Need Help with Dealing W/ Hypoglycemia

Hi M.,

I am also Hypoglycemic, I carry glucose tablets with me, flavored, can be found at CVS, AND in a pinch a bag of potato chips (small bag) will help you.
The potato chips are usually my choice until I can get some real food in me because flavored or not, I don't really like the Glucose tabs but carry them just to be on the safe side.
I keep a small bag of chips in my truck.

I would say Welcome to the club! But it's not really a fun one.
Good luck!
B.

M.,

From one hypoglycemic mom to you...I understand! I have learned tons and am living an energetic lifestyle after 18 years of struggling.

The basic, short of the story is this: You need to eat like a diabetic (sounds like you kind of know that with the snack question). Every three or four hours - and...it needs to be protein and complex carbyhydrates*. If you will stay away from sugar - all sugar, white flour...eat only 100% wholegrains - you will notice a difference soon. Then, the final clincher for me was finding a vitamin that really worked.

I took vitamins (tons) for 18 years after being diagnosed...but still had to take an afternoon nap to survive the second part of the day!! Then I found one that really worked and was able to chuck the afternoon naps in less than a month...plus, now (many years later)I can enjoy more treats than I could in the early days - an occasional dessert, etc. These bodies will do a lot of self healing if we give them the right nutrition to do it.

A high protein, low carb lifestyle will make a difference.

Like I said...that is the short of the story...but feel free to ask me whatever. You definitely will want to take care of yourself - hyploglycemia is the forerunner to diabetes if one does not take care of the up and down strain on the prancreas.

J. B.
www.joyboudreau.com (to contact me)

*snacks like: a handful of nuts; whole grain bread with almond butter; cheese; protein shake (healthy kind not loaded with chemicals and sugar!)- it doesn't have to be a lot...just something to keep your blood sugar on an even keel. If you check low carb diet books - you may find more ideas...

Hi M.,

The best way to deal with hypoglycemia is with a diet that is also excellent for diabetics. My son, who is 18, has been diabetic for 17 years, and I understand what you are going through. The glycemic index is the measure of how fast a food raises your blood sugar level. When your sugar rises quickly, it drops quickly, too and you have a hypoglycemic episode. You need eat low-glycemic foods not more than 4 hours apart (except when sleeping, of course). Many common foods are high-glycemic, and cause our insulin levels to rise too quickly- resulting in a low, shaky feeling when from too much insulin in the bloodstream. This also causes our stress hormones to "kick in"- definitely something we don't need, especially as moms!

Eating the low-glycemic foods will keep your blod sugar levels more steady, which is much more healthy for you anyway. I can provide a pretty thorough list of food choices for you, but the basic idea is to stay away from the simple carbohydrates in foods such as white bread, cookies, donuts, etc. and add more fiber and whole grains, fruits and vegetables. I'm sure you have heard this all before <smile>
There are some surprises, too- A bowl of cereal is probably the worst breakfast for you(besides a donut) as it will spike your blood sugar, then your insulin, and you will have a hypoglycemic episode mid to late morning. Add protein(eggs, peanut butter on whole wheat toast)and/or fiber to ease the problem. Good snacks include nuts, peanut butter on celery, whole wheat crackers, many fruits, raw veggies.

I can recommend a good book: "Healthy for Life" by Dr. Ray Strand. He discusses a way to eat in a healthy way to prevent insulin resistance( and to promote healthy weight loss). This may or may not be the reason you are experiencing hypoglycemia, and there will be sections about diabetes that you will feel doesn't pertain to your own situation, but the information will still be quite useful in finding a solution to your low blood sugar. In the meantime, remember to eat frequent, but not sugary snacks, if you feel the need to raise your blood sugar with a candy or juice, do so, but follow that up with protein and/or medium or low glycemic snack. I hope you feel better soon. You can contact me directly for more specific information. Also, I can recommend some excellent and delicious snack bars that are very low glycemic and help prevent my son's hypoglycemic reactions.

