Diabetic Diet & Blood Gluecose

If you have Fasting Hypoglycemia please answer my question. Thank you.
I was just wondering.

Symptoms of Hypoglycemia
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Hypoglycemia includes the 22 symptoms listed below:

Shaking
Trembling
Sweating
Excessive hunger
Pallor
Irritability
Rapid heart beat
Palpitations
Headache
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/h/hypoglycemia/intro.htm
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/h/hypoglycemia/symptoms.htm#symptom_list

I’ve been trying to become pregnant for almost a year and just found out I have hypoglycemia (blood sugar fluctuation). Has anybody became pregnant having my situation? I know I ovulate because I’ve done a test and my husband has done tests for his sperm count and he is ok too.

yes you can get pregnant still but for many women, pregnancy makes hypoglycemia worse, particularly in the first trimester. In some cases, women have their first experiences with a drop in blood sugar during pregnancy. This may only occur during pregnancy or may continue to be a problem after pregnancy.
Fortunately, there appear to be no serious threats to the baby if mommy is hypoglycemic. However, it can be a problem for you. Therefore, it is important that you learn to control your blood sugar. For most women, this can be done through proper diet and regular meals and snacks.
Hopefully you wil conceive soon, my research indicates there should be no problem, as long as you are ovulating (producing eggs) and having sex at the right times. Good luck

I am finding it hard to eat so frequently, so I really need small snacks that will prevent this problem occurring without making me feel full all the time. Is cheese on it’s own okay?

Cheese, crackers, nutrain bars, I don’t eat much in a day and it doesn’t happen to me but I always have something with me incase it does. Glucose tablets also help incase of an emergency.

My dad is the only one diagnosed with it but my mom and I always get shaky, nervous, dizzy, frequent head rushes, and the cold sweats when we haven’t eaten. This seems to point to hypoglycemia. Also, is this hereditary?

Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) level falls too low. There are a number of reasons why this may happen, the most common being a side effect of drugs used for the treatment of diabetes. But to understand how hypoglycemia happens, it helps to know how your body normally regulates blood sugar production, absorption and storage.

Blood sugar regulation
During digestion, your body breaks down carbohydrates from foods — such as bread, rice, pasta, vegetables, fruit and milk products — into various sugar molecules. One of these sugar molecules is glucose, the main energy source for your body. Glucose is absorbed directly into your bloodstream after you eat, but it can’t enter the cells of most of your tissues without the help of insulin — a hormone secreted by your pancreas.

When the level of glucose in your blood rises, it signals certain cells (beta cells) in your pancreas, located behind your stomach, to release insulin. The insulin, in turn, unlocks your cells so that glucose can enter and provide the fuel your cells need to function properly. Any extra glucose is stored in your liver and muscles in the form of glycogen. This process lowers the amount of glucose in your bloodstream and prevents it from reaching dangerously high levels. As your blood sugar level returns to normal, so does the secretion of insulin from your pancreas.

If you haven’t eaten for several hours and your blood sugar level drops, another hormone from your pancreas called glucagon signals your liver to break down the stored glycogen and release glucose back into your bloodstream. This keeps your blood sugar level within a normal range until you eat again.

Aside from your liver breaking down glycogen into glucose, your body also has the ability to manufacture glucose in a process called gluconeogenesis. This process occurs primarily in your liver, but also in your kidneys, and makes use of various substances that are precursors to glucose.

Possible causes, with diabetes
If you have diabetes, the effects of insulin on your body are drastically diminished, either because your pancreas doesn’t produce enough of it (type 1 diabetes) or because your cells are less responsive to it (type 2 diabetes). As a result, glucose tends to build up in your bloodstream and may reach dangerously high levels. To correct this problem, people with diabetes take insulin or other drugs designed to lower blood sugar levels.

If you take too much insulin relative to the amount of glucose in your bloodstream, it can cause your blood sugar level to drop too low, resulting in hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia may also result if, after taking your diabetes medication, you don’t eat as much as usual (ingesting less glucose) or you exercise more (using up more glucose) than you normally would. Your doctor usually works with you to find the optimum dosage that fits your regular eating and activity habits to prevent this from happening.

