It was about ten years ago when I noticed that I was having what I call “drunk spells” except that I don't drink—okay, I would have a nice frozen margarita if I was sitting in a beach bar somewhere in the tropics. These “drunk spells” would happen as soon as I finished eating my evening meal. Sometimes it was so bad that I would stumble to my bed and pass out for about a half hour. I also noticed that shortly after lunch sitting in front of my computer at work I would be so tired I could barely hold my head up. This was not as bad as my evening “drunk spells” and would soon pass.
I prefer the natural health route so I found a Physician's Assistant (PA) who does natural as well as allopathic (conventional western medicine) to be my health care provider (HCP). The first thing he did was to give me a glucose tolerance test (GTT), which is used to test blood sugar levels. The GTT is used to diagnosis hyperglycemia (high blood sugar, diabetes) as well as hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
I didn't think much about it because I had been tested the year before at an allopathic medical clinic and was told that although one of the values was slightly low, overall the results were normal. When I got the results from my current test I was surprised to find out how bad it was. My fasting blood sugar was normal but the first blood sugar value after drinking the orange flavored glucose drink was close to 300 and the last value, four hours later was in the 40s. I did not have any symptoms when my blood sugar was high but when it dropped down to the 30s or 40s, that was when I had my “drunk spells.” The PA told me that I have reactive hypoglycemia where the blood sugar shoots way up and then drops down very low. This is similar to pre-diabetes or insulin resistance where the cells are being bombarded with all the insulin that is being released to help the glucose enter the cells that the cells start to wear out with trying to keep up and become resistant. This leaves excess glucose in the blood. The pancreas that produces the insulin will work hard for a while putting out a lot of insulin but it will also become weary and eventually just slow down or stop producing insulin. This is when it becomes diabetes. Before this point the pancreas and the cells will continue to do their jobs but the pancreas will do a better job and will produce more insulin than the cells can take up. This is what leads to reactive hypoglycemia. And this is what was happening when I was having my “drunk spells.” I was told that I was lucky that I was having these symptoms because most people don't have symptoms. They just go in for a check-up, the doctor does a fasting blood sugar (one blood draw before having any food), then a GTT, and without any warning they are being told that they have diabetes.
Although I'm adding links to other websites or blogs in my posts, it does not mean that I advocate for everything that may be on that site. I will strive to provide the best information that will support my story as I tell it. When reading a linked website, know that if given a choice between allopathic and natural methods, my first choice will almost always be the natural one.
Until next time...
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