What happened to me today?!?! - Asthma Message Board

Blondee15 · 08-26-2004, 10:36 PM

I've been getting these scary low blood sugar episodes, not often, but maybe once every month or few months or so. It happens almost exclusively when I go more than 5 hours or so w/out eating. but it doesn't happen everytime I wait that long to eat- just once in a while.
I'm posting this here on the asthma boards b/c today I noticed something weird. Today I had the scariest episode of all. I started getting dizzy & nauseaus & then.. my chest was tight. I couldn't breathe well, I was pretty much forcing breathes in & out. I told my manager I was going 2 lunch & made it about 10 feet before everything got fuzzy & really blurry. My ears started to feel like they were closing up(I have ETD) & I couldn't hear well. My skin felt funny, and I was sweating really hard. I sat down b/c I knew if I didn't, I would pass out for sure. I wasn't breathing well & my sinuses hurt & I felt so nauseous..
so then I got some water, ate a bagel & I felt fine. A while ago one of my doctor's nurses told me it was my inhaled steroids but this has been happening longer than i've been on them.
I told myself the next time this happened I wouldn't eat & instead go straight to the hospital & have them check me out. It's hard to go to the doctor when you feel fine & tell them what's wrong.. when it's not happening.
I knew my lungs were affected b/c I got the after effects of an asthma attack, the sticky gross mucous & trying to cough it up as usual.. blah, gross, but we all get it. So how is what happened connected w/ asthma? My guess is this is low blood sugar episodes but how would this cause an asthma attack? Or is the asthma causing the other symptoms? Anyone experience anything liket his? I'm scared out of my mind this is going to happen again, it's getting worse everytime, what should I do? HELP!!!

lidia09 · 08-27-2004, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blondee15

I've been getting these scary low blood sugar episodes, not often, but maybe once every month or few months or so. It happens almost exclusively when I go more than 5 hours or so w/out eating. but it doesn't happen everytime I wait that long to eat- just once in a while.
I'm posting this here on the asthma boards b/c today I noticed something weird. Today I had the scariest episode of all. I started getting dizzy & nauseaus & then.. my chest was tight. I couldn't breathe well, I was pretty much forcing breathes in & out. I told my manager I was going 2 lunch & made it about 10 feet before everything got fuzzy & really blurry. My ears started to feel like they were closing up(I have ETD) & I couldn't hear well. My skin felt funny, and I was sweating really hard. I sat down b/c I knew if I didn't, I would pass out for sure. I wasn't breathing well & my sinuses hurt & I felt so nauseous..
so then I got some water, ate a bagel & I felt fine. A while ago one of my doctor's nurses told me it was my inhaled steroids but this has been happening longer than i've been on them.
I told myself the next time this happened I wouldn't eat & instead go straight to the hospital & have them check me out. It's hard to go to the doctor when you feel fine & tell them what's wrong.. when it's not happening.
I knew my lungs were affected b/c I got the after effects of an asthma attack, the sticky gross mucous & trying to cough it up as usual.. blah, gross, but we all get it. So how is what happened connected w/ asthma? My guess is this is low blood sugar episodes but how would this cause an asthma attack? Or is the asthma causing the other symptoms? Anyone experience anything liket his? I'm scared out of my mind this is going to happen again, it's getting worse everytime, what should I do? HELP!!!

Hi Blondee
Sounds like a plain old hypoglycaemic attack rather than asthma. If you know that you go like this when you don't eat for 5 hours, surely the plain & simple answer is to eat more frequently, is it not?

After 5 hours of no food your metabolic rate slows down because your body thinks it's being starved. If you don't put fuel in the car, it won't work - same applies to us.

I think you'll find that if you eat breakfast before you leave for work in the morning & eat regulatr meals, these symptoms you're having might disappear.

Lidia