My grandmother always fussed about how she was hypoglycemic, a friend was complaining about it the other day, and I was feeling dreadful just a moment ago. I hadn't had breakfast yet (I'd never do that to my D child, but I'd do it to myself!), and I felt hungry, shaky, distracted, etc. All the signs of hypo, so I tested my sugar - 80.
Made me wonder:
Do non D folks get hypo under normal circumstances (not serious illness, malnutrition, etc)?
If not, why these hypo symptoms?
It is very rare for a non-diabetic to become truly hypoglycemic. What your grandmother and friend are referring to is this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoglycemia_(common_usage)
I hope this helps.
I am not sure, if there is truth to this …but my observation : I had similar events years prior to being diagnosed before my
( delayed ) meals …cranky , wanted to pick a fight with everyone …the usual low blood sugar signs; read somewhere at least 30 plus years ago ,that the chance is , that it may turn into diabetes.No finger poking in those days either to verify .I recall reading too , to eat 6 small meals daily to avoid the hypo’s , to feed the cells with glucose …( breakfast being one of them after a fast of probably 12 hours …to " break the fast " =breakfast )
Hypoglycemia is less common in non-diabetic persons, but I would not characterize it as rare. Also, people who suffer from hypoglycemia are considered to be at a higher risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. I have a coworker whose doctor treated her for hypoglycemia for many years before she was diagnosed T2. My niece, who is in her 30’s, also suffers from hypoglycemia, especially when she is physically active, & her doctors have advised her to get glucose tolerance testing at least annually.
Ah ha! I looked at Wiki, but did not see this obvious link. You’ve definitely hit the nail on the head Shannon. A bit of lunch, and I was good as new.
From Wikipedia:
In modern Western culture, “hypoglycemia” has taken on a colloquial meaning distinct from the medical condition of that name. Whereas the medical usage is defined by measurable low blood glucose, this common usage is used to describe a condition characterized by shakiness, moodiness, brain fog, crashes, and so forth, a condition for which a low blood glucose at time of symptoms is not required for diagnosis, carries no risk of death or brain damage, and which is treated mainly by eating habit changes rather than glucose, glucagon, drugs, hormones, or surgery.
The scientific medicine term for this condition is idiopathic postprandial syndrome.
I actually have two friends with hypoglycemia… not severe, but it’s there. It’s not too rare, but it’s not common either.
Actually, it really is rare. As I wrote above, what people often call hypoglycemia is not truly hypoglycemia. Unless there is an actual blood glucose measurement, and that measurement is below 70 mg/dl, it is not medically considered hypoglycemia.
It feels lousy, but it is not life-threatening the way true hypoglycemia is.
The link I provided has a very accurate description of what I’m referring to.
Also, I meant to add that in most non-diabetic people with “hypoglycemia,” it is usually self-diagnosed.
In the article you linked is the following: “Hypoglycemia is less common in non-diabetic persons, but can occur at any age, from many causes.”
It goes on to discuss the “common usage” form of hypoglycemia, to which I assume you are referring.
Also, it states “The precise level of glucose considered low enough to define hypoglycemia is dependent on (1) the measurement method, (2) the age of the person, (3) presence or absence of effects, and (4) the purpose of the definition. While there is no disagreement as to the normal range of blood sugar, debate continues as to what degree of hypoglycemia warrants medical evaluation or treatment …” and “Criteria referred to as Whipple’s triad are used to determine a diagnosis of hypoglycemia.”
Certainly, a diagnosis of hypoglycemia is not the same as severe hypoglycemia.
This might provide a clearer explanation: Hypoglycemia | definition of hypoglycemia by Medical dictionary
I’ve had the sensations of hypoglycemia before (dizziness, fatigue, crankiness, etc) but never measured my BG at the time - it was before Eric was diagnosed, and since I started eating better (and more frequently) it hasn’t happened. But there was a time when my husband knew that if I said, “I need to eat NOW!” I meant it… because I was either on the verge of an emotional meltdown or I felt like was going to pass out. I kept glucose tabs in my purse long before my son was diagnosed simply because I didn’t want to have one of those episodes while driving.
Interesting post. I remember having hypoglycemic (didn’t know it as this) moments in my early 20s. I would even pass out. I remember telling people if I ever passed out to just give me a cold coke. I guess it was the sugar in that drink that made me feel better. As many times as I went to the doctor I don’t recall anyone ever testing my blood sugar although I have had every heart test imaginable. I was diagnosed as a T1 a few months ago at the age of 31.
The point I was attempting to make is that true hypoglycemia is not as common as most people seem to think.
