Hypoglycemia

summergirl · 01-23-2008, 10:30 PM

I feel as though I have these symptoms if I don't eat in time or have eaten something high in sugar but I have never been diagnosed with diabetes.
I often wonder if I am at the very beginning stages or if this is just something quirky with my body?

Saille · 01-23-2008, 11:20 PM

Well, the only way to get a proper diagnosis is to ask a doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test.
In the meantime, you can buy a glucose meter at walmart (their brand) for about $30 and 50 strips for about $30. You can use that at certain times and whenever you feel funky and it will tell you a lot about what your blood glucose is doing and where you stand.

Hypoglycemia can be it's own thing, it can also be a precursor to diabetes....it's really best if you make an appointment with your doctor and tell him/her of your concerns.

It's NOT something to mess around with....untreated hypoglycemia can kill.

summergirl · 01-24-2008, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saille

Well, the only way to get a proper diagnosis is to ask a doctor for an oral glucose tolerance test.
In the meantime, you can buy a glucose meter at walmart (their brand) for about $30 and 50 strips for about $30. You can use that at certain times and whenever you feel funky and it will tell you a lot about what your blood glucose is doing and where you stand.

Hypoglycemia can be it's own thing, it can also be a precursor to diabetes....it's really best if you make an appointment with your doctor and tell him/her of your concerns.

It's NOT something to mess around with....untreated hypoglycemia can kill.

I will make an appt. to see my doctor and thank you for the tips :-)

AboveTheExtreme · 01-24-2008, 12:40 AM

glucose tolerance test. it's very acurate.. my doctor made me drink this soda stuff it looked like dr. pepper but it was VERY sweet.. he gave me like a 16 ounce glass and said drink up.. so i did.. they took my blood an hour after i drank it and every 30 minutes for the next 5 hours.. it was getting painful after awhile *they had to restick me in the same holes to get my blood* at the end my bloodsugar only went up to 99 the whole time.

Leopassion7 · 01-26-2008, 01:27 AM

Oh my! I have hypoglycemia....I had no idea leaving it untreated could yield devastating effects. I just can't afford to see my doc right now.

Saille · 01-26-2008, 03:18 AM

When blood glucose goes too high a person can slip into a diabetic coma...if caught quickly enough insulin will bring it down and the person usually comes out of the coma. Damage is done, but the life isn't usually lost....now-a-days, that is.

When blood glucose goes too low, which means there is too much insulin in the body for the amount of glucose, it's called insulin shock although it's often referred to as a diabetic coma, as well. If those numbers go too low the organs in your body do not have the fuel to function...the body will allow the loss of the least necessary organs first and the most vital organs are the last to go, but go they will if the body doesn't get fuel, aka glucose.

We had a major accident recently at an intersection of the highway and our main street here in my town. A diabetic man (Type 1) took too much insulin and had a hypo. He passed out while driving down the road. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injurred. Unfortunately that kind of thing isn't completely uncommon.....diabetics going too low and losing consciousness.

When an EMS crew responds to somebody who is unconscious and they discover that person is a diabetic they give them what is basically a shot if potent glucose. They treat it as if it's a low, as if it's hypoglycemia, because that it the most dangerous thing that could be happening and the most likely.

I didn't have any medical insurance the first two years I was dx'ed diabetic, so I know how much it can all cost. You've got to make the dollars that you can spend on it count as best you can. There are no meds for hypoglycemia, but a glucose meter and strips are majorly important. I used to get my test strips off ebay, usually a bit expired, but 98% of the time they worked fine and they were a lot cheaper that way. Glucose tablets at the pharmacy are cheap and easy to carry around with you and stash everywhere.