Living With Reactive Hypoglycemia
91Sweet, but deadly.
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As far back as I can remember I have been the ‘black sheep’ in my family. Growing up, I had severe mood swings, craved sweets, and had to take a nap a few hours after eating or, on occasions I would pass out. When I was young my parents were embarrassed to take me places, it got so bad at Sunday mass that the pastor reserved a pew in the back of the church so we wouldn’t disrupt the service in the event I fainted.
Was I tested? Yes, and doctors would just say that there is nothing medically wrong, maybe I was stressed, or depressed, even lazy. I went through most of my life not knowing that what I really had was Reactive Hypoglycemia.
Around six percent of highly gifted children have reactive hypoglycemia. This is usually seen in very active, lean children with IQs above 160. The thought is that these children use up the available glucose quickly, crashing mid-morning or mid-afternoon.* For more on this topic see a mother’s story.
http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.info/articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-in-highly-gifted-children/
The fine line between REACTIVE and other Glycemia’s CAN KILL YOU!
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels. The Reactive usually happens when the blood sugar falls too low beyond the normal range a few hours after you’ve eaten your meal. Reactive Hypoglycemic is a medical condition with no known underlying medical problem such as diabetes, scientists are still trying to figure out a sure method of diagnosing this disease. The main reason, they are finding it difficult to diagnose this problem is that once the sugar levels in your blood come back to normal, it becomes nearly impossible to detect whether you had this problem or not.
Some of the signs of both regular and reactive Hypoglycemia are:
Hunger, shakiness, nervousness,
Sweating, dizziness or light-headedness
Sleepiness, confusion
difficulty speaking
anxiety and weakness
Passing out, and sometimes Coma.
With me, it usually starts with difficulty breathing, hyperventilating, then dizziness, and finally fainting. . When I was first diagnosed, they failed to mention the reactive part, so for years I would fill out hospital forms and just put “Hypoglycemic”. Until I had two major surgeries where I fell into a coma. I lived in fear of hospitals, because if you are rushed to the hospital because of a hypoglycemic reaction the first thing they give you is glucose or sugar to elevate your blood sugar and bring you awake, and this is good. These are what 90% of medical professionals will tell you to give:
3 or 4 glucose tablets
1 serving of glucose gel
15 grams of carbohydrate
1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of any fruit juice
1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of a regular—not diet—soft drink
5 or 6 pieces of hard candy
1 tablespoon of sugar or honey
But when you have Reactive Hypoglycemia you must refrain from sugars!!!!!!!!
Let me say this again, -NO SUGAR-, -NO SUGAR-, NO SUGAR-, It is also what my Medical Id Bracelet says.
This is where the confusion is. Until you are clearly diagnosed as having Reactive Hypoglycemia, when given sugar, you may crash and possibly go into a Coma, and if given too much sugar that Coma can be irreversible. A Coma is a profound state of unconsciousness.
http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.net/hypoglycemia-coma.html
So how do you control Reactive?
Diet, which is the only treatment available for now should include; eating small meals and snacks about every 3 hours. Add protein to your diet. Some good sources of protein are lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, soymilk, peanut butter, low fat milk and other dairy products. Then limit your intake of simple sugars such as chocolate, candy, jellies, cakes, sweetened drinks, honey, and jam. Your body is no longer capable of handling large amounts of sugar, so it’s best to avoid them, especially on an empty stomach. If you have a craving for sweets, make sure to include them with other foods.
Although excessive physical activity can bring your blood sugar level low, a simple exercise is still beneficial. Make sure not to overdo your physical activities as this can lead to sudden drop in your blood sugar level.
http://www.studenthealth.ku.edu/documents/Hypoglycemia.pdf
Stay away from the Halloween candy! I hope this was helpful, please contact your doctor if you have any questions about your health, and be sure to wear a MEDICAL ALERT bracelet, tag or other alert items.
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I have big cravings for sweets, that's why i always say, i'm a dessert person. I used to faint when i was young, was told i was bordering diabetes. I have made sure i don't go hungry, eat small meals every 3 hours, avoid candies and so far i'm ok. I enjoyed learning more about it through your experience. I hope you are alright. Thanks for sharing.
Jibberish
Like any other curve ball life throws you, sooner or later you learn not to bail out and stay in the box and hit it. I guess the bright side is yeah you can’t eat sugar but the condition it is coupled with an intellect that allows you to write great Hubs!
Wow this is such a great hub. I do not have reactive hypoglycemia. I also do not know anyone who does but in the world we live in it is a matter of when. As a special ed teacher it is good for me to keep on the look out for sources of potential problems!
Thanks for this important information. Hope everything continues going well.
Keep on hubbing!
Thank you everyone for all your wonderful comment, and for visiting. I have it under control, yes, I crave sweets every day, but i find that eating an apples during the day helps with the cravings. It is a difficult thing to deal with when it todays world everything is laced with sugars.
Here is another fact which may be helpful, PIZZA, turns into sugar 45 minutes after eating it. The combination of bread, cheese and tomatoe sauce, instant sugar. Thank you again for all who stopped in.
I too had hypoglycemia, but it didn't manifest until about the time I was in my mid twentys. My mother's family had a history of diabetes. Out of nine children five were diabetic, and her mother was also diabetic, My Uncle Ralph was a little more like me. If he ate sugar or starch his blood sugar would first soar and then plummit. I went on a very high protein diet, and lost weight from 210 lbs back to my normal weight of 150 lbs, and my condition stabilized. Unfortunately during the 10 years it took for the proper diagnosis the docs got me hooked on tranquilizers. They thought it was an anxiety disorder.