I once asked my endocrinologist about this because, like some of the others have written, I experienced what I thought were hypoglycemic episodes before my Type 1 diagnosis. His response was that hypos in non-diabetics (and even in type 2 diabetics) are rare.
Given that, and the description of Whipple’s Triad (which includes a “low plasma glucose measurement,” I feel confident in my original statement. Even in the link you provided, the following statement seems to confirm my point:
“Reactive hypoglycemia was diagnosed more frequently 10-20 years ago than today. Studies have shown that most people suffering from its symptoms test normal for blood sugar, leading many doctors to suggest that actual cases of reactive hypoglycemia are quite rare.”
As someone who experiences true hypoglycemia (i.e., blood sugars below 55 mg/dl), the symptoms ARE different.
I was diagnosed with D a year ago now. I had hypoglycemic episodes going back about 15 years ago - had one measured BG at 32. I have had many episodes within the past few years of being in the 50’s. My doc though it had something to do with the pancrease burining out so to speak - pushing out insulin in response to a post meal high maybe???
carb101
I remember I had an episode like that when I was about 20 and felt like i was gonna pass out. Shakey, week etc andI had to sit down and someone got me some orange juice and I was fine. Even after that though, if I ever felt close to that again I knew I had to site down and eat and usually I would go for the oj. But this happened rarely throughout my life.
I think it is possible or someone blood sugar to go low if they are not D but if they are not D they probably wouldn’t have any complications from it because it is easier to fix and not an every day thing probably.
80 isn’t really low - I think that is considered normal range for non-D people. I often wake up at 70 and I feel fine. But than it is different for everyone.
I had hypoglycemia my whole life. When I was a child I would get physically sick if I didn’t eat, with raging headaches. I frequently fainted in church because this was back in the 60s when you couldn’t eat before communion, so I hadn’t had breakfast. I would also get a visual migraine, where I had dark spots in front of my eyes, or sparkly lights and I couldn’t see. All the symptoms would go away as long as I ate immediately but if I waited too long, I might not recover for hours. I was diagnosed with LADA 3 years ago at age 53. When I did the Glucose Tolerance Test my BG went up to 175 at 1 1/2 hours and then down to 59, 4 hours after the test. This was before I started on insulin. Once I got my own meter, I could see that my BG went up to 200 with every bite of carbohydrate and then plummeted to 75 in less than an hour. I was exhausted all the time from the yo-yo effect.
I absolutely agree that 80 isn’t low. That was why I wondered why I would feel hypo when I wasn’t. I also wondered if it had to do with rapidly dropping sugars, but since I don’t normally test myself, I don’t know the answer to that.
I think I sometimes feel hypo when my sugar drops rapidly, even though I don’t actually end up below 70. A drop of 75 or so in about half an hour will do it. I remember once drinking a morning smoothie soon after I was diagnosed and then going for a walk. I was so shaky I had to sit down but when I got home and tested, I was over 100. This was very soon after diagnosis and I couldn’t understand what was happening. every time I tested, at one or two hours, my numbers were fine. Then I just started checking at 30 or 45 minutes and my BG was spiking to 180 or higher.
Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel when I’m “low”! Hostile as all get-out, but once I eat, much calmer. That’s why I started watching what and when I eat, because I hated taking it out on my family. Now that I do the 3 meals/2 snacks and protein with every meal routine, it rarely happens.
There is key difference between serious hypoglycemia and reactive hypoglycemia. Many diabetics, particularly type 2 and emerging type 1s suffer from secretion problems. When you eat carbs, your body responds by secreting insulin, but it responds in dysfunctional ways, generating too much insulin, too late overcompensating. If you suffer from this you will drop low, perhaps 50-70 mg/dl, but you won’t have a serious hypo and pretty much your body protects you by counterregulating, dumping some blood sugar. You may well get the shakes and feel like blowing chunks, but not a serious health risk.
Serious hypoglycemia is very rare for non-diabetics and even for type 2s and emerging type 1s. Your body just does not naturally dump needless large amounts of insulin and your body will normally counterregulate. When you use external insulin, that is when you have a risk. When my poor pooped out pancreas works, I suffer from reactive hypos. Some of you may recall my act of utter stupidity a few weeks ago when I gave myself an OGTT. I went up to 218 mg/dl at half an hour before plunging down to 64 mg/dl at 2.5 hours. I stopped testing at that point. I may have gone lower. I’ve tested in the 50s with reactive hypos.
But that being said, there are certainly many people that go for years with reactive hypos and it makes them feel like crap. For some of these people, those reactive hypos are the first sign of emerging diabetes.