After all this time, after all the tests, the doctors couldn't tell me what was wrong. I happened to be looking for some high protein snack ideas, and found the answer. I have been tested repeatedly for diabetes, and I don't have it. Other things, yes, but not diabetes.
It seems that every day, after a meal, I tend to want to fall asleep. It is a dangerous type of sleepiness. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing - I'm going OUT. That includes driving, so I have to be really careful. It also makes it difficult to lose weight, and that's been going up again. I've started using glucose tablets to stop "the sleepies" in an effort to not offend my college professors, and get my money's worth on this education...
The symptoms of this include sleepiness, headache, trembling or weakness (why I keep falling), headache, dizziness, double vision (not yet), and convulsions. This is serious stuff! And no doctors have even been concerned. They take the diabetes tests and tell me I'm OK, but I'm NOT OK!
I've come to the conclusion that if you are female, with a male doctor, or even a female doctor trained by male doctors (all of them) that you are on your own when you have some weird thing going on. Ask anyone with fibro-myalgia, and they will tell you the same thing. It isn't in our heads, we aren't crazy, and we aren't making this stuff up! Doctors need to LISTEN TO THEIR PATIENTS!
I started with a site talking about "postprandial (reactive) hypoglycemia" and how it is not related to diabetes.
They talk about a "breakfast test" that diagnoses the problem. You eat protein, carbs, and get blood tests for about 5 hours afterwards. This is different from the usual glucose tolerance test or an insulin tolerance test.
The causes of this are unknown, but there are several hallmarks that you can use to figure it out.
1) If you are sensitive to epinephrine, or have a lot of it in your body during times of stress.
2) If you don't make enough "gluogon." This is a hormone that raises blood sugar levels to counteract insulin after you digest your meal.
3) You've had gastric bypass surgery (not me).
4) If there is an enzyme deficiency in a child (again, not me, I'm an adult).
All this is lab work, but you can test it yourself at home. Eat a breakfast of 60% protein and 40% carbs. Test your blood sugar before you start eating and then every 30 minutes over a 3 to 5 hour period. Keep hard candy around in case your blood sugar drops too fast. If you have to use the sugar, your blood test needs to stop. Your blood sugar is much too low, and it bottomed before you took the candy.
Take these readings to your doc, and see if they can help you. If they can't, find an endocrinologist who works with folks with reactive hypoglycemia. You have to ask. If they don't know what you are talking about, hang up and call the next doc on your list.
To treat it, the typical hypoglycemic diet works: several small meals, high in protein and low in carbs. They say to stay away from high carb, low fiber diets. Stay away from breads! They are loaded with carbs and simple sugars. Eat a low-glycemic diet as much as possible.
Carry sugar in the form of hard candy or glucose tabs for emergency.
I'll get some gluten-free mix at the health food store, add some protein powder to it, and make up a base I can use for snacking bars. I can use oatmeal ground to a flour and soy flour to make it more like crackers.
I'll add stuff like nuts, peanut butter, some low-glycemic dried fruits, and seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. I can add agave for sweetness for a sweet snack.
I'll probably add cheese with some broken-up dried vegetable chips. That would be a good additive team for a savory snack. When I perfect the recipes, I'll share them here.
Anyway, I figured that this has to stop, and I'm glad I found out all this about it. It validates that I'm not nuts, and that this condition is experienced by others. That makes me feel a lot better.
And who knows? Maybe by getting this under control I will finally start to lose weight! Sheesh! I'm sure walking enough!
It seems that every day, after a meal, I tend to want to fall asleep. It is a dangerous type of sleepiness. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing - I'm going OUT. That includes driving, so I have to be really careful. It also makes it difficult to lose weight, and that's been going up again. I've started using glucose tablets to stop "the sleepies" in an effort to not offend my college professors, and get my money's worth on this education...
The symptoms of this include sleepiness, headache, trembling or weakness (why I keep falling), headache, dizziness, double vision (not yet), and convulsions. This is serious stuff! And no doctors have even been concerned. They take the diabetes tests and tell me I'm OK, but I'm NOT OK!
I've come to the conclusion that if you are female, with a male doctor, or even a female doctor trained by male doctors (all of them) that you are on your own when you have some weird thing going on. Ask anyone with fibro-myalgia, and they will tell you the same thing. It isn't in our heads, we aren't crazy, and we aren't making this stuff up! Doctors need to LISTEN TO THEIR PATIENTS!
I started with a site talking about "postprandial (reactive) hypoglycemia" and how it is not related to diabetes.
They talk about a "breakfast test" that diagnoses the problem. You eat protein, carbs, and get blood tests for about 5 hours afterwards. This is different from the usual glucose tolerance test or an insulin tolerance test.
The causes of this are unknown, but there are several hallmarks that you can use to figure it out.
1) If you are sensitive to epinephrine, or have a lot of it in your body during times of stress.
2) If you don't make enough "gluogon." This is a hormone that raises blood sugar levels to counteract insulin after you digest your meal.
3) You've had gastric bypass surgery (not me).
4) If there is an enzyme deficiency in a child (again, not me, I'm an adult).
All this is lab work, but you can test it yourself at home. Eat a breakfast of 60% protein and 40% carbs. Test your blood sugar before you start eating and then every 30 minutes over a 3 to 5 hour period. Keep hard candy around in case your blood sugar drops too fast. If you have to use the sugar, your blood test needs to stop. Your blood sugar is much too low, and it bottomed before you took the candy.
Take these readings to your doc, and see if they can help you. If they can't, find an endocrinologist who works with folks with reactive hypoglycemia. You have to ask. If they don't know what you are talking about, hang up and call the next doc on your list.
To treat it, the typical hypoglycemic diet works: several small meals, high in protein and low in carbs. They say to stay away from high carb, low fiber diets. Stay away from breads! They are loaded with carbs and simple sugars. Eat a low-glycemic diet as much as possible.
Carry sugar in the form of hard candy or glucose tabs for emergency.
I'll get some gluten-free mix at the health food store, add some protein powder to it, and make up a base I can use for snacking bars. I can use oatmeal ground to a flour and soy flour to make it more like crackers.
I'll add stuff like nuts, peanut butter, some low-glycemic dried fruits, and seeds like pumpkin or sunflower seeds. I can add agave for sweetness for a sweet snack.
I'll probably add cheese with some broken-up dried vegetable chips. That would be a good additive team for a savory snack. When I perfect the recipes, I'll share them here.
Anyway, I figured that this has to stop, and I'm glad I found out all this about it. It validates that I'm not nuts, and that this condition is experienced by others. That makes me feel a lot better.
And who knows? Maybe by getting this under control I will finally start to lose weight! Sheesh! I'm sure walking enough!
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