Dizziness, eating, circulation and blood sugar... gestational diabetes? advice

[hamncheese]

Four times now since I have been pregnant I have had these extremely odd and scary episodes. They occur after two things happen at the same time: 1) I eat a large meal and 2) I am cold. The result being that about 15 minutes or so after finishing eating I start to feel sick, dizzy, and my heart races. The dizziness isn't like vertigo room spinning stuff it's more everything is a bit cloudy and moves when I move my head. The racing heart is regular but you can feel it bouncing away in there from the outside very obviously. Sometimes this is coupled with feeling sick and a headache too. It lasts for at least an hour but often for several and I only feel better after sleeping it off.

Went to the doctor who didn't really know and got a blood test for thyroid issues (no results as of yet) but hadn't really any other advice. She seemed more concerned about the racing heart but for me what was more worrying was feeling like I was off my face wasted/drugged. Similar to being given strong pain killers intravenously for anyone who has had that.

Anyway as usual with doctors I find that thinking about it for myself often leads to an answer and I've come to the conclusion that it is both related to blood sugar levels and circulation. This only ever happens when the two factors of eating a lot AND being cold collide. I've eaten big meals and been fine. I've been cold, snacked and been fine. But when I eat a lot and then am cold is when it hits- for example yesterday when I went out for lunch with DH, ate A LOT, including a sugary dessert, and then walked for half an hour home in the freezing windy coldness.

Found this article which is interesting and mentions having deep veins as being something related to it:sci.rutgers.edu/forum/archive/index.php/t-5183.html - I do indeed have deep veins.

I reckon what happens is that I eat a lot, the blood goes to the stomach to digest as normal. But if I am cold, the constriction of the blood vessels further restricts normal circulation and therefore I end up feeling light headed.

Basically want to know of anyone else out there who is experiencing this and if they think this makes sense? I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm going to have to eat small regular meals without fail and if I get cold (which is bloody always since its freezing all the time) then snack slowly. Finding this really frustrating not being able to go out for a few hours without planning like three meals around it and having to take snacks and packed lunches all the time or fork out for food when out and about.

So yea I'm moaning about it but also wondering if anyone has an opinion on the conclusion I've come to and also if this relates to gestational diabetes at all? If you have GD and had these symptoms? Because the doctor and midwife didn't make a link and I've not been tested etc.

Thanks and sorry it's so long!

Hi, i am writing this on my phone so will have to keep it brief. I am a Type W diabetic, which is different in many ways to GD but I do have a rough idea. I can't check out your link on my phone without it taking ages, but re the GD questions I would say this is highly unlikely. If you were developing GD your blood sugar levels would go UP - this would make you feel sick, want to wee, and be generally under the weather. A hypo is when the blood sugar level is too low, due to too much insulin in relation to the carbs you have consumed. As you are not artificially injecting insulin this is very unlikely.
You can have low-ish blood sugar if you are not diabetic but it is not very dramatic. Google 'hypoglycemia' to have a nosey.

Sorry, I meant Tye 1 diabetic, not Type W - bloody phone!

hi hamn well i have had this, up a mountain (not pregnant) it was awfull, headache so bad i had flashing lights and everything. had not eaten much in morning as was worried about the many snowboarding falls, sat for lunch and got quite cold. had been perfectly healthy before, anyway similar to your description and I do have a blood sugar thing every now and then. am trying to eat really simply, smoothie for bfast and quinoa porridge, lots of wholegrains and nothing too refined. you could also make sure you are moving your body enough, foot circles standing and rocking forward and back like a policeman these can all help get your circulation going...