I didn't know where the heck to post this.

We're not diabetics. Sometimes we don't even want to lose that much weight. Some of us have problems with the gluconeogenesis side of the equation. What do you do when you exercise then? How do you deal with the fact that ketosis isn't the solution for hypoglycemia? I have seen several people with low bs episodes leave this board because 20 carbs a day leaves them exhausted, they get stalled and they just give up. The only hint I've gotten about this disorder is that most hypos feel best at 50 total carbs and that caffeine and aspartame makes us go low. Most people on this board can't relate to the idea that eating artificial sweetner has the same effect on me as eating sugar. I don't understand it myself.

I'm frustrated that I can't gather with my people. People that have this hypo thing figured out better than I do.

I have a theory that when people feel bad on low carb - for MOST people it is a temporary adjustment to new lower blood sugar levels. If they will stick with it for a few weeks - the body can adjust. My endocrinologist says that even blood sugar in the 60's is normal. I was diagnosed in June 2005 and at first, even 90 or 100 blood glucose felt awful. Now 60 doesn't bother me and I have normal amounts of energy. I was hoping that this might be the case for you.

I'm so glad to meet you! I think have improved overtime too. I lowcarbed for 2 years but I got terrible heart palpitations everytime I tried to get my carbs lower then 40 for a few days. After 2 years of this my dr did a GTT test and my highest bs was 120 and my lowest was 52. I know it used to be a lot worse, I had arrythmias that I took medication for and it only took a few days of lowcarb to get off the meds on a regular basis.

Also I was hypothyroid since my thyroid levels have come up the low bs is worse again. The thing that really bothers me is the surprises. Like wondering why I was so irritable and out of it when I only had meat and cheese and a big diet coke for lunch. I finally noticed its worse a few days before my period, but why? Or why do I feel so exhausted after I exercise- I've been wondering this since high school. Most people say they feel energized but it always takes me a few hours to get my energy back and eating meat and cheese doesn't cut it. Just recently I found 5g of fructose right after a workout totally revives me.

I wish I didn't have to learn all this stuff by trial and error. I wish I had someone to commiserate. I'm always fantasizing if I got really thin, maybe if the insulin had less of my body to go through it would get to receptors easier, maybe I wouldn't get lowblood sugar anymore. I don't know if there's any reality to this fantasy.

The only time I had Low BS was when I went off Atkins last year for 6 mos. When I had a scary episode I went in for the 3 hour test and my sugar went from 250 to 45 in 3 hours. Went to an endo, who really couldn't tell me much. What straightened me out? Back to Atkins starting with Induction level carbs and not ever eating too many. Usually range from 20 - 50 carbs per day.

Wow doesn't that mean you're a diabetic if your blood sugar goes that high? That must have been an extremely horrible feeling dropping like that. Man I'm glad this works for you. I wonder why you do so well on with lower carbs and I don't. I've even passed out and had to get stitches eating really lowcarb but I think that might be because I get lowblood pressure too.

I'm hypo too and yea, ketosis makes me feel wretched. Don't get me wrong; blood sugar never gets "wavy" and I lose weight awesome but energy wise I'm in the toilet. It feels like being mildly low 24/7.
I didn't know that this was universal to all hypoglycemics. But now that you mention it, it does seem that I've noticed posters who tend to be hypoglycemic also tend to do poorly with ketogenic plans.

As for the artificial sweetner thing, I don't think that is hypoglycemic specific because I usually tolerate artificial sweeteners just fine, assuming whatever it is I am consuming actually is made of protein and fat and isn't out of control with carbs. If there are too many fast acting carbs in the food that is sweetened with AS then I can have problems.

I think there is no hypoglycemic forum because hypoglycemia isn't really a real "disease", it's more like a symptom of other problems. Hypoglycemia is caused by hyperinulinemia, and/or adrenal insufficiency, combined with (or without) defects in the body's ability to regulate glucose levels. Several diseases and conditions can cause it... but hypoglycemia itself is not a disease. It would be like having a forum for people who have "cough".

Now you might be thinking "but isn't that like diabetes", since diabetes is also based on symptoms not pathology (cause). True, however, hypoglycemia isn't so totally life-altering and life threatening as diabetes. It is an annoyance at best.

Even though type 1s and type 2s have a lot of differences, they have major similarities too. Diabetes is a major disease, a fatal one, and there's a lot in common like the strips, the testing, the foods they need to eat, the complications, many drug therapies, etc.
Hypoglycemia (most cases) are relatively easy to control, and, the condition is rarely severely life altering. Most hypoglycemics do not have to do daily rituals, worry about complications, get blood works to see how things are progressing, or take medications specifically for the hypoglycemia. In fact, my hypoglycemia is only a problem when I don't control it well in the context of an energy restricted diet... or, rare moments when I was completely islanded from food for a long time.

Back when I was fat and on a "see food diet", I simply ate whenever I felt hunger. I didn't have "meals" or "snacks"... my eating was basically "bits all the time to keep energy up" . Hypos are precipitated by a sudden ravenous hunger, so, as long as I eat at that first inkling I can usually mitigate the worst of it.
(Ironically my hypoglycemia annoys me WAY more now, because in order to be thin I must plan my food intake. So, I have to wait for meal and snack times, even if I am getting a bit hungry... and sometimes I crash down because I ignored the "warning signs". Back when I was fat I felt hypoglycemia relatively less often due to my frequent intake, even though back then I experienced unstable blood sugar episodes far more often due to my horrible diet).