Take care,

R. T

M., hello im 37, and have been dealing w/ this for so many years. until recently i bought a book called THE SCHWARZBEIN PRINCIPLE. Ive looked for almost 15 years for the truth, it seemed like most doctors dont even know whats going on. ive prayed and prayed for god to show me something, bring something to my attention. because like you it was really hendering my parenting abilities. please please please check into this book and read it all the way through. also i found a great website for women, because so many women complain of this. check it out, it is www.womentowomen.com and its got tons of info on your health. the main idea is to keep your insulin levels steady. no or low sugar, high protein, this site and book, contain loads of information.for breakfast i eat eggs, with cheese and a piece of whole grain toast. for snack i have a mozeralla cheese stick, or almonds. then lunch is tuna, sardines, or something hight protein. the idea is to get in around 70 grams depending on your weight of protein in every day. the problems were facing is that we are ingesting too much high sugar, low protein diets, and our insulin cant keep steady. i just started the program 2 1/2 weeks ago. and i cant tell you how much better i feel just watching what i eat, and taking a high grade womans vitamin. katherine r

My 10 year old daughter is hypoglycemic, also recently diagnosed. What our doctor told her was that she needed to eat more often to maintain a steady blood sugar. He said, that doesn't mean you need to eat 5 "meals" a day. That means that periodically you need to eat a few peanut butter crackers or cheese & crackers or something like that. Also, lay off things like cokes, orange juice, products that have high levels of sugar per serving as they spike your blood sugar and instead of leveling off like most peoples does, it crashes because your overactive pancreas creates too much insulin and that insulin attacks the sugar and causes it to crash. My daughter eats a bowl of cheerios or plain oatmeal (both w/ a packet of splenda) for breakfast, has some pb crackers about 2 hours later, eats a healthy low sugar lunch, has more pb crackers approx 2 hours later, eats a snack when she gets home from school, has dinner and then eats another snack before bed and her sugar levels stay pretty good. We have not had a "crash" since we found out what was going on and adjusted.

I have struggled with this same issue for years and what I realized was that I was nutrionally starving. We all eat but the nutrients that we derive from food becomes less and less everyday in our over processed world. I started taking a whole food instafresh juice called The Feast and my blood sugar issues have disappeared. This coming from someone that would panic to get food when that sick feeling would hit me and all the gas would immediately run out of my tank and I thought I was going to pass out. That just doesn't exist anymore. Pretty weird when it has been apart of my life for over 25 years. www.urigetenergy.com is a website you can learn more about it. Not sure if it will change your situation but it has certainly made an incredible impact on mine. I am a little passionate about it so please forgive me if I come on strong. When you have been from doctor to doctor, altered everyone's lives and suffered you get passionate about a solution.

HI M.,
I do have Hypoglycemia and I feel your pain it sucks when you get so weak and grumpy due to low blood sugar. What works for me is that I'm always eating every 2 to 3 hours and I eat healthy foods such as cut up veggies or fruit even the zone protien bars are really good and the are great to take with you no matter where your going. drink plenty of water and watch how much fast food you eat n fact I have been fast food free for over a year now and I feel great. There is a great book you can read on eating better its called Clean Eating and it's change my experince with daeling with this condition. Good luck and I hope this helps.
S.

M., I also have Hypoglycemia and my best advice to you is to get on the Hypoglycemia website and order the book the Do's & Don'ts of Hypoglycemia. It gives you alot of great advice especially with your diet. I know people react differently to foods with Hypoglycemia so maybe for a few weeks I would keep a log of everything that you eat and then when you are feeling really tired and not yourself. Look at what you ate that day and avoid that food for a while to see if this helps. I find that if I keep a pack of peanuts or almonds in my purse, when I start feeling an episode, then I immediately eat and avoid most all soda and caffeine. That is what makes me feel really bad is caffeine. I would also advise you to get atleast 7-8 hours of sleep every night. I really struggle when I do not get much sleep. Let me know if you have any problems finding the website and I will look it up for you. I think the book will be a huge help to you as I found it very hard to really find alot of materials on Hypoglycemia and different Dr's would tell me different things which can get very frustrating. I hope that this helps you in some way. T. G

