Sugar low feeling, having to keep eating to stop feeling ill?

[mistygrey]

Hi All,

Has anybody ever experienced a sugar low feeling - feeling like you need to eat to stop yourself feeling faint/ill, usually worst in mornings and before lunch time, body goes very cold when this happens. It's like I need to keep eating very regularly or I get very ill quickly. Endo has checked my sugar readings that I do myself and also done bloods for diabetes however doesn't think I have any thing related to those?

I am at a loss as I don't know what avenue to go down with this. I am currently off work as haven't been too well with iron levels being low which are slowly improving and I have very low energy - feeling exhausted all the time. I am thinking maybe my meds need upping again but currently I am on half a 5mg t3 pill at around 330/4pm each day and 62.5mg t4 at 7 am (which is two 25mg t4 pills and one half 25mg pill) I haven't taken full 5mg at t3 as I struggled with tolerating t3 at the start, but could my symptoms be pointing to undermedicating? I see my Gp tomorrow as apparently my female hormones have come back flagged up, so I need to also check this first with the Gp.

My most recent Thyroid results are below however since then I have upped the t3 to half the pill so these results will now be changing - I get my bloods redone next Monday so I won't have an idea where my thyroid levels are until then annoyingly. My Iron and B12 are very low but currently treating them and waiting on the Intrinsic Factor result to come back it has been 10 days now.

Any advice? Sorry for lengthy post! 😶

Previous Thyroid results from Feb:

T4 - 16 ranges 9-21

T3 - 1.5 ranges 0.9-2.4

TSH - 1.3 ranges 0.2-4.5

[guavas]

Hey,

No you don’t have to keep eating so there is a problem.

What’s your TSH, FT4, FT3 ?

Do you have High Cortisol , it maybe due High Cortisol

Do you have diabetes ?

What’s your Blood Sugar Fasting at Morning and after 2 hours from a meal ?

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

Hi there

Your right, I don't think I should have to keep eating at this rate I will be the size of a small house!

My glucose readings I noted myself from Feb were: Fasting glucose - 4.8

After lunch reading 5.1

Before lunch 5.7

Endo had said these were all normal?

My Cortisol hasn't been tested for awhile is it worth testing? I got a female hormone panel recently but I am guessing Cortisol wasn't part of that panel annoyingly. Should I request Cortisol to be tested? This is all rather annoying and I can't return to work until I feel better again!

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

You need to check you Cortisol Level, and it will be useful to check blood sugar with insulin , check blood sugar with insulin in fasting state and then take 75g glucose and after 2 hours check blood sugar and insulin again

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

Thank you, shall I ask for a Cortisol blood test or order the Cortisol Saliva test to do myself? Which is most actuate? How do you check a blood sugar with insulin? Is that different from a glucose finger prick test I do myself?

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Cortisol is important because if it’s high it will deplete your blood sugar fast

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

I think this could be what is wrong as it seems consistent with the symptoms I am having. I wish I had got this tested sooner though as seeing the Gp tomorrow and no doubt she won't test it for me

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

also what about your BP ?

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

Blood pressure?

Blood pressure was tested and was normal it was low but on the normal side of Low apparently?

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Test your BP after waking and through the day and before sleep, body temperature also will be useful

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

Last thyroid results from Mid Feb however I have slightly upped my dose since then as I mentioned above so these results won't be accurate at this moment in time: new Thyroid bloods are next Monday morning,

T4 - 16 ranges 9-21

T3 - 1.5 ranges 0.9-2.4

TSH - 1.3 ranges 0.2-4.5

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Its good , if you are symptoms free , if you are not Do blood test again post results here

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

I have sent you a few replies apologies. Is the Cortisol blood test from a vein more accurate or the saliva Cortisol test as I will have to order this myself today and not wait for Gp to do it as she might not bother!

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Saliva Cortisol Test is more accurate , do it with DHEA

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

What is DHEA sorry

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Dehydroepiandrosterone, also known as androstenolone, is an endogenous steroid hormone.

Anyway you will check it as part from Saliva test

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

is this test from Medichecks any good? or is the one above this one for £99 better

medichecks.com/cortisol-tes...

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

I don't think DHEA is covered in that one it is saying it is a separate test alone

medichecks.com/tests/dhea-s...

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Unfortunately i don’t live in UK , i mean from doing DHEA with Cortisol is to know if you have Adrenal Problems

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

Sorry, was this saliva test ok to order? It doesn't contain DHEA though

medichecks.com/cortisol-tes...

[guavas]

Also don’t forget to Check your VitaminB12 , VitaminD , Ferritin , Folate , Irom

[mistygrey in reply to guavas]

thank you for your help, I will have these all looked into again next week on re-testing and look into the Cortisol issues

[guavas in reply to mistygrey]

Never mind , it’s maybe not from Blood Sugar anyone once eating getting more energy, but you have check them all to see what’s wrong

[MariLiz]

It may be connected to your low iron and B12. Once my B12 was treated with regular injections I stopped getting that shaky low blood sugar feeling.

[mistygrey in reply to MariLiz]

Thanks MariLiz. It could be you are right, I am still waiting on the Intrinsic factor result coming back, it has taken awhile. What was your b12 levels before getting injections? I don't think I will get injections as it's impossible getting anything out of my Gp even if your ill!

[MariLiz in reply to mistygrey]

My B12 was 176, but I had so many symptoms, mental confusion, forgetfulness, loss of balance, terrible aches and pains, numbness and pins and needles. A crawling sensation on my scalp. I also seemed to get every virus going, my immune system was useless.

I do hope your GP will listen to you, and not just rely on the test for Intrinsic factor. It is very unreliable. The founder of the Pernicious Anaemia Society (Martyn Hooper) had the test done several times before he got a positive diagnosis. These days they are asking doctors to listen to their patient’s symptoms.

Have a look at the full symptom list on the Pernicious Anaemia Society website. They apply to anyone with low B12, not just PA patients. Lots of things can cause low B12, including nitrous oxide anaesthetics, stomach acid being low, Crohn’s disease. Coeliac. etc..... being vegetarian or vegan.