hypoglycemia

myrage · Feb 17, 2005

Not that it is important, but a thread in IMO has taken on another issue... Hyboglycemia. I don't know that I am, but I made a comment in that thread that caused the discussion. I thought that I would just start a thread here on it, so that the other thread doesn't end up getting hijacked

Originally Posted by MyRage

People who are around me a lot notice that I get really irritable when I am hungry. So people make a point to feed me.

I actually don't guard my food, everyone else does

LOL

Originally Posted by mrsd

Myrage, does your blood sugar drop?

Originally Posted by MyRage

I'm not sure. My mom always told me she suspected I was hypoglycemic(SP?) I've never been diagnosed, but I get really strange the more hungry I get. I sometimes get to a point where I refuse to eat because I feel so sick and light headed?

It's like I loose all reasoning. I just know that sometimes people start asking me If I'm hungry, and I've started joking back 'Why? Am I being mean?'

Originally Posted by Obi

Yup, that's low blood sugar alright. I get the same way. When my blood sugar gets low I get really irritable and then start to become slightly irrational (which I hate). Mostly because I don't have the patience to THINK anymore. My husband has learned that if I get like that he just needs to take charge, because I have trouble making a decision (and I'm usually quite decisive) and will get irritated if asked to make one. If I wait even longer I get sick to my stomach and develop a migrane. Which, as you noted, makes it nearly impossible to eat and fix the symptoms. Here's a good trick: dump some sugar into orange juice, hold your nose, drink it down and then lie down somewhere quiet. That's what you can do for diabetics to give them a quick boost, too. The sugar in there mobilizes into the bloodstream more quickly than from a candy bar or something.

Originally Posted by squirtle

My blood sugar drops when I am hungry. Once when we were moving I had been working hard at it for about 8 or 9 hours in the middle of summer. I hadn't eaten or even had a drink for all of that time. I suddenly realized I was about to pass out and got very angry feeling. I got my boyfriend, err fiance now

, and practically yelled at him that I had to eat right that second. I didn't get violent, but I almost felt like I could have.

Originally Posted by Leli

Just wanted to let you and anyone else reading this know that you should be careful doing that. I was hypoglycemic for a good part of my early teens, and know exactly what you're talking about. You're right, the sugar is absorbed more quickly from things like orange juice becase it's simple sugars (monosaccharides) that we are able to absorb. We have to break down anything more complex first. The sugar in orange juice will be mainly fructose, the sugar you dump in is sucrose (you shouldn't really need to dump this extra sugar in, orange juice has plently of it's own sugar) and they can both be absorbed quickly. The danger comes when you get past that first stage. Think of your sugar absorption as the shape of a mountain or hill. Complex sugars and starches break down slowly and the sugars are absorbed over time, making a long, low hill-shape. For simple sugars that we don't have to break down, it happens quickly and the shape is like a mountain, short with a peak. If you get to the bottom of the other side (which can happen FAST if you're truly hypoglycemic) without having something more to digest, you'll "crash" - feel VERY tired, lethargic, headache-y, even pass out (which is very EMBARASSING, trust me lol) etc. Please make sure you don't just chug juice and leave it at that. Juice is GREAT for inital relief, but have a muffin or something once you're able to, so you won't have to feel junky.

I also thought that perhaps I am not the only one who gets all 'irrational' when they don't eat. Maybe someone here may be like me, and read this thread and get help, there is very good info here. I just didn't want this to take away from the original thread it was in.

This is the thread, in IMO
12yr old kills 9 yr old

myrage · Feb 17, 2005

I did want to add:

Right before our wedding, we were staying with my cousin and her 4yr old daughter. We had both just gotten jobs, and were starting to bring in money (We were moving from one town to another, and she was helping us). It was too little almost too late. I hadn't been eating a lot, because we didn't have enough money to put towards food. I lost a lot of weight (Normal about 115-120), I was down to about 95lbs. I was a walking skeleton. One day I ate one little snack bag of chex mix, and then after work, while walking around at a carnival with my cousin, I passed out. Right next to a game booth with a cute indian guy with long hair. The prizes were giant Scooby Doo dolls. That indian guy ran over to me, and was pouring water over me, and handed me a bottle of water to drink. The parimedics came and wheeled me to the first aid station. They made me drink poweraide, and were mad at me for not taking care of myself. They didn't test my blood sugar but they said my 'palp'? I think that was what it was, was too low.???

Not sure what that meant.

After that I was practicly force fed. I had spent most of my time those few weeks sleeping because I was so tired. I had no energy. I was always mad, and irritated. I was always light headed, and felt woozy.

Once we moved out of her house and got a place of our own, we did better, and I was eating regularly. I've always had eating issues. Growing up, I learned not to notice my hunger, because I was ALWAYS hungry.