Dear M.,
Hypoglycemia is something that totally changes your life yet it can be controlled!
The best way to get control is to totally go off any sugar products for one week to level you system out. The next week try one thing that has sugar and see how it affects you. Then the next week try something else. You will soon learn by trail and error what will set your level to dropping.
One way to help keep your level even is to eat a small snack every two hours with something of protein in it. I've drank a protein drink each morning to level me out for years now, which also helps.
Whenever you do eat something sweet with sugar make sure that you also eat something with protein too! This helps to counter balance your level from dropping.
If you have anymore questions feel free to email me at:
____@____.com
D.
www.dorcasannettewalker.com

Hi Michelle, There's good news about hypoglycemia. It can largely be maintained by adhering to a good diet. There's a lot of conflicing information on what comprises a "good diet", so you'll have to do some experimenting. One of the most important things to remember is that it is easier to keep your blood sugar level than it is to correct it once it has dropped. So you want to eat 3 meals a day, plus snacks in between. Make sure you're getting enough protein and (good) fat in your diet. Both slow the insulin response. And while sugars (sweets, fruits, juices, even grains and grain-based foods) will give you the quickest kick, they will also give you the most dramatic fall. Good luck!

I was diagnosed as hypoglycemic about 10 years ago right after I got married and moved. My new doctor felt that it was partly a result of the stresses of moving to a new area, getting a new job, etc. I was then told to watch what I eat - cut down on the sugar cereals and sodas, eat more veggies, etc. Make sure you carry a granola bar or something with about 20-25 grams of carbs in your bag at all times and eat it when you start to feel like you're getting low. I recommend monitoring your blood sugar or going in for a test for diabetes. It might seem extreme but I was merely hypoglycemic 10 years ago and now have diabetes, type 2. I still get lows but I try to eat about the same amount of carbs at about the same time each day and know to eat a little more if I'm going to be more active than usual. I hope this helps --

I was told by a doctor years ago that I was "borderline" hypoglycemic, and after several years of learning how to eat differently, I rarely have anything like a hypoglycemic episode, and I can eat pretty much what I want. It didn't take several years to get results (!); it's just interesting that now I don't usually have to worry about high sugar foods giving me an episode. All of the advice from other moms seemed very good; I just wanted to mention that a reliable lunch for you every day, and something simple to keep on hand, might be deli turkey or roast beef on whole wheat bread. Sara Lee has some different kinds of whole wheat bread that aren't heavy. I've really developed a taste for them. Hope this helps a little.

What I have learned in school is that people with Hypoglycemia have to eat pretty much all day long. I would suggest you start planning healthful snacks that you can carry with you at ALL TIMES. Avoid simple carbs or other junk and think high protein. Cheese, peanut butter crackers, an apple or banana with peanut butter on it, etc. and also you should consider getting a medical alert bracelet because if you pass out when you're out with your kids (or alone) it will guide EMS in the best way to help you as quickly as possible.
Good luck!

When I was diagnosed, I had a very old fashion doctor. He had me take a vitamin named Biotin twice a day. He also had me drinking Carnation Instant Breakfast. 1 w/breakfast in AM,1 21/2 hours later, 1 between lunch and dinner, 1 21/2 hours after dinner. Of course, no pancakes or waffles for breakfast, limit intake of bananas. You also might try an iron supplement on top of a multivitamin.

Hi, M.. I am not hypoglycemic, but I am diabetic and often times I have to deal with low blood sugar. One of the best things you can eat/drink when your blood sugar gets low is orange juice. That will bring it up quickly. I also recommend eating protein to keep your blood sugar at a good level. If you can eat peanut butter, that is good to eat with crackers, etc. Also cheese with crackers, etc. is good.

