Blood Sugar Q? Plz Help!

Shiphrah · 03-15-2005, 09:48 AM

I had a really scary experience yesterday and would appreciate any advice from anyone who understands blood sugar! (Sorry if this is a bit long.)

Background: I've always had problems with my blood sugar and I've just learned how to eat in a way that keeps it stable...carbs or sugar whenever I felt shaky or headachy. A few weeks ago when I went for a glucose test as part of my work-up for a PCOS diagnosis, they weren't able to do the test because my blood sugar was too high. I haven't seen my doctor yet; my next appt. is the 24th.

Well, even though I haven't seen my doctor yet, I decided yesterday to start exercising and doing the IR Diet. It supposed to be good for me, right? Okay, this is what happened:

7:00 Ate an apple
7:30 - 8:30 Worked out (nothing major since this was my first day at the gym)
9:00 Breakfast: protein smoothie (soy milk, plain yogurt, a tiny bit of fruit, and protein powder) and one slice of whole-wheat toast
9:15 Felt GREAT! Lots of energy, just positive and happy, etc
11:00 Very sleepy
12:00 Started feeling spacy...hard to concentrate
12:30 Snack: Carrots and celery
1:00 Even more spacy. Felt like I was in a tunnel. Started to get a headache.
1:30 Lunch: Lentils and Cheese
2:00 Nauseous. Dizzy. Even MORE spacy.
2:15 I felt like I was going to pass out. Shaking. Cold but sweating. Very very very sleepy. Emotional. It took too much energy to talk. Headache.
2:30 Everything above...plus my face felt numb. My boss sent me home from work.
2:45 Vomited driving home.
3:00 Came home and fell asleep.
I woke up occassionally because my head hurt so bad, and I vomited again at 6:00 and 8:00. I finally fell sound asleep at about 10:00 and slept until 7:00 this morning. About 16 hours of sleep all together.
This morning I feel a little woozy and shaky...but I had some Ritz crackers and Gatorade and am feeling better.

WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED????? I'M SCARED!

tlcur107 · 03-15-2005, 03:07 PM

So sorry that happened to you, it must have been scary! Just judging by your meals, it looks like you're not getting very much protein. Maybe if you space it out more in the day instead of all in the morning. Plus, maybe a little protein before you work out too. If you're really worried, call your doctor. HTH!

Jane26 · 04-04-2005, 11:02 AM

My dietician taught me to never eat fruit before noon when your diabetic! Fruit has a lot of natural sugars in them that is not good for you!

Sounds really scary, if I were you I would get on a daily meal plan! you dont want to have another episode like that, better safe than sorry!!

Good Luck!

Rasburry · 04-04-2005, 11:32 AM

My opinion on what you experienced is different from what the other cysters posted.
First, a question...do you normally drink caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, soda, etc)? I noticed that you had no caffeine in your day, which is great, but if you quit cold turkey, add exercise and a new food pattern to the mix, it's possible to experience what you listed.
I also feel like fruits are better then eating something high carb or sugary because the fructose in many fruits doesn't cause a spike in insulin like other snacks can.
Between 9:15 and 12:30 you essentially had nothing to eat. All of your great breakfast wore off sometime in between those hours and you started to crash. Why not grab a handful of almonds (great protein and low carb) or some dried apricots or other type of fruit and a nice big bottle of water? It will keep you from getting spacey/dizzy/tired and give you that little pep that you need until your next meal or snack. I have found that for me, grazing is working well, bc it keeps me from those dips in energy/concentration in between meals. I have learned what foods or lack of foods cause my blood sugar to drop and I work very hard to keep from getting low blood sugar.
It is also possible that you felt these things because you changed your diet and you're on a medication to control your insulin. Since you're not eating all of those foods that require adjustments in insulin, and taking the same amount of medication, you could now need less medication. I would suggest that you talk to your docter about your needs (medication, protein intake, low carbing, etc) as you're starting this health quest. It sounds like you just need some tweeking with the food spacing, exercise and meds and that this "diet" (hate the word diet...you gotta make it a lifestyle if you want to see permanent changes) can work with you. Don't be discouraged. Anytime you decide to make a good change and improve your health, you deserve a pat on the back. Best wishes and I hope that you can get better results with the IR diet next time you try.

