Reactive Hypoglycemia

[cahill]

Just when I thought the docs were done with me ,one of them comes up with this

Now I have to test my blood sugar multiple times a day, record the test results and show them to my doc on my next visit .

Thats it ,,,,, food is truly trying to kill me

[cahill]

I had roast pork, a baked sweet potatos with sour cream and a ( pretty large ) dish of unsweetened cherries last night for dinner . My blood sugar was 154 after dinner and was 41 this morning .

I think I am in trouble here.

I have given up soooooooooooooo many foods and my diet is soooooooooooo limited ,, I really have no idea how to eat to deal with this

When I give my doc my testing results he may want me to see a dietitian but TRULY I have NOOOO ABSOLUTELY NO confidence in a dietitian trying to tell me how to eat .

Any suggestions???

[alex11602]

I was having this same problem for the longest time and it's horrible and kinda scary so I feel for you.

To start with, does your sugar drop like that during the day or just at night?

That dinner was higher in sugar then in protein so it makes sense that your sugar bottomed out. It's possible that if you had a protein filled snack before dinner that it would have counteracted the amount of sugar in the sweet potatoes and cherries.

If just eating protein before bed does not help then you would also have to limit the amount of sugar that you intake. For example, to keep my sugar where it needs to be I have to try and limit my sugar to around 30g of added sugar a day and also eat at regular times. It's not easy and it's a pain in the rear end to figure out how much sugar is in what I put in my mouth and making sure that I eat, but it's worth it since I haven't had a hypo problem in over a year.

[Greebo115]

I had roast pork, a baked sweet potatos with sour cream and a ( pretty large ) dish of unsweetened cherries last night for dinner . My blood sugar was 154 after dinner and was 41 this morning .

I think I am in trouble here.

I have given up soooooooooooooo many foods and my diet is soooooooooooo limited ,, I really have no idea how to eat to deal with this

When I give my doc my testing results he may want me to see a dietitian but TRULY I have NOOOO ABSOLUTELY NO confidence in a dietitian trying to tell me how to eat .

Any suggestions???

Hi, this is my first post....I haven't felt knowledgable enough about most things "gluten" to offer help...I been lurking and learning, lol. - but I have been living with this particular little gift for 4 years. (Yeah, yet another complication of Celiac I think).

On the one hand it's a complicated area - you have to find your own limits, but on the other hand, it's EASY. You simply have to keep your sugar intake at any one meal low (I have to keep it at 7-9 grams), keep away from refined carbs in general, and balance carbs that you do eat with some protein (or fat).....

This means that you don't have to cut ANYTHING out, for example if I want to eat something sugary, I look at how much sugar is in it and make sure I don't go over 7g sugar. This could be 2 gluten-free cookies, but NO MORE and make sure it's after a healthy meal of veggies and protein.

I'm not sure if this is of any help, feel free to ask more!

[cahill]

I was having this same problem for the longest time and it's horrible and kinda scary so I feel for you.

To start with, does your sugar drop like that during the day or just at night?

I just got my meter and start testing/ tracking yesterday ( right before dinner) so these where my first test results ,, and I have to say they are pretty scary to me .

I am having trouble during the day also which was why I went to the doc to start with . I did not realize how low I am going in the AM until I tested this AM

[cahill]

Hi, this is my first post....I haven't felt knowledgable enough about most things "gluten" to offer help...I been lurking and learning, lol. - but I have been living with this particular little gift for 4 years. (Yeah, yet another complication of Celiac I think).

On the one hand it's a complicated area - you have to find your own limits, but on the other hand, it's EASY. You simply have to keep your sugar intake at any one meal low (I have to keep it at 7-9 grams), keep away from refined carbs in general, and balance carbs that you do eat with some protein (or fat).....

This means that you don't have to cut ANYTHING out, for example if I want to eat something sugary, I look at how much sugar is in it and make sure I don't go over 7g sugar. This could be 2 gluten-free cookies, but NO MORE and make sure it's after a healthy meal of veggies and protein.

I'm not sure if this is of any help, feel free to ask more!

