12 replies to this topic

[mommyto2kids]

I get so lightheaded every 2 hours, especially if I work out. I bring snacks to the gym. It is kind of rediculous to be working out and eating so much, but I don't know what else to do if I feel faint so easily. What should I eat if I get hungry easily and then feel faint? It is very hot here, refrigeration is difficult for long mornings with kids at the gym. They swim and do tennis. I catch a class during all the kids stuff if I'm lucky.

[VydorScope]

Yes.

I would encourage you to go down to walmart/cvs/walgreens/etc and pick up a glucose meter of your own. A store brand one is around $15 and they come with some test strips. Often with mail in rebates you get the meter free.

Then I would suggest you fast over night, shoot for 8 hours. Check your reading, should be around 70-110 for fasting. Then eat/drink something very sugary (and a decent quantity) with as little fiber/protein/fat as you can. Then start checking your blood at 1 hour after your first bite. Check every 15 mins for at least 2 hours, preferably until you get through the forth hour. (fast during this testing. Do not eat/drink anything as it will skew results).

If you are not having blood sugar problems, you may spike to like 140 or 150 or there abouts in the first hour. That is not a concern, by the second hour you should be pretty close to the 80-120 range which is considered normal. IF it is hypoglycemia you might not know for sure until the FORTH hour after eating. Your reading should not drop below 70 at any time... but keep in mind the numbers are a bit fuzzy so a 65 or 68 is likely not a concern... a 40 or 50 IS. If at anytime during this testing your result is less then 60 abort test, and eat.

If anything comes back out side say the 60-140 range, I would bring your results to your doctor and talk to them about it.

I am not a doctor, the above is based on my personal experience. I started with hypoglycemia which eventually developed into diabetes. The testing I just described is very similar to what the doctors would do , but you save time and money doing it yourself at home.

[kareng]

I think trying to induce hypoglycemia in yourself and go by a home test could be dangerous. This should be something doctors understand and can help you with. There is also a possibility it is something else.

[VydorScope]

I think trying to induce hypoglycemia in yourself and go by a home test could be dangerous. This should be something doctors understand and can help you with. There is also a possibility it is something else.

I did not state "go by a home test" I stated discuss the result with a doctor. It is not inducing hypogyclemia, it is seeing if it happens under what should be normal conditions for a normal person. It is putting an objective test around something she is already experiencing. The only difference is by being deliberate she can get objective well understood test scores to bring to a doctor. This is the only way you can test for this issue. OGT and AC1 does not work for hypoglycemia.

A blood glucose level below 70 mg/dL at the time of symptoms and relief after eating will confirm the diagnosis. The oral glucose tolerance test is no longer used to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia because experts now know the test can actually trigger hypoglycemic symptoms.

SRC: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse

This test is safe, and a normal thing people with blood sugar issues, like myself, have to do on a daily basis. She will be doing nothing but monitoring her blood. I am not diagnosing her, just giving her the information to talk with her doctor about.

[IrishHeart]

Yes, you could have hypoglycemia, but I would see your doctor
about these symptoms.

They could ALSO be related to your heart (blood pressure), your female or adrenal hormones, your thyroid or any other organs/systems in your body. Could you be pregnant?

Feeling faint while working out is nothing to ignore. Feeling lightheaded while you are driving is not a great idea, for example--what if you pass out at the wheel?

[IrishHeart]

A four- hour fasting test --when she says she gets light-headed after only two hours without food--is going to make her feel pretty lousy, I would think.

I had glucose monitoring tests done several times and I felt really sick and faint during the whole thing after drinking the stuff and I was being supervised in a lab setting.

Be careful with doing this yourself, IMHO.

[VydorScope]

They could ALSO be related to your heart (blood pressure), your female or adrenal hormones, your thyroid or any other organs/systems in your body. Could you be pregnant?

True, could be low iron too or poor oxygen in your blood. I guess I zeroed in on blood sugar too fast.

[VydorScope]

A four- hour fasting test --when she says she gets light-headed after only two hours without food--is going to make her feel pretty lousy, I would think.

I had glucose monitoring tests done several times and I felt really sick and faint during the whole thing after drinking the stuff and I was being supervised in a lab setting.

Be careful with doing this yourself, IMHO.

Yes, sounds like they did a OGT which is why they do not recommend that test anymore. That is dangerous. Hypos will react in the 2nd or 4th hour typically. She might hit the second hour and end the test, as per the instructions, or have to get to four.

[psawyer]

Prior to my diagnosis with celiac disease, I had been an insulin-dependent diabetic for over a decade. Hypoglycemia was a major problem for me then, due to my failure to absorb nutrients after eating. I would eat a meal, but afterwards my sugars could be up, or could be down. I was absorbing simple sugars through my stomach, but complex carbs were passing through the hose straight into the toilet.

Hypoglycemia can be a symptom of celiac disease.

[Pac]

I get so lightheaded every 2 hours, especially if I work out. I bring snacks to the gym.

For me getting lightheaded was a typical sign of magnesium deficiency.

What should I eat if I get hungry easily and then feel faint?

Try high-fat high-protein food - nuts, seeds, dry meat, boiled eggs. Fats are much safer source of energy when your body struggles to keep your blood sugar levels withing normal range.

[mommyto2kids]

One hates to go to the Dr. after we've lived there for so long. I was having some vertigo symptoms and saw a physical therapist and that helped some. This feels more like fatigue related to eating.
My question for Peter is if we are eating gluten-free, how is it related to celiac then? I hard boiled some eggs today. My family already ate half of them. So I'll make more next time. I'll try the meat and nuts and see if that helps. If it keeps up, I'll try the metor.

[psawyer]

It would depend on the degree of damage to the intestines prior to going gluten-free. It takes time for the damage to heal, and until it is completely healed, there will be absorption troubles. Most people feel better quickly on the gluten-free diet, but full recovery can take a long time.

[IrishHeart]

I have to echo Peter's thoughts. I did not resolve most symptoms until 9 or 10 months into the diet. The light-headedness and blood sugar dips and spikes finally normalized in the last few months. (16 months) My doc was concerned about it because my sister is a type 1 diabetic.

Vertigo took a while to resolve, but it did. It's an awful feeling, isn't it?

Everyone heals at different rates, of course. You may resolve these issues faster.

Hope you feel better soon!