ok i am 22 yrs old and never had diabetes my blood sugar was really really low out of nowhere one day and i was tested for diabetes and they said i didnt have it.... but my blood sugar goes down alot i was tested for hypoglycemia and they said ididnt have it but somethings making my blood sugar go low can doctors test for hypoglycemia and diabetes with a ladb test or were they lying to me

A bit more information would be helpful. How low was your blood sugar and when was it tested. There are tests that can be performed to determine what your blood sugar problems are. Do you know what tests were done?

Cora

You did not say what "too low" is. Are you having symptoms? As strange as it may seem the diet for diabetes is the same one for hypoglycemia. You may need to stay away from the foods that are not good for diabetics. Hypoglycemics may need to eat smaller and more frequent meals.

A1C is an average of about 3 months. Here is a far out example of what could be high 200 low 30. Both of these numbers are far from normal and yet an A1C would be the average of those two, of 115 which is an OK number. Of course over 2-3 months there would be many levels.

A glucose tolerance test, (which I don't like) is to give a certain amount of glucose drink and check the blood levels thereafter so that you can see how it is utilized. 2 Hours is more or less common. With a 2 hour test there is the potential that at 2 hours your level looks OK but at the 3, 4, or 5 hour level is low. So a glucose tolerance test might not give you a true picture either.

BVan (Betty)

A way to more surly determine would be to take finger sticks every 15 to 30 minutes around the clock of 24 hours. Recently I am seeing where some people are given a continuous meter that they wear for 24 hours or more. It appears that is just now becoming available and is relative new technology.

It is difficult to prove a negative in anything and diabetes is no exception. There are other tests but I don't know of any that would be beneficial in that regard. They can tell how much insulin you are producing but how do you know if that amount is too much or too little as everyone is different.

If you have the availability you could check as frequently as possible for a while, keeping detailed logs of what you eat and do along with the blood glucose.

The only sure way to test for hypoglycemia is a glucose tolerance test. I've heard conflicting advice as to how long the test should be (they do vary from place to place), but I think for hypoglycemia it should be a minimum of 3 hours, preferably 4-5.

Ruth

:o put it this way the first day i was really ill wasa montha nd half ago and my blood sugar was 35 they gave me a glucose pill and it went up to 60 something that was at the doctors office.... i remmber not eating right the day before that happened all i had all day was an iced coffee with extra sugar and soup and like 6 nips hard candies.. the next day was when i went to the doctor they told me to go get tested for diabetes the next day which i went to the emergency room and my blood sugar was like 65 and they tested for diabetes and said i didnt have it....since then ive been in and out of er and doctors snd evcerytime ive gone they say my blood sugar is ok i was also tested for hypoglycemia in the doctors and i was told i =didnt have it so i dont understand this i bought a blood sugar monitor and so far its been ok the sugar never goes above 135 but when i woke up this morning it was 59 thats after not eating like12 hrs so i dont know if thats normal for that..... i have been lighheaded since this all started and ive been haveing heart pallpiltations off and on trouble breathing i dont feel right...but everytime i got to er they say my sugar is ok and ive had heart tests and basic bllood work and i even saw a neuroligist there trying to tell me i have anxiety....even when my blood sugar is ok i still feel wierd... i dont get y it wouldve been so dam low that day

Hiya, Nikki....since you're not on any diabetic meds, which is a whole 'nother ball game, and you seem to have hypoglycemic episodes or possibly reactive hypoglycemia (blood sugars reacting negatively to certain foods ingested).....the best thing you can do is take a good look at your eating habits/lifestyle.

Having been hypoglycemic myself, I can tell you that it is so important to understand how to eat properly. You need to eat balanced meals, paying attention to and understanding fats and proteins as much as carbs and/or sugar. Eat 5 small meals/snacks through the day should help with the lows. You need food to avoid those lows and (not that I'm suggesting anything) that does not mean a pop and chip or candy bar. Do yourself the favor of staying away from highly refined foods, as they are loaded with sugar. Sugar can be a vicious cycle of bringing you up and crashing you way low.