Your post is of help thank you for posting I am feeling pretty overwhelmed right now but I am sure I will have questions at some point .

[tarnalberry]

As has been said, if you're not hooked on gluten-free substitutes, and cookies and candy in general, it's not a terribly hard adjustment, comparatively. You don't have to **eliminate** anything.

You have to balance your fat, protein, carbs, and fiber. Carbs spike blood sugar - sugar fastest, complex carbs more slowly. Fat, protein, and fiber all slow how quickly your body breaks down carbs (by simply being another component ony our stomach). So, you have to find the ratio of these macronutrients that allows your body to digest sugar slowly enough that your pancreas responds well (doesn't produce too much insulin, thus causing your blood sugar levels to plummet quickly).

For me, when I had the worst trouble with hypoglycemia, I found a 25/25/50 to 30/30/40 ratio to be around the right spot for me. It's different for others, so you definitely need to ind your sweet spot.

I also had to often space out my meals - two or three snacks a day was vital! Carrying good food was a must. Not a candy bar, though I found some of the Kind bars and a few other ones were sufficient.

One things that worked for me is that being diligent with those ratios allowed me more freedom with them with less blood sugar swings. As though I retrained my body to deal with varying amounts of sugar, and I retrained my brain not to make choices that would vary sugar widely. That leaves me better able to handle having a piece of cake, for instance. Just not often. And I now my body well enough now to know if I've eaten sufficiently in balance to do so without getting symptoms.

It's worth noting that different people respond slightly differently to different foods. Some of that may be people, so the food. Many people find bananas too high in sugar and prone to cause a blood sugar spike (and subsequent fall). I rarely found that to be the case. But I eat my bananas very firm (less ripe) than many people do, which is when their complex carb count is higher and sugar content lower.

[Adalaide]

I was going to say a lot of what tarnalberry just said. I don't have too many problems myself, but I've struggled right alongside my husband while we try to get him straightened out. I've also noticed that while he is fine with one food, my niece may not be okay with it. A lot of what you'll find is individual discovery. If my husband grabbed a dish of cherries, I'd be all over him in a heartbeat to make it a handful and have them with yogurt. Instead of a whole apple, we share an apple and have it with a little nut butter. He has a pretty serious problem with shooting through the roof and bottoming out but as long as he remembers (or I nag him enough) about balancing all of his sweets with proteins it smooths out those spikes a lot for him.

While I have little to no faith in dieticians in relation to helping with a gluten free diet, my husband and I have received immense amounts of help by seeing a dietician for him. Besides, you aren't actually required to do everything they tell you to. The one we saw was very cool about generalizing without getting into every last detail about every food. She was all about helping to make the right decisions and how to get to a good place without saying eat X Y and Z. It was a lot of this is how foods of these types will effect your blood sugar, grouping them thus does generally does this... blah blah blah. Maybe you'll see someone with a similar philosophy. If not and it is an unbearable meeting, you always have the option to just say right in the middle that you don't think they'll be able to help you and walk out.

[cahill]

Thanks guys, I really appreciate your input , it is most helpful

I am feeling much less overwhelmed ( still a bit scared ) about this. I tested often yesterday and was amazed at the fluctuations and the tremendous range of those fluctuations .

So on to finding what works and does not for me ,,, seems like I have done that before with food, , ( a few times )

[cahill]

OK , A BIT of a rant here

I worked really really hard to get dairy back into my diet I think it was 18 months - 2 years gluten free before I reintroduced dairy into my diet .

NOW it looks like dairy is a MAJOR issue with my blood sugar ( sending it sky high then bottoming out WAY low, dangerously low ,then it takes days to get it leveled out again ) ARE you kidding me !!REALLY ,, I MEAN REALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I am going to cry Dairy has been my go to food , my if I am hungry pop in anywhere and grab something food , my only true convenience food ,,,, THE ONLY food I would/could even risk if eating out .( think full fat cottage cheese / fruit plate)....................................NOW I have lost that AGAIN

I just dont believe this.... AS IF my diet is not restrictive enough NOW THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats it( stomps foot ) I DO TRULY believe food is trying to kill me

[pricklypear1971]

For me I need vegetables and I need them for breakfast. I hate it. I've learned to sautéed a big handfull of spinach in a pan, then make a crepe/omelet and stuff it with the spinach for breakfast. That's how I get veggies in the am, for example.

