Very bad sugar reactions

[Brian King]

Well, eliminating possible issues is a good way of figuring what might be the issue although it might almost seem a disappointment to get a clean bill of health when a person had girded themselves for the bad news. There are worse things than an aversion to sugar I reckon. Just cause they could not find the issue does not mean what you are tasting or feeling is not real. It is still important to give it some attention and observations.
When you say energy crashes, what do you mean? How severe are they?
Regards
Brian King

 

[Carol]

Personally I'd go with the prescription vitamin D over the OTC supplements.

I have a vitamin D deficiency (damn night job) and the OTC supplements are not as effective, and more expensive than the prescription. There seem to be some contaminants in there that may be unnoticeable at lower doses, that were noticeable at higher doses.

A vitamin D deficiency sounds inconsequential, but it can actually have a huge effect on how you feel. I had major issues with sugar crashes before my doc caught mine.

 

[Flea]

Personally I'd go with the prescription vitamin D over the OTC supplements.

Will do then.

 

[shesulsa]

I won't ask you to reveal how low your number was - but I will tell you my son was hospitalized in the psych ward with a single-digit number. The "normal" range is between 35 (thereabouts) and 120 (thereabouts). Many people are walking around with various symptoms I'm told are correlated to their Vitamin D deficiency.

Son's NP told us that D levels are extremely difficult to budge, hence the prescription dosage. Believe me, if you're low ... you'll need the Rx.

Do it, Flea, and keep us posted, please!

 

[Bruno@MT]

* sigh *

I got the lab work back, and it's squeaky clean. They tested for anemia, and for hypoglycemia. They tested my liver and kidney function and confirmed that I have both a liver and a kidney. The only thing that stood out was a low (but not alarmingly so) vitamin D level. They want to give me a prescription; I think I'd rather mail-order along with my other supplements.

That's your problem, right there: you're supposed to have 2

On a more serious note: getting your vitamin D up is not a bad idea.
Eggs (yolks in particular) seem to be a good source of vitamin D and loads of other necessary things.
http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Egg_Yolk.html

 

[Flea]

Thanks again for your interest everyone. Right now I'm typing this in between calls at work, so it'll probably be a little disjointed ...

The D level is 17. And yes, I'll call the doc and pick up that prescription today.

To answer your question Brian, it just feels like the floor drops out from under me. If you've ever loaded a ton of sugar into an empty system (like having a wad of cotton candy for breakfast) and waited a few hours, that's exactly it. It's sudden, often hitting in the space of a few minutes. Usually it's just slow enough that I can minimize the damage by eating a ton of protein if I can get to it immediately. That's something like a double quarter-pounder if I'm on the road, or a peanut butter sandwich with a big hunk of cheese, or a whole chicken breast. Even then I'm not totally sure it'll do the trick, but I'm a little too full to eat any more. :uhyeah: So i monitor it and hope for the best.

Shesulsa, to answer your question, that brownie tasted fecal. Ew. Since then I've experimented with tiny bits of sugar, and it's tasting normal again. I don't enjoy it, but at least I know what I'm eating. My tolerance level is creeping back - I'm having moderate amounts of bread and it's sitting okay. So are small amounts of fruit - half an apple here, a banana there. I'm still making a point of going way overboard with the protein.

It sounds perverse, but I am disappointed at the clean lab results. It would have made this so much simpler if I could have gotten some answers from that. Unfortunately the sugar/D conundrum is now having a ripple effect that I'd rather not go into here, but my main concern right now is damage control rather than mystery solving. Sorry, Scooby Doo. In any case, I'll be seeing the nutritionist on Monday. I always prefer any commonsense "natural" proactive measure to prescriptions when I can.

 

[shesulsa]

OK, I'll tell you a couple of things more:

1. I was tested three times for hypoglycemia - fasted all three times. The first time fasted 8 hours, tested first thing in the morning with one draw. I tested negative. The second time I was 12 hours fasted, single draw first thing in the morning. The third test was a five-hour glucose tolerance test. I started 8 hours fasted, had one draw, drank Glucola, had another draw and then they drew blood every hour for five hours. It was after hour 3 my blood sugar level halved and in hour four, tanked to in the 30s.

I was told this was "The only true way to diagnose true, recurring hypoglycemia as an ongoing condition." My symptoms were similar to yours, though chocolate would taste like sawdust.

2. I also had low blood pressure episodes including fainting a couple of times - I found out this was because my entire family was on the low-sodium diet prescribed my hypertensive mother because at that time, everyone was on the no-salt bandwagon. It lowered her blood pressure, but the problem was it lowered mine as well.

