Feb
in the past three months latly everytime it seems for my sugar to drop I experience this bad pain in my right arm and the musels tighten up completly and its hard to open my hand and It starts to shake.If I eat some sugar in a bit it starts to relese and gose back to normal but it still aces a little bit.I dont know if I maybe have bad circulation but I havnt had test ran for that. Im just wondering what could be causing my arm to do this, its like when you get a charly horse in your calf but in my arm; the mucels from my sholder down to my rist tighten.Is it my daibetes doing this? because Im type one diabetic but I dont take insulion.but it hasnt done this before and I was diganosed when I was nine and its just started this this year and Im sixteen.I hope you have some advice.Thankyou.
Answer:
You are suffering from Hypoglycemia
SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA
The problem is that when the blood sugar is high people feel “normal,” indeed maybe slightly boosted by this high level of blood sugar. This is because they have good energy supply to their muscles and brain, albeit short-term. The problem arises when blood sugar levels dive as a result of insulin being released and energy supply to the brain and the body is suddenly impaired. This results in a whole host of symptoms.
The brain symptoms include:
Difficulty thinking clearly,
Feeling spaced out and dizzy,
Poor word finding ability,
Foggy brain and sometimes even blurred vision or tinnitus.
The body symptoms include:
Muyscular pains
Suddenly feeling very weak and lethargic,
Feeling faint and slightly shaky,
Rumbling tummy and a craving for sweet things.
The sufferer may look as if they are about to faint (and indeed often do) and have to sit down and rest. The symptoms can be quickly alleviated by eating something sweet - if nothing is done then the sufferer gradually recovers. These symptoms of hypoglycemia can be brought on by missing a meal (or one’s usual sweet snack top up such as a sweet drink), by vigorous exercise or by alcohol. Diabetics may become hypoglycemic if they use too much medication.
When blood glucose levels fall for any reason, glycogen stores in the liver may be mobilized to prop them up. The trouble is that these are probably already rather poor in people with increased carbohydrate intake, where insulin is relied on heavily.
Another rapid and very effective way in which the body repletes the low glucose is by hepatic [liver] conversion of short chain fatty acids to glucose. In a healthy person on a good balanced diet the only time this is of importance is during the night because of the long break between food intake. Short chain fatty acids are then used to prop up circulating glucose and prevent a fall below whatever that person’s usual fasting glucose level is.
Short chain fatty acids are made in the gut by bacteria fermenting fiber (and such starch as escapes small intestinal digestion). Production is maximized from about 3 hours after food intake. That is to say, short chain fatty acids are highly protective against the dips we see in blood sugar.
Therefore, a key symptom of a hypoglycemic tendency is disturbed sleep. This occurs typically at 2 or 3 a.m., when blood sugar levels fall and there are insufficient short chain fatty acids to maintain a blood sugar. Low blood sugar is potentially serious to the brain, which can only survive on sugar and, therefore, there is an adrenalin reaction to bring the blood sugar back, but this wakes the sleeper up at the same time.
TEST FOR HYPOGLYCEMIA
Measuring blood sugar levels is not a terribly useful test for hypoglycemia, partly because they fluctuate so much and partly because by the time one gets the symptoms of hypoglycemia, the blood sugar levels have started to correct.
A much better test would be to measure short chain fatty acids in blood collected in the morning before breakfast. The test should be done as follows: It is important to continue your usual diet – indeed, there are no special dietary instructions for the test, but the blood sample must be taken between 9 and 12 hours after a meal….
There is a final twist to the hypoglycemic tale which complicates the situation further. When one becomes stressed for whatever reason, one releases stress hormones in order to allow one to cope with that stress. Insulin is such a stress hormone and has the effect of shunting sugar in the blood stream into cells. This produces a drop in blood sugar levels and also causes hypoglycemia.
Therefore, hypoglycemia can be both a cause of stress and the result of stress, indeed, another one of those vicious cycles that are so often seen in disease states.
TREATMENT OF HYPOGLYCEMIA
Treatment is to avoid all foods containing sugar and refined carbohydrate. The problem for the established hypoglycemic is that it may take many weeks or indeed months for the liver to regain full control of blood sugar, and therefore the symptoms of hypoglycemia may persist for some time whilst the sufferer continues to avoid sugar and refined carbohydrate.
This means that when you change your diet you will get withdrawal symptoms and it may take many weeks of a correct diet before these symptoms resolve. This type of addiction is very much like that which the smoker or the heavy drinker suffers from.
One needs to switch to a diet which concentrates on eating proteins, fats, and complex (and therefore slowly digested) carbohydrates.
Initially a high protein high fat diet, but include all vegetables (care with potato), nuts, seeds, etc.
Fruit is permitted but rationed, since excessive amount of fruit juices or dried fruits contain too much fruit sugar for the liver to be able to deal with. I suggest one piece of fruit at mealtimes.
Consider taking high dose probiotics an essential part of controlling low blood sugar. [Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacterial cultures intended to assist the body’s naturally occurring gut flora to reestablish themselves.] This is because probiotics ferment carbohydrates to short chain fatty acids – these have no effect on blood sugar and are the preferred fuel of mitochondria.
With time the regime can be relaxed, but a return to excessive sugar and refined carbohydrate means the problem starts again.
Finally, many sufferers of hypoglycemia may need something sweet to eat immediately before and during vigorous exercise, until the body learns to fully adapt.
Hypoglycemia is usually accompanied by micronutrient deficiencies. You should also take nutritional supplements.
Chronic hypoglycemia is a very common cause of fatigue in CFS sufferers.
To tackle hypoglycemia one needs to do a diet based on foods of low glycemic index (GI). The GI is a measure of the ability of foods to raise one’s blood sugar levels. Sugar (that is, disaccharides) have arbitrarily been given a GI of 100. High GI foods are the grains (wheat, rye, oats rice etc), root vegetables (potato, sweet potato, yam, parsnip), alcohol, sugars, and fruits, dried fruits and fruit juices. But expect to see withdrawal symptoms which can persist for weeks.
Answer:
yes it is called hypoglycemia it is normal just drink 6 oz of regular coke and check your blood sugar make sure it doesnt go under 70 the right range is 80-120
Answer:
I don't understand how you can be a type 1 diabetic and not take insulin.
Cramps assocatied with low blood sugars are common… your muscles are 'starving' is how the doctor put it for my son who is type 1 and has been insulin dependent since age 8.