Google hypoglycemia or low blood sugar and what do you find (my points are bulleted)?
- WebMD, http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-hypoglycemia: “Hypoglycemia is commonly linked with diabetes. Many other conditions can cause low blood sugar in people who do not have diabetes.”
- Hypoglycemia does not have to be linked to any other disease. It is its own disease and caused by abnormal insulin responses from the pancreas.
- Medical News Today, http.medicalnewstoday://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166815.php: “The majority of people know when their blood sugar levels have dropped, and have time to do something about it.”
- Not when you get symptoms and you have no idea what is happening to you.
- American Diabetes Association, http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/: Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by abnormally low blood glucose (blood sugar) levels, usually less than 70 mg/dl. However, it is important to talk to your health care provider about your individual blood glucose targets, and what level is too low for you.
- Unless you are diagnosed and tested, how the heck would you know?!
Hypoglycemia may also be referred to as an insulin reaction or insulin shock.
- True but there are other causes as well. Insulin injections or diabetes medications are many times discussed as THE cause without referring to other organic causes, such as RH.
Hypoglycemic symptoms are important clues that you have low blood glucose. Each person’s reaction to hypoglycemia is different, so it’s important that you learn your own signs and symptoms when your blood glucose is low.
- True, but the “typical” symptoms (hungry, shaky, dizzy, weak, headache, irritability) are “typically” echoed; and an important message on identifying any other low blood sugar symptoms is missed.
- Joslin Diabetes Center : http://www.joslin.org/info/how_to_treat_a_low_blood_glucose.html, low blood sugar treatment:
- 4 ounces of fruit juice
- 5-6 ounces (about 1/2 can) of regular soda such as Coke or Pepsi
- 7-8 gummy or regular Life Savers
- 1 Tbsp. of sugar or jelly
- If you are not having an acute low blood sugar reaction, using this as a method of treatment will feel like you are knocking on deaths door.
These are what I call “technical fouls.” Technically they can be the right answers but if you suffer from hypoglycemia caused by anything other than diabetes medication, the foul is on you!
In order to get the information needed to help yourself, you must search reactive hypoglycemia. If you search the condition you have, low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, you are lost in the vast hypoglycemia shuffle because RH is camouflaged. There is no association on the low blood sugar pages that links hypoglycemia with RH or groups it under the hypoglycemia umbrella. What YOU need to know about LBS symptoms: how you feel and how to treat it is nowhere to be found unless you search reactive hypoglycemia.
My blog this week is dedicated to The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, http://hypoglycemia.org/ . The founder, Roberta Ruggiero (her personal journey and story is simply unbelievable, unimaginable and heart wrenching), is a “survivor” of RH and she has grown this foundation to help those who cannot find the answers of why they feel, how they feel and simple treatment solutions that are life changers.
What is important to understand is that you are not alone, you are not crazy and there is hope. Hope towards normalcy in life, hope because lifestyle strategies work and hope for a bigger, brighter, successful future!
Next week I will get into the specifics of Reactive Hypoglycemia: Symptoms and treatment.
