modert
10-23-2004, 11:49 PM
Hello I'm rather new to these boards, how ever i'm now beliving that i have Reactive HypoGlycemia and i'm wondering if there is some sorta easy test to see if for sure you have a problem. i read on one thread about some glucose urine test strips but i'm not sure if those are only for when your blood sugar is too high. or if its too low .
I'll go back into the docs but when i wasin there a few years ago for this they seemed to think i didn't know what i was talking about. that i just needed to eat more. they took a blood sample and said "i'm fine" so i would love to be able to test myself a few times a day. write up a dairy and go in with a handful of evidance that no, i'm not 100% fine.
Any advice would be great.
and what type of questions should i my doc ? and what should i tell her so she gets it ?
Thanks a bunch !
(ooop ssorry could a moderator move this to diabetes thanks)
The best test for RH is a 5-hr glucose tolerance test. Unfortunately though, if your doctor does not believe in this condition, there is nothing you can do to change their mind. This condition is usually addressed by nutritional counselors, dietitians, or some doctors/endocrinologists that happen to have experience or a more "holistic" approach to medicine.
For me, my primary dr is an osteopath - has a more open mind to these things. Still, he has no idea how to treat RH, but he listens to me and agrees that the condition exists. My Endocrinologist looks at me cross-eyed when I discuss RH with him - he insists that it is not physically possible for this condition to exist. Years ago, when I was treated for my severe case of RH, I was seeing a nutritional counselor who had me tested, and then provided a diet and supplementation.
I answered some of your question in another post on the other board, but I will repeat it here for the benefit of anyone else reading here. You had asked about testing at home, which I think is a really good idea. You will be able to see patterns of how your body responds to food and excercise, and you will know precisely how low your glucose levels are dropping. But I do not recommend playing around with your diet to "provoke" a result... in other words don't load up on carbs and sugar and then workout really hard just to see how you test. Provoking your symptoms at home is dangerous - you really need to do everything in your power to prevent your glucose levels from dropping.
Regardless of whether you test at home or get a 5-hr GTT as "proof" of your condition, it is all still relative. For example, normal glucose ranges are listed between 60-110. So technically only readings under 60 are considered abnormal. But RH symptoms are not just about how low your glucose levels drop, but also about how fast and how far they plummet in response to your meals and your natural insulin production. For example, your glucose levels may rise to 180 after a 100 carb-gram meal, and then within an hour drop to 120, then 100, then 80 and bottom out at 70. 70 is still within normal range but being there won't feel very good - you will have all the common symptoms like lightheadedness, tingling, passing out, etc. Another person's glucose may level off at 70 and they feel perfectly fine. For me, anything under 80 makes me feel terribly ill. My original 5-hr glucose tolerance tests (from years ago) showed that I plummeted hard and fast from 170 down to 70 in a 45 minute period. This occured after the 3rd hour (why a 3-hr glucose tolerance test is often not considered effective for diagnosing RH). Then I continued to drop another 10-20 points in the following 4th hour. Now, I have learned to control my glucose levels by keeping them leveled between 90 and 120 at all times. This controls my RH and my diabetes.
Hope this helps!
I'll go back into the docs but when i wasin there a few years ago for this they seemed to think i didn't know what i was talking about. that i just needed to eat more. they took a blood sample and said "i'm fine" so i would love to be able to test myself a few times a day. write up a dairy and go in with a handful of evidance that no, i'm not 100% fine.
Any advice would be great.
and what type of questions should i my doc ? and what should i tell her so she gets it ?
Thanks a bunch !
(ooop ssorry could a moderator move this to diabetes thanks)
The best test for RH is a 5-hr glucose tolerance test. Unfortunately though, if your doctor does not believe in this condition, there is nothing you can do to change their mind. This condition is usually addressed by nutritional counselors, dietitians, or some doctors/endocrinologists that happen to have experience or a more "holistic" approach to medicine.
For me, my primary dr is an osteopath - has a more open mind to these things. Still, he has no idea how to treat RH, but he listens to me and agrees that the condition exists. My Endocrinologist looks at me cross-eyed when I discuss RH with him - he insists that it is not physically possible for this condition to exist. Years ago, when I was treated for my severe case of RH, I was seeing a nutritional counselor who had me tested, and then provided a diet and supplementation.
I answered some of your question in another post on the other board, but I will repeat it here for the benefit of anyone else reading here. You had asked about testing at home, which I think is a really good idea. You will be able to see patterns of how your body responds to food and excercise, and you will know precisely how low your glucose levels are dropping. But I do not recommend playing around with your diet to "provoke" a result... in other words don't load up on carbs and sugar and then workout really hard just to see how you test. Provoking your symptoms at home is dangerous - you really need to do everything in your power to prevent your glucose levels from dropping.
Regardless of whether you test at home or get a 5-hr GTT as "proof" of your condition, it is all still relative. For example, normal glucose ranges are listed between 60-110. So technically only readings under 60 are considered abnormal. But RH symptoms are not just about how low your glucose levels drop, but also about how fast and how far they plummet in response to your meals and your natural insulin production. For example, your glucose levels may rise to 180 after a 100 carb-gram meal, and then within an hour drop to 120, then 100, then 80 and bottom out at 70. 70 is still within normal range but being there won't feel very good - you will have all the common symptoms like lightheadedness, tingling, passing out, etc. Another person's glucose may level off at 70 and they feel perfectly fine. For me, anything under 80 makes me feel terribly ill. My original 5-hr glucose tolerance tests (from years ago) showed that I plummeted hard and fast from 170 down to 70 in a 45 minute period. This occured after the 3rd hour (why a 3-hr glucose tolerance test is often not considered effective for diagnosing RH). Then I continued to drop another 10-20 points in the following 4th hour. Now, I have learned to control my glucose levels by keeping them leveled between 90 and 120 at all times. This controls my RH and my diabetes.
Hope this helps!