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[ckm]

I’m new to this site and hoping someone could give me some insight. I have been thirsty, urinating a lot (every 30 min or so), extremely tired, light headed/dizzy and moody. I went to the doctor who ran blood tests due to family history of diabetes (father has Type II, mother has pre-diabetes). My fasting glucose test was 62 and my A1C was 5.9. Doctor ordered an oral glucose tolerance test – fasting: 80, 1hr: 134, 2hr: 49, 3hr: 71.

My doctor isn’t worried about these numbers but said to check myself if I wanted to with a monitor. I have gone as low as 27(I did retest this as I thought I had made a mistake, but a couple minutes later it was 29).

Is the doctor right that I just run low? If I ran low would I have these symptoms? Any advice is appreciated.

BTW, I’m 28, active, eat relatively healthy and thin with no other medical conditions.

[angelsbridges]

Do you eat a lot of carbs?

It would seem that you're hypoglycemic, but I don't really know what to do other than eat something decent every couple hours (that's what my doctor told me, haha). Your numbers don't seem high enough (the hour after your OGTT) to be diabetes or prediabetes, even. Maybe you're just making too much insulin! Do you eat regularly?

[fgummett]

The numbers look like poor Blood Glucose (BG) control to me -- I am not a Doctor but I'm surprised that your Doctor is not concerned. Looking at your OGTT you fasting is normal but the sugar makes you spike up and then way down rapidly... I'd be interested in your BG at 1.2 after the glucose.

I think you need to test more... and meantime eat foods higher in fat and protein which will tend to even out your BGs and stop the roller-coaster ride which you seem to be on.

[angelsbridges]

Well - even the spike, I would think is "normal", but dropping that low afterwards is not. My numbers were higher than that, but the same sort of effect happened (I dropped below normal levels, except I dropped at the 4th&5th hour), and it was called "reactive hypoglycemia".

PS - I would definitely discuss this with an endo. Doctors, I've found, don't seem to know what to do with LOW blood sugar except tell people to eat :(

[fgummett]

Yes the 1hr 134mg/dl is "normal" but I suspect that the BG was already on the way down by then... that was why I wondered about what it had been at the 1/2 hour (yes, I know they probably didn't measure it then :) )

The 49mg/dl at 2 hours seems way too low to me and is highly suggestive of a reactive hypoglycemia; which I take as a sign of disordered BG management and a likely precursor to full-blown Type 2 unless some action is taken now.

Not meaning to scare anyone but I take it as a good thing to catch this earlier rather than later... it means you can take action sooner and likely have a better outcome... it is far easier to patch up a few cracks in a dam and let some of the water pressure off, than to wait until it bursts; before trying to repair it with the river in full flood :cool:

If you were just naturally "running low" I don't think you would have an A1c of 5.9% which equates to an average (mean) BG of 133mg/dl ... in my book that is not a perfectly normal, non-diabetic A1C

[mortis505]

Assuming that you are in the USA, then your Doctor is an Idiot. 49mg/dl is called Hypoglycemia and should not be dismissed or shrugged off. Go see an Endocrinologist.

[EeyoreButterfly]

I agree with Frank. That looks like you were on the way down by the time you got the 134 and that 49 is a reactive hypo. The fact that you have been to down to 27 without any help from medication is troublesome. You need to see an endo and get this thing figured out.

[Ronin]

Hi CKM!

By all means get a second opinion. Your lows are too low to be considered normal. In fact they are approaching dangerous.

[patricia52]

I agree with the others. You need a second opinion. While you wait for an appointment, get a monitor and check your BG. Keep a journal of your reading and what you ate. Add more protein to your diet. Chicken is low fat and really works for my cousins daughter. Keep some glucose tabs or candy nearby to fight hypos (real Coke works quick if you can get it) and maybe some peanut butter crackers to help level out your BG after you have corrected a hypo. Remember any reading under 70 is considered a hypo. We are not doctors but if you read other posts you will learn a lot here in a hurry. Things your doctor does not have time to tell you. Keep us posted on your progress.