Comments on: How To Get Diagnosed for Reactive Hypoglycemia

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 16:03:23 +0000

Maggie,
You could certainly be correct. I *think* my RH is connected to epinephrine sensitivity, but with zero actual research in this area, even my doc is relying on educated guesses. Hopefully there will be more research in the future.
Glad you found the site!
Stephanie

By: Maggie

Maggie — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:03:40 +0000

Thank you for this article! I was diagnosed with RH 3 months ago. I changed my diet and it made a huge difference in how I feel.

I also have hypothyroidism and maybe adrenal fatigue. I think my RH is somehow connected to a malfunctioning thyroid and adrenals.

By: Rama Dasarath

Rama Dasarath — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:50:31 +0000

Very interesting article. I fully agree with your statement about Doctors. I went for a ‘regular checkup’ (one is expected to take annually!) for the first time. I was tired and sleeping for most of the time for 2 days after the test. Just a week before, I told my wife when she went for the test, that the blood taken for the test is quite small in quantity and need not bother about it. She was feeling ok, and, I have been sleeping and tired for 2 days after the test. After browsing the net, I realised it is the cause of Glucose Tolerance Test, where I had taken 80gms of glucose on empty stomach. My fasting sugar was 98, and, 2 hours later (PP) it was 65. The doctors whom I have consulted, including a diabetologist, were not concerned about this at all. I intend changing my diet to include more proteins and fibre and reduced carbs as advised in these columns. Thanks a lot for all the tips and advise.

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:02:15 +0000

Sounds like a pretty classic case of Reactive Hypoglycemia. I would definitely let the Endocrinologist know about your family history, and whether he has it or not, your diet advice to him seems sound. Let me know what happens!

By: DL Jande

DL Jande — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:35:32 +0000

Just found your site and have been reading it with awe. Recently my son who is 37 had what he thought was a heart attack coming on at work. They brought him by ambulance to the hospital and after running an EKG and tests, found his heart to be fine. They did a full blood work up on him and his thyroid appeared to have a question and was told he should see his primary doctor soon, which he did. (His symptoms were feeling faint, heart palpatations, sweaty hands, numbness in his arms and hands.) He went to his primary doctor who ran more blood work and decided he should see an
endocrinologist, which he did. Again, they did more blood tests. They “suspect” thyroiditis but are not sure. They want to do an “uptake scan”. After all of this, he is experiencing the symptoms of anxiety, feeling faint, not sleeping well, shakey hands, etc.
Then when he was at work ( a new job, by the way!), he felt this panicy state coming on again, shakey legs, etc.
A few days ago, my son was explaining to me how he felt dizzy when he had been bending over on the floor and then rose up. I asked him if he had eaten anything and he said he had just ate a donut. (Not the best, I know!) After listening I suddenly thought of myself. I have hypoglycemia and definitely need to eat every 2-3 hrs…depending. My sister also has it. My other sister is a nurse and she is thinking that he may have it as well. I am just wondering if we should mention this to the endochrinologist before he puts my son through this uptake scan. I told him to eat healthy and every 2 to 3 hrs. – low carbs, high protein meals/snacks and see how it affects him. By the way, I have been with him at times when he has to eat “right now” – like when you KNOW your blood sugar has dropped and you have to get something right away.

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 13:27:47 +0000

I’m so sorry to hear about your husband 8(

Let’s see if I can help:

Panic attacks are common for people with RH. What I do to avoid nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night is eat a slice of Ezekiel toast with peanut butter. Ezekiel is a special brand of bread that’s not really “bread”, it’s a protein, but it looks and tastes a lot like bread. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, then try 1/3 cup of mixed nuts. The idea is to get protein into your system before you go to bed. That should stabilize your blood sugar long enough for you to get a full night’s sleep.

Also, something that triggers hypoglycemic episodes for me is stress itself. Epinephrine is a hormone that’s released when you get stressed, along with Adrenaline. There are different causes for RH, but in my case, I’m very sensitive to Epinephrine (I get the shakes when I go to the dentist after they numb me, because Novocain contains pseudo-Epinephrine!), so when I get stressed, my blood sugar plummets. That might be happening to you. I suggest trying your best to take it easy, simplify your life as much as possible, go on vacation, whatever–for just a while, and see how that helps your anxiety.

Best of luck to you!

By: DEbby B

DEbby B — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:32:44 +0000

hi i was diagnosed with adrenal failure oh 10- 15 years ago..they simply put me on natural low dose of cortisol I did a saliva test

finally had to go off it because i ws plumped upp, so sick but no one ever suspected the hypoglycemia connection which I always got shaky as a kid when I forgot to eat..now Im having panic attacks since hubbies tragic sudden death they put me on meds but i wake up in panic at 4 or 5 am

Ive been eating bannansa when i get up or go to bed trying to eat more often had oatmeal this am, then had that bannana mid morning my stomach has hurt all day!