Shiphrah · 04-04-2005, 09:52 PM

Thanx for posting Rasburry. That experience was actually two weeks before I went to the endocrinologist, was diagnosed as diabetic, and started meds. He explained the incident as an insulin/glucagon reaction...and quite a bad one. He recommended the same thing as you...to have snacks throughout the day...to prevent it from happening again. And he told me to take the Fortamet for two weeks before trying exercise again. (The caffeine was probably a contributing factor as well, because, as you said, I quit "cold turkey"...hadn't even considered that.)

barneyb · 04-04-2005, 10:58 PM

Okay, so my question for you guys who seem to be experts on this insulin/blood sugar stuff. . . if I was out of balance with my insulin/sugar/whatever, could that cause short-term memory loss and/or bipolar-like behavior (really "up," impulsiveness, irritability, depression)? Still trying to get a clear picture of what's happening to me!

lovelyinkedlady · 04-05-2005, 12:46 AM

Wow Shiphrah, First time to this board. If you hadn't answered back i was gonna say that is a sure signs of very very very low blood sugar. I would strongly suggest getting in and seeing a dietician. Like yesterday. With being diabetic it's really super touchy. You have to be extreamly careful. I would also suggest if you haven't done it already getting a medical braclete that lets people know you are diabetic and the medication your on. Let your boss know that you are and what to do in case something like that should happen again. You got extreamly lucky you got your self home with out to much problem aside from throwing up. Next you probably would have passed out.

And Barneyb yes thats another sign of low blood sugar. If you don't keep a glucose tester with you. At least keep some kind of mint in your desk as a fast acting sugar, but only do it if you haven't eatten and then go get something good to eat. Diabetics get the worst mood swings. I would suggest the same thing to you get in see your dr as well as get in to a dietician.

blessed be

Shiphrah · 04-05-2005, 01:04 AM

Thanx LovelyLinkedLady. Yes, my doctor told me that I have to wear the bracelet (Oh! New jewelry! How exciting!

). And I had to tell my boss about my condition and tell him that if that happens again he has to give me glucose tablets...and take away my car keys. And...I know...I was extremely lucky...that situation could have been even worse...bad decisions to drive and be home alone. I've got a glucometer now so hopefully I can better control my BS.

lovelyinkedlady · 04-05-2005, 02:09 AM

Oh thank god you got in to your dr and you got the things you needed. I think of my medical bracelete as my ball and chain to pcos roflmao.........But make the suggestion to your boss to hold and inservice about the signs, that way other people know to watch for it.

We're all here for you darlin! Your definatly not alone.

barneyb · 04-05-2005, 07:51 AM

My dr. doesn't seem to be acknowledging that what's wrong with me is probably pcos/IR related. Today I'm going to call and TELL THEM that they're doing the glucose test and bloodwork when I go in on Fri. I have to confess that as this all got started, I probably was only eating once a day and otherwise existing on Diet Coke. Bad, I know.

And I'm up with a raging headache and chest ache this morning - signs my b/p is huge. Gonna be late for work and go get that checked. When it was checked at school yesterday afternoon, it was 153/104 - the highest it's ever been. Why can't the dr. see what's going on? Why is it our job to educate them?