Get your electrolytes checked and manage salt intake wisely - that is to say, if you're not hypertensive, see if you're hypOtensive and if so, you can afford to add a pinch of salt to your food. Check your blood pressure as well. You're petite and rather calm so it wouldn't surprise me if your top number is barely above 100 - but it shouldn't go lower.

 

[Flea]

I finally got in with the nutritionist today. It was a good conversation.

She didn't tell me much that I didn't already know, but I'm glad I went. She said that with my 4.5 hours of MA a week, my 1-2 hours a week at the Y, and my 2 or 3 dog walks per day, I had the one of the highest activity levels she'd ever seen for someone who wasn't a professional ___. :whip1:

She did go into some of the chemistry of exactly what a carbohydrate is, and other geeky delights. And she told me to get in some protein at every meal. Don't worry about your weight! (Not that I ever have.) If anything, she said I could stand to eat a little more for my activity level, especially in the form of some healthy snacks. And she sent me off with some recipes and a handout on reading nutrition labels. All in all, I think it was money well spent.

After some phone tag I finally filled my D supplement prescription at the pharmacy. After some computer finagling the pharmacist told me that Medicare didn't cover it, which is no big deal to me. "Maybe if you get your neighbors to work more, Medicare will buy it for you next time." Wink.

I'm calling Walgreen's Corporate first thing in the morning.

 

[Carol]

"Maybe if you get your neighbors to work more, Medicare will buy it for you next time." Wink.

I'm calling Walgreen's Corporate first thing in the morning.

The PHARMACIST said that to you?

 

[Flea]

Yes, but he winked. Which makes everything okay.

He went after the woman buying emergency contraception too. This morning I spoke with the store's general manager, and he was so outraged that I think I may have gotten him fired. That really wasn't my intention, but he made a choice when he shot his mouth off of his own free will.

This is why I get so angry when people bash social service programs. The attitude translates into real world actions that affect real human beings. Of course, all this is way off topic. Somebody pass me a protein bar.

 

[Flea]

A friendly update if anyone is curious ...

The energy crashes seem to be a thing of the past. I'm still eating carefully, but I've backed off the protein a bit. And I can tolerate small amounts of sugar, but I'm not pressing that issue at all.

In fact, I find I don't crave sugar at all any more. This is a radical shift for me, and I've been amazed at the sheer volume of sweets that I keep finding in my pantry to give away. Sugar Smacks cereal, lots of ice cream, two giant bottles of soda, brownie and cake mixes. I held on to the granola bars because I can do them in moderation with peanut butter. There are some foods that really need sweetening, like oatmeal and tea. So I've experimented with "natural" sweeteners like stevia, date sugar, and agave nectar. I really like all three. Better still, I found some chocolate I can eat - Ghiradelli's 60% dark cocoa. My body may hate sugar, but everyone knows that Chicks Need Chocolate. (tm) :fanboy: It's like the law of gravity; you just don't argue with it.

So unless I have any more major energy crashes, I'm content at this point with the conclusion that my body is changing just because it's changing. It's happened before and it'll happen again, and since it's forcing a positive change I'm okay with it.

Again, I wanted to thank everyone for all your kind words and suggestions. Ever since I discovered MT over a year ago I've found this to be a wonderful resource for knowledge and friendship, and I'm glad I came here with this question.

 

[Flea]

It happened again - despite my more careful measures I went through another period of violent energy swings and crashes. Since I'm in a new city I was on the spot to find a new doctor, and I got lucky.

She really listened, and didn't blow me off when my symptoms didn't fit neatly into some broad category. Instead she thanked me for making her day interesting with a new challenge! We tried a glucose tolerance test that came up squeaky clean. I still kept my followup appointment yesterday, and she told me that she had gone into some endocrinology texts and discovered "postprandial hypoglycemia." Sure enough, my situation is a perfect match. We're going to try an insulation antibody test as soon as my insurance coughs up for it, but that's just to rule out other possibilities.

I've already made most of the changes required by this diagnosis, but it's a relief to have a name to put to what's going on. This latest bout with it has made me even more hypersensitive - I recently went into a tailspin after 5 vegan chocolate chips sweetened with evaporated cane juice. But at least now I have a better idea of how to take care of myself in this new paradigm. Overall, I'm grateful.

 

[Carol]

Only 5 chips? Wow...that must have been an experience, to be sure.

Sorry to hear about the hypoglycemia, but very glad that you have found a good doctor and that the issue has been identified. That must be a relief!