Possible causes, without diabetes
Hypoglycemia in people without diabetes is much less common. Causes may include the following:

?Medications. Taking someone else’s oral diabetes medication accidentally is a common cause of hypoglycemia. Other medications may cause hypoglycemia, especially in children or in people with kidney failure. One example is quinine, which is used to treat leg cramps and malaria.
?Excessive alcohol consumption. Drinking heavily without eating can block your liver from releasing stored glucose into your bloodstream, causing hypoglycemia.
?Some critical illnesses. Severe illnesses of the liver, such as drug-induced hepatitis, can cause hypoglycemia. Disorders of the kidney, which can keep your body from properly excreting medications, can affect glucose levels. Long-term starvation, as may occur in the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, can result in the depletion of substances your body needs in gluconeogenesis, causing hypoglycemia.
?Tumors. A rare tumor of the pancreas (insulinoma) may cause overproduction of insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia. Other tumors may result in excessive production of insulin-like substances. Or, the tumors themselves may use up too much glucose. Enlargement of beta cells of the pancreas that produce insulin (nesidioblastosis) may result in excessive insulin release, causing hypoglycemia. People who’ve undergone gastric bypass surgery are at risk of this condition.
?Endocrine deficiencies. Certain disorders of the adrenal glands and the pituitary gland can result in a deficiency of key hormones that regulate glucose production. Children with these disorders are more prone to hypoglycemia than are adults.
Hypoglycemia after meals
Most hypoglycemia occurs when you haven’t eaten (in a fasting state), but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, hypoglycemia occurs after meals because the body produces more insulin than is needed. This type of hypoglycemia is called reactive or postprandial hypoglycemia.

Tin

I have hypoglycemia……for life. Is there any way for me to get diabetes? If i can, then how? I just want to know so i can live a healthy life and shy away from bad areas that will cause me to get unhealthy.

i was hypoglycemic for years before i became diabetic. some people have even called it pre-diabetes. good diet and weight maintenence is key

I have had it for ten years but recently I have gone from 4 hours down to 2 and a half before I have to eat.
The doctor is not very helpful and I just wondered how my fellow hypoglycemics cope?
What I’d really find useful is a list of foods! I have discovered that museli works excellently as do cheeses, pasta and meat.
Any other ideas?

Well as I’m still in school (Going into 9th grade) I really base it around that. I eat breakfast, at lunch, and when i get home. As well as periodically afterward including dinner. I’ve been pretty lax about it now that it’s summer. (Not such a great idea as it turns out). Like you I’ve found that meats and cheeses work well. I also like to use nuts and seeds. (peanut butter and sunflower seeds anyway) They work pretty well. I’ve been diagnosed for a year and a half now and it’s been easy to work things around it. I’ve worked so I can recognize symptoms to know how low I am and to know when to eat.

Also, pickles are good for stabilizing blood sugar apparently =)

Just wondering if there are any foods that help sustain blood sugar levels better than others. I am hypoglycemic and I sometimes get tired of being extremely dependent on food. I would rather spend my time performing stunts like driving my car off of a cliff than snacking every hour just to keep my blood sugar up. Any recommendations would be welcome. Thanks all!

I also have hypoglycemia and having a healthy snack handy has become second nature to me. I really hate getting the shakes or feeling light-headed.

That said, I tend to have fewer symptoms. If I make sure in get a good portion of protein with meals. My Dad also had hypoglycemia and I learned from him the importance of a high protein breakfast. The term "stick to your ribs" was probably coined my some one with this condition.

My dad often had BEANS for breakfast when he was scheduled for a hard day’s work. He always carried a banana and couple of hard cooked EGGS in his lunch box.

I love pancakes but the syrup will make me comatose if I do not have a large glass of MILK, too.

As you have found out having a sweet drink or sugary snack will help for a the max of one hour and then you need food again.

Foods that digest slowly………stick to your ribs:
Eat whole grains instead of refined:
brown rice
whole wheat bread
corn bread
whole grain cereals

Protein rich foods that digest slowly:
nuts or peanuts
(Theses are my emergency cache of choice. It takes just a few to keep me going strong. They don’t require refrigeration. )

beans
meat/poultry/fish your favorite
eggs
cheese
yogurt
milk
cottage cheese

Keeping your blood sugar level will improve your mood.

The doctor prescribed me to start a medication with is 500 mg of Metformin, and she wants to work the dose up to 1500 mg a day. Has anyone been on this medicine for hypoglycemia? I am overweight, and she thinks it will make me lose weight. Has anyone lost weight from it when their insulin levels arent right?

metformin is an oral hyperglycemic agent which is used for type2 diabetes. it is said to be able to reduce weight in overweight patients. hyupoglycemia is a rare side effect. have some sweets or juice with u always in case of a hypoglycemic attack. during an attack, u will feel dizzy, nausea, hand trembling, palpitations etc.

