Pharmacist taking a blood sugar reading
Credit: wikibruger | ©wikimedia commons
I remember going to see an internal medicine doctor with my list of complaints: I often felt sweaty, shaky and sick to my stomach. Sometimes I would feel a sense of panic as I held onto the nearest counter and prayed that I wouldn't faint in public. My vision would blur, my hands and feet would ice up. Ten or fifteen minutes later the sweaty, shaky, dizzy feeling would pass, especially if I drank a glass of juice.
My doctor listened patiently to me, and then asked if I was under any stress. I wasn't: Having a job as a part-time mathematics professor at a community college is about as low stress as it gets. My family life couldn't have been any more apple pie perfect. Still, I walked out of his office with instructions to lose a few pounds (I was 5 lbs overweight) and a leaflet with instructions about how to de-stress.
Ever felt like someone had listened to you, but actually hadn't heard a word you said?
It was actually my friend Google that supplied the answers. After yet another evening bout of feeling shaky, sweaty and cold to the touch I decided enough was enough; I had to find out what was wrong with me. I typed my worst symptoms into the search field: nervous, shaky, sweaty, cold.
I found a discussion board post about a condition I had never heard about before: postprandial hypoglycemia—also called reactive hypoglycemia. I purchased a home blood sugar monitor and self-diagnosed myself in a couple of days. A couple of months later—after making dietary changes—I was back to my pre-hypoglycemia self. If only that internal medicine physician had recognized that I had all of the signs of postrprandial hypoglycemia, it would have saved me months of anguish.
There are many signs and symptoms of postprandial hypoglycemia, but some of the most common are:
My doctor listened patiently to me, and then asked if I was under any stress. I wasn't: Having a job as a part-time mathematics professor at a community college is about as low stress as it gets. My family life couldn't have been any more apple pie perfect. Still, I walked out of his office with instructions to lose a few pounds (I was 5 lbs overweight) and a leaflet with instructions about how to de-stress.
Ever felt like someone had listened to you, but actually hadn't heard a word you said?
It was actually my friend Google that supplied the answers. After yet another evening bout of feeling shaky, sweaty and cold to the touch I decided enough was enough; I had to find out what was wrong with me. I typed my worst symptoms into the search field: nervous, shaky, sweaty, cold.
I found a discussion board post about a condition I had never heard about before: postprandial hypoglycemia—also called reactive hypoglycemia. I purchased a home blood sugar monitor and self-diagnosed myself in a couple of days. A couple of months later—after making dietary changes—I was back to my pre-hypoglycemia self. If only that internal medicine physician had recognized that I had all of the signs of postrprandial hypoglycemia, it would have saved me months of anguish.
There are many signs and symptoms of postprandial hypoglycemia, but some of the most common are:
- Frequent stomach upsets, accompanied by dizziness and nausea
- Shaking and dizziness, especially shaky hands
- Trembling hands and/or trembling legs
- Cold nose, fingers and/or toes
- A history of feeling faint, passing out or fainting
- Craving carbohydrates (chocolate cake etc.)
- Panic attacks
- Mental confusion
- Abrupt mood swings
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