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Original poster

Droile & Suedonim , and anyone with Hypoglycemia or suspected

51 replies

melsy · 09/02/2004 10:32

Suedonim , I just noticed that you & Lisa both had low BP(reading the other thread on other subjects). I also suffered badly with that in pregnancy, it affetced the birth with all the drugs they plied me with. I wonder is that due to hypoglycemia?? Is it connected , I wonder why it happens??

OP posts:
Clarinet60 · 09/02/2004 10:45

Thanks for starting this thread Melsy. Yes, I have low Bp, and it was especially noticable during my section. I don't know why it happens. I did the hypo test on your link and my risk came out very high, although I don't suffer from all the symptoms listed. Those I do have, I have a lot, such as not being able to miss a meal without getting the shakes and extremely blurred vision.

Evita · 09/02/2004 10:46

melsy, I have v. low blood pressure and it was worse with pregnancy too. I think it is associated with hypoglycemia in that when having an 'attack' the blood pressure drops. But I'm not sure that low blood pressure causes hypoglycemia.

How you doing?

Clarinet60 · 09/02/2004 10:48

Do any of you have severe symptoms after aerobic excercise? I make sure I'm not hungry before I start, but still get a really thick, heavy head for days, and my chest feels congested.

Evita · 09/02/2004 10:58

No, Droile, I've never noticed that. With me it seems to be mostly related to tiredness and skipping meals. A quick burst of sugar helps quite quickly but I usually feel a bit grim for the rest of the day after a bad one.

survivour · 09/02/2004 11:09

Thinking about this question, it could be because, when you have low blood pressure, you don't feel like eating, maybe because you feel sick, that inturn causes the hypo! Just an idea, I have been a diabetic on insulin for the last 12 years, and only with my 3rd and last pregnancy did I have low BP, 60/40. Most of the time I spent laying down. Hope this helps.

hoxtonchick · 09/02/2004 11:14

hello survivour, i have diabetes too, so was going to write about hypos but you've beaten me to it! i have high blood pressure though, so no help from that perspective (though i'm pretty sure my bp doesn't drop when i'm hypo - where did you read that evita?). my sister in law is hypoglycaemic & is very careful about avoiding sugar (much more than me!), she also uses fruit sugar (i think it's called fruisana?) in cakes etc. i'm not sure how hypoglycaemia is diagnosed though,as it's a very transient thing - ie, you eat some sugar & are immediately fine again. from personal experience, i feel better within 10 minutes & it definitely doesn't affect me for the rest of the day at all. hope this isn't all too muddled!

Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 11:28

I am a member of a message board for Hypo (on MSN) and a fitness instructor on there siad that excercise can bring on an attack. So I am not sure what you can do to prevent it before exercising??

OP posts:
Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 11:34

Hi Evita , mee not so good. Have stomach bug so cant eat but need to eat otherwise feel very crap with the hypo G.

Survivour thats a good point about the low BP and sickness, I feel the worst in the morning and find it difficult to eat then , which is probably the most imp meal to have.

OP posts:
survivour · 09/02/2004 12:20

Melsy, try a bottle of lucozade, that ups your sugar, then a banana or biscuits to level it. I always carry a small lucozade bottle in my car.

gingernut · 09/02/2004 12:29

Just a suggestion - try to eat foods with a low glycaemic index (GI) . This list is not exhaustive as I notice it doesn't seem to list pasta or Basmati rice, which are both supposed to have a low GI. Low GI foods are are digested slowly and should provide a steady supply of sugar into the blood. There is a discussion about how eating the right foods can help when exercising here .

It definitely works for me WRT how I feel if I exercise - I often get quite light-headed otherwise. I don't know anything about a link with low blood pressure though.

HTH

Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 12:43

Unfortunately Survivour I cant have lucozade as I have a caffeine intolorance. I always thought upping your sugar to quickly with Hypo was bad as it can just worsen the condition. I was told not to touch dextrose tablets etc.

OP posts:
Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 12:47

Those links are really helpful gingernut, I have looked on Bupa website b4 but not seen these pages. Added them to my favs immediately as very useful and informative. Thank you

OP posts:
gingernut · 09/02/2004 13:05

You're welcome, melsy.

Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 13:36

Question gingernut, there is a calculation, top left of each GI index level(GI=60-100), do I have to calculate something??? Or is the gi level the # in the 3rd column. Not well , brain not on today.

OP posts:
suedonim · 09/02/2004 13:40

Thanks for starting this, Melsy. Where is the link that Droile mentions, for testing for Hypoglycaemia? I'd like to check that out!

Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 13:43

I could just link my original thread about doctors and Hypo??? Or shill I put all links on here in one go???

OP posts:
gingernut · 09/02/2004 13:55

melsy, it's not a calculation, it's the range for each group of foods (i.e. those with a high GI are defined as being those with a GI of between 60 and 100, hence 60-100, medium GI is 49-60 or something). So you don't have to do any calculations. The reference food is probably glucose, which is taken to have a GI of 100. Anything with a GI of less than 100 is digested more slowly than glucose.

Hope that makes sense!

Original poster
melsy · 09/02/2004 14:07

Ok feel like a tit now, LOL. from 60 to 100 not 60 minus hundred!!!!

OP posts:
Evita · 09/02/2004 16:00

Gosh, I never knew that low blood pressure made one feel sick. I feel terribly sick every morning, I've never been able to eat breakfast because of it. Do you think that's blood pressure related?

Melsy, so sorry to hear about the stomach bug. I imagine it's about the LAST thing you need right now. I HATE stomach bugs. Me and dp had one about 4 months ago and I still haven't got over it properly.

hoxtonchick · 09/02/2004 20:43

If you are hypoglycaemic, you NEED sugar immediately - the symptoms you get (for instance, I feel dizzy, light headed, am likely to pick big fights with dp...) - are your brain telling you that's it's running short of glucose.

It's vital that you raise your blood sugar as soon as possible. Sorry to sound overly dramatic, but if you don't take action to raise your blood sugar you could pass out quite quickly. A glass of fruit juice is a good way to raise your blood sugar quickly (I quite often steal ds' small cartons with straws - the perfect size), & after you've had that, you should also have some long-acting carbohydrate (a slice of toast or an apple or a couple of rich tea biscuits) to make sure you don't crash again half an hour later.

Hope I haven't scared anyone. I think if you do suspect you are hypoglycaemic you need to see your GP.

gingernut · 09/02/2004 22:27

hoxtonchick, I agree if you are hypoglycaemic you need sugar straight away. But I would think eating low GI foods should help stop hypoglycaemia developing in the first place. Melsy has already been to see her doctor - she started another thread about it here .

hoxtonchick · 09/02/2004 22:34

Yes, gingernut, low GI foods will definitely help balance out swings in blood sugar, I just wanted to stress the importance of treating symptomatic hypoglycaemia. I think you & I agree really . I had read Melsy's other thread before, & agree that a one-off glucose test would probably not pick up hypoglycaemia - Survivour's suggestion of a day with a blood glucose meter is great.

Actually, thinking about it more, the hypoglcaemia you get with diabetes is probably different in that your body has no control over the insulin (you've injected it) & can't respond quick enough with its own sugar. Hmmm, I am thinking & typing & dp wants the laptop, but I'll try & make more sense later!

gingernut · 09/02/2004 22:43

hoxtonchick, yes I think we do agree . And I was wondering that about the difference between a hypo caused by injected insulin and other forms of hypoglycaemia. In people who don't inject insulin, hypoglycaemia should be short-lived and never as severe as it would be with insulin because as soon as your blood sugar starts to drop below normal levels your body should respond by secreting glucagon and mobilising its fat reserves (I think? You have hypo symptoms once glycogen is used up?). I suspect that the feedback process may happen less quickly in some people than in others, hence some have more severe symptoms. Just a guess.

BTW my dh has NIDDM, currently treated by diet but I have an interest in this because he may end up on insulin in the long run.

hoxtonchick · 09/02/2004 22:47

that's exactly what i was thinking gingernut, but i've had 2 glasses of cava & am not expressing myself at all well! you have put it how i wanted to....

tell your dh that the reality of insulin isn't as scary as the idea of it. pen needles are tiny nowadays & it really hardly hurts. you do learn to be armed with instant sugar fixes at all times though. my ds, 2 last week, now says "mummy hypo, mummy juice" if i start acting strangely - it impresses me!

survivour · 10/02/2004 00:33

Hi hoxtonchick, I second that, diabetes need not be as scary as people make it out to be, and my kids have learnt that if I seem at little weird, they have to bring me something sweet straight away. Hi gingernut, diabetic hypo is much more serious, our bodies can not make glycogon/or was it because our pancreas does not work that signals do not go to our liver to make up extra sugar, that we can end up in a coma. And if we have one too many hypos we lose our license to drive a car, I have just sent in my new application, I do this every 3 years. Its not fair!!!!!!