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#1
02-06-2013, 06:58 PM
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Question about symptom/number conflict
I have a question. I had breakfast and was feeling fine before that. About an hour ago (12 noon my time)... I started shaky pretty badly. I tested my level and it was 151. I know shaking is a sign of low blood sugar, which it obviously wasn't. I tested again a half an hour later and it was 125. It dropped about 26 points in a half an hour! Is that normal? I know the shaking at 151 isn't normal. I see my doctor on March 6th because he only works Wednesdays. I don't want to call and be forced to go in because my partner can not just take time off from work (her boss is another story). Could someone advise please? I know this isn't in place of doctors advise, but that shaking scared me, as it has never been that bad before. I'm not on any medications for this yet either. Thanks all.
Michaela 
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#2
02-06-2013, 07:21 PM
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Hi Michaela,
First of all, it's great that you're so in tune with your body and can recognize the shaking and immediately think "hypoglycemia!" - however, it's possible that this was the result of any number of other things - had you just been exercising? were you nervous about something? was your heart racing? Did you have coffee with your breakfast? The only thing you can do to rule out or confirm a low episode is to test, and it sounds like you did exactly what you were "supposed" to  I know from my own experience that 26 points in a half hour is not AT ALL uncommon. In fact, you'll find that if you test and then test again immediately after, you might be up to 10 points off your original number - blood glucose is CONSTANTLY changing - the small changes aren't a big deal, it's the big changes we have to worry about. If you had dropped from 151 to 80 (still not considered hypo necessarily) in that half hour, then yes, I would have said your symptoms were a related to the significant drop, but in this case, it sounds to me like it could have been attributed to something else entirely. but keeping accurate notes/logs of all these occurrences will help you and your Dr piece together the puzzle and rule out anything serious, so keep it up with being so observant! my personal .02 anyway - good luck! ps - don't forget to calibrate your meter and wash your hands before testing to ensure accuracy!
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#3
02-06-2013, 07:29 PM
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Rachelle,
Yes, I had coffee this morning. About four hours before lunch. Haven't been exercising lately due to pain in back, knees, etc. I've noticed that when I test and the numbers go "crazy" like they do, that I can actually feel it happening. I could be fine one minute and the next minute, I'm feeling sick to my stomach or shaky. I've gotten used to the small shakes, but this time, I really couldn't even hold anything. With being a future teacher, I don't need this to happen in class. That is one thing that scares me. Should I be on medication for this? I've been doing what my doctor told me and that was to exercise and follow the Low Glycemic Index, but I don't really know if its helping or not. He only has me testing when I don't feel good, which is why I tested today. Is shaking with a level of 151 normal though? My "range", for me to feel good...seems to be between 100-130. Anything below or above and I feel horrible.
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#4
02-06-2013, 08:17 PM
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to answer your question, shaking at 151mg/dL (or a drop of 26 points in a half hour) is not very common, no.
151 is not considered hypoglycemia, and shaking to the point of not being able to hold something in your hands, seems like an extreme low (yet your testing contradicts this). again, I would suggest you calibrate your meter and wash your hands before testing to ensure accuracy, but I wouldn't necessarily attribute this to blood glucose. as a student nurse I'm inclined to say, if you're also experiencing back and knee pain, I would attribute the shaking to something else going on that could be neurological. I would still keep accurate records and discuss with your Dr. just to clarify, hypoglycemia = low blood sugar, hyperglycemia = high blood sugar. typical symptoms of hypoglycemia (<80mg/dL) are: heart palpitations shakiness anxiety sweating hunger tingling sensations around the mouth typical symptoms of hyperglycemia (>130mg/dL fasting and >180mg/dL postprandial) are: increased thirst headaches blurred vision frequent urrination fatigue based on the 151 number after breakfast, I would not say that you experienced EITHER hypo or hyperglycemia. therefore, I would attribute the symptom of shakiness to something else entirely - not related to diabetes. the only other possible explanation if you're absolutely convinced it's diabetes related, is that you're running SO high all of the time, that to you, a number of 151 FEELS like hypoglycemia - but this doesn't sound like it's the case for you. BUT, as you know, everyone is different, and it's important to keep accurate notes to discuss with your Dr. my .02 anyway.
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#5
02-06-2013, 08:23 PM
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Thanks. Definitely keeping records and keeping my eye on it. It's hard for me to tell because my numbers are all over the place. I will recalibrate the meeting too, just to be sure.
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#6
02-06-2013, 08:24 PM
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also just wanted to add - if you can afford the test strips and it doesn't contradict what your Dr tells you, I would test multiple times a day just to see what your body is doing, especially if you are constantly feeling "horrible"
before you go to bed, when you wake up, before you eat (anything), and 2 hours after you eat are the 4 most common times to check and this might give you a more complete picture. this could even be helpful in ruling out anything diabetes related and helping your Dr diagnose whatever else could be going on. this is why I love using glucose buddy to log my test results, meals and medications - you can print out all the data for your Dr to look at and see possible patterns to your blood glucose. good luck!
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#7
12-18-2013, 12:10 PM
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Quote:
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| level 151, shaking |
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