M.,

I am also hypoglycemic. I've been this way all my life, but no one knew what signs to look for much less haw to deal with it. I know the emotional struggle that you are going through. And reprogramming your brain to think in terms of taking care of yourself. It still hits me from time to time, especially during pms, it was worse during breastfeeding. Nonetheless....

Keep your boys in the loop as what this is and educate them. Chances are they may inherit this and the education now will help them later on and help them not be afraid of this. Most of all, it will help them understand. It's not their fault, it's not your fault, it is something that must be dealt with and properly.

The best help I found was NOT from my doctor, but a friend who was a dietitian. She sent very practical information plus a diet plan with options. The idea isn't just for snacks, but eating what your should, in the right quantities, and often.

My favorite snacks are juice, unsweetened soy milk (extra protein), almonds. Always keep protien snacks around. And natural sugars if you drop really low and need something immediately. If you'd like, I'll gladly share the information she sent me, it's in pdf format which we can't upload here. ____@____.com

I was diagnosed about 15 years ago with hypoglycemia. The trick is to keep your blood sugar stable. Avoid eating large meals, rather eat five or six small meals a day. Eat every two hours or so. High protein, low carbohydrate is best, as this will keep your blood sugar from spiking and then dropping, leaving you feeling awful. Also keep something like peanut butter crackers or peanuts with you at all time to snack on should you feel low blood sugar coming on. Avoid sweets. Even fruits should be taken in moderation -- half a banana. Cut orange and fruit juice in half with water to minimize the effect on your blood sugar. Also, avoid caffeine, also it releases glycogen from the liver and that increases blood sugar levels. Stress and hormonal changes, such as PMS can also affect it. Make sure you get plenty of rest and take care of yourself. Remember, the key is to keep your sugar from spiking and dropping by staying on a low glycemic diet and eating on a regular basis. I am a clinical exercise physiologist and mother of three girls. ____@____.com

Hi M.,

I have read all of the responces and found that none have used something that I found helpful. I too have experienced the issue of low blood sugar for 20 yrs or so and it was'nt until I found thru trial/error that Flax seed oil works instantly. I take two in the morning and my energy is high all day . even if i don't eat on time it keeps me from dropping. It has been for at least 10 yrs. A Read up on it, I have found that it is one of the best nutrients that a womens body needs for life for a lot of life time beneifits. It is a nutrient for life! Try it.

Be blessed!

Hi M.. I've been hypoglycemic for about 15 years now. I also have young children and have had to deal with low sugar episodes in their presence. First of all, make sure your family and friends take this seriously. Mine don't because I'm not "diabetic". So I've had to handle my episodes alone, without compassion. Not just annoying, dangerous when you have little ones depending on you.
Now, get yourself on a routine of snacking. If you're not hungry, eat something anyway, every two to three hours. Even if it is two carrot sticks and a glass of water. You need to stimulate your body's insulin maker often to avoid the peaks and valleys. Next--what you eat is as important as when you eat. Avoid foods high in carbs and sugar. Don't stress about avoiding them all together. You're not on a weight loss diet. Carbs and sugars cause a steap spike in your insulin level, which later causes a sharp drop. Consider eating a high in fiber, high in protien breakfast. I've done this for years and found that sometimes I can cut out my midmorning snack, although I do eat lunch a little earlier on those days. If you are pregnant, nursing, or incredibly active, you will want to have a high protein snack midmorning and again midafternoon. Always watch your carbs and sugars and try to balance protein with fiber. Fiber is important for so many reasons. I personally find that lots of veggie snacks throughout the day with some proteins like peanut butter, eggs, nuts, and a few fruits gives me just what I need to stay balanced.
One more piece of advice. Who wants to always be in the kitchen??? Make up a weeks worth of snacks in advance. Put them in small baggies so if need be, all you have to do is grab and go. The frequency of your meals is the most important thing to keep your levels balanced! Good luck!

