If those numbers are blood sugar in the units of mg/dl, 401 is easily high enough for you to be diagnosed with diabetes. I suggest you ask your doctor about this. Metformin is commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes, so perhaps you’re already aware of this.

Reactive hypoglycemia, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes can all usually be managed very well or even reversed by a low carbohydrate diet, so it’s definitely worth sticking with. Keep in mind that it may very well be your diet that got you to this point and a drug like Metformin is sort of allowing you to continue causing damage by eating the same diet. If you follow a diet based on whole foods, it will be low carb by default as long as you are moderate with fruit and limit starchy vegetables. This is a health promoting diet in general and will likely benefit you in many more ways than just regulating your blood sugar.

I’m not sure why your doctor would have mentioned reactive hypoglycemia. This condition usually results from an excessive insulin response. If your body were capable of such a response, your blood sugar probably wouldn’t even get close to 400. The low blood sugar you’re experiencing could instead be caused by the Metformin, kind of like how a diabetic could end up with low blood sugar after using too much insulin.

Diabetes can lead to a number of serious health complications including heart disease, so I hope you make a commitment to taking care of yourself. If you stick with a low carb diet long enough, the carb cravings will eventually go away. If they don’t, you can try gradually increasing your carbohydrate consumption by small increments until you find an amount that works well for you.

I hope that helps. Good luck!

Exercise makes your body more sensitive to insulin, and in turn, increases your capacity to tolerate sugar with fewer negative effects. Based on this, if you are experiencing reactive hypoglycemia, it makes sense that you’d be more susceptible to it with reduced exercise.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates are associated with many health problems besides hypoglycemia. Based on this, everyone should try their best to minimize consumption of them as much as possible. Given that you are prone to hypoglycemia, you’d probably do well on a diet that’s relatively low in carbohydrates. If you focus on eating whole foods, primarily meat, fish, and vegetables, it will be low in carbohydrates by default. Some people are even sensitive to the sugar in fruit and the starch in starchy vegetables, so if you want to eat these foods, pay attention to how much of them you eat and what your reactions are. It would be especially helpful to track your response with a blood glucose meter.

If your body is overstressed, your adrenal function may be impaired. Since the adrenal glands are involved in elevating low blood sugar levels, this could contribute to the onset of hypoglycemia after going too long without food. However, when the body is in a healthy state, going extended periods without food shouldn’t be a problem. Even with impaired adrenal function, eating a meal with a notable amount of fat and protein from whole foods should hold you over without symptoms for at least 3 or 4 hours.

In my opinion, much of what can cause hypoglycemia is caused by lifestyle factors, and unfortunately, most doctors are not well suited to address such issues. However, if you’re concerned about your symptoms, you should still see a doctor to rule out other possibilities. Besides, maybe you’ll get lucky and find a doctor who is knowledgeable about nutrition and other lifestyle factors and appreciates the influence they have.

I’ve read of blood sugar fluctuation causing some pretty severe mood disturbances, but based on some of the symptoms you describe, it does sound like there’s more going on and it’s good that you have doctors involved.

In regard to your husband’s diet, be careful about not being too extreme. The fact that you mentioned fat free bread along with other foods that are all relatively fat free makes me wonder if you have him on a diet that is both low in carbohydrates and fat. Typically, one should increase as the other decreases. An inadequate intake of fat can contribute to or worsen some of the symptoms that you listed, and a diet that’s low in both carbohydrates and fat would likely be extremely high in protein which isn’t necessarily desirable. As long as you stick to natural whole foods such as meat, fish, vegetables, and nuts, I think you’ll be on the right track. Just be careful with high starch vegetables like potatoes. I’d be careful with fruits as well and would personally avoid all grain products regardless of whether they’re whole grain or not. Limiting him to these foods will also automatically eliminate dairy and gluten which can be problematic for many people and may be contributing to his symptoms. In a case like this, it’s better to be safe than sorry and eliminate them at least for a while.

The psychiatric medications are an other potential concern. They can sometimes cause mood disturbances that are worse than what they’re intended to correct, and in many cases, they can unfortunately be very difficult to get off of. Here’s an article with some additional information that might be pertinent: Making a Killing with Psychiatric Drugs.

Fatigue and overall stress are a consideration as well. When I was at my worst point with chronic fatigue, irritability and depression were two of my biggest problems. Even now, when I take on too much or am experiencing a lot of stress, I often recognize hints of this coming back, and it’s almost always associated with fatigue. This always serves as a reminder to be more strict about diet, rest, etc.