If your yogurt is high protein, sugar free it may help. It may also just be the fruit.

I had to really cut back the fruit in the beginning. Half an apple with peanut butter. Max 10 grapes with cheese. It helped that the sweetness made me sick. Your palate will adjust.

For me it was fiber from veggies and beans. My body really responds positively to it.

I also started exercising. As I built muscle mass and dropped weight (really it was more muscle mass, I think) I was better able to control swings.

I did have to very eat frequently when adding exercise - I was making kale/spinach smoothies with avocado and cocoa powder there for a while. Had to get the veggies in there in massive doses, and very little fruit.

Good news is as you learn your triggers you can add back more sweets. You just have to learn how/when.

I also had to steer clear of carbs like rice. I'd spike really bad with them.

Also, when I hit that hideous hypo point where I'd eat and eat to try to get my sugar up, I found 12 Ghiradelli semisweet chips fixed it. Hilarious, right?

[cahill]

For me I need vegetables and I need them for breakfast. I hate it. I've learned to sautéed a big handfull of spinach in a pan, then make a crepe/omelet and stuff it with the spinach for breakfast. That's how I get veggies in the am, for example.

If your yogurt is high protein, sugar free it may help. It may also just be the fruit.

I had to really cut back the fruit in the beginning. Half an apple with peanut butter. Max 10 grapes with cheese. It helped that the sweetness made me sick. Your palate will adjust.

For me it was fiber from veggies and beans. My body really responds positively to it.

I also started exercising. As I built muscle mass and dropped weight (really it was more muscle mass, I think) I was better able to control swings.

I did have to very eat frequently when adding exercise - I was making kale/spinach smoothies with avocado and cocoa powder there for a while. Had to get the veggies in there in massive doses, and very little fruit.

Good news is as you learn your triggers you can add back more sweets. You just have to learn how/when.

I also had to steer clear of carbs like rice. I'd spike really bad with them.

Also, when I hit that hideous hypo point where I'd eat and eat to try to get my sugar up, I found 12 Ghiradelli semisweet chips fixed it. Hilarious, right?

yep , mine is dried apricots to get me back up ( I am refined sugar / artificial sweetner free )

My yogurt was plain ( unsweetened ) greek yogurt with unsweetened blueberries ( doing a trial on fruits now, too much at a time makes me nauseous but a small amount with a protein seems fine ) Cottage cheese with plain veggies sent me ALL OVER the charts .

Swiss cheese ( with ham ) was milder reaction but a reaction never the less ( I may try it again later) I dont even dare try cheddar cheese... it is my kryptonite.

Thanks for the suggestion on the breakfast veggies ( I HATE vegetables ) I will try that.

I am grain free except rice and that I limit very very strictly but it may go completely soon. I am eating more legumes and they are fine.

I see my endo on Tuesday so I hope ( after I vent all over her ) she will have some suggestions .

[pricklypear1971]

yep , mine is dried apricots to get me back up ( I am refined sugar / artificial sweetner free )

My yogurt was plain ( unsweetened ) greek yogurt with unsweetened blueberries ( doing a trial on fruits now, too much at a time makes me nauseous but a small amount with a protein seems fine ) Cottage cheese with plain veggies sent me ALL OVER the charts .

Swiss cheese ( with ham ) was milder reaction but a reaction never the less ( I may try it again later) I dont even dare try cheddar cheese... it is my kryptonite.

Thanks for the suggestion on the breakfast veggies ( I HATE vegetables ) I will try that.

I am grain free except rice and that I limit very very strictly but it may go completely soon. I am eating more legumes and they are fine.

I see my endo on Tuesday so I hope ( after I vent all over her ) she will have some suggestion .

