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I'm 44 and have recently been told I may have reactive hypoglycemia. Of the little I learned the day I was diagnosed I heard lots of things like this "just might be the way I am" and, better yet, that one morning I might wake up and it would "just go away." I got little useful information and virtually no diet advice.
You can guess how high the esteem I have for my doctors is right now.
Until about 3 years ago I was dancing ballet at a pretty much professional level, taking class up to 5 days a week, appearing in local productions. After "Nutcracker" one year I found myself getting tired and winded in class more easily. A few weeks later I started getting shakes and muscle weakness. After about three months struggling with this I left a class one day after only about 10 minutes completely exhausted. I haven't been back since. In the last year I've also had to give up swimming. My morning swims became more and more of a chore. Even on slow, easy swims, my arms would be so weak and shake so much afterward I'd have to use both hands to hold my razor to shave. My legs would feel like rubber. Like dance, I finally gave up and stopped altogether.
Trying to get someone to even suspect a sugar problem has been a real challenge. They look at me and say I can't have a problem, I'm too skinny and I eat "right."
I finally bought a blood monitoring kit and started checking myself. I came to realize those anxiety attacks after eating were really my blood sugar dropping, and those mornings where I became really brain dead and lethargic after breakfast, those were the days my sugars spiked. I've tracked it for a while now and what I'm finding is confusing to me.
I've found that my waking glucose is around 73 - 80. Anything below 76 I begin to experience hypoglycemic effects. If I eat a "healthy" breakfast, protein, complex carbs, anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour later my sugars drop and I experience shakes and muscle weakness. If I try to incorporate simple sugars my blood glucose goes up to 130 or 140, sometimes higher. Once I pass 130 I get really tired and brain dead. I just want to lay down but can't seem to sleep when these hit. Sometimes it can take all day to finally feel better. My endocrinologist told me this weekend that perhaps, for me, normal was 76-130 or so. I can deal with that but the lack of dietary advice and the kind of "what are you gonna do" attitude concerned me.
I have a very stressful job that I believe has contributed to this condition. I feel better but not well when I'm not working. I know a career change is in the works which should help. I also have some dietary complications: Celiac's Disease and some food allergies that restrict what I can eat: No acidic fruit, no wheat, no corn, no soy. Makes it tough.
Right now I'm just very confused and not sure what to do next. I find myself jealous and angry when I see people jogging or riding bikes, doing otherwise healthy activities. It only reminds me I can't do those things anymore. I'm 44, I don't think I should be feeling like this. I'm annoyed with doctors who do not give me much in the way of advice on what to do, how to eat or even where to go for this information. Frankly, I don't feel like they're taking this seriously because I don't weigh 300 pounds! My endocrinologist told me this weekend to eat more complex carbs, then told me to eat more simple carbs. He gave me contradictory information without even hesitating???? The only definitive advice I got was to check my sugars when I feel weak, add more good fats to my diet and come back in 6 weeks.
Big help.
So, I'm here for advice, for guidance and support in the hopes of getting my life back.
You can guess how high the esteem I have for my doctors is right now.
Until about 3 years ago I was dancing ballet at a pretty much professional level, taking class up to 5 days a week, appearing in local productions. After "Nutcracker" one year I found myself getting tired and winded in class more easily. A few weeks later I started getting shakes and muscle weakness. After about three months struggling with this I left a class one day after only about 10 minutes completely exhausted. I haven't been back since. In the last year I've also had to give up swimming. My morning swims became more and more of a chore. Even on slow, easy swims, my arms would be so weak and shake so much afterward I'd have to use both hands to hold my razor to shave. My legs would feel like rubber. Like dance, I finally gave up and stopped altogether.
Trying to get someone to even suspect a sugar problem has been a real challenge. They look at me and say I can't have a problem, I'm too skinny and I eat "right."
I finally bought a blood monitoring kit and started checking myself. I came to realize those anxiety attacks after eating were really my blood sugar dropping, and those mornings where I became really brain dead and lethargic after breakfast, those were the days my sugars spiked. I've tracked it for a while now and what I'm finding is confusing to me.
I've found that my waking glucose is around 73 - 80. Anything below 76 I begin to experience hypoglycemic effects. If I eat a "healthy" breakfast, protein, complex carbs, anywhere from 1/2 to 1 hour later my sugars drop and I experience shakes and muscle weakness. If I try to incorporate simple sugars my blood glucose goes up to 130 or 140, sometimes higher. Once I pass 130 I get really tired and brain dead. I just want to lay down but can't seem to sleep when these hit. Sometimes it can take all day to finally feel better. My endocrinologist told me this weekend that perhaps, for me, normal was 76-130 or so. I can deal with that but the lack of dietary advice and the kind of "what are you gonna do" attitude concerned me.
I have a very stressful job that I believe has contributed to this condition. I feel better but not well when I'm not working. I know a career change is in the works which should help. I also have some dietary complications: Celiac's Disease and some food allergies that restrict what I can eat: No acidic fruit, no wheat, no corn, no soy. Makes it tough.
Right now I'm just very confused and not sure what to do next. I find myself jealous and angry when I see people jogging or riding bikes, doing otherwise healthy activities. It only reminds me I can't do those things anymore. I'm 44, I don't think I should be feeling like this. I'm annoyed with doctors who do not give me much in the way of advice on what to do, how to eat or even where to go for this information. Frankly, I don't feel like they're taking this seriously because I don't weigh 300 pounds! My endocrinologist told me this weekend to eat more complex carbs, then told me to eat more simple carbs. He gave me contradictory information without even hesitating???? The only definitive advice I got was to check my sugars when I feel weak, add more good fats to my diet and come back in 6 weeks.
Big help.
So, I'm here for advice, for guidance and support in the hopes of getting my life back.
, I think I have found a Balletomane. 
