I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic a few weeks ago. My blood sugar was very high and I was told I was on my way to needing insulin shots. Because of that, I switched my diet immediately over to a low carb one. I've been cutting out carbs in general but mainly sugars. I do still eat vegetables and a bit of fruit. I have switched to low sugar whole grain wheat bread and I don't eat sweets at all unless they are sugar-free. I've managed to lose a few pounds, 5 at my last doctor visit, so on that front, I think everything should be improving. I go back to have my blood sugar retested in a few weeks.
For the last few days, however, I've been experiencing severe fatigue. I have no energy at all. I felt almost like I was winded carrying a very small garbage can with some paper in it about 25 feet. I wasn't out of breath but I felt like I needed to stop and rest after. I'm only 37 and I feel like I'm 97. Could this be related to the low carbs? I can't go back to eating carbs or I will end up on insulin. What can I do?
In addition to this I have other things that may or may not be related. I'll put them down in case anyone else has experience with this or knows what it could be. I've had joint pain for years. Started off in my shoulders and is now in my fingers, ankles, elbows, back, knees, and shoulders. I haven't been able to stand in one place longer than ten minutes since I was a young teen. My legs get very red, swell, and itch terribly.
The worst thing that plagues me though is this. Upon waking I feel aching pain in my stomach. I am on omeprezole to help with this, so I take that and half an hour later have breakfast. I have tried multiple different food items for breakfast with no changes in what follows including gluten free and high protein. Within half an hour or less, my stomach hurts again. Within the next 1-2 hours I must eat again and it must be something with breads or meats in it. I am not hungry at this point and often feel nauseous at the sight of food. However if I do not eat something, I get dizzy, have hot flashes, my emotions get out of control, I get crippling stomach pain, and I will faint. Until I've had this second meal I can't leave my house because of the risk of all of the above. I don't trust myself to drive, and trying to do any activity makes things worse.
For the last problem I have seen multiple doctors. Every single one gives me a blood test for my sugar. I've had both finger sticks and blood draws over the course of a few hours done. Every time it comes out normal or slightly high. I get all the symptoms of low blood sugar, basically, but my blood sugar is high. Even when its in the normal range it's always on the higher side. When they realize my blood sugars are not low they tell me they have no idea what it is and tell me to come back if it returns. I've been dealing with this condition for over a decade now, every day of my life, and I have yet to find a doctor with any clue what to test for. I do not know if the symptoms could be related to diabetes somehow, or are part of something else. I've had blood work done before and everything comes back normal. The last one checked for multiple conditions and found nothing.
So now I have the possibility of diabetes on top of the rest and I'm looking for a way to manage it. At this point I'm basically at a loss and I would love to hear any suggestions possible. Thank you for reading. I will try and find the exact numbers and tests done but I don't have them on hand right now.