Urgent - Hypoglycemia

Watergirl

Rock Solid
I've just had a really horrible experience and am not sure what to do.

Went to the toilet about an hour ago and felt funny, like dizzy. I shouted to my BF to wake up and asked for some water. By the time he got to me I was feeling worse. I felt like I was going to pass out.
I asked him to get me a shake (tetra)

When he came back I couldn't hold my head up properly, my hands had kind of seized up so that I couldn't move them, had pins and needles all over my arms and my arms were white.

He had opened the tetra but I couldn't drink that or water as was ready to pass out. So was sat on the loo with my head on his lap (he was sat on the side of the bath).

Said I needed to lie down, as wanted to get my head lower to stop from fainting, so he helped me off the toilet.

I only got through the door before collapsing on the floor. Was getting really scared at this point and asked him to call an ambulance. Lying down on my back I felt a little less faint and shouted to him to wait actually and I would try my shake. (not sure how I knew this would make me feel better, but just felt I needed it) Still couldn't open my hands, so he fed me the shake and within about a minute I started to feel less faint. Feeling came back to my hands and some colour. I managed to walk unaided back to bed where I felt completely normal after a couple of mins, like it never happened.

Had another shake to be on the safe side. BF said my whole body went white, including my lips and I was sweating all over.

Now I can't sleep. I'm scared of it happening again or not waking up. I am confident it was low blood sugar, as this happened once before about 4 years ago on a plane (the steward got me a full fat coke before I felt anything worse than just dizzy) This time round was really severe. I thought I was going to die and it's frightened me.

Am now wide awake. Just had a milky coffee.

It's bank holiday Mon tomorrow, so dr's won't be open and would feel silly getting emergency appointment, as the emergency has past. Should I call NHS direct? Should I say I'm on CD? I don't want whoever I talk to to assume it's CD.

Not sure where it came from. I'm now on 810. Yesterday I had 3 tetras, tuna, 2 milky coffees and about 4 ltrs of water.

I don't know too much about blood sugar, but am now worried I've suddenly developed diabetes or something :cry:

Has this happened to anyone else or does anyone have medical knowledge? I have always felt like CD stabilised my blood sugar (never get that sugar high or low type of thing anymore)

I am assuming that this is unrelated to CD, but could a low cal diet have an effect? I had also taken a laxative last night, but only 1. It says to take 1-2 and I rarely take them, but could that have had anything to do with it?

Aspirin can cause hypoglycia - is that because it thins the blood and doesn't CD do that? Sorry for all questions, but I'm scared to sleep in case it happens again and scared that any dr or nurse will just say 'it's CD'
 
Hi Watergirl

Sounds absolutely horrendous what you have just experienced.

Although your doctors are not open - do you have a walk in centre that you could go to so that they can check out your bloods and your blood pressure? I know that after SS my blood pressure dropped horrendously low (from being quite high) and this caused me to faint quite regularly. However, in your case it does sound like it could be a drop in blood sugar.

It may be worth considering going up in your CD since you do not appear to have too much weight to lose. Also, taking laxatives does cause you to dehydrate and lose essential salts from your body, which may have been partially to blame!

I am sure that someone else will come up with some brilliant answer but in my humble opinion you need to see a doctor/nurse and get your blood pressure and bloods checked as soon as possible.

Lots of love and hugs
Rosie xx
 
Thanks Rosie. I think I'll see if there is a walk in centre, that's a good idea. Feel like I'm not really thinking straight.
I have naturally low blood pressure, but this was eased straight away with the shake. Not sure how blood pressure and blood sugar are linked if at all. Not been feeling dizzy or anything lately. In fact I've never felt better.

What has scared me so much is that if my BF wasn't there I'm not sure what would have happened as I couldn't feed myself the shake and think I would have passed out.

Am going to keep some shakes upstairs from now on.
 
Hi Watergirl,

I have had the exact thing happen. It is low blood pressure and you fainted. i did this whilst asleep, on a plane! I woke up (dr says the body's alarm response to do this) and felt like I wanted to be sick, faint and choking for air all at the same time.

Stewardess's got me on the floor and raised my legs, immediately the blood flowed through my body and my colour and feeling came back. having the shake is a good idea. You can go to sleep you will be fine. If you faint you will awake straight away.

Perhaps time to move up the plans as your body might be struggling to function on the SS+ plan.

Bren
X
 
It does sound as if your body went into shock and that it was connected with your blood sugar - but just think you need to get checked out. Very frightening for you and although your body is extremely good at recovering from these things, you do need to rethink the programme and evaluate your diet. Your body may be screaming out for more food now!!! It is its way of rebelling..

