Hypoglycemia

When news stories and doctors talk about blood sugar, they're almost always referring to high blood sugar. High blood sugar is what doctors are trained to look for and treat, because it is one of the most common medical problems today. It's associated with diabetes, but you don't need to have diabetes to have high blood sugar. It's so common to see articles in magazines with tips on how how lower your blood sugar, and there are even commercials on TV for drugs that claim to stabilize blood sugar by lowering it.

But what about those of us who have low blood sugar? I saw many doctors and specialists throughout 2013, and each of them checked to see if I was diabetic right away. They all wanted to know if my blood sugar was too high. When my numbers came back, they all told me my blood sugar was "great!" My blood sugar was always around 80, sometimes even lower. At the time, I didn't know anything about blood sugar levels, though I know that low blood sugar was a bad thing because I had heard that somewhere. No doctor ever said my blood sugar was low, but I was told, "the lower the better."

On a side note, to further my point, my blood pressure was also much too low, but all the doctors said that my blood pressure was, again, "great!" I often had numbers such as 90/50 (I remember the top number being 87 once,) which should have been concerning to them, and apparently that was "the golden image of health." Doctors simply are not trained for low numbers. They are only taught to look out for high numbers when it comes to blood sugar and pressure.

My local chiropractor was the first person to ask if my blood sugar was too low. He planted the seed of doubt in my head, making me want to find out more about blood sugar issues. It wasn't long after then that I saw my out-of-state Naturopathic doctor for the first time, and he explained that my blood sugar was too low and we needed to work on stabilizing it. Of course, he found so many other issues to work on too - I was a little overwhelmed, but willing and able to follow his instructions to improve my health regardless of that. So while I did as he said, I forgot about really digging into what low blood sugar meant for a while. Several months later, my local acupuncturist (I say local because my ND specializes in acupuncture and chiropractic manipulations, but he's out-of-state) said I really appeared to be hypoglycemic. It was the first time I had heard the word associated with me, and I didn't really understand the meaning. He explained it's low blood sugar, any number below 80. I already knew that I had come in below 80 in the past. So I asked my ND if I was hypoglycemic, to which he said "Oh you're definitely hypoglycemic!"

And so I finally decided to learn about hypoglycemia, since it was one of my most outwardly obvious health issues. Hypoglycemia is when a person produces too much insulin. Insulin "eats up" (so-to-speak) sugar in the blood, reducing the person's blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are too low from insulin being too high, this results in all sorts of side-effects: dizziness/ inability to focus, memory loss, more vision problems such as seeing floating colors, extreme fatigue, brain fog, lack of strength, and more. Scary stuff! I experienced all of this. Doctors (who actually recognize low blood sugar issues) recommend eating a candy bar when blood sugar is too low. The sugar in the candy bar is supposed to increase the sugar in the blood. The problem with this, however, is that it only temporarily addresses the symptom, not the cause. By increasing blood sugar with a candy bar, insulin is also increased, because insulin production is in response to blood sugar. It doesn't take long before that candy bar wears off and causes the person to crash hard.

So what was it that my ND is having my do to stabilize my blood sugar? Obviously, it isn't eating candy bars! Quite the opposite. I'm avoiding all sugar, in every form. No fruit, no honey, no unrefined palm sugar - no sugar, period. I even avoid sugary vegetables, such as beets. I can have carrots in small amounts no more than 3 times a week, but I get pretty jittery with carrots now, so I don't have them too often. We're also working to repair my digestive organs through supplements and diet. By avoiding all sugar, I keep my digestive organs calm, allowing them to heal.

Instead of increasing blood sugar by eating sugar, I'm eating a diet based on my blood type and my specific health situation. This is where it gets very complicated to explain, and it's a different topic I'm not comfortable blogging about at this time. It's my ND's specialty, not mine, and I won't speak for him. You should see him yourself if you want to know more. What I don't know, because I'm not a health care professional, is whether the diet I'm on is recommended for anyone with hypoglycemia, or if it's working for me due to my specific needs. If I've learned anything from this experience, it's that each person has very different needs, and that includes dietary needs! I'm willing to explain my diet, but I'm not going to recommend it as the "the answer." I hope that it leads you to finding the right answer for you. I highly recommend my ND (comment or message me for details.)