Hi M.~ I think I have a mild case of hypoglycemia which is undiagnosed. I'm a nurse and I've worked with patients with this. I don't check my blood sugar, but I can tell when its low. I've actually passed out from a low blood sugar (the ems measured it around 40, this is low!) Normal blood sugars range from 60-100, if you measure. Try to stay away from fast acting sugars, such as candy and high sugar based juices. Instead if you're feeling "low" then drink a glass of milk (if you can have it), it doesn't act quite as fast as a fast acting sugar but it will last a lot longer. You should keep some candy or even a piece of fruit in your purse for "emergencies" like when your driving or are out somewhere that you can't get something to eat. Try not to skip meals and make sure your diet does have some complex carbs in it. If you can't get your meals in, then try smaller meals. This has worked for me. Remember too that alcohol can advance hypoglycemia, so even if you're having a glass of wine or a beer, eat something with it, even if its bread or whatever. If you're still having trouble, you should consult your primary doctor, there may be more going on. Good luck!

Yes M., I have hypoglycemia. I have to eat small meals or a snack every 4 hours , this helps alot. I am over weight too,becuase when my sugar gets low I am a fast eater and i eat alot and our brain takes 20 minutes to register full! so I gain lots of weight! So try the every 4 hours.

M.,I once had hypoglycemia when I was younger.It was in the 40-60 range.My doc at the time gave me a diet to follow and it did the trick.NO sugar at all.Cut white bread.No peas or bananas.Too sugary for hypo.Can't remember the rest of that diet, as it's been so long ago.Look up on the internet for foods not to eat with this condition.Look into naturopathy and homeopathy solutions.And I'm sure there are herbs to help,too.I lost my Herb Bible,so I can't help there.I read a lot of health books and came to know that using 'cinnamon' REGULATES sugar levels in the body.Makes your sugar go back to normal. Whether you are hypo or hyper,it will correct any highs or lows in sugar.Incorporate cinnamon daily into your diet.I put about 2 tsp. in warm water and drink it.It also helps the brain and you think more clearly.Helps with brain fog.Your brain is of course affected by your sugar levels being messed up.And can cause severe depression.As well as lack of energy.You are extremely fatigued(spelling?).Hope this helps you. S. L.

I have had this since I was a teenager and here is my suggestions. Try to avoid sugar. It will make your blood sugar go up quickly and then your body will make too much insuline and you will start shaking about 2 hours after eating the sugar. I went 2 and 1/2 years without sugar and did fine, then I started eating it again.

Eat small meals about six times a day. First thing in the morning I eat something, like an apple or banana, a cup of sugar free yogurt. Just try to not go but about three hours between snacks. This keeps your blood sugar up and you won't get that shakey feeling.

When I do get the shakey feeling, I usually eat a piece of bread or a bagle. It will make me stop shaking really fast. A little cheese and a couple of crackers.

I love sugar and do have it sometimes. But I always try to make sure that I eat a healthy meal before I have the sugar and then I try to not eat very much.

My dad had this condition also and it turned into diabetes right before he died.

It really hasn't caused much of a problem for me.

I do drink diet drinks, instead of sugar drinks.

Hope this helps,
K. A.

I am also hypoglycemic and what works for me is to eat every 2-3 hours and to eat protein at every meal and snack. I know, this sounds impossible, it did to me in the beginning too but it really works and once you get in the habit its fine. I actually LOST weight eating 5 -6 times a day too! It really is true what you read, eating frequently does increase the metabolism! Also avoid foods high in sugar as well (sweets, soft drinks, etc.) It seems counter-intuitive but you basically want to follow the same diet as a diabetic. You want to keep you blood sugar on an even keel so that means no highs either because then you will crash. See a nutritionist if you can. Breakfast (this is hte hardest for me because I get sick of eggs which is probably the best breakfast protein and I'm not much of a bacon person. But an egg sandwich is a good choice or a protein shake. Snakcs are usually peanuts or peanut butter and crakcers or cheese and crakers. Also get some glucose tablets at the drug store and keep them with you are take 1 or 2 at the first sign of your blood sugar dropping. Hope this helps!

