices, potatoes, and the like. Put back in GOOD fats (like butter) and get rid of bad fats (like Margarine). I get around 60% of my calorie intake from fat alone, 20-30 from ANIMAL protein with the balance in veggies and other good carbs.

I cover this in much more detail (include sources and resources to help) in my blog on Daily Strength, but the very silly board rules say I can not POST a link to it, how ever if you drop me an email via the board I will be happy to email it to you.

[georgie]

I was doing this diet and going great re the RH. Then Celiac was dx, and then dairy free. I used to live on butter & cheese.... Since then ( 2 months ago) I have added more gluten-free cakes I guess. And fruit juices. I am in a spiral now...Now I can't face the fat or protein. My body screams for sugar. Would you believe I have gained 5kg in a month ?

[VydorScope]

I was doing this diet and going great re the RH. Then Celiac was dx, and then dairy free. I used to live on butter & cheese.... Since then ( 2 months ago) I have added more gluten-free cakes I guess. And fruit juices. I am in a spiral now...Now I can't face the fat or protein. My body screams for sugar. Would you believe I have gained 5kg in a month ?

Yes. We do the diet gluten-free, you can to. You already seen it works, and when you added the sugar in (in a big way too) it made you worse and gain weight. That is what normally happens. Return to the diet, and experiment around with replacements for milk. You get most of your fat from the meats typically, so you really do not need the dairy, just will require a bit more planing and thinking. Its like anything else, once you get use to it is easy, but getting there can be a PITB.

What part of the dairy can you not have? The Casein or lactose? If its Casien then you need 100% dairy free, if its lactose then there is some dairy you can have which makes it a bit easier.

If you do not get your blood sugar under control, you will end up a diabetic in time, and then have to live a life dependent on medication just to get by. I do not need to tell you where that road leads, you see it every day in diabetics around you.

As for "my body screams for sugar", yes your ADDICTED. You have to break that addiction to get better. Carbs are VERY addictive, and because of that you will have some withdrawal that you have to fight through. Normally it only takes a week or sometimes less, to break the addiction. For that week you would REALLY need to aggressively cut back the sugar, like less then 20 or 30 carbs per day. DO NOT GO TO ZERO CARBS EVER. As a hypo you need a small amount to keep you stable. Everyones final numbers are different, so you will have to do some trial and error on the max carb count per day for you, typically something like 40-60 is what I see (always less in woman then men for some reason), but I have not done a study on that number to see what average need really is. I just might though, cause now you got me wondering.

HTH and good luck!

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes, but I will warn you it bucks the current "best' advice of experts. Go with a HIGH FAT / HIGH PROTEIN/ LOW CARB diet. It was been the ONLY thing to get me stable. I am talking get rid of the grains, sugars, simple carbs, fruit juices, potatoes, and the like. Put back in GOOD fats (like butter) and get rid of bad fats (like Margarine). I get around 60% of my calorie intake from fat alone, 20-30 from ANIMAL protein with the balance in veggies and other good carbs.

I cover this in much more detail (include sources and resources to help) in my blog on Daily Strength, but the very silly board rules say I can not POST a link to it, how ever if you drop me an email via the board I will be happy to email it to you.

This is exactly what I did to get my BS under control. I am Type II and refused the meds and strictly restrict the amount of carbs I do. Most of mine come from veggies and beans. I have been accused of using rice as a spice when my son eats with me. By my 6 month A1C check my reading was down to 6.1 and I am shooting for below 6 with the A1C that I'll have done this month. If I do have crackers or bread I make sure it is balanced with a protein. If I want to have the rare cookie or ice cream I have half a serving and I make sure that I have cut the carbs someplace else. Can't say it would work for everyone but it has been the key for control for me. I will say also that eating for my diabetes was much harder to get used to than for the gluten. At least with the gluten I didn't have to stick my fingers at least 10 times a day for the first 6 months. I now check just in the am and occasionally after meals but have not had a morning sugar over 95 in months or an after meal reading over 135. Dcotor says it won't work forever but I intend to diet control for as long as I possibly can.

[VydorScope]

This is exactly what I did to get my BS under control. I am Type II and refused the meds and strictly restrict the amount of carbs I do. Most of mine come from veggies and beans. I have been accused of using rice as a spice when my son eats with me. By my 6 month A1C check my reading was down to 6.1 and I am shooting for below 6 with the A1C that I'll have done this month. If I do have crackers or bread I make sure it is balanced with a protein. If I want to have the rare cookie or ice cream I have half a serving and I make sure that I have cut the carbs someplace else. Can't say it would work for everyone but it has been the key for control for me. I will say also that eating for my diabetes was much harder to get used to than for the gluten. At least with the gluten I didn't have to stick my fingers at least 10 times a day for the first 6 months. I now check just in the am and occasionally after meals but have not had a morning sugar over 95 in months or an after meal reading over 135. Dcotor says it won't work forever but I intend to diet control for as long as I possibly can.

Stick with it, even IF you eventually do need meeds you will need less of them then if you did not control with your diet.

[dally099]

hi there, thanks for all your input im thinking that its anemia again. i will see my doc about this. thanks everyone for your help!!