Working at Dominos though... I get lots to eat... Ugh. So sick of pizza.

turtlecat · Feb 17, 2005

I have Hypoglycemic fits.. it does get to the point that I don't want to eat, or I crave one thing, and itf it's not that, then I'm not eating!! Also, my hypoglcemia induces my migraines somehow.. so I have to be really careful.. it's awful!!

sashacat421 · Feb 17, 2005

Gosh Tia, that's something. What is it when you have to have sugar to feel normal? Is that a diabetic? i don't know, sorry if I'm stupid!

myrage · Feb 17, 2005

Originally Posted by sashacat421

Gosh Tia, that's something. What is it when you have to have sugar to feel normal? Is that a diabetic? i don't know, sorry if I'm stupid!

I've always assumed that diabetic and hypoglycemia are related, but opposites of each other.

I do know this though, sometimes when I eat a lot of sugar I get really sick feeling, and have to lay down for a while. I stay away from fudges, some cheesecakes(oooh I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Cheesecake.) I have to stay away from things that are really rich in sugar, I just don't like them, and they make me feel sick.

Someone told me I feel this way when I get hungry because I am native(american), Oglala Sioux, and Northern Cheyenne, I naturally have low blood sugar. They said that native's blood sugar is naturally lower then most people, wich is why alcohol effects us so much. The alcohol raises our blood sugar, making us feel really good, then it drops, so we drink more to mantain that feeling (I guess

) That is how it was explained to me.

So, I may not be hypoglycemic, It just may be my genetic make up?

kittykook · Feb 17, 2005

Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and can be fairly common....especially in women. I've noticed that mine is a lot harder to control right before my period. It has been known to drop down into the low 30's. I used to pass out a lot before I knew how to manage it. Now, as soon as I feel the symptoms starting, I will get something to eat.

It's better not to eat any concentrated sweets when this happens though, because that will just cause your sugar to go up temporarily and then go down again. If it's an emergency, then by all means....give the person sugar....any kind of sugar....just to get their sugar up some.

Sometimes, hypoglycemia can turn into diabetes (high blood sugar) later in life because the pancreas has been so over-active (secreting too much insulin) that it could eventually give out and start secreting lower levels of insulin (not enough to keep sugar down) or quit secreting it all together.

If you are prone to low blood sugar....the best way to combat it is with small frequent meals, lay off the concentrated sweets, (since they tend to cause a rebound or roller coaster effect with your glucose levels) maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly.

There are two main types of diabetes: juvenile onset or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus which often begins in childhood, but can actually start at any age; and adult onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The second type, adult onset, can sound misleading, because this type can also require insulin. There are other types of diabetes too, such as gestational diabetes, (diabetes while you're pregnant, but goes away when you're not) and diabetes insipidus which is different than the others because it is often caused by pituitary disorders and causes increased urination and thirst which resemble the other kinds of diabetes, but it doesn't affect the glucose levels.

This is the nutshell version without getting too technical. Hope it helps.

myrage · Feb 17, 2005

Wow, Robin. That was a lot of info.

My mom's mom had diabedes, I remember her getting shots in her tummy when I was small. (she passed away when I was 5)

My mother in law became diabetic after a head on collision. She had major head trauma, had to relearn everything. Had to be reintroduced to her 4 children, (Hubby was the middle child. His younger bro and sis were twins). She regained her memory. Has problems. She keeps her blood sugar stable by eating properly. She's about 63 now. Not too bad

She sounds like the last one you mentioned. She checks her blood sugar every day.

I also have a cousin who was born diabetic. She's ... um... 13 now, I think. She is so wonderful, and sweet. I asked her when she was younger (I'd given candy to all my younger cousins, and she said 'no thankyou, I can only have sugar free' I think she was 7 maybe) if it bothered her that she didn't get candy like most kids. She said it didn't matter to her much. There is sugarfree candy out there. She really wasn't into candy anyway. What a good girl. (Her dad hooked up with my aunt)

Thankyou for the info, that makes a lot more sense to me.

tuxedokitties · Feb 17, 2005

You might want to set an appointment to talk w/a dietician, especially since diabetes runs in your family. Your doctor can do a glucose tolerance test on you to formally diagnose your hypoglycemia - it's no fun, but it will get you diagnosed and started on a treatment plan, and also puts your doc on alert to watch for diabetes. Then a dietician can help you work out the best diet for you to help keep it under control. The toughest part for me is staying away from sweets, but it's very important, especially b/c it prevents the horrible blood sugar crashes, and lessens the strain on your pancreas.

leli · Feb 17, 2005

Originally Posted by KittyKook

Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and can be fairly common....especially in women. I've noticed that mine is a lot harder to control right before my period. It has been known to drop down into the low 30's. I used to pass out a lot before I knew how to manage it. Now, as soon as I feel the symptoms starting, I will get something to eat.