I know how you feel. I have had hypo for about 15 years. I have tried everything over the years but what works the best for me is reducing my carbohydrate intake. I went off carbs for the most part for 3yrs then gradually started adding them back in. I think with a family that would be too difficult, but reducing them would not be that hard. The second thing is exercise - make time. Your body will respond to the natural endorphines and reduce your crash. Keep nuts (if no allergies) around and when you first start to crash, eat a handfull, peanuts and almonds seem to work the fastest- you will feel better in about 5 -15 min. 1-2tsp.of peanut butter works too. Increase your daily protien intake (always eat protien whith carbs they help deminish the crash. Avoid refined sugar - Candy cookies and other sugary foods really add up. Read your lables look for lower Carb items. For me about 30carbs per serving is the most my body can handle with out a crash (if I eat protien with the carbs) Lastly get a blood glucose tester. Test through out the day and see what food effect your sugar the most. Start avoiding those foods until you get a handle on it. You will be able to add more stuff back into your diet, later once you learn portions and results.

I could go on, but I know it is overwhelming. If you want more info from my experience I would be happy to give you more.

God bless

anyone dealing with this should look into cinnamon tablets. I came across them in early '09. Thought it was silly and read they help with sugar metabolism. I had been dealing with sugar drops as I call it for nearly 6 years at that time and gained a lot of weight countering it by eating every 2-3 hours. Started with the cinnamon pills and noticed I was doing a lot better stretching out the times in between eating. Got to the point where I could wait until I was actually hungry and beyond between eating. It's amazing. Although not a cure, since I'll get the drops now and then still, but not 2-4 times a day. Huge difference, well worth looking into. I have told my doctor I started taking them by chance and stuck with them. She never said anything to be cautious of, rather was impressed at the luck I'm having with the cinnamon. Well worth looking into.

I have Reactive hypoglycemia and it can make you feel awful... crazy...and mean at times, if you don't manage it well. When my sugars bottom out too quickly, I actually pass out...something that is embarrassing at minimum but could be serious depending on where I am and what I am doing...

I have found the best success in avoiding all sweets (except those things sweetened with artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet or splenda)...limiting my fruits, and watching reading labels avoid things with white sugar, brown sugar, high fructose corn syrup etc. And exercising regularly "to burn the sugars out of my system"...

Eat every 2-3 hours a small high protein snack. It doesn't have to be large! One hand full of nuts, one small piece of lunchmeat, or peanut butter crackers can make a huge difference!!!! Just remember you don't have to eat another full meal... But NEVER let more than 3 hours go by with out eating... And NEVER skip meals.
And when you eat things with fruit or other natural sugars just make sure you balance that with protein (complex carbs help too) and you won't feel the drastic blood sugar effects like I tend to feel (don't forget to watch your starch in take.. starches like corn, etc... turn to sugar and can give you symptoms.) I have found certain foods I eat like carrots and grapes also cause me to have more severe symptoms if I don't eat them with protein..
Everyone has some hypoglycemia...some like me (and maybe you) have really severe symptoms though. There are lots of levels of severity...

A lot of diabetic info will be out there linking to hypoglycemia... just be aware the old school thinking was to funnel sugar into your diet all the time to keep your blood sugar up... but the new school thinking is that your blood sugar can stay on the low end and you can feel fine as long as it is stable...low.. You get the symptoms from the drop of high to low... But you still don't want to get too low... and drop to a diabetic coma!

This is a totally treatable "disorder" though and after you figure out what works best for you , you will have more energy and feel more peaceful. Best of Luck!

M. P

Eat, eat,eat! That is the best way to get back where you want to be. But make sure it is the food your body needs. The BEST snack is peanut butter and crackers. Keep some in your purse, if you start feeling sick, eat them, by the timeyou finish that pack, you'll feel better.

Good Morning M.,

I have the same problem and I will tell you that you need to keep your protein higher than your carbs. Its like the Atkien's diet but not as extreme. You will find good balance for your self as you go along. Listen to your body.You may want to stick to the Atkien until you feel better, then slow introduce carbs.

