Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level - PaleoHacks.com

Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-04-20T12:36:38Z

If I have symptoms of hypoglycemia (dizziness, shaking, weakness, queasiness, cold sweats, etc.) and check my blood glucose level and it's 97, does that mean the symptoms must be something else? Or could it still be blood sugar related? I only had beef broth and coconut oil for breakfast so I thought it could be hypoglycemia but the blood test shows otherwise.

Answer by Dave S. for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-04-20T13:11:36Z

You can get hypoglycemia symptons from rapidly falling blood sugar, so it's not always the level (although it usually is). Glucometers can give bad readings - I've had up to 30 point difference on back to back readings. I would keep checking glucose levels and maybe eat something.

If you don't feel better go see a doctor or urgent care pronto.

Answer by xjhues for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-04-20T13:39:53Z

I used to suffer from symptoms of hypoglycemia almost daily. I always thought it was a reaction to not eating, so I'd eat every 2-3 hours. I've since learned that I had it backwards - the reaction was caused by eating. Since I started fasting it happens to me much less than it used to.

And to echo Dave S, yes most glucometers are crap.

Answer by Travis Culp for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-04-20T15:32:38Z

Just add some starch to your diet. I'm highly prone to hypoglycemia if I workout without sufficient starch. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and rice are all safe to eat. Paleo needn't be very low in carb intake.

Answer by Lee for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-04-20T15:48:39Z

In addition to rapidly falling BG, even slower changes over time can cause symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Let's say you have an a1c of 8, which is probably an average BG of around 210 depending on whose conversion chart you believe. Then you start taking meds, working out, or doing anything else that drops it over, say, a period of days or longer, to an average BG of 100. You can experience symptoms of hypoglycemia even with a BG of 100 because your body is used to something much higher.

My doctor didn't warn me of this, and when I went Paleo and started working out mine dropped substantially over a period of a couple weeks, and I had such symptoms. The way my body reacted adjusted over time, but for awhile I was pretty nervous.

This wisdom comes from Dr. Bernstein's diabetes book, which is holy writ for anyone with BG concerns.

Answer by Sara for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2011-05-05T01:40:46Z

I get those symptoms sometimes from high blood pressure, too.

Answer by Carrie for Hypoglycemia: symptoms vs. blood glucose level

2012-07-25T17:39:07Z

I agree with the person who mentioned that if your body is used to higher blood sugar averages, you'll actually feel bad at "good" numbers. My 81 or 82 year old diabetic friend feels horrible when her sugars are technically where they should be, so despite her doctor's advice (her attitude is "I"m 81, I'm not going to worry about it.") she allows her sugar level to stay SLIGHTLY high. I'm not advising that, but I'm just letting you know that it is true about "what your body is used to".

Also, I have felt bad in the 90s before if I dropped really fast down into the 90s. I felt bad at 127 yesterday! When I saw the 127 I flat out refused to eat again and just told myself to "snap out of it" and waited it out...because I knew I wasn't at dangerously low blood sugar numbers. One of the things it's been so hard for me to get endocrinologists to understand is that when you are hypoglycemic, it's not necessarily how low your blood sugar gets, it's how fast and how far you fall. I dropped from 187 to 67 a while back relatively quickly and got VERY sick.