When I’m playing volleyball, that’s when my blood sugar gets really low. What’s the fastest and quickest way to get it back up?

Carry glucose tablets with you. You can get them OTC at any pharmacy. They are used principally for diabetics when their sugar gets too low. They are very inexpensive. Or drink a coke, apple or orange juice, anything with high sugar content. If you choose a coke, make sure it is not a diet coke, as that will not help you. Good luck!

I have hypogylemic conditions, which are occasionally induced by sugar consumption. This is any and all sugar. My body basically hyper-reacts to sugar, and dumps insulin into my blood stream. What would be a reasonable diet, in order to avoid these symptoms? Thanks!

[edit] Treatment and prevention
Management of hypoglycemia involves immediately raising the blood sugar to normal, determining the cause, and taking measures to hopefully prevent future episodes.

[edit] Reversing acute hypoglycemia
The Blood Glucose can be raised to normal within minutes by taking (or receiving) 10-20 grams of carbohydrate. It can be taken as food or drink if the person is conscious and able to swallow. This amount of carbohydrate is contained in about 3-4 ounces (100-120 ml) of orange, apple, or grape juice although fruit juices contain a higher proportion of fructose which is more slowly metabolized than pure dextrose, alternatively, about 4-5 ounces (120-150 ml) of regular (non-diet) soda may also work, as will about one slice of bread, about 4 crackers, or about 1 serving of most starchy foods. Starch is quickly digested to glucose (unless the person is taking acarbose), but adding fat or protein retards digestion. Symptoms should begin to improve within 5 minutes, though full recovery may take 10-20 minutes. Overfeeding does not speed recovery and if the person has diabetes will simply produce hyperglycemia afterwards.

If a person is suffering such severe effects of hypoglycemia that they cannot (due to combativeness) or should not (due to seizures or unconsciousness) be given anything by mouth, medical personnel such as EMTs and Paramedics, or in-hospital personnel can establish an IV and give intravenous Dextrose, concentrations varying depending on age (Infants are given 2cc/kg Dextrose 10%, Children Dextrose 25%, and Adults Dextrose 50%). Care must be taken in giving these solutions because they can be very necrotic if the IV is infiltrated. If an IV cannot be established, the patient can be given 1 to 2 milligrams of Glucagon in an intramuscular injection. More treatment information can be found in the article diabetic hypoglycemia.

One situation where starch may be less effective than glucose or sucrose is when a person is taking acarbose. Since acarbose and other alpha-glucosidase inhibitors prevents starch and other sugars from being broken down into monosaccharides that can be absorbed by the body, patients taking these medications should consume monosaccharide-containing foods such as glucose tablets, honey, or juice to reverse hypoglycemia.

[edit] Prevention
The most effective means of preventing further episodes of hypoglycemia depends on the cause.

The risk of further episodes of diabetic hypoglycemia can often (but not always) be reduced by lowering the dose of insulin or other medications, or by more meticulous attention to blood sugar balance during unusual hours, higher levels of exercise, or alcohol intake.

Many of the inborn errors of metabolism require avoidance or shortening of fasting intervals, or extra carbohydrates. For the more severe disorders, such as type 1 glycogen storage disease, this may be supplied in the form of cornstarch every few hours or by continuous gastric infusion.

Several treatments are used for hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia, depending on the exact form and severity. Some forms of congenital hyperinsulinism respond to diazoxide or octreotide. Surgical removal of the overactive part of the pancreas is curative with minimal risk when hyperinsulinism is focal or due to a benign insulin-producing tumor of the pancreas. When congenital hyperinsulinism is diffuse and refractory to medications, near-total pancreatectomy may be the treatment of last resort, but in this condition is less consistently effective and fraught with more complications.

Hypoglycemia due to hormone deficiencies such as hypopituitarism or adrenal insufficiency usually ceases when the appropriate hormone is replaced.

Hypoglycemia due to dumping syndrome and other post-surgical conditions is best dealt with by altering diet. Including fat and protein with carbohydrates may slow digestion and reduce early insulin secretion. Some forms of this respond to treatment with a glucosidase inhibitor, which slows starch digestion.