A little about me:
I am 45 divorce with 14 year old son. I work full time.

I understand exactly what you are going through. I am hypoglycemic. The thing that I learned was to make sure that I have a decent breakfast -- no sweets and just cereal will not do. Breakfast is the most important meal for you because it will help you through the rest of the day. Always make sure that you have a snack in your purse for occasionas when you are away from home and need a quick pick me up. Peanut butter crackers are the best. They raise your sugar level quick and stay with you longer than just grabbing a candy bar. Candy will bring it up fast but it will not be long and it will drop considerably lower than it was as soon as it wears off. You can lead a perfectly normal life once you find the balance that you need during the day to keep your sugar up. These things are differant to each person but once you find what works for you you will feel so much better. Good luck
C.

Hi not sure if I can be of any help, but I am diabetic so I know this feeling you are talking about. I am a mother of two and also a business owner.
Be sure you always have orange juice around so when you start to feel funny - drink a glass. It's the fastest working sugar you can get.
I would also let your boys know what to look for and what to do in case you have a reaction. I'm not sure what information you already know, but if you have any questions I might could help with feel free to email me at
____@____.com
Hope this is a little help anyway.

Whenever you eat, you sould make sure you eat protein with your carbs. If you just eat a sweet snack or drink a glass of juice or soda or milk, it will cause your blood sugar to rise and then to fall quickly. If you try to balance your carbs with some protein, like meat or cheese or nuts, it will help your body to absorb the sugar more slowly and evenly and you won't have as many sharp rise and falls. Fiber will also help with this. And make sure you eat regularly throughout the day. If you go too long without food, your blood sugar will certainly drop. And also try to balance your activity level with your diet. If you know you will be very active, make sure you eat well or keep snacks close by. Your docotr should be able to give you some good tips on keeping your blood sugar from dropping so sharply. Good luck!

I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia when I was a junior in highschool. It took a couple years to feel realtively normal. However, I am 28 now and I feel pretty normal most of the time. Every blood sugar test is normal-even when I was pregnant. My advice....eat a low carb diet for the next year and a half. Stick to it! No potatoes, bread, pasta, sweets, or soda. Limit sugary fruit and vegetables-like grapes, bananas, carrots, and corn.(kind of like the adkins diet, but don't consume the high fatty proteins) It's a hard diet to follow-but it worked for me. After about a year and a half I started SLOWLY adding potatoes,and whole grains-brown rice, wheat pasta, whole wheat bread. It's gradual and slow. Listen to your body. Always have some sort of protein with a carb. Never eat a carb by it's self. You need to eat every two hours-if you're really bad, try every hour and half. Try a bite of cheese or hard boiled egg with a bite or two of cantalope or celery. Always eat breakfast! Don't skip any meals-eat every two hours and don't over eat!!! Don't drink caffiene or sugary sodas-including fruit juice and ice tea. You basically need to become super health conscience. There is hope-I can now eat pasta meals and dessert occasionally without any problems-I just stick to my whole grain, high fiber, low sugar diet everyday. If you're feeling depressed, it will pass. When I was diagnosed I stayed in bed for weeks with depression and just feeling weak. When you start to get your diet under control you'll feel a lot better. I promise. If you have any questions or just need to talk-you can email me. Just remember low carb, eat every two hours, and choose super healthy choices. You'll eventually get back to normal.
____@____.com
Good luck.
M.

You should get your MD to refer you to a Registered Dietitian. An RD will be able to help you tailor you eating plan to avoid your sugar dropping. One mistake people often make is to drink or eat something high in sugar to bring it up; this has a rebound effect and should be avoided. Snacks should be carbohydrate and protein combined so it has a longer lasting effect. You may need to eat every 1-2 hours.
Hope this helps.