Is your dairy fat free? If it is it may help to eat a fatty one to slow down sugar conversion. Or dairy may be, like you observe, your kryptonite.

Veggies are key for me. I hate it. It's like my body is flipping me the bird. Don't get me wrong, I like veggies...I just hate having to eat so many, so early in the day. Every day. It's like taking medicine.

[cahill]

Is your dairy fat free? If it is it may help to eat a fatty one to slow down sugar conversion. Or dairy may be, like you observe, your kryptonite.

Veggies are key for me. I hate it. It's like my body is flipping me the bird. Don't get me wrong, I like veggies...I just hate having to eat so many, so early in the day. Every day. It's like taking medicine.

I did not even think about that but yes the yogurt was fat free, the cottage cheese however was full fat ,, so I may ( as much as it pains me stomps foot again ) I may have to set dairy a side for now.with the hope that once I am somewhat stable I can test it again .

It is ironic that veggies are something that ( it appears anyway) I can eat freely with out a negative effect on my blood sugar, . Wouldnt you know it , it would not/ could not be something like dairy or donuts :lol:

[pricklypear1971]

I did not even think about that but yes the yogurt was fat free, the cottage cheese however was full fat ,, so I may ( as much as it pains me stomps foot again ) I may have to set dairy a side for now.with the hope that once I am somewhat stable I can test it again .

It is ironic that veggies are something that ( it seems now anyway) that I can eat freely with out a negative effect on my blood sugar . Wouldnt you know it , it would not/ could not be something like dairy or donuts :lol:

Exactly!

Ironically, now that I can eat more sugar/carbs without my blood sugar going nuts I find it still makes my stomach feel bloated and uncomfortable...and of course, that's after binging for a month after making that exciting discovery.

So where am I? Back to eating a little sweet, here and there. Usually grain free.

Sometimes I'm a slow learner, I tell 'ya!

[cahill]

Exactly!

Ironically, now that I can eat more sugar/carbs without my blood sugar going nuts I find it still makes my stomach feel bloated and uncomfortable...and of course, that's after binging for a month after making that exciting discovery.

So where am I? Back to eating a little sweet, here and there. Usually grain free.

Sometimes I'm a slow learner, I tell 'ya!

I am right there with ya

[Celiac Mindwarp]

I think I am heading the same way. I can't seem to handle fruit at the moment. I can manage say 3 dates, but not raisins or apricots. The thought of eating fruit after a month without makes me nauseous.

I can just about handle white rice, in small doses, but it pushes me towards cravings. I have tried cheddar cheese an am staying firmly in denial that I am getting congestion and cravings. Sigh.

Still, I do like the avocados and sweet potatoes I am living on.

There is a pot of Greek yogurt calling too. Trying to hold off...

[cahill]

I think I am heading the same way..

I hope not but if so you are in good company

[cahill]

I saw my endo yesterday,,,, First let me say I ♥ that woman ! She so gets (understands) me

Reactive Hypoglycemia , yep and of course she wants to know why. She is doing more tests ( of course ) because she has to rule out anything nasty before we move on .

But do these doc's live in the same world we do ??

Her suggestion that I eat every 2 hours was meet with laughter My work place will be sooooo not impressed with that

and how do I eat continuously and not gain a tremendous amount of weight so my next stop is the dietitian

Knowing my opinion of dietitians , Doc made sure to tell me to " play nice" with the dietitian she said that the dietitian " may not know squat about celiacs but she can help me with the hypoglycemia " as I said I ♥ that woman

[pricklypear1971]

I saw my endo yesterday,,,, First let me say I ♥ that woman ! She so gets (understands) me

Reactive Hypoglycemia , yep and of course she wants to know why. She is doing more tests ( of course ) because she has to rule out anything nasty before we move on .

But do these doc's live in the same world we do ??

Her suggestion that I eat every 2 hours was meet with laughter My work place will be sooooo not impressed with that

and how do I eat continuously and not gain a tremendous amount of weight so my next stop is the dietitian

Knowing my opinion of dietitians , Doc made sure to tell me to " play nice" with the dietitian she said that the dietitian " may not know squat about celiacs but she can help me with the hypoglycemia " as I said I ♥ that woman

Vegetables and lean protein. It ain't sexy but it works.

