Surgery With Reactive Hypoglycemia

I had knee surgery last week. I guess, in the big scope of things, arthroscopic knee surgery on an outpatient basis (even with general anesthesia) is not normally considered a big deal. However, for a reactive hypoglycemic like me, there are several things you should take into consideration on top of any advice you get from your surgeon.
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A Confusing Doctor’s Visit

I knew there was a good reason why I originally self diagnosed myself instead of going to see a physician. This whole “formal” diagnosis experience is giving me a somewhat negative view of the medical profession.
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How to Help Children Deal With Chronic Conditions

When my son was first diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, it was difficult for him to accept that he was “different” from other kids, and that he couldn’t (amongst other things) drink soda or eat cake any more. Eventually we filled our “toolbox” with ways to help him deal with his chronic illness. In addition we discovered several tips to help adults to understand his limitations.
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5 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test

There’s a lot of information out on the web about what a 5 Hour Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) consists of, but very little on what the test is actually like. Yesterday (Tuesday, September 8, 2009), I had a 5 hour GTT. It was actually a little worse than I had originally anticipated.
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Chronic Hypoglycemia Symptoms

Hypoglycemia can cause a wide array of ever-changing symptoms. Chronic hypoglycemia may manifest as stomach ailments, lethargy, blackouts and seizures. The following article (published on EHow, where I am a contributing writer), lists the more common symptoms of chronic hypoglycemia. Read full article.

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Signs and symptoms of postprandial hypoglycemia

My article, Signs and Symptoms of Postprandial Hypoglycemia, has just been published by Associated Content.
I remember going to see an internal medicine doctor with my list of complaints: I often felt sweaty, shaky and sick to my stomach. Sometimes I would feel a sense of panic as I held onto the nearest counter and prayed that I wouldn’t faint in public. My vision would blur, my hands and feet would ice up. Ten or fifteen minutes later the sweaty, shaky, dizzy feeling would pass, especially if I drank a glass of juice. Click here to read the rest of the article on Associated Content.

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Vacation causes low blood sugar!

At a beautiful restaurant 8,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains, the dreaded symptoms returned last week with a vengeance: a sense of unpleasant, dizzy anxiety accompanied by shaking hands, sweating, and nausea. I broke out in a cold sweat and excused myself to the bathroom.
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Hypoglycemia Diet Tips on AC

Just posted on Associated Content:

Reactive hypoglycemia Diet

By Steph Kenrose
If you have reactive hypoglycemia, you have certainly struggled with what kinds of food to eat to keep you off of the blood sugar roller coaster. The first piece of advice you should follow is…
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Clif Z-Bar and the Reactive Hypoglycemia Diet

What not to eat for a reactive hypoglycemia diet

I’ve been really good at sticking to my diet. I haven’t had any symptoms in months. Until last weekend, that is. I got a little bored of the same old low-glycemic snack bars, and decided to try something different. I bought a couple of Clif Z-bars (they’re the same folks who make the low glycemic Luna bars).

Here’s what Clif has to say about Z-bars: “Clif Kid snacks give kids fantastic-tasting food with the right kind of nutrition they need. CLIF KID Organic ZBar is made with the very best of wholesome organic ingredients. Each bar is low fat, made with whole oats, and contains 12 essential vitamins and minerals kids need every day. What you won’t find is all the junk! Fudgy, chewy and chocolatey!”

What “chocolatey” carbs do for the reactive hypoglycemia diet

As always when trying new foods, I use a blood sugar monitor to figure out what a particular product does to my blood sugar. I tested my blood sugar before and after consuming the bar. The “right kind of nutrition” apparently contains enough sugars to send my blood sugar from 80 to a whopping 160. I have never seen my blood sugar that high–the highest I’ve ever seen it so far was 140.

What was in the bar that sent my blood sugar skyrocketing?

Ingredients: Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice Syrup, Organic Brown Rice Syrup, Organic Tapioca Syrup, Organic Fig Paste, Organic Oat Flour, Organic Cocoa Powder, Organic Soy Butter, Natural Flavors, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Unsweetened Chocolate, Organic Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Salt, Baking Soda.

Normally, I can consume evaporated cane juice in small amounts without it affecting my blood sugar. I can only assume the 12g of sugars in this bar was too much of a good thing for a reactive hypoglycemic.

“Fudgy, chewy, and chocolatey.” I knew it was too good to be true!

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