I did not know it was a bad fruit for adrenals & hypoglycemia Im sure I have & the extra stress.. causing panic

anyone knowof good naturpath or do I go to endocronologist to help me thru this I live in kansas city well olathe ks
Thnaks

By: sdesh

sdesh — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:41:30 +0000

I had shakinesss,dizziness, mental confusion and feared i was going to fall or something many times for a few months. The Doc did a variety of tests and finally he said diagnosing with RH. However i was fearing its something seriously wrong with me. The more i was worried, the worse the symptoms used to become. Worst part is the mood really swings to depression and you feel its the end of the world.
Untill i read these articles and changed my diet. First 2 weeks i strictly followed the diet and i feel much better. In fact i am almost back to normal (for 2 months now) and have much better carb tolerance. The breakfast si the key. toast with peanut butter and some pecans working for me so far.
I am really glad i found this site

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:54:49 +0000

Michael,
I absolutely agree–except for the meat that is (I am a vegetarian bordering on vegan). A natural diet without all the processed crud is a must for this disease,
Thanks for stopping by,
Stephanie

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:20:08 +0000

I spend 12 years on medication for Panic/Anxiety. I was always looking for a natural solution when I ran across a webpage from Australia stating that Panic/Anxiety was due to reactive hypoglycemia. 12 years on medication for absolutely no reason. I picked a blood glucose monitor too. My sugar was very low 2-3 hrs after eating. I’ve corrected this problem with strickly grassfed beef, free range poultry, salmon, organic vegetables and fruit, healthy snacks, pure water, sunshine and nutritional supplements. The drug companies are getting rich by the misleading diagnosis “Chemical Imbalance”. “Chemical Imbalance” is a theory only. Never proven. I’m fine now. If start to not feel well I eat a healthy snack with protien. Try this approach and see if it does not work. I was in bad shape before I made these changes.

By: Kelly Brown

Kelly Brown — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 00:51:58 +0000

The article is usefull for me. I’ll be coming back to your blog.

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:14:27 +0000

Susana,
That sounds exactly like me! I was terrified I was going to go into a coma when my blood sugar dipped. There’s a lot of bad info out there!
I’ve written a little about food and such in some of the articles, but as a starter, check the sugar/carbs in your cereal and yogurt. Most cereal has a ton of sugar, and yogurt is usually sweetened with sugar. Try switching to something like Kamut Flakes (find in a health food store) and yogurt that’s sweetened with fruit juice or evaporated can syrup–that’s part of what worked for me.
Glad you found the site!
Stephanie

By: Susana

Susana — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:02:31 +0000

Someone pointed your site to me on http://www.stevepavlina.com forum. I’m going nuts with all, often conflicting, information out there. This is the first time I realise there is a difference between reactive hypoglycemia and “just” hypoglycemia.

I’ve been panicking about going into a coma or something so this site already helped in that regard.

I was tested for glucose and insulin (we call it glucose and insulin curve over here). My insulin levels were extremely high 3 hours after I ingested the sugary drink.

Then the hospital’s nutritionist gave me a “personalised” diet and it included cereal and yogurt for breakfast. Thanks to the glucose monitoring device, which I also acquired, I realised my blood sugar went to 150 after half an hour of having breakfast and an hour later it was 62, and I was already feeling shaky.

I believe I’ve always had this and I always had trouble focusing at school. I’d have either excellent results or terrible results at school with no defined pattern. However I was always overweight and never had much energy.

Not sure if I have reactive or not… :s

I’m really enjoying your site and I’m going to keep coming back.

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:58:20 +0000

John,

Testing (by the Hyperglucidic Breakfast Test) is the only way to diagnose RH. (The OGTT has been completely discredited for the detection of RH). Why do I advocate testing? In part, to avoid misdiagnoses and to assist other parents in my position; in my son’s case, his seizures were suspected of being caused by something neurological (i.e. epilepsy), and a diagnosis helps with avoiding drugs and unnecessary tests (i.e. CAT scans).
Additionally, knowing you have RH (as opposed to prediabetes or other forms of hypoglycemia) is important because they are treated differently as far as diet goes. People with RH should eat every 2 hours–this is unique to this condition.

Hope that helps explain my position,
Best,
Stephanie

By: John Smith

John Smith — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:53:22 +0000

Why do you recommend testing? This and most other sites about reactive hypoglycemia suggest that the diagnosis can be made, or at least suspected, on the basis of typical signs and symptoms, and then recommend testing by OGTT. Yet numerous studies have found no distinctive OGTT pattern shown by most people with reactive hypoglycemia, and all of the patterns said to be characteristic of reactive hypoglycemia are common in the general population without symptoms. So why advocate testing at all? Why not simply recommend that people who are tired, depressed, anxious, shaky, sweaty, irritable, and/or overweight should eat lower-carb, smaller meals with healthier foods, since this is the treatment that goes with the diagnostic label anyway? Why is it desirable to call it “hypoglycemia” and confuse it with more dangerous conditions that need more complicated testing, and treatment with hormones, drugs, or surgery?

By: Top Ten Signs That You May Have Reactive Hypoglycemia - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:26:17 +0000

[...] time and cash to be tested (actually, you can do it for free if you follow the advice in my article How to Get Diagnosed With Reactive Hypoglycemia, and send off for a “sample” blood glucose monitor). What do you have to [...]

By: Why my Son had Nightmares - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

Why my Son had Nightmares - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:26:32 +0000

[...] I could fill a book with the bizarre health incidents that have happened to my family over the last two generations (yes, my mother most probably had reactive hypoglycemia as well, we think). If you or your family members have had a list of strange ailments and disorders like us, my advice is to write everything down, and if you think reactive hypoglycemia is the cause, be insistent with your doctor! It is difficult to obtain a diagnosis, but the test is remarkably easy and cheap (if you haven’t already, see my article on How to Obtain a Diagnosis for Reactive Hypoglycemia). [...]

By: The Reactive Hypoglycemia Test - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

The Reactive Hypoglycemia Test - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:18:01 +0000

[...] your doctor might recommend you take to diagnose reactive hypoglycemia. As discussed in my article How To Get Diagnosed for Reactive Hypoglycemia, there really are only two ways this can be done (Hyperglucidic Breakfast Test and at Home). There [...]

By: Reactive Hypoglycemia in Highly Gifted Children - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

Reactive Hypoglycemia in Highly Gifted Children - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:16:36 +0000

[...] he passed out. After he was diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia (for more on that see my post How to Get Diagnosed), the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. However, we wanted to know the cause. Wouldn’t [...]

By: Top Five Common Misconceptions About Reactive Hypoglycemia - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

Mon, 18 May 2009 16:12:38 +0000

[...] you’ve read my article on How to Get Diagnosed for Reactive Hypoglycemia, you’ll have read that my doctor told me to avoid eating carrots. The misconception that [...]

By: The Reactive Hypoglycemic Diet - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

The Reactive Hypoglycemic Diet - Reactive Hypoglycemia Info — Mon, 18 May 2009 16:05:51 +0000

[...] a good idea to check your blood sugar using a home blood glucose monitoring device–see How to Get Diagnosed for Reactive Hypoglycemia for more info), but the two hour rule works for most people to avoid a crash. That equates for me to [...]

By: Steph Kenrose

Steph Kenrose — Fri, 15 May 2009 02:54:01 +0000

Kelly,

I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say for absolute certain. However, as gall bladder removal affects digestion of fats and essential fatty acids, it doesn’t seem too much of a stretch that it could cause hypoglycemia (Some studies indicate that a low fat, high carb diet contributes to reactive hypoglycemia). If I were you, I’d seek out a knowledgeable endocrinologist, someone who is willing to test your insulin/glucagon responses to try and determine the root cause of your hypoglycemia.

As for the home glucose test not being able to measure your RH, there is the possibility that you test your blood too late (i.e. after your body has responded to the excess insulin by releasing epinephrine and glucagon). That said though, nearly all the articles I’ve read state that the Ambulatory/Home test is often the preferred method. It worked for me!

I haven’t come across a link between gall bladder removal and hypoglycemia in my reading so far, but if I do, I’ll post it!

Thanks for the comment
Steph

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:19:47 +0000

Hi,

Love your website – thanks for posting such useful info.

I have read elsewhere online that reactive hypo can not be measured by a glucose meter (which doesn’t make sense to me), but I am going to buy the one you recommend and give it a try. I’ve been fighting out of control hypo for at least 15 years. I’m certain it is reactive hypo. I have been diagnosed in the past with a pancreas that produces too much insulin. The hypo seems worse since having my gall bladder removed in September – do you know if there’s a link between gall bladder removal and hypoglycemia?

By: The Reactive Hypoglycemic Diet – Reactive Hypoglycemia Info

The Reactive Hypoglycemic Diet – Reactive Hypoglycemia Info — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:21:37 +0000

By: Why my Son had Nightmares – Reactive Hypoglycemia

Why my Son had Nightmares – Reactive Hypoglycemia — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:13:45 +0000

By: Top Ten Signs That You May Have Reactive Hypoglycemia – Reactive Hypoglycemia

Sun, 10 May 2009 19:52:40 +0000

[...] 7. Have you had panic attacks, or have you been diagnosed with a panic disorder?I have. I even went on medication (Buspar) for a year. But I never could shake the feeling of feeling frequently nervous and shaky. I’d have heart palpitations and stomach churning and trouble breathing…all symptoms of a low blood sugar crash. If you have had panic attacks and are an anxious person, think about when these attacks happen. If they tend to occur after meals (1-3 hours after), and you feel that perhaps the diagnosis doesn’t quite “fit, “you may want to read the article on How to Get Diagnosed With Reactive Hypoglycemia. [...]

By: Top Five Common Misconceptions About Reactive Hypoglycemia « Reactive Hypoglycemia

Sun, 10 May 2009 19:08:50 +0000

[...] Reactive Hypoglycemia Just another WordPress weblog « How To Get Diagnosed for Reactive Hypoglycemia [...]