[JoH]

OK , A BIT of a rant here

I worked really really hard to get dairy back into my diet I think it was 18 months - 2 years gluten free before I reintroduced dairy into my diet .

NOW it looks like dairy is a MAJOR issue with my blood sugar ( sending it sky high then bottoming out WAY low, dangerously low ,then it takes days to get it leveled out again ) ARE you kidding me !!REALLY ,, I MEAN REALLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I am going to cry Dairy has been my go to food , my if I am hungry pop in anywhere and grab something food , my only true convenience food ,,,, THE ONLY food I would/could even risk if eating out .( think full fat cottage cheese / fruit plate)....................................NOW I have lost that AGAIN

I just dont believe this.... AS IF my diet is not restrictive enough NOW THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thats it( stomps foot ) I DO TRULY believe food is trying to kill me

Have you tried full fat dairy? Look at the back of a carton of skim milk, full fat milk, half and half, and whipping cream and compare the number of carbs. If I remember correctly (I'm not at home) the whipping cream has *no carbs*. I remember being shocked the day I realized this. So I tested my blood sugar, drank some whipping cream, waited for a bit, and tested it again. And it hadn't moved a single point.

I find I do just fine with a mix of 2/3 half and half and 1/3 whipping cream. Or if I need to raise my blood sugar, I can just drink a swig or two of half and half. For me it seems to have just enough carbs to raise my blood sugar and plenty of fat to hold it in place.

[JoH]

I did not even think about that but yes the yogurt was fat free, the cottage cheese however was full fat ,, so I may ( as much as it pains me stomps foot again ) I may have to set dairy a side for now.with the hope that once I am somewhat stable I can test it again .

It is ironic that veggies are something that ( it appears anyway) I can eat freely with out a negative effect on my blood sugar, . Wouldnt you know it , it would not/ could not be something like dairy or donuts :lol:

How funny. For me if I eat just veggies my blood sugar shoots up and then plummets. I was amazed when I realized I can't just eat a salad or a plate of veggies. And let's not even talk about fruits. I have to have a decent amount of fat with my veggies or I'm sunk.

Here's the secret - if your blood sugar doesn't go *up*, then it doesn't go *down*. The paleo/primal diet has been a godsend for me. High fat/low carb/moderate protein keeps my blood sugar from bouncing around. When I started I had to keep under 30 carbs a day to keep my blood sugar level. Now I'm up closer to 80-100 I think, and I don't have problems - as long as any time I eat carbs I eat fat.

Of course the minute I get glutened my blood sugar heads for the toilet, but that's a whole different story...

[JoH]

I think I am heading the same way. I can't seem to handle fruit at the moment. I can manage say 3 dates, but not raisins or apricots. The thought of eating fruit after a month without makes me nauseous.

I can just about handle white rice, in small doses, but it pushes me towards cravings. I have tried cheddar cheese an am staying firmly in denial that I am getting congestion and cravings. Sigh.

Still, I do like the avocados and sweet potatoes I am living on.

There is a pot of Greek yogurt calling too. Trying to hold off...

Have you tried fresh fruit? Fresh fruit has a lot less carbs then dried fruit. Berries particularly are fairly low in carbs for fruit. I can't even imagine eating dried fruit - it would send my blood sugar to the moon - but 1/4 cup of blueberries along with some fat works beautifully.

[Celiac Mindwarp]

Thanks JoH, I will try again when I am feeling brave, others have suggested berries too

[JoH]

Take it nice and slowly. Even a banana would set my blood sugar bouncing, but berries work really well for me. And you can find some good charts of the carbs in different types of fruits on the web.

This one's decent:

Open Original Shared Link

It says 1/2 cup of dried dates has 62 carbs (eek!) a banana has 27 carbs, and 1/2 cup of blueberries has 10 carbs. I usually eat about 1/4 cup of blueberries, so I guess 5 carbs (plus the dairy) works for me...