When you feel yourself "low"...take some immediate sugar source (3 oz OJ, 5 LifeSavers, sugar tabs, etc), to bring your sugar back up to normal - at least over 70 (3.9) - then EAT SOMETHING WITH PROTEIN/FAT/CARBS like small apple with cheese, whole grain bread with peanut butter, etc. As long as it's balanced and will hold you until your next snack/meal. Try not to go more than 4 hours without eating. That'll help with the lows, too.

Good luck. Take care.
- Vikingirl

To test for hypoglycemia using the oral glucose tolerance test I think the test should be 5 hours. The 2 hour standard in some cases can give a diabetic diagnosis whereas 5 would give a hypo. diagnosis.

Hypoglycemia is the other side of the diabetes coin. Diabetes is the result of the malfunction in the body's ability to process glucose. When something is "broken" it doesn't work correctly so that can cause hypoglycemia that can become diabetes.

From what I read usually a hypoglycemic converts to being diabetic. That has not stood true in my family. I believe my mom was hypo but it was in a time frame when almost nothing was known about this. My 84 year old sister has been hypoglycemic for many years and still is. She eats frequently and a small mint or some such in between helps when needed. But she stops it early enough it doesn't develop into a problem. She has found how much she needs so handles it well.

BVan (Betty)

Nikki,
vikingirl gave you some excellent advice. It really doesn't matter whether or not you get a diagnosis of hypoglycemia, as the treatment is exactly what vikingirl said...eat several small meals rather than 3 large meals; always eat protein with carbs, and never eat straight carbs (especially straight sugary carbs) unless you're treating a low, and then eat some protein afterwards so you won't get a rebound high. It's just about guaranteed that if you follow good dietary habits, you will avoid extreme lows and you'll feel much, much better.

If you need a diagnosis for your own peace of mine, then insist that a 5-hour glucose tolerance test be done. (By the way, the symptoms of low blood sugar can mimic anxiety attacks, a fact that you might want to remind your doctor of!)

Ruth

:mad: ok i monitored my blood sugar all day night yesterday and i came up with this in the morning well after noon i wake up late lol so around 11:00am it was 57 i ate cereal took it an hour later it was 120 40 min later it was 104 i also had orange juice woith the ceral actually this reading are for today so far yesterday was waking 59 lunch 80 something after lunch 100 something no higher than 130 after that like an hour later 90 something then like 40 min later 72 isnt that big dip? then at dinner 105 after eating pizza an hour later 94 an hour later 110 an hour after that 95 at 9 :30 pm it was 85 i ate a sandwich then it was94 an hour half later... i checked it again at 12:15 am and it was 110.... then i went to sleep and woke up at 4 :30 am and checked it and it was 94 so i was happy bu then i didnt wake up today until 11:00 and it was 57! is this nornal so far??????

Hi niki....actually, your numbers are really good - with a few exceptions. The reason your "morning/waking" numbers are so low is because YOU HAVEN'T EATEN IN 13.5 HOURS! (If the last thing you ate was a sandwich at 9:30PM and don't get up and/or eat again till 11AM or after that....well, you do the math :-)

You aren't eating enough protein at breakfast, either. Especially if you're not going to cut the OJ out (most Diabetics use OJ exclusively to fix a low because it is such a quick-acting sugar source). Eat the fruit instead, so much better for you as it takes longer to digest and has the added benefit of fibre. You need to eat a snack between breakfast & lunch if you're going to eat in 5 small meals/snacks a day portions. And another one between lunch and dinner or after dinner (depending when you eat). And you would do yourself a favor if you got up before 9:00am and ate a proper snack - even if you do go back to bed later. You just can't go that long without eating or else you'll feel like cr*p every morning and it'll take you all day to feel good again. Your choice.

Good luck!
- Vikingirl