I've been on a hypoglycemia diet for 8
weeks now with only one small lapse (ate a
single chocolate bar with a meal).
I'm experiencing a new set of symptoms
which haven't improved in 3 weeks.
They include....
- Post nasal drip (have had this long
before I realised I had hypoglycemia)
- Slight numbness on the underside of my
chin.
- Swallowing feels slightly restricted
although not painful. Have checked this
and the above with the GP and he didn't
notice anything immediate.
- Spot like lump on the side of my jaw.
Not increasing in size but not decreasing
either. Consistent for 3 weeks.
- 'Adrenalin legs', feeling like my legs
are wobbly and 'full of anxiety'.
- Feeling like my eyes are popping out
there sockets! My eyes are constantly
aching. Slightly worse in evening.
- Evening headaches and migraines.
- Occasional nausea.
Has anyone also experienced any of these
symptoms?
Thanks,
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VictoriaGB
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Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 07-08-08 08:45am
Some of those symptoms look very out of
place to me. You should probably see your
doctor, it may not be related to
hypoglycemia or your diet.
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 07-11-08 22:06pm
That eye thing is a dead giveaway, VERY
common symptom. A few things:
1. Slipping up like that at this stage can
set you back over a week. If you ate a
lot of chocolate, it might take 1 1/2
weeks for your stability to return,
meaning your symptoms still suck, but
they're not AS bad.
2. Congratulations, you're starting to get
better. How do I know? Because you feel
terrible. Things start out this way
unfortunately, but sticking with a good
diet, a nice level of carbs and watching
what you do will get you there. The start
is always the worst, trust me, I know from
experience.
3. Symptoms must be consistent. If you
notice a bit of drip for like an hour, it
doesn't matter. But if you're dripping
all day, all night and all over the place,
it might be something to worry about. I'm
guessing that's not what's happening with
any of the symptoms. DO NOT obsess about
them and look on the internet for various
diseases based on searching for one or two
symptoms. I wouldn't be surprised if
you've done that already.
4. That being said, make sure you do
whatever tests your doctor recommends.
Keep in touch with them and keep track of
your symptoms in a diary, as well as what
you're eating. It's annoying, but it can
help you notice connections early on so
you can fine tune your diet in the early
stages to get the best diet possible as
you start to recover, adding things in as
you go on.
5. Don't expect to start feeling happy
about life for at least 4 months or so,
maybe even longer. This suckiness will
stick with you and drive you insane for
awhile, it's a real eye opener to how
delicate life is and you'll be a much
better person in the long run. That
should help a little, I'd think.
6. That lump you mention is likely a small
collection of fat. What? There is a
phenomemon with hypoglycemia called
hypertriglyceridemia (I think I spelled
that right). Basically, an imbalance of
lipids occurs because of the insulin
problem, and the body can't do anything
with it all, so it stores it in the skin.
I, for example, got these huge, ugly
abscess type things. One one so large, no
joke, it was about the size of a golfball
in my armpit and it exploded everywhere,
leaving a hole there that took a few
months to heal. I got a few more after
that. Doesn't sound like yours is that
bad, but if it bursts, collect the pus and
if you have it tested and it comes back
positive for this fat test thing they do,
it means you definitely have a sugar issue
going on that will correct itself. I got
that big one and others when I slipped, so
I wouldn't be surprised if that's tied in.
The golfball one actually appeared after
eating some chocolate. So basically, the
fat gets stored and gets infected, that's
it.
7. Everything else sounds normal to me. I
went through almost everything on that
list other than numbness under the chin.
My arms used to get numb and such, not my
chin, but big deal, it's a chin.
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Konnor5092
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 29 May 2008 Posts: 19
Posted: 07-14-08 08:35am
Thanks Stan.
It seems there is a fine line between
being 'better safe than sorry' and
obsessing about things. Your right I do
often look online. No doubt we all have at
some point. Fortunately one search landed
me here. I've spoken to 4 different G.P's
and the best advice I have been given is
'eat breads and pastas' and 'if your
feeling low eat a breakfast bar'. Luckily
I stumbled across this website and others
before carrying out this advice which
would only have plunged me further into
the hypoglycemic loop.