It's better not to eat any concentrated sweets when this happens though, because that will just cause your sugar to go up temporarily and then go down again. If it's an emergency, then by all means....give the person sugar....any kind of sugar....just to get their sugar up some.

Sometimes, hypoglycemia can turn into diabetes (high blood sugar) later in life because the pancreas has been so over-active (secreting too much insulin) that it could eventually give out and start secreting lower levels of insulin (not enough to keep sugar down) or quit secreting it all together.

If you are prone to low blood sugar....the best way to combat it is with small frequent meals, lay off the concentrated sweets, (since they tend to cause a rebound or roller coaster effect with your glucose levels) maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly.

There are two main types of diabetes: juvenile onset or insulin dependent diabetes mellitus which often begins in childhood, but can actually start at any age; and adult onset or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. The second type, adult onset, can sound misleading, because this type can also require insulin. There are other types of diabetes too, such as gestational diabetes, (diabetes while you're pregnant, but goes away when you're not) and diabetes insipidus which is different than the others because it is often caused by pituitary disorders and causes increased urination and thirst which resemble the other kinds of diabetes, but it doesn't affect the glucose levels.

This is the nutshell version without getting too technical. Hope it helps.

That's a pretty good description.
Ok, just have to mention one thing. Diabetes isn't exactly high blood sugar. Hyperglycemia (hyper-high, glycemia- blood sugar) is a symptom of diabetes, as is frequent urination. Diabetes is a disease related to insulin. Insulin is a hormone your body uses to tell it's cells to take in some glucose (fuel for them). In diabetics, either their cells are missing the piece of equiptment that lets them hear insulins message, or there just isn't any insulin to tell the cells it's sugar time, (it's a membrane receptor thing), so they don't take in the sugar...it just builds up in the blood stream, cuz it's not being used.

Hope that wasn't too much jargon. If you want to know more or the technical details, let me know.

mom of franz · Feb 17, 2005

Tia, a great place to find medical info of any kind is WebMd.com It give plain talking, patient friendly info on any medical topic. I would send you a link, but the site on my PC is linked to AOL. Don't know if AOL is your ISP. I checked the site and it has oodles of info on hypoglycemia. Good luck!

katspixiedust · Feb 17, 2005

Hmmm...interesting about the Native American thing. I wonder if that is true? I too am Native American - Cherokee - and I know that I have the same kind of problems you were discussing. When I haven't eaten in a while I get very lightheaded and dizzy, along with serious headaches and nausea. I generally feel that as soon as I eat something I perk right back up. On the other end of the spectrum when I have too much sugar I get sick as well. One Halloween a couple of years ago I was handing candy out to kids and of course eating half of it while I waited lol. Well, by the end of the night when I went to stand up I was so dizzy and nauseated I had to sit down again. Even sitting things were spinning. I've always wondered if I'm hypoglacemic but I've heard that the test to find out is so miserable that I just haven't even wanted to get it done.

This thread is quite helpful. Thanks for putting this here!!

myrage · Feb 17, 2005

Originally Posted by katspixiedust

Hmmm...interesting about the Native American thing. I wonder if that is true? I too am Native American - Cherokee - and I know that I have the same kind of problems you were discussing. When I haven't eaten in a while I get very lightheaded and dizzy, along with serious headaches and nausea. I generally feel that as soon as I eat something I perk right back up. On the other end of the spectrum when I have too much sugar I get sick as well. One Halloween a couple of years ago I was handing candy out to kids and of course eating half of it while I waited lol. Well, by the end of the night when I went to stand up I was so dizzy and nauseated I had to sit down again. Even sitting things were spinning. I've always wondered if I'm hypoglacemic but I've heard that the test to find out is so miserable that I just haven't even wanted to get it done.

This thread is quite helpful. Thanks for putting this here!!

Wow, you almost sound like me. I've always had it in the back of my mind, so everyone around me is good about feeding me. My hubby dated a girl who was diagnosed, and he said I am similar, but she was more extreme.

You are welcome for putting it here. I honestly never thought to take it seriously, until now. It all started with a half joking comment on another thread, and snowballed. I figured if I never really thought about it as being anything more then an inconvenience, maybe others thought the same way. Since then I've talked to a few more people, including my boss who has family that is. She told me the first thing to do is quit junk food. She said instead of junkfood, try fruit. Try to eat more natural sugars.

I will go to the website to further educate myself.

I'll link it when I find it. I don't use aol, but thankyou for mentioning it

http://webmd.com/

hypoglycemia

myrage

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