Although it might be a long shot and you might not get much cooperation from the doctors, another thing you might want to look into is candidiasis. It’s a likely problem for anyone who’s consumed enough high sugar foods to instigate the development of type 2 diabetes, and it’s been documented to cause some pretty major mood disturbances as well as a wide variety of other strange symptoms.

There’s also a chance that chemical sensitivities might be contributing. Try to figure out if his symptoms are more obvious when he’s in certain places or even certain sections of the house. Pay particular attention when you travel out of town, especially if it’s a remote and relaxing location where chemicals and pollutants are likely to be less prominent. If symptoms subside, then it’s more likely that something he’s exposed to in his daily environment is aggravating his symptoms.

Finally, I’d recommend reading The Mood Cure by Julia Ross for some ideas on how to use diet and supplements if necessary to help your husband deal with the irritability. For more information on this, you can also read the article I wrote based on this book: How to Improve Your Mood through Diet.

I sincerely hope this helps and that your husband’s issues don’t turn out to be anything more serious.

Keep in mind that the term “normal” typically means that you’re not showing any obvious signs of a significant problem. However, it really doesn’t have much of a correlation with optimal health which is one of the reasons why it’s possible to feel lousy despite test results that fall into the “normal” range.

If I were in your situation, I would put less emphasis on test results and focus on implementing a healthier lifestyle in general. In particular, a diet that’s based on natural whole foods and excludes foods that are high in starch such as potatoes and certain fruits is the most fundamental aspect of maintaining stable blood sugar levels.

In addition, because your symptoms may or may not be a result of blood sugar fluctuation, and because other factors such as adrenal fatigue can increase susceptibility to hypoglycemia, I would also focus on moderating stress, getting sufficient and consistent sleep, and exercising regularly. Over time, you’ll likely find that such an approach will eliminate or significantly reduce many of your symptoms. I think a truly healthy lifestyle should be the foundation of addressing just about any health issue, and a nice benefit of this approach is that it can resolve problems that you may not even have been aware of.

If you’re still not satisfied with your progress after you’ve done everything you can to implement healthier habits, then I think it would be worth pursuing a second opinion. However, I suggest searching for a doctor or practitioner that is focused more so on optimal health and healthy living than simply identifying and treating the more obvious and serious health issues. Keep in mind that even if you find someone who is in full agreement with you about your susceptibility to hypoglycemia, it won’t do much good unless you make the appropriate changes to counteract it. When I took a glucose tolerance test years back, my doctor said I was susceptible to hypoglycemia and sent me to a dietitian. It didn’t do me any good at all. I didn’t start to feel better until I took it upon myself to learn what healthy eating is really about and addressed other aspects of my lifestyle as well.

I hope that helps and I wish you the best of luck with your progress!

My Dr said im totally in normal range but I still get horrible symptoms that are still leading me to believe its this Blood sugar rollercoaster.

Now after this I did start eating more regularly as my eating habits arent the best and yes some symptoms seemed less persistent. I asked for another test.

I had a fasting test taken in March and it was 4.8mmol (86.4) so much higher than before. So perhaps the better eating helped eventhough I still have symptoms happening 2~3 hours after eating.

Dr says im totally normal again for a 16 hour fast test.

I dont feel normal Im shaking alot especially at night when in bed, very headachey and do get alot of hunger pangs ~ I get most of the symptoms associated with Low blood sugar, Mr Dr says theres no need for me to alter anything apart from eat regular meals. Im not hypoglycemic never have been. Do you think I suffer Blood sugar fluctuations?, eventhough the results are in normal range???

So I dont see my doctors anymore about this what would you reccomend? Do you think I should get a second opinion? or just alter my diet? I do eat healthy meals and very little sugar intake. I have 3 meals a day. im healthy weight etc. have lost 2 and half stone in past 3 years.

Thanks ever so much for reading. I really am gratefull.

x

Here’s a closer look at my eating habits, but keep in mind that we each have a unique metabolism and individual preferences. What is satisfying and effective for me may not be for you. However, as you probably know, one thing that applies to anyone who experiences low blood sugar is to strictly avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates and to even be careful with whole grains, starchy vegetables, and fruit.

I tend to be one of those people who are always hungry and thinking about food. However, when I eat meals that have more protein and fat, they can easily hold me over for 4 or 5 hours without hunger or low blood sugar symptoms. This type of meal makes me feel better in general as well. If you find that you can’t go this long without your blood sugar dropping regardless of what you eat, it may be an indication that your , especially if you’re a heavy exerciser or are experiencing a lot of stress.

I don’t know if it’s normal or not for different meters to have that much variation. A few things you can do are to verify that your using each meter exactly according to the instructions, and if you are, you can measure your blood with both units just before having it drawn and tested by your doctor. Then you can choose to rely on whichever meter is closer to the lab results.