The post nasal drip is constant, and has
been for 2 years. I have been advised to
have my adanoids removed by a consultant
but I think the sensible think to do is
postpone this until I begin to feel
better. I've no idea how I will react
after a general anaesthetic and it may
only prolong my recovery time.
You mention fat collections. Did they grow
in size over time? The lump I have I've
had for 4 weeks now, is relatively small
and hasn't increased/decreased in size or
oozed any puss. There may be some
connection to my chin numbness as these
symptoms began at roughly the same time.
Also how did you progress and improve in
terms of fatigue? I'm left wiped out most
days which makes my 4.4 mile walking round
trip to work difficult. I feel I may have
to cut my daily excercise down to begin
with despite the general consensus
exercise benefits hypoglycemia.
Thanks for all that,
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 07-14-08 11:18am
Not really, the fine line is in you. I'm
not trying to sound like an fool by this,
but you have to learn to deal with all the
little problems this gives you. People
have a tendency to think that they're
dying when things aren't going the way
they're used to living. Avoid this and
learn to cope. Everything will eventually
get better, and I know exactly what you're
going through because I went through it.
I never thought I'd get anywhere. I'd
spend days crying. But I refused to give
in and kept working at it until I finally
was able to get my life back and then
some. I'm healthier than EVER now and set
to get a truly wonderful job. Not sure
about the nasal drip thing then, it could
be related, but if it has been going on
that long maybe not. However, I will say
that I had some things that were constant
even before I got sick (like difficulty
paying attention at times) and went away
after I got my diet right. The fat
collections would come on slowly or
quickly. Usually they would be hard lump
like things that would go away on their
own. They're sort of like cysts, but if
you eat enough chocolate they'll get mad
infected. The ones I got, like one on my
forehead that was pretty big, they
injected with a steroid so it would go
away, you might have to have that done if
you find it unsightly, otherwise it should
go away in time. I still have one on the
back of my neck that's not visible, but I
can feel it if I move my fingers around.
Just turned into a hard mass. Yes, you
need to cut back at first, I did. I cut
back a lot when I first started treatment.
Do what you can or find a good level,
like perhaps 1/4 of what you're used to.
Healthy eating is the biggest benefit to
you at the moment. Once I stopped the
diet suggested in 'Hypoglycemia for
Dummies' I got rid of my fatigue in about
three weeks (this, of course, after I
figured out how to eat, so factor in some
more months there). Once you get it
right, the change should slowly start to
come on over a month, provided you DON'T
SCREW UP.
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VictoriaGB
Supporter
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 07-26-08 14:29pm
Also have your blood pressure checked if
you haven't already. The symptoms you
mentioned can be caused by that and with
the change in diet it's a possibility.
Your change in diet should not cause new
symptoms like you described above. Make
sure your doctor is aware of what you are
trying and the effects.
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 08-02-08 11:49am
That's not true. A change in diet with
hormone and sugar fluctuations like this
WILL cause you to get a variety of
symptoms. Aching eyes is actually a very
common symptom and really the only other
symptom that can be used to diagnose this
condition. I know from experience that
dietary changes can cause a variety of new
symptoms depending on what you're eating.
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VictoriaGB
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Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 08-02-08 12:27pm
Have you got a link to where these
symptoms are documented please? I didn't
experience any such thing in many years of
constant dietary changes.
The above symptoms are concerning and
shouldn't be put down to dietary changes
without first being checked by a doctor.
Especially when no condition has even been
diagnosed yet. We don't know the medical
history, we don't know of any other
conditions Konnor may have, and since his
symptoms have gotten worse not better
after two months have passed it's not a
good sign that the change is for the
better. He may not have needed the change,
he may have needed a different change, we
can't say because we don't know what's
wrong with him.
These symptoms could be caused by
absolutely anything, increased sodium
intake, potassium levels,
excess/insufficient intake or hormonal
imbalance as a result of the dietary
change, he may have an intoelrance or an
allergy, or it could be nothing to do with
his diet at all.
The best thing Konnor can do is follow a
healthy diet (which he is at this point,
increase those carbs a little though!) and
make sure his doctor aware of everything
that's going on so his doctor can do his
job.