My daughter is hypoglycemic, and she is about your age. I kept (and sent to school with her) peanut, peanut butter, and cheese snacks available at all times. High protein snacks were the answer, not sugar. We carried them with us wherever we went. She was trained to eat every couple of hours (at least a little) and this has carried through to this day. She now (at 35) continues this habit, and has not had a severe episode in years. She has downs and ups, depending on the time of month, but still finds that protein snacks get her through life on a level plain.

ok i have had to deal with that problem also which can turn in to type 2 diabetes so be careful. but anyway in order to combat this you have to eat small meals at least every 2 hours, this will help you to keep your energy up so that you can enjoy your boys. and try to eat some form of protein if you use fruit as a snack because fruit is a natural sugar that will not help if you wait too long to eat.

Hypo is almost as bad as hyper.
Personally, for me, I stopped drinking anything with sugar. I cut my sugar intake, that is what carbs are. They turn to sugars. I eat six times a day. Crackers and cheese are good. Only have dessert right after a meal. I was DX'd when the book "Protein Power" came out. If you can get your hands on a copy, that would be really educational for you.

You still need carbs. I think it's 14g a day for brain function. But you will get them in what you eat, you just need to combine proteins. Have healthy snacks and cut out unnecessary sugars. Like soda, flavored, sugared waters. ETc.

Someone said exercise? Very important. There is so much info on this. But I can tell you that rarely (maybe twice a year) I bottom out. And I have been doing this a long time.

Good luck, I'd be happy to help you if you need more info.

Hi M.,
I have lived with hypoglycemia my whole life. I'm 35 and was diagnosed at age 5. As a child I had major episodes when my sugar dropped, and it didn't take much. But I have gotten to the point where I don't feel I'm as affected as much. As others have said, the key is to avoid the sugar drops. Try to eat something for breakfast. I don't really like breakfast foods or eating first thing in the morning, but I will at least have a protein drink or a granola bar or a banana just to get something in my body. What I learned early on are the things to avoid- too much starchy foods, especially "white" foods like white rice, potatoes, pasta because these turn to sugars in your body. Brown rice and whole wheat pasta are good options, however. Avoid eating a lot of some fruits- I remember as a kid grapes and cherries and any dried fruit were always on my mom's "banned" list for me, but I could always have apples. Also avoid a lot of sugar and especially high fructose corn syrup. You'd be amazed where you find sugar and HFCS. Read the label on your bread or your ketchup, for instance. HCFS is completely banned in my house. I will buy things that are higher in sugar content but without HCFS if I have to (like buying organic maple syrup vs. regular name-brand) and then use it in moderation. Limit your fruit juice intake also- even 100% juice has a lot of sugar. If you find yourself wanting a meal with the starchy foods or eating sugar, make sure you balance it with protein. I find that as long as I have a good amount of protein, I can eat just about whatever I want without much consequence. That wasn't always the case. As a kid, any amount of sugar would send me into a downward spiral. So you'll need to figure out what amount of sugar you can tolerate. As for snacks, nuts, apples, cheese, milk, a slice of deli meat, veggies and dip, cheese & crackers (but be careful with the crackers because most are made with white flour- a starch). When I'm looking at processed foods for snacks I read labels and try to find things that have similar amounts of protein and carbs. And just because somehting is "low in sugar" on the label doesn't mean it's going to be good for you. Usually things that have been made to be low-sugar are filled with extra carbs, which can be just as difficult for your body to handle. Sometimes I will find myself missing lunch or running late and not getting any breakfast and then not being any place to get something decent to snack on and needing a quick fix. I find that in those cases when I can't get something better for me, a Snickers bar is the best option. It's got the sugar for the quick fix, but it also has a decent amount of protein so I don't drop as quickly and hopefully will be able to get something decent to eat before I drop. If you watch your diet you will be able to get the hypoglycemia under control, and you may need to make some drastic diet changes in the beginning (my mom took every ounce of sugar out of my diet as a kid- I couldn't even have birthday cake!). But with some diligence in the beginning you will probably be able to work out what really causes you to have the drops (is it too much sugar, is refined sugar or sugar from carbs or both, is it not eating) and then work to avoid those situations.