Tom, thank you for bringing that up, it's a horrible thing to be misdiagnosed, it too can cause additional problems. A lot of people ask how I stay thin eating so much, and the answer is easy, the body releases fat because it knows it doesn't have to store any, another meal is just 3 or 4 hours away. I'm happy that you too have it under control now. Best of Luck, and thank you for your comments.
Jiberish, It sounds like you had it pretty tough when you where growing up. My problem came later in life. Every thing I've read says they really don't know why this happens. I also have hypoglycemia also. Reactive hypoglycemia typically occurs when fasting, about 4 hours or more after eating I have trouble sleeping, which is one symptom. I wake up sweating, trembling and have to get out of bed. I usually drink sleepy time tea and have a piece of whole grain toast, then I can settle down and go back to bed. My symptoms are not as severe as yours. And, Tom, hope you can wean off those tranquilizers. That is sometimes very tough to do. Good luck to you both.
Hi Hon,
really interesting as both my mother and sister had the same problem - really sound information bring it out. thanks
Pamela, I can sympathize, eating every four hours does have it's set backs, like you, sleeping through the nite would be a plus, some days after a big meal I can sleep 6 or 7 hours. Good Luck to you. Sometimes keeping a journal of the things you eat, and how you feel a few hours later will help with your diet.
Heller, thank you, I hope it helps those who are just not sure what's going on with their body. Thank you both for stopping in.
I wasn't diagnosed with Reactive Hypoglycemia until my early 40's. By that time we had given up ever figuring out what was wrong with me. I have many other health issues too, so that complicated finding a correct diagnosis. I know how you feel and I appreciate you bringing attention to this little known condition.
Lori, I'm sorry to hear that you have other issues too, this one would be enough. I wish you the best, thank you for your visit.
Wow, what an interesting subject. I was never aware of it. Thanks for sharing your personal story. You're obviously a gifted writer. Great hub.
Awesome, Thank you for the nice compliment, and for stopping in.
hello there jiberish great Hub!! I have hypo and it drags me down.My family knows I have it,but I think forgets at times.I get tired very fast,and everyone thinks im a party pooper,but its just my sugar dropping.Im tired all the time,and cant stand it anymore
Crissy, I suffered for years, but with a strict diet and moderate excersize I have finally found a happy medium. Best of luck to you, thank you for visiting.
i suffer with hypoglyca thru my teens and early adult hood. am glad there a forum where we can discus this subject. after all its over the internet i found out i had this condition. am living a much better life now.
Hi
I think I have had reactive hypoglycemia from being young (although I never knew), the sugar cravings, sleepiness, etc however in March this year, I started to get to the passing out state, I have had every test under the sun, MRI scans, everything, at a Loss I looked up what could cause me to go 'funny' 2 hours after eating and I found RH on google. I mentioned to my doctor about it, he admitted he had not really come across it before but then ordered a GTT (glucose tolerance test) which in hindsight wasnt good. After only 20 minutes of the test starting, I started shaking sweating, etcI looked like a heroin addict by the time the 2 hours were up! Anyway i am now booked in to see an encrinologist next week in the view of having a five hour test of some kind.
I am so relieved to find there is a cause of the misery I have felt for the past couple of years. i also know there is no cause/cure except for eating certain amounts of foods on a 3 hourly basis. Thats not going to be easy - you have my full sympathy with this. One thing Im interested in, do people have a lack of sympathy for you, because you look well and its something they cant give you a tablet for (so it must be nothing) ??
Also blood results from my GTT test were -
Start 5.6 after 2 hours 2.7
jiberish,
Thank you for providing a source that enables others to read and learn information that I believe most in the medical field overlook, or know nothing about.
When I was in my early teens, I would sometimes have lows that would start out by sweating a little, and everything I visioned had a yellowish hue. I to often had episodes while in church or other family functions. Doctors often brushed it off as being caused by the heat, cold, or some other straw they grasped at. My parents thought I made this stuff up just to protest being at certain family functions.
In 2004 a life changing medical emergency happened that would later add to the reactive hypoglycemia problem. I was taken to the ER and diagnosed with a strangulated hiatal hernia. Because my stomach became lodged in my esophagus, the blood flow to the stomach was pinched off and it became necrotic. They removed my entire stomach and gall bladder. I went from 195 pounds down to 123 pounds in a matter of about 2 months.
Just recently my primary care physician took some advice from one of her nurses and read an article about reactive hypoglycemia being a possibility after bariatric or other reasons for stomach and gall bladder removal. Because I go to bed and wake up tired, my doctor tried several things that did not make much difference. She finally referred mEndocrinologistnoligist after seeing how low some of my glucose meter readings were..........lowest was 32.
On 01-30-12 I will have my first endocrinologist visit, and for once I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. My doctor has consulted with the Endocrinologist, so that should cut the chase. I can not wait to get this turned around and discover what it is like to wake up in the morning feeling rested and looking forward to doing things. I was also surprised to read about the link between gifted children and reactive hypoglycemia. When I was in third grade I ranked number 13 on the state standardized testing.........I wonder what happened:)
Hello, just like to know what your endocrinoligist said about your hypoglycemia. Good luck all of us with this uncomfortable illness.
breakfastpop Level 8 Commenter 2 years ago
Dear jiberish,
Most important informative hub. I'm so sorry you have to go through this, but at least now, you know what to do.