Low blood sugar, food and peri

I agree that I need a fasting test.  I had breakfast that morning probably around 7 a.m. and got to the hospital at 7:45 for an 8 a.m appointment.  They took me at about 8:10 to sit with a registration specialist and fill out lots of paperwork, them on to the testing area.  I could guess that the blood samples were drawn maybe at 8:30 or a little after?  Not totally sure.  Had a bowl of plain Cheerios and milk with the eggs, but not a large breakfast overall, and of course Cheerios are refined.  So hard because I can't have whole grains because they cause me to have Crohn's flare-ups.  Oatmeal is okay sometimes.  I think I may wind up working with a nutritionist to figure out a plan that I can follow.

Oatmeal would have been better, but if your sugars are not reading, think what you had was right.  However,  my daughter has crohns and thats something she cannot have also, so your balancing the two, both conditions needing different diets, but, your sugars should have been up considering what you ate, the cereal and milk alone should have been enough for a reading, you know what im thinking, could it have been your crohns, if its affecting your small bowel, you do not absorb your nutrients the same, what do you think? if that is whats happened your going to need a specialist for a new diet to combine both crohns and low blood sugar, you would have to be careful of certain proteins that contain fat, as certain fats could cause  a crohns flare, and you cant eat nuts, or seeds, so difficult one for the hypoglyceamic diet, you need, protein, fat and unrefined carbs, difficult, but not impossible, so im sure they will be able to sought you out, but i am thinking that both menopause and crohns could be affecting your sugars, and maybe thats why your tests were so low, but im not sure, if that is the case, another possibility could be, is to ask, would HRT help you control your sugars better if the menopause is making your sugars worse, incase it is going to be difficult for them to control both crohns and sugars through diet alone, what do you think? let us know how you get on though liz..................best wishes.

Elaine, I like how you wrote that the two conditions need different diets.  That is exactly the issue that is giving me so much trouble!  I do want to find a nutritionist who can help.  You make an interesting case for the possibility of HRT, too.  I will make note of these points and share them with an appropriate specialist, it is becoming clearer that the situation is changing and a new plan is needed so I can manage it all.  Thank you for helping me sort out how to describe what is happening!

You know, i was thinking about your thread las night after i sent that message, and this did happen to me during peri, it was when i thought i could have been peaking, my sugars were so bad, and i couldnt think why, it was a long time ago now though, god cant believe i said that, i dont test my sugars like i use to now, as ive had it so long, however, when it was bad, i started testing it, and one day mid morning,   i tested it and it came up on the machine as E-3 which had never happened before, and when i checked my booklet what the reading meant, it said, sugar to low to read, and like you i had  eaten, so, i believed in me, it was partly the menopause, but, because i also, have a health problem that already affects my sugars, and that also, was made worse during peri.  My sugars are nothing  to do with my pancreas going wrong, so your tests are never consistently high or, low, which would make them think, your not a true diabetic, which is me,  you need a special test for that, so, it would make sense wouldnt it, with your crohns, the menopause, plus your mums connection,  that this could also be you, you have to have the cereals and milk to help your crohns, my daughter feels better after having that as well, so, good luck liz, and let us know how you get on with it, and you push with the drs over hrt, if that isnt offered, or, if they try to fob you off, if you sound like you know what your talking about, they will start fluffing.............i love it when that happens..............ha, its a case of OMG, this one knows something about her condition, what we gonna do...............haha take care liz. 

Interesting.  A few things... I know I've mentioned elsewhere in the forum that I eat a lot of sugar.  Honestly it is like an addiction.  With peri, that has only become worse.  I have had lots of blood work and also several urinalysis tests over these last months leading to getting the ovarian mass and uterine polyp diagnosed.  None of the urinalysis tests showed any glucose and no one has mentioned anything about my blood sugar with regard to blood work until now.  However, I do think that a fasting test is in order, too, to see what that reveals.  I know with the peri that I'm struggling with eating so much sugar.

Yes with low blood sugar eating lots of sugar is the wrong thing to do, as we have too much insulin, and diabetics dont have enough, so their sugar goes high, and ours goes low, and its sugar of the refined type that makes you release insulin at a much faster rate, so were supposed to avoid sugar, but not if your test is unreadable, you will still crash later, but thats why were to put the protein, fats, and unrefined stuff in at the same time, but there have been times, ive not even been able to get protein in, and the diabetic diet is different from the low blood sugar one.    Its highly possible the glucose tolerance test that they may give you now, will not show anything, especially if, its caused by peri, or, crohns, what showed in mine was, that whilst yes it was dropping, but, you are not a true diabetic, meaning it was something else causing it and not the pancreas, which later on they found out for me what it was, and if you get that answer as well, then you are at least narrowing it down, but given your mother had hypoglyceamia also, maybe your developing it, but it isnt showing just yet, that has been known to happen, its like when some women become diabetic during pregnancy, its called gestational diabetes but its hormones thats triggered  it, big clue there liz........ but at some point they will become diabetic, there are just too many things going on arent they, but you sound like you have all the tests in hand.............Thats handy to know what gentlebalads has said, there is a diet for both crohns, and low blood sugar, theres always hope, wouldnt have known that if we hadnt have come on here!!...............take care liz.

I see what you mean about the sugar and insulin.  This is very helpful!

No, just had the Cheerios and milk with the eggs.

Thanks again for the PM, very helpful information!  I'm curious to know more about having Crohn's and hypoglycemia.  Even though it is much worse now, for years now I have had snacks during the day because my blood sugar does get a bit low sometimes.  I've never had lab work show it, though, so I know it is time to make changes, especially considering the  peri.

here, if i tell the doctor i have idiopathic/reactive hypoglycemia hes gonna say - " Madam, dont self- diagnose" "dont read stuff on the net"...i never could get the doc to certify it on paper - i needed it for my workplace....

Ugh, some doctors... I find that GI doctors never are interested in talking about diet, which seems painfully ironic!