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Carpe Diem
03-03-2006, 08:13 PM
Hello;

This is my first post to this forum. I was recently (about 4 months ago) diagnosed with insulin resistance (but not Type II). My blood sugar was fairly normal, but on a glucose tolerance test, it hit 52 at the 3 hour mark. In addition, my fasting insulin level measured 55 (thus the diagnosis).

So I tried a low-carb (strictly low-carb) diet initially (for about 3 weeks) with little improvement in symptoms. I was subsequently put on 500mg of metformin twice daily. Between the continued low-carb diet and medicine, I seemed to improve over the next month and a half.

My follow-up showed my fasting insulin level had dropped all the way to 5.2 (just BELOW normal), with a normal blood fasting level (I think it was around 85) so my doc switched me to 500 mg metformin ER once a day.

My symptoms have started to come back recently, after two months of the switch, and I admit to being somewhat perplexed - first, by the initial diagnosis and then by the return of symptoms. My symptoms were initially as follows: light-headedness to the point I felt like I was going to pass out about an hour after eating a meal; light-headedness and/or a feeling of being "high," like I had drunk a glass of wine within 10-15 minutes after eating a meal. These progressed to a general feeling of fatigue and brain foginess at about the 2 hour post-meal period. And I started going to bed earlier than usual (by 1 to 2 hours) due to evening fatigue and sleepiness.

My returning symptoms are the feeling a little high within minutes after starting to eat, and feeling very sleepy a short time later. I also notice tonight a return of the "extremely tired earlier than usual" feeling I got before. I have started adding a little caffeine back into my diet (but not much), but have kept my carb count pretty low (like Atkins maintenance level - note, a year-and-a half ago I switched to low-carb and lost 45 pounds to get to a normal weight for my 6'4" height, about 195 pounds). Could this be the issue?

Here's my main question: Could insulin resistance (or diabeties for that matter) cause a "high" feeling within only 10 to 15 minutes after beginning a meal? If not, what could?

Thanks, and I look forward to your responses.

Kevin

Carpe Diem
03-03-2006, 08:25 PM
I'm 47 years old. Last year (February), I had an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion (had a disc removed in my neck, and a piece of cadaver bone put in its place, with a titanium plate holding it all together so it could fuse).

I also had a menisectomy (arthroscopic) on my knee in October of last year. So I had a couple of operations that meant I went under general anesthesia two times. For you experienced diabetics, could this have somehow triggered my initial symptoms? They began 3 weeks after my second surgery.

Thanks!

Kevin

Cinnabon
03-03-2006, 08:45 PM
Could this be your body attempting to reach normal blood sugar levels?
It takes quite some and a lot of feeling odd to your body used to normal values.

Carpe Diem
03-03-2006, 08:54 PM
Well, my sugar levels are normal to begin with and don't raise very high after eating (not to diabetic levels - I'm insulin resistant but not diabetic, at least not yet...), and I eat low-carb. But maybe it's from my body wanting to go higher on sugar, but a large natural insulin bolus (way larger than normal) keeping it normal? Sort of an internal struggle that is somehow felt with the "high" feeling? Not sure...

Cinnabon
03-03-2006, 09:07 PM
Have you tried testing yourself when this happens?

Carpe Diem
03-03-2006, 09:13 PM
I have not as I'm eating... I'll give it a shot... good idea!

Cinnabon
03-04-2006, 06:47 AM
You mention:

"My follow-up showed my fasting insulin level had dropped all the way to 5.2 (just BELOW normal)."

This is real good-normal. I think that your body is in a bit of a struggle. Have you ever had a GTT (glucose tolerance test)? This would be good. If you have a meter you can start testing at about 2 hrs after the meal.

Carpe Diem
03-04-2006, 07:31 AM
I've had a GTT. Results showed I dipped to 52 at the 3 hour mark.

Fasting 89
1 hour 139
2 hour 91
3 hour 52

A1c 5.7%

Fasting insulin 57.6

Based on these results (in particular the high insulin level and the low BG at the three hour mark), my PCP diagnosed insulin resistance.