So, that's probably why there's no hypo forum.
It's not a real disease, it's a symptom... and the symptom isn't that life-altering because it's so easy to control for most people (ya eat food).

Woo,

Wouldn't diabetes be more of a 'condition' rather than a disease ?

Yea I suppose, since diabetes is based on the result of a disease; there are lots of different types of diabetes and at least 2 major types.

When I say "disease" I mean to say something that is the result of a pathology, and a major affliction that has a profound negative impact on life. Now I'm sure someone with diabetes will say "oh I have diabetes and my life is not different than other people by much". That may be true, but ONLY in the context of you actively controlling your diabetes. If a diabetic ignores their diabetes, and just pretends they don't have it, they will be in mucho trouble. They are looking at amputation, blindness, death. At the very least they will feel like crap.

On the other hand, if someone with chronic hypoglycemia ignores it, and just does common sense stuff to live with it (like eating when they get hungry and not restricting food, which, a normal person would do anyway)... they won't have many problems. I should know because I did that for a long time. I didn't even know there was a NAME for what I had ("horrible shaky feelings" when I would get hungry).
At least, the impact of neglecting hypoglycemia is not comparable to the consequences for neglecting diabetes. I mean it is risky, like, you could always have a severe hypo while driving or something. But 99% of the time hypoglycemia is no more significant than an annoying problem. Even if you don't know what causes your hypos, if you keep some candies in your purse - and take action as soon as you start feeling those tell-tale signs before the big drop - you'll be okay..,

Neglecting hypoglycemia can cause death. I read in the newspaper a few years ago about a woman who sipped on Kool-aid because it was hot. She neglected to eat properly and died. I have my hypoglycemia well under control now, but I remember having dizzy spells and almost blacking out while I was driving many times. Twenty five years later, I now eat by the clock. I have eight scheduled meals each day and if it is time to eat, I eat. If I remember correctly, the third hour of the glucose tolerance test, my blood sugar was 15 or 20 and I fell off the chair and was uncousious on the floor. They had to stop the test. I felt sick for days after that test.

I challenged myself with 50 g dextrose and, although I never blacked out I felt myself drifting in and out of levels of consciousness (this was experienced as a "delay" between what I saw and my understanding it). I was shaking and sweating so bad I became too scared I might pass out so I stopped it... tested at 45 I think if I remember? A true GTT is twice as much sugar so I don't know what would happen if I ever did that to myself.
I did feel pretty awful after the test too, I was hit with the weirdest feelings of sickness the next day(s). I think I wrote about them here in fact.

I suppose if one gets a severe hypo driving it could definitely be fatal. I don't drive much, but there were times where I've been hit with real bad hypos where the thought crossed my mind that it would be very dangerous if I were doing something like that.

I know you can pass out from hypoglycemia (I never have although felt as if I might lots). But, I did not think "natural hypoglycemia" (hypoglycemia the result of common conditions) could be so profound as to cause death; i thought that only happened to t1s that were overmedicated (without glucagon or anyone to help them).

I guess there are degrees of the problem and you are over on the more extreme spectrum (I am not; I do not have to eat by the clock, and, since I am a reactive hypoglycemic, eating less helps a lot - small and frequent is best for me, but, even small and infrequent is better than large meals of any kind).

hmm... I had hypoglycemic problems for years. Once I even blacked out on the sidewalk in nyc. The next thing I knew I was in an ambulance and they were filling me with glucose. It seems that when I am on a ketogenic plan I do much better. Once I venture over 60 carbs (it really depends on what the food is and how many carbs at once etc.) my blood sugar starts playing how low can you go with me.

I still have candy in my car and purse "just in case" even though it has been a long time since I have needed it.

Do I understand correctly: is hyperinsulinism a precursor to diabetes?

I know hypoglycemia can kill, but its gotta be really bad. I saw a medical show where a guy had a tumour that secreted some sort of hormone that drove his glucose down to as low as 35. It was basically pulling all the sugar out of his system. It almost killed him from that.

Do you guys still get hypoglycemia even when you aren't eating many carbs?

And doesn't the worst symptoms occur when the blood sugar drops? It isn't really the lowness of the blood sugar but it is the dropping action of it that causes the symptoms? Just curious, I heard that on Dr. Dean Edell.

I used to have hypoglycemia, as does everyone in my family, but then I really haven't at least not with the nasty symptoms of shaking, sweating, nervousness, since I've been low carb. Although occassionally I'll feel VERY sleepy when I'm late to have a meal. Having the meal perks me up again. I'm suspecting that is hypoglycemia (maybe just a pinch of it).

I need to eat some protein every couple of hours to remain symptom free even though I'm eating very few carbs and can go years cheat free. Much also depends upon stress, sleep, hormones, and amount of exercise I'm getting.

I think hypoglycemia is just a step from diabetes, I have type 2 myself. My husband has hypoglycemia but he has had no problems with it since he sarted LCing. But his father, his grandmother, and his great grandmother were all type 1 diabetics, so he is careful to keep an eye on it. His doctor told him that Hypo can very commonly turn into diabetes.