Hypoglycemia Update

So I've been doing lots of reading on my new "favorite" illness and I've been learning lots. Still, I was having some continued difficulties/symptoms even with the massive diet change, so I thought about going to see an endocrinologist -- even though I can't imagine that he'll tell me anything too different than what I'm reading in all the books. Then, finally, I caved in and admitted to myself that I wasn't trying everything I could. There was one thing left in my diet that I hadn't tried cutting out (ok there's a few, but one obvious one): fruit. Sigh... utter heartbreak. When I went to the Faroe Islands to study, the one thing I missed most was fruit. When I returned after a month and George asked me if there was anything special I wanted to eat when I got back, it was fruit (he met me at the airport with a tub of fruit salad). When I was pregnant, it was the only thing I wanted and could eat reasonable quantities of. I am a fruit fiend. And now... I've had to say goodbye, at