Rasburry · 04-05-2005, 10:13 AM

Shiphrah, glad you were able to find out what was going on with you. I'm not diabetic, but I do have problems with regulating blood sugar and before "fixing" my food/schedule, there would be times that I'd crash; I'd be doing something at work and stop dead in my tracks--I'd totally forget what I was doing, what I was going to do next, become disoriented, get shakey, feel like I'm going to hurl.....not so fun. And yes, I've driven like that before! So now I always keep snacks hidden away in my purse, car, etc. I don't eat anything with a lot of sugar and I try to keep only good snacks. I did have an incident at work the other day. I forgot my wallet at home, and was out of water, snacks, etc (i planned to get them at work as soon as I got there). I called my dh right away and asked him to bring my wallet to me. It took him a while to get there and in the process I felt myself starting to get shakey. I didn't notice how much time had gone by bc I got really busy with work and before I knew it, I was a mess. My boss came to me and asked if I wanted to share a reeses cup with her. Not something I'd usually eat, but it was a Godsend. It kept me from crashing any further and I instantly felt better. You can bet I'm not going to let that happen again, if I can help it!
Barneyb, it sounds like you're being pro-active about your health care and seem to have a good grip on what's going on with you. I hope that you can get the docter to listen to you and take you seriously. It's your health we're talking about! You're dealing with things that can't be left to chance, especially your blood pressure! How was it yesterday when you had it checked before work? You're in my thoughts.
And watch out for quitting caffeine cold turkey gals. Sounds like Shiphrah gave herself a double-whammy: dangerous crash in blood sugar and caffeine withdrawl headache. If I remember correctly, caffeine withdrawl alone can feel like low blood sugar symptoms, so I can't imagine what you went through!

barneyb · 04-05-2005, 08:11 PM

Had it checked this morning and it was 138/94, so it's down some, but still too high. Had an intervention meeting for one of my students and didn't get to call the dr until after school - needless to say I didn't get a call back today.

Felt like crap all morning - just tired and achy and sick to my stomach - but managed to rally some by this afternoon. As I'd only had 180 calories between getting up at 5 and lunch at 11:30, I think maybe that was part of the problem. I just don't like to eat and would much rather exist on Diet Coke and water most of the time, which I know isn't good - especially if I'm having sugar/insulin problems. So this afternoon I had a turkey wrap from Subway (no salt, oil or cheese), but it's now an hour and a half later and I feel strange - kind of butterfly in the stomach-ish, if that makes sense.

Can't wait to see the dr on Friday!! I'm so tired of this.

lovelyinkedlady · 04-05-2005, 11:34 PM

Oh my good heavens. I would look in to getting a different dr and fast. Your blood pressure is extreamly high. Which is a big sign of Diabetes. Stop drinking the diet Coke!!!!!!!!!!!!! wheen your self off of it. It's definaly not helping you what so ever also get in and see a Reg. Diatition ASAP> As they can help you to get the right foods and eat the right things to help with the blood sugars.

blessed be

barneyb · 04-05-2005, 11:52 PM

Hey, I gave up the caffeine and the sugar; you mean now I have to kick the sodium too? Man, this sucks!!!! What about my beloved Crystal Light? I just don't like water that much. But I'm noticing that there's soooooo much sodium in just about everything. I definitely feel the need for a dietician to help me figure out what I can do and still enjoy life!

I downloaded the Medi-Focus guide today and printed some stuff to take to my dr. - wow, was that a helpful piece of info!! I'm more confused than before, but I'm sure that I'm on to something. All these things I've had for years but ignored because various drs blew them off are finally banding together and are coming to get me if I don't get them first.

This may be a strange ?? - I read somewhere that dry, cracked feet (heels specifically) are a sign of blood sugar problems. As I've tried all the pumice & such, as well as every lotion & cream known to man, but my heels are dry, cracked (sometimes very deeply), and the skin is really thick. Do I need to add this to the list of things to use as potential evidence?

Rasburry · 04-06-2005, 10:22 AM

it's definately worth mentioning to your docter, barneyb. How is your rate of healing? Does it take a long time for a wound to heal? Just curious.
And yes, it is good to cut back on sodium. This will floor you: the recommended daily dose of sodium is 30 mg. You know how much that is??? About 1 TEASPOON!!!!! Most people consume way, way more then that bc of how much sodium is already in any given food....before adding salt to it.
I'm not willing to give up my crystal light. It's much better then soda's, diet or otherwise.
Good luck hun. You're on the right track.