Kassia Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 Almost every day I start feeling awful around 4pm - shaky, muscle weakness, pressure behind my eyes, and fatigue. I don't know what is causing it and am wondering if it could be a blood sugar issue? My eating is weird because I have to be on a low-fiber diet for now so I eat a lot of protein and refined carbs. It seems like if I eat an abundance of refined carbs - like binging on sugary cereal - I don't get this awful feeling but, of course, I don't want to do that. My A1C was tested last year twice and both times put me right at the borderline of prediabetes but my doctor wasn't concerned. I had my blood sugar tested several times this year because I had surgery and it was fine every time. I exercise quite a bit in the morning and am normal weight but I have gained a little since my surgery due to the change in diet and exercise (I used to exercise a lot and was only permitted to walk for six weeks after surgery - I still have restrictions but am doing more than walking now). My yearly physical appt. is in three weeks so I will definitely bring it up to my doctor then. But I feel so lousy every day and the only thing I can think of is that it's my blood sugar. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted July 30, 2018 Share Posted July 30, 2018 I feel lousy every time I let more than 2 hours go without eating a snack/meal, AND that snack has to contain fat or protein and carbs. I know my blood sugar drops because I bought a tester at Target once, and when I felt bad like you describe, my sugar was in the 50s. Now I know to carry snacks with me everywhere, just in case. My doc was very unhelpful and said that hypoglycemia happens a lot with "young women." Thanks, doc. You could buy a tester at Target, CVS, Walmart, etc. They're not very expensive. Do you feel better if you eat something sugary? Sorry ? I know how crappy it feels! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 30, 2018 Author Share Posted July 30, 2018 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Mainer said: I feel lousy every time I let more than 2 hours go without eating a snack/meal, AND that snack has to contain fat or protein and carbs. I know my blood sugar drops because I bought a tester at Target once, and when I felt bad like you describe, my sugar was in the 50s. Now I know to carry snacks with me everywhere, just in case. My doc was very unhelpful and said that hypoglycemia happens a lot with "young women." Thanks, doc. You could buy a tester at Target, CVS, Walmart, etc. They're not very expensive. Do you feel better if you eat something sugary? Sorry ? I know how crappy it feels! Yes, I feel better once I eat something sugary. But I usually end up binging (I have been struggling with eating disorders for my whole life). Right now I'm trying not to turn to sugar because I know it will trigger a binge so I am eating diet Jell-O instead, which I know won't do anything to help but it will distract me at least. Like you, I start feeling bad if I go more than 2 hours without a snack. The change in my diet post-op has been difficult to deal with since I can't eat many complex carbs or fiber. I should probably add a baked potato to my dinner - maybe that would help. Right now I just eat protein/fat for dinner, which does nothing for how bad I feel. ETA: Do you know why your blood sugar drops like it does? Edited July 30, 2018 by Kassia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Kassia said: Yes, I feel better once I eat something sugary. But I usually end up binging (I have been struggling with eating disorders for my whole life). Right now I'm trying not to turn to sugar because I know it will trigger a binge so I am eating diet Jell-O instead, which I know won't do anything to help but it will distract me at least. Like you, I start feeling bad if I go more than 2 hours without a snack. The change in my diet post-op has been difficult to deal with since I can't eat many complex carbs or fiber. I should probably add a baked potato to my dinner - maybe that would help. Right now I just eat protein/fat for dinner, which does nothing for how bad I feel. ETA: Do you know why your blood sugar drops like it does? Sorry it's so hard ? I'm able to eat sugary things, but only if they're paired with protein/fat... like I could eat sugary cereal or a muffin for breakfast, but with two eggs as well. I don't know why it drops... I was really interested to find out for a while, but then it was costing a lot of money for lab tests that showed nothing, so I decided to just deal with it. I've also had joint pains for about a decade, and haven't found out about that either - similar situation with it costing a lot and showing everything normal. I always thought maybe they're related somehow. The doctor had possibly the most frustrating advice ever: "Well, we'll find out what it is when it gets worse!" Yup, great. Could you add a baked potato with butter to your dinner? I don't have experience with eating disorders, so I don't want to steer you wrong. I'd say just don't eat sugary things in isolation, and see how that goes. Hopefully your doctor will have better advice! Edited July 31, 2018 by Mainer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I was just reading that reactive hypoglycemia can be caused by stomach surgery, because food passes