Before dx'd-hypoglycemia?

[kel4han]

I am wondering if most of us had hypoglycemia "feelings" before diagnosis of "D".

When I say "feelings" I mean, shakiness, dizziness, hunger, the actual low feelings and needing to eat to feel better. I had these feeling all the time as a child/teenager for 18yrs before my diagnosis at 28. My 10yr old daughter is experiencing this now, and has had alot more frequencies. Also stomache pain alot lately. Honestly, I will say I know at some point she will be diabetic, as I have watched her strange array of "prediabetic" symptoms. My 6yr old that was diagnosed in December never complained of these symptoms of hypoglycemia before diagnosis, maybe she was too young to know what those feelings were. I dont know. But, today I am very aware that we have a horrible genetic tendancy. I know that she has post prandial issues by her symptoms. Her fasting AM blood sugar has always been under 80, until the other day I checked becuase she wet the bed. She was 98. Not that high to determine anything, I know. But, I feel so guilty as I know in my heart, that it is a matter of time. Its a feeling I cant ignore. I know she has been scared lately, and asking questions. She is not there yet, but I know she is soon to be. What a horrible feeling. Just had to let that all out.
---SIGH----

[Funnygrl]

:hello: I was diagnosed hypoglycemic when I was 10, starting testing at home when I was 14, started noticing higher readings when I was 18, diagnosed officially and started insulin at 19.

[duck]

Hypoglycemia can happen to anyone. The condition known as "Hypoglycemia" is an actual condition, though, marked by...repetitive low blood sugar.

[BlueSky]

Hypoglycemia often leads to T2 diabetes. As far as I know, there are no typical warning signs that precede the onset of T1 diabetes. But once it has been triggered, there will be anti-bodies.

[kgm0612]

I had all those symptoms for years before being dx'd but never realized they were signs of diabetes. My younger brother was dx'd a type 1 when he was 21. I thought frequent thirst and urination were the signs and I didn't have that at the time.

Karen

[Siren]

I am wondering if most of us had hypoglycemia "feelings" before diagnosis of "D".

When I say "feelings" I mean, shakiness, dizziness, hunger, the actual low feelings and needing to eat to feel better. I had these feeling all the time as a child/teenager for 18yrs before my diagnosis at 28. My 10yr old daughter is experiencing this now, and has had alot more frequencies. Also stomache pain alot lately. Honestly, I will say I know at some point she will be diabetic, as I have watched her strange array of "prediabetic" symptoms.


Hypos, as someone mentioned, can happen to anyone. Is your daughter eating well balanced meals on time? How much physical activity is she getting? If she's not consuming enough protein or proteinous vegetables (think legumes) and is pretty active, it's possible she's burning up her glucose stores. Make sure she's eating good food: good proteins and good carbs.

I used to get it as a kid (before my dx) because I would 1. not eat. 2. eat very little. 3. get quite ALOT of physical activity. I was always very very conscious of my weight and thought starving myself was the way to thinness. (I never claim to have been a very "smart" kid).

You sound like you're carrying a lot of guilt and fear. Even if she eventually presents at T-1, this isn't your fault; children are the greatest gift we get, and diabetics deserve to have them too. Without you, your daughter wouldn't have life. Without life, it's true she'd have no concerns, but she'd also have no joy.

I'd just make sure her diet is adequate and keep spot checking her. Plenty of people get diabetes with no history of it in the family (me).

[mg_2204]

Was pleagued with hypoglycemia when a teenager and early 20s. It got better on its own I guess, I don't know. Can't remember that far back :D

[Funnygrl]

Was pleagued with hypoglycemia when a teenager and early 20s. It got better on its own I guess, I don't know. Can't remember that far back :D
I went right from hypo to diabetes- no "better" in between. It sucked.

[HollyB]

I tend to mild hypos -- I used to say I had "shaky elbows" and get kind of frantic to eat when they happen. 50 years old and still no sign of Type 2 (though my dad had it, so it wouldn't surprise me).

My son (Type 1) had one pretty obvious hypo about 2 years before dx. Weak, shaky, pale, had to come in from playing outside and lie down. I got some food into him, and ten minutes later he was off and running. But only that one episode.

[Dervish]

I've always tended to be very irritable if I went too long without eating, but I don't think it had anything to do with diabetes or being chronically hypoglycemic, it was just because I'd get wrapped up in what I was doing and forget to eat for 12+ hours at a stretch.

But there's no need to presume that hypos mean diabetes. Without even trying, I can think of three friends who are chronically hypoglycemic - far more often and worse than I ever was when I still had working beta cells - who have made it into their late 30s/early 40s without any indication that they might be developing diabetes.

[Emm]

I had hypo feelings for at least 7 years before I was diagnosed. I couldn't go more than 2 hours without eating. Talked to the doctor about it but got no help there... (glad I have a different doc now!)

In the last few months before I was diagnosed it was horrible! I think my BG would've been slowly climbing, so the 'hypo' feeling would've been there because I was used to being higher, and my hypo would've been 'normal' numbers (Well, that's what I suspect, anyway). It often came on after a shopping trip - at least, those are the ones I remember (probably because those are the times I was least able to deal to it and got more & more desperate to eat).

I guess diabetes takes a long time to show up - even in type 1s who have it come on quickly, I suspect there's a deeper battle going on in our bodies for quite some time... it's only when our body loses the fight that we start to notice the problems.

[am1977]

I also was hypoglycemic before I was dx'ed with T1...

[lilituc]

I was hypoglycemic before being diagnosed. I even had it after I was diagnosed - I'd have no exogenous insulin in my body between 4 and 6 pm and still go low at that specific time period every day. For awhile I thought I'd have the hypoglycemia until my body stopped making insulin completely, but it seems to have stopped happening a couple months ago. I don't have a recent c-peptide, but I'm pretty sure it would be very low.