is there anyone here who is hypoglycemic?

Question

i just found out i am hypoglycemic i am so scared. i am 29 and female. how do i treat it.

i have to eat every hour

if you have it can the doctor describe medican for it

Answer 1

I've been living with hypoglycemia for about 35 years, diagnosed when 14 or so.

It was scary at first, but it is not at all like diabetes. There is no medicine for hypoglycemia; food itself and the timing of meals is the way to treat it. Do not, under any circumstances, take sugar or glucose when your blood sugar goes down, as you body is extremely efficient at ridding itself of glucose and your blood sugar level will just plunge even lower! Eat a couple cubes of cheese and apple slices, some peanut butter with whole grain crackers, granola or trail mix with raisins and nuts, or other snack with protein and complex carbs. Then drink at least 6 ounces of water for every waking hour, a little at a time.

The best remedy is to eat small amounts of food frequently, to drink lots of fluids like water, coffee, hot chocolate, tea (avoid sodas either diet or regular) and juices like orange, cranberry, grapefruit. This will help to stabilize your electrolytes and keep your body producing its small amounts of insulin at a steady rate.

Avoid sugar substitutes like Equal or Splenda, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and added sweetners in general. Small amounts of cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, or sweets can be well tolerated if eaten after a meal of protein and low-glycemic carbs (such as apples, spinach, broccoli or cauliflower).

Try to avoid, as much as you can, prepared sauces and processed foods. This includes ketchup, most commercial salad dressings, all cold breakfast cereals (I've gotten away with plain shredded wheat or raisin bran now and then) and other seemingly innocent mainstays of our 21st century lifestyle that wreak havoc with blood sugar levels.

The interesting thing is that if you ignore hypoglycemia, you can develop diabetes fairly easily. But if you work with your system, you can keep a moderately low blood sugar level at all times, which is associated with lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels and a longer life.

Consider yourself lucky. You've got an 'early warning' system that will keep you from getting the really bad stuff!

Answer 2

Don't be scared - your condition can be treated. Hypoglycemia means that you don't have enough sugar in your blood. There is v little evidence for it having long term health implications (unlike diabetes) so that is good news, but untill you've got it under control it could give you memory problems and I'm guessing is making you feel pretty horrible.

You posted this under diabetes, let me explain how the two are related. Although people with diabetes do suffer from hypoglycemia, it is not diabetes. It's actually the opporsite - type 1 diabetes means that you don't make any insulin, we only get hypoglycemia when we've taken too much insulin for what we've eaten - for you I'm guessing your body produces too much insulin, so you get hypoglycemia naturally.

Try not to worry - I've met a few people with hypoglycemia and they all live totally happy, normal lives. It sounds like your dr has not given you a lot of information? I don't know if you'd need to see a consultant or not - are you waiting for an appointment? If you are only being treated by your gp remember they they are unlikely to know everything about the condition right away - keep going back and asking questions and they will have to find out the answer if they don't know it! Also remember that you have the right to see another dr or to ask for a second oppinion. I know it's hard to confront drs but remember that they have chosen (or should have chosen!) their profession because they want to help people - by asking questions and asking for their help you are giving them the opportunity to do that.

OK - I hope some of that is usefull to you. I'm sorry I don't know more about the actual treatment of the condition as I have diabetes so only know how to treat hypos for people with diabetes. I do know how horrible it is to be hypo a lot though and how much it sucs to have to eat when you don't want to, and all the social problems that go along with that - personally I think hypos are by far the worst part of having diabetes - so you have my sympathy! A couple of things that do help me are to drink fruit juice (v high in quick acting sugar) when I don't want to eat, and drinking a glass of milk with a teaspoon of nesquick (for flavour) and a teaspoon of cornflour (raw is v long acting carb) - I used to have several hypos most nights and this kept my blood sugars constant through the night; I don't know how well it would work for your condition though. Main thing is to try not to worry - it sucs but you will get it under control and when you do you will feel so much more well! Really good luck with it - hope you feel better soon xx

Mail me (click my name to the left) if ya wanna chat.

Answer 3

Hi, I have ben type 1 diabetic for 25 years. A hypoglycemia is when you blood glucose level falls below a certain amount. Having a hypoglycemia doesn't necaserilly mean you are a diabetic. Some women are known to have hypo's when they become pregnant, they're blood glucos drops through pregnancy and reverts back to normal after birth. However, if your glucose levels become too high (Hyperglycemic), then this CAN be an indication of diabeties. As far as im aware there is no medicine for a Hypo apart from something sweet, like chocolate or a sugary drink. The medicine i take is called insulin which regulates my glucose levels as my pancreas doesn't work (diabeties).

Answer 4

Ok, first off, although hypoglycemia is common in diabetics, it is actually NOT a sign of diabetes, the disease of diabetes mellitus is high sugar, not low. Hypoglycemia happens in diabetics because of the treatments, which are designed to lower glucose, not because of the disease itself. That having been said, the symptoms you describe are typical of hypoglycemia (I had a professor in medical school who used to say, "Hypoglycemia is like love; it starts with a tremor, palpitations, sweaty palms, then faintness, coma, and death" (I don't know what this says about his views of love, but it's proven a good mneumonic to me ^_^). Of course, there are many other things that can cause these symptoms as well, and it's important to find out exactly what the cause is so appropriate treatment can be given. The only way to really know about blood sugar is to measure it during these episodes and see what it is, and you doctor can help you with getting the equipment to do that.

Answer 5

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is there anyone here who is hypoglycemic?
i just found out i am hypoglycemic i am so scared. i am 29 and female. how do i treat it.

i have to eat every hour

if you have it can the doctor describe medican for it

Answer 6

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Answer 7

I'm assuming that you are NOT diabetic on medication.

Patients who get precipitous drops in sugar levels after food certainly occur. In the past this was commonest in patients who had had ulcer surgery. This is rare now, and I assume you are not in that group either.

There is no specific drug designed for non diabetics with hypo problems, and the hypo is not enough generally to cause loss of consciousness, though it can be unpleasant with headache, dizziness, faintness and sometimes a level of confusion. All I can suggest is carry glucose sweets with you, to take quickly if you feel it coming on.

You should see your GP for a general check up. It is important not to miss rarities. One of these is patients with insulinomas. Small lesions in the pancreas which secrete high levels of insulin. These are sometimes very difficult to diagnose and find and are sometimes missed.

Answer 8

i have been hypoglycemic most of my life . you just learn to live with it your body will let you know when your sugar is getting low, learn to read your own body and eat 6to 8 very small meals a day and drink plenty. and on final note BANANAS BANANAS BANANAS,they are one of the best foods for you,when you feel low as they are a complex carbohydrate and they help keep you sugar on an even keel by bringing it back to normal slowly.

Answer 9

You can only treat hypoglycaemia by giving your body what it needs - glucose.

I take it your doc is investigating the cause of your hypoglycaemia, although the most common cause being diabetes. There are other causes too, but you really need to be talking to your doc in order to establish a diagnosis and treatment plan.

Insulin is used to treat hyperglcaemia (when your blood glucose level is too high) Therefore would be unsuitable for your condition. Insulin is the hormone naturally produced by the pancreas in order to keep the blood glucose levels down at the normal range (approx 4.0 - 7.0 mmol/l)