All the very best
Rosie xx
 
Thanks Bren and Rosie. Am on 810, which incorporates more carbs, so some people come out of ketosis.

Looking online at 'The Ketogenic Diet: A Complete Guide for the Dieter and Practitioner' it says 'many individuals report rebound hypoglycemia either during the carb-up or during the first few days of eating carbohydrates when ketogenic eating has ended.'

Have been on SS and then SS+ for 20 weeks now and 810 since Wednesday. Am wondering if the return to carbs has made this happen and, if so, what's best to do about it.

CDC is away on hols - isn't that always the way?! She's a nurse as well. Funny thing is that I've been taking it easier this last week with my exercise as well. Haven't been on x-trainer for 3 days, so it's not like I've been overdoing anything.
 
Oh crickey Liz, that must have been very scary. This happened to me quite a lot when I was pregnant, I had to keep a chocolate bar with me all the time. In this case I had something pregnancy related called Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which caused my blood sugar to dip seriously low and if I stood up too quickly, I was back on the floor in seconds. Is there another CDC in your area you could ring for advice? I'm sure they'd understand.

Don't feel like you can't get an emergency appointment with the doctor, sometimes its just as important to put your mind at ease as it is to treat the problem. If you ring up, you may be able to get an over the phone consultation with a doctor and they'll decide if they want to see you.

Hope you feel better soon, and hope BF looks after you for the day
 
Hi Liz, sounds horrendous, hope you are feeling better now - it must have been very scary for you and your bf. I have no first hand medical knowledge (plenty second hand) but would suggest you speak with NHS Direct if only to get details of a local walk in centre and go and get checked out today. A medical review can only help put your mind at ease. I am also sure there will be some CDCs on here this morning to help give you advice on what plan you should follow to make sure you keep well (in lieu of your CDC) - but def see a doctor today.

Sending you big hugs, take it easy today and let us know how you get on. xxx
 
thats terrifying hun!
How do you feel now?
I would be on the phone to NHS direct hun just to get yourself checked out to see if you do need to see someone urgently.
thinking of you hun!

xxx
 
Thanks everyone. Managed to get a bit of sleep. Just going to call NHS direct now.
My CDC works out of her CDC's house, but I can't remember her name. Am going to have a look on the CD website and see if it jogs my memory and call her.
It was really scary. I honestly thought something really major was wrong - I've never felt that ill in my life, like I was about to slip unconscious. My BF was nearly in tears when I was lying in the hall and asked him to call an ambulance.
 
Just called them and someone is calling me back within an hour. Going to go and lie down for a bit I think. Feeling quite weepy.
 
Oh my god Liz......you poor thing. I'm glad you've had some sleep and it's a good idea to ring Nhs Direct.....they are brilliant and will get you the right help. That sounds really scary. Well done you for having a tetra. Sending loads of hugs hun and take care. xxx
 
Hope you feel ok Liz. Take it easy and get some rest x x
 
The same thing happened to me a couple of months ago. Embarassingly it was when I was teaching, so kids had to go and get another teacher. But it sounds exactly the same, and it was horrible. I thought it was low blood sugar aswell (as I hadn't eaten, as I forgot a tetra), on a positive note it never happened again. So it may also be a one off in your case. I did mention it to my CDC and she thought it was because I hadn't eaten, and advised that I spread my meals out equally throughout the day.
 
Thanks everyone. Interesting that it's happened to a few people. Just got the call back from NHS and they weren't any help really :(
Said they didn't know what it was and just to go to the dr tomorrow to get it checked out.
 
Wow, that is scary. Hope you're feeling better. How many calories are you getting? That does sound like a low blood sugar issue since it cleared up right after you drank the shake. I would get checked for diabetes. Hopefully its a one-off though.
 
This happens to me if I do more than 6 or 7 weeks of SS....

It's always first thing in the morning on the way to the lavatory! But I don't get the odd feelings you did before I pass out, I get them once I come round. :(

it's more to do with long term ketosis and dehydration. (I'm assuming that you are still in ketosis on 810?) It's the body's way of encouraging you to up your rations..... It is the most horrid experience I ever have, although my doctor said it won't cause long term damage, (as a one time occurance that is) it's best to avoid doing it again. The way I avoid this is to get my body OUT of KETOSIS for 2 weeks before dropping back down to SS..... I now listen to my body and when I start getting the dizzy spells I know that it's time to get a few more calories down me.
(I'm upping my plan to at least 810 from today for this very reason!)
 
Back
Top