I'm not on this diet only to address hypoglycemia, but it is working to stabilize me. My diet is very high protein, with a good amount of fats, very low-carb, with no sugar. I eat every two hours. I eat meat at least 3 times a day (always clean grass-fed pasture-raised red meat, free-range pasture-raised poultry, and wild caught low-mercury fish - very clean pure meat.) I snack on nuts and seeds that are not starchy or sugary, mainly just walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas/ pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. I struggle with vegetables because they're very rough on my gut, but that's another story. The vegetables I do eat are non-sugary and non-starchy and non-moldy (no mushrooms or peanuts,) and I strictly eat organic vegetables. I also drink a protein shake with coconut or almond milk twice a day. That's it. I don't eat anything else. No sugar, no grain, no dairy, no starch, no alcohol. It's not as hard as it sounds - I'm actually feeling very freed by this diet, not constricted! I'm free from cravings, temptation, and too many bad food choices. It's wonderful! Meat tastes delicious, and I honestly have no issue eating it so often. I feel so much better on this diet that I don't miss any other foods! When I'm feeling low, I eat some jerky, and I perk up. It's awesome!

I have a loose understanding of why this diet works for stabilizing blood sugar. Sugar and some types of carbohydrates break down very quickly in the digestive system, causing changes to blood sugar and metabolism soon after eating them. They leave a person hungry soon after eating them. Proteins and fats break down the slowest. This means that they provide energy slowly, over a long period of time. They do not affect blood sugar quickly, but instead provide a slow release of sugar into the blood. This allows blood sugar to stay stable. Since I'm not doing anything to increase insulin, blood sugar can slowly build up over time.

I have not been checking my blood sugar numbers since starting my ND's regimen a year ago. I've wanted to - I've been curious. I've never thought it necessary enough to spend money on a test kit, and I definitely see no point in going to a doctor. So while I can't tell you what my blood sugar number is at, I can tell you that I've been much more stable. It's been more and more rare that I feel hypoglycemic, and more and more common that I'm feeling strong enough to stay in control most of the time. Chronic Fatigue and MCS can cause similar symptoms to hypoglycemia, so while I still do get dizzy, overly spacy, and brain fog, I haven't been feeling that weakness associated with low blood sugar. Even when my energy has been very low, I can still find the strength to move. I can get up and walk if I need to. When I'm hypoglycemic, walking is difficult.

It's been several months - maybe even longer - since the last time I've fought hypoglycemia. It's been long enough that I've forgotten about it, and have been able to focus on other health concerns. Until this week. 3 days ago, I started to feel that weakness settling in, but it was minor, and I figured I just needed to eat more. For some reason I've been less interested in eating lately. I try to eat every 2 hours, but it's been more like every 3-4 hours, and then I eat a little too light. I'm think I've gained too much mental energy and am letting myself get too preoccupied with projects other than my health. I felt much worse yesterday. My blood sugar was definitely too low. I felt very weak all day. I was dizzy, seeing floating colors, having memory lapses, severe brain fog, and fatigue that almost bound me to my chair and bed. I got up and drove myself to my acupuncture appointment anyway - which I shouldn't have done. I was not fit to be driving. My reaction time way way too slow and my vision wasn't clear enough. I did make it without hurting myself or anyone. Acupuncture helped a lot. I felt much more stable and clear-headed, and then a good dinner helped stabilize me more than it would have without acupuncture. I know this from experience.

I'm still feeling rather hypoglycmic today. My skin is pasty white from poor circulation too. It's a lesson learned! I need to eat enough often enough, so I'm eating sunflower seed butter as I write this. Just because I have a system that keeps me stable doesn't mean I'm strong enough to let go of the system, even if just for a few days. I'm actually quite amazed at how quickly I turned hypoglycemic just by eating too lightly for a few days.