Patch10

Hi everyone,

I have posted here only one other time but I need some advice.

I quit drinking right after labor day and am doing great. It's actually been surprisingly easy for me considering I work from home, alone, with a cabinet full of liquor and haven't even been tempted to touch it and I am doing it without any help. Very strange... perhaps its divine intervention. : )

Anyway, my question is... I know most people who drink heavily end up with hyperglycemia. There is no doubt I have those symptoms. My questions are these:

When "they" say most people who drink a lot have it, do they mean that these people's blood sugar levels actually drop to what is considered to be low sugar levels and therefore they have it.. the symptoms .. all of it? I bought a blood glucose monitor because I suspected I had it. But when I get all "shaky hungry" my blood sugar levels are in the 80s or even low 90s. That is NOT an unsafe level, that is actually a good level. I am assuming I am getting the symptoms because my blood sugar, when drinking every night was kept pretty high and therefore now that it is normal, my body is not used to that and probably THINKS its low and therefore I feel these symptoms.

If that is what is happening with me, and my sugar levels are normal, do I actually have hyperglycemia? Do I need to treat this and eat as if I do have it?

Lastly, I have read that hyperglycemia doesn't necessarily go away...? OR does it? I am not sure on that one. I don't even know if I have it but if I don't, will my body ever get used to being at these normal sugar levels or will I always have these symptoms when it gets into the 80s?

I have been sober for 56 days - how long before things become normal in this regard... if at all?

Isaiah

Hello, we're all a bunch of drunk a-holes. Maybe you wanna ask a doctor?



Seriously, ask a doctor. They'll draw your blood and test it and all that. We haven't the capability.

Mark75

I wouldn't over think this... for a lot of reasons.

Assuming you are taking about hypoglycemia, low blood sugar, then you should know that true hypoglycemia is a very hard condition to conclusively diagnose... realize that by the time you feel the hypoglycemia... it's too late to get an accurate blood sugar because the shakes, etc... are part of your bodies reaction to the low sugar levels, and by the time you check the blood sugar, it is already rising... you don't feel the low sugar... just the reaction...

And maybe, these symptoms you are feeling have nothing to do with blood sugar....

Best to see a doctor, we can't give advice.

Dee74

Hi Patch

Personally I think your best course of action would be to see your doctor and ascertain whether you are hypoglycemic - & they should be in a better position to answer your other questions than we would too

D

Fandy

yes, if you went through all the trouble to purchase a glucose monitor, spring for the advice of a professional. and a complete blood workup...there are many factors to consider (weight, age, BP, activity level).

most companies will actually give you a free glucose monitor if your doctor gives you a scrip. for it.

I believe borderline type-2 is accurately tested with a FASTING glucose and that pretty orange 24 hour urine collection jug, after 12 hours(like cholesterol and tryglicerides)....climbing into the high 90s at that period is pushing it, but even 100 is considered OK.

go to the doc, you don't want to be passing out and hurt yourself.

Spirit08

Wow. Drink cranberry juice. It takes a long time for anything to stabilize, let alone your sugar level.

AA suggestion? Call a doctor.

Found

Rather than worry about sugars I was told to eat protein (meat, cheese, fish, nuts) with every meal or snack, and use plenty of green leaf veg.

All foods can be turned into sugars if required and trace elements assist with the more effective handling of sugars.

I was also told to eat 5 moderate sized meals a day not 3 big ones (I was active then - I eat less now). If one eats mainly sugary things the sugar levels shoot up and then down, recently drinking or not. If one eats a fair bit of proteins they stay steady in the middle.

Complete proteins are also formed from rice & beans, potato & nuts, bread & beans etc.

If not sensitive to it milk is a nice food in liquid form,

We need plenty of B vitamins which we depleted over the years. Foods I mentioned address that.

Great to have our appetite back isn't it!

Stock up on some of your favourite cheeses!

CarolD

A simple blood test can give you correct information.
I think it's called....Chemical Blood Panel Screening

It will tell if you have any problems...
.includeing hypoglycemia or diabetes.
In early recovery I was hypoglycemic
years later....I'm a Type 2 diabetic.


Set up a doctors appointment....explaining your concerns.

Glad your sobriety continues


BTW....I could not figure out why my blood sugar
suddenly became over 200 and stayed there.
Looking at the date on the strip container
I saw it was months past the "Use By" date.

New strips..cleaned and re set the monitor
put in fresh battery.....
and I was back under the safe level.

leo21

For me it was what I think they call empty calories and carbs. When I drank so much beer each day, I didn't eat properly. All those beers have tons of carbs which puts your body in over drive converting those sugars. I stop - suddenly my body is out of whack, not used to working so hard with the carbs. I think it even affects your pancreas. Well, I'm no doctor but I did experience shakes and extreme hunger when I first quit.

I went back to my old days of eating right and doing it right away. Several small snacks a day like peanuts and cashews along with four to five small meals a day that cover veggies and lean proteins. It wasn't long afterwards that the shakiness went away. Our bodies need good foods and if you eat (graze) throughout your day, your metabolism will level out.

Freedom1990

I am taking a nutrition class this month through the gym I joined.

I went in for a glucose tolerance test at the hospital recently (my mom has type II diabetes), and had such a severe reaction to the sugary drink that I ended up in ER and then observation for 6 hours.

I am severely hypoglycemic.

I'm learning to eat a balance of proteins and complex carbs, and am weaning myself off of processed sugars.

It's going to take time as I'm undoing a lifetime of poor eating habits, but I can't believe how much better I feel when I am eating right.

Kmber2010

Definitely contact the Dr. and get blood work drawn. That simple.

My mother played the game of self diagnosis for many years. Finally she went to the Dr. expressed concerns and found out she had Type 2 Diabetes. If she continued self diagnosis she wouldn't be here with me anymore. Get what I am saying.

Things do improve over time but you should see your Dr. to see exactly where you are now.

All the best and way to go on your sobriety.

Anna

I am hypoglycemic as well.

It was a factor that contributed to my alcoholism, though I had no idea about that at the time.

I eat very often and small amounts. I always have some kind of food with me wherever I go - a granola bar, yogurt, something.

Do talk to your dr.

leo21

If you get in to see your doctor and things check out alright, you can ask to be referred to see a nutrionist. They can get you on the right track as well.