too quickly through the system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 8 hours ago, Mainer said: . I was really interested to find out for a while, but then it was costing a lot of money for lab tests that showed nothing, so I decided to just deal with it. I've also had joint pains for about a decade, and haven't found out about that either - similar situation with it costing a lot and showing everything normal. I always thought maybe they're related somehow. The doctor had possibly the most frustrating advice ever: "Well, we'll find out what it is when it gets worse!" Yup, great. Could you add a baked potato with butter to your dinner? I don't have experience with eating disorders, so I don't want to steer you wrong. I'd say just don't eat sugary things in isolation, and see how that goes. Hopefully your doctor will have better advice! That's too bad that you couldn't get any answers and have to deal with the joint pain and low blood sugar without knowing what is causing them. My doctor is pretty useless, too. I pretty much have to research everything myself and then ask her to order the tests I want. She is not thorough at all. So frustrating to invest time and money for bad medical care! I could easily add the baked potato to dinner and see if that helps but the disordered eating makes it a bit of a mental battle. I'll have to play around with my food if this continues and see what happens. 8 hours ago, Mainer said: I was just reading that reactive hypoglycemia can be caused by stomach surgery, because food passes too quickly through the system. Interesting! I had surgery on my intestines - had 14 inches of my colon removed. But I don't feel like food is passing through too quickly. Thanks so much for all of your help! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanin Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 5 hours ago, Kassia said: Interesting! I had surgery on my intestines - had 14 inches of my colon removed. But I don't feel like food is passing through too quickly. Thanks so much for all of your help! ? Oh, that sounds traumatic! Best wishes for quick healing! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 I think it sounds like low blood sugar, but I'm not sure if it's high then crashes or low all around--I assume those would have different solutions. I get the shakes if I have coffee or tea without having something stabilizing (like fat or protein) or if I have too much at once. It seems to mess with blood sugar metabolism, and I've heard other peoples say the same. If you are having caffeine before you feel this way, it could be causing the problem or exacerbating it. You might re-think the timing of caffeine if it's contributing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 20 minutes ago, kbutton said: I think it sounds like low blood sugar, but I'm not sure if it's high then crashes or low all around--I assume those would have different solutions. I get the shakes if I have coffee or tea without having something stabilizing (like fat or protein) or if I have too much at once. It seems to mess with blood sugar metabolism, and I've heard other peoples say the same. If you are having caffeine before you feel this way, it could be causing the problem or exacerbating it. You might re-think the timing of caffeine if it's contributing. I've been wondering if it has to do with caffeine. I drink a lot of iced tea all day and it is not decaf. I didn't know that caffeine could mess with blood sugar metabolism. I'll have to look that up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted July 31, 2018 Share Posted July 31, 2018 Just now, Kassia said: I've been wondering if it has to do with caffeine. I drink a lot of iced tea all day and it is not decaf. I didn't know that caffeine could mess with blood sugar metabolism. I'll have to look that up. I am not sure how direct the link is, but a diabetic acquaintance was told that cutting caffeine would help with regulating blood sugar, and I know it somehow affects mine. Also, I had a friend who looked into getting anxiety meds only to find out that her anxious feelings were caused by caffeine (lots of iced tea). She was fine when she drank less of the caffeinated stuff. Some people are super sensitive. My DH can have buckets of caffeine and sugar and never feel bad. There is virtually no diabetes in his family, and they are all like that. It's not fair, lol! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted July 31, 2018 Author Share Posted July 31, 2018 (edited) 16 minutes ago, kbutton said: I am not sure how direct the link is, but a diabetic acquaintance was told that cutting caffeine would help with regulating blood sugar, and I know it somehow affects mine. Also, I had a friend who looked into getting anxiety meds only to find out that her anxious feelings were caused by caffeine (lots of iced tea). She was fine when she drank less of the caffeinated stuff. Some people are super sensitive. My DH can have buckets of caffeine and sugar and never feel bad. There is virtually no diabetes in his family, and they are all like that. It's not fair, lol! I suffer from anxiety, too - I wonder if the caffeine makes it worse. I drink an enormous amount of iced tea! Edited July 31, 2018 by Kassia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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