Breathing symptoms of hypoglycemia Posted: 01-23-08 10:32am
hi there, I know I'm probably repeating a
lot of what is frequently asked, but if
anyone with some knowledge of this could
give me insight, I would be very
appreciative, and I've found the drs I've
gone to rather dismissive.
I am 34 years old and have had symptoms of
hypoglycemia since I was a child. I was
tested several times as a child for type 2
diabetes but it always came back normal.
I am pregnant now and all the symptoms are
much worse. During the first trimester I
could not even function. I would have
"spells" where my vision would darken,
extreme weakness, dizziness, difficulty
speaking or walking. I discovered by
accident that if I ate or drank something
with sugar in it (about 1-2 tbs of sugar
per cup of tea, for instance), I'd feel
much better again within 10-20 minutes. I
took to sipping sugary tea throughout the
first three months of pregnancy just to
get by.
I spoke to my OB about this and she said,
"a lot of pregnant women feel this way,"
but I feel this way (though not usually
this severe) even when not pregnant.
I have an extremely healthy diet, and for
about 1 1/2 years was off of refined sugar
completely though I would eat a lot of
fruit and drink fruit juice, and sometimes
use limited honey or maple syrup. My food
intake is about 90% vegan, very little
refined flours or processed foods. I have
always been thin or even a little
underweight, even if I eat a lot.
What brought me to this forum was doing a
search for a problem that has been
plaguing me off and on for years--
difficulty taking a deep breath, or a
"suffocated" feeling (the thread further
down the page). I was evaluated for
asthma and found to be perfectly normal in
that regard. I was told it was probably
anxiety-- which I accepted as the problem
does come and go, and when it happens, it
does cause me anxiety (but I don't think
it's the other way around). Well I was
just floored to find myself on a
hypoglycemia forum for this problem, since
I have long suspected I have it. I never
imagined the 2 could be related.
My main question at this time is, should I
try to be evaluated now for hypoglycemia,
or should I wait until after I deliver the
baby? And is it ok to continue to
self-treat with the sugary tea for the
time being? My diet is extremely healthy
in every other regard.
I really appreciate any input, thanks in
advance!
|
lulu1346
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 34
Posted: 01-23-08 11:46am
Hi Anna,
I know a lot about hypoglycemia from my
experiences but not so much about being
pregnant. But I would imagine that you
should follow the same guidelines as a
normal hypoglycemic, which means
absolutely do NOT sip sugary tea all day!!
Every time you pick yourself up with sugar
you are simply magnifying and prolonging
the process to stability with your blood
sugar. Sipping the sugar will just lead to
a crash a few hours later...or if you are
really having sugar all day, you are
probably so messed up at this point from
it that you can't even identify when youa
re crashing or not. You are probably
chronically feeling some type of symptoms,
right? I am guessing anxiety,
irritibility, weakness, maybe
depression??
The best thing you can do, pregnant or
not, is to completely eliminate all sugar.
Try eating raw almonds, a hard boiled egg,
or some cheese when you feel low between
meals - foods healthy for you and baby.
Increase your veggies - these have tons of
nutrients and fiber. And try to eliminate
any fast acting carbs - pasta, breads,
etc.
I would think your doc would want to do a
GTT - I thought it was sort of standard
for pregnant women. That might be helpful
in telling you how low you are going and
when you are crashing.
Keep in mind the diet is hard work but it
is so rewarding. I already feel an 80%
improvement in my symptoms.
|
lulu1346
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 34
Posted: 01-23-08 11:48am
also, no honey or maple syrup. Nothing
sweet...no artificial sweeteners either.
Trust me, you won't miss it once you get
stabilized. The cravings you have for
sweets are based on your insulin responses
which are all messed up.
You might want to give a second thought to
a vegan diet - will be very tough as a
hypoglycemic.
|
anna73
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 01-23-08 13:48pm
hi, thank you!
I was sipping sugar all day during the
first trimester, and honestly it was the
only thing keeping me from collapsing.
Right now I'm about 5 months along and am
having fewer problems, but I still have a
lot of weakness, fatigue, and the
suffocation feeling.
I have been sugar free before so it would
not be difficult to switch back, I'm used
to it. Why would being vegan be hard, as
far as being sugar free? Because sweet
fruit would be out of the question?
|
lulu1346
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 17 Dec 2007 Posts: 34
Posted: 01-23-08 20:26pm
It would be difficult because it's harder
to get the amount of protein you need.
It's not the fruit that is the problem. I
rely a lot on meat for my protein - not
sure if you might want to add some back
in. That might help you.
|
anna73
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 3
Posted: 01-24-08 14:08pm
Hi, thanks again. I do eat very small
amounts of meat (about twice a month).
For protein I usually consume a lot of
nuts and legumes. I make nut butters at
home.
A typical day for me would be vegetable
soup, a whole grain pilaf, whole grain
bread with homemade nut butter (I use
different kinds of nuts and oils), and
usually calcium enriched fruit juice of
some kind. I try to eat greens as much as
they are available.
When I got pregnant, though, my appetite
was very weird and I developed aversions
to most foods and started having the
"spells" I describe above.
|
Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1620 Location: ,
Posted: 01-25-08 14:23pm
Hmmm, I really don't want to give advice
here, but usually I say to avoid all
grains, beans and such because of what
they do and the insulin response they
create in comparison to something like
fruit. Too many nuts and legumes is not a
good idea, and for nuts you should be
AVOIDING cashews or peanuts, because
they're actually beans. Unfortunately,
your problem is carbohydrates, but I'm
reluctant to tell you to do anything
because I have no clue what this could do
to an unborn child, though I do know dips
in glucose isn't good either for it or
you.
|
kristin777
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Apr 2008 Posts: 27
Posted: 04-21-08 09:27am
This is exactly what I'm afraid of! I
want to get my symptoms under control
before getting pregnant, because I know
these symptoms can get worse when you are
pregnant, it sounds like that's what
happened to you. I have the same exact
problems that you mentioned - difficulty
taking a deep breath, or a "suffocated"
feeling. I was told it was anxiety too -
but I feel the same way you do - I know it
isn't that and that it is hypoglycemia. I
think when I get the problem it does cause
some axiety though, like you stated.
|
shawn604
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Mar 2008 Posts: 28
Posted: 04-21-08 20:53pm
oh damn, i just bought some cashews the
other day.
what about korean pine nuts and
pistachios? they are both very delicious
and i am what are both my top choices for
nuts to eat.
|
Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1620 Location: ,
Posted: 04-21-08 21:34pm
They should be perfectly fine, because
they're plain old nuts. Cashews are
sneaky because people think they're nuts,
but they're not, they're dried beans just
the same way that wasabi peas are.
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