Ask the Diabetes Educator Archive

3/29/04

Q:
The past several days I have been feeling what I describe as woozy. I break out in a sweat, have a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, feel shaky etc. I have a family history of diabetes. Dad was insulin dependent and my mom takes pills. I borrowed my dad's monitor and have been testing myself, esp when I have the above symptoms. After having two slices of toast for breakfast I tested about 30 minutes later and it tested at 30. One and half hours after eating a chicken thigh, asparagus and rice for dinner it only tested at 90. What could be causing this?

A:
You are describing symptoms of hypoglycemia, and if the meter is accurate, you definitely appear to have it. I trust by now you have made an appointment to get this checked out. You would most likely be given a Glucose Tolerance test: how you respond to a load of glucose over a 2-hour period. Smaller, more frequent meals with the right kind of protein, no refined carbs or simple sugars are the first changes to make for managing this.