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 08-02-08 14:30pm
That's true, he should always keep his
doctor aware of what's going on, I'm not
saying otherwise, what I am saying is your
wrong, this can cause new symptoms. Being
careful is always a good thing. There are
tons of lists online, let me see if I can
find a good one. This one is okay:
Some of the 'hyperglycemia' symptoms
you've mentioned are on that list, as well
as plenty of others. I think the
Hypoglycemia Foundation has one too if I
can find it.
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VictoriaGB
Supporter
Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 08-03-08 05:07am
That site looks like something whipped up
by my next door neighbour. You wouldn't
find half that rubbish on a reputable
health site. The most dangerous condition
in the US today???
The site looks angled to suck in people
who are looking for an answer to what's
wrong with them, "oh I have a lot of those
symptoms, I'm so relieved I know what's
wrong with me now, I can treat myself and
not have to see my doctor! and look,
there's books I can buy too".
The symptoms on that list are common to
hundreds of other conditions. And
seriously, if a woman has PMS, mood
swings, anti-social behaviour, head aches,
weight problems, sleep problems, she
should suspect hypoglycemia? Rubbish.
Hypoglycemia is a massive umbrella. Not
only is there more than one type, but
there's a ton of possible causes and
treatments and not all of them are diet
related. Changing to a healthier diet
won't hurt, but changing your diet
thinking it's the answer to your symptoms
really could hurt.
Let's say for a second that all those
symptoms are actually documented by a more
professional body. That still doesn't
change the fact that those symptoms are
concerning and shouldn't be brushed off as
a dietary change or being in any way
related to hypoglycemia. Especially when
we don't even know for sure if this person
is suffering hypoglycemia.
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 08-03-08 09:04am
Why do you keep arguing? I know you feel
ashamed you've said some silly things but
give it a rest. Most of those symptoms
come from a book called Hypoglycemia
for Dummies which was written in part
by a DOCTOR. There, go find that list and
read it since you keep looking for
reputable sources that have yet to help
YOU. Again, how many times do I have to
say this, you shouldn't just say I have
this and go with it, if you're concerned,
get tests done, go to a doctor, but eating
right in the process will only help you.
If it works, great, and who cares what it
means, the fact is you're better and
that's that. I'm not brushing the
symptoms off either, I'm saying that I
went through most of those mentioned
above, AFTER I CHANGED MY DIET. Give it a
rest.
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VictoriaGB
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Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 08-03-08 09:27am
The only thing I'm ashamed of is
participating on a forum where moderators
act like complete tools. You're meant to
be setting an example, not attacking
another member at every turn because you
have a bee in your butt. You just have to
get a dig in?
If encouraging someone to see their doctor
instead of self diagnosing and self
treating from the internet, is silly, then
my bad. I keep saying over and over, you
don't know what the cause is, you don't
know what the treatment would be, you
don't know if a hypoglycemic diet is
suitable, and you can't reply to posts
assuming the member has reactive
hypoglycemia every single time.
Silly, is giving someone advice assuming
they have the same condition as you when
they haven't been investigated let alone
diagnosed. Silly is telling someone their
doctor is wrong. Silly is encouraging them
to diagnose and treat themselves. Silly is
disrespecting another members opinions and
experience because it doesn't agree with
your own. If every member was to act like
you this forum would be in a riot.
Accept that I have a different perspective
to you, and either be decent and
respectful or just don't post to me at
all.
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Stan
Moderator
Joined: 01 Jan 2006 Posts: 1652 Location: ,
Posted: 08-03-08 09:38am
The fact is simple, people come on here to
get advice from others who have dealt with
the condition. She knows to go to a
doctor, she doesn't need you telling her
that a million times over. Every single
one of your posts has something about that
in there. THANKS, I'm sure she says, like
she didn't know that already, she's
already going to one. Give some advice
for once about what's helpd you instead of
'go to the doctor, go to the doctor.' She
knows that, she's not an fool. You're
treating her like one with responses like
that.
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VictoriaGB
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Joined: 25 Apr 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Wales, UK
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Posted: 08-03-08 09:55am
Since you're saying 'she' I'm guessing
you're referring to another thread.
I've given her plenty of advice without
assuming she has reactive hypoglycemia. I
don't see a problem with that.
If you want to continue squabbling then
take it off the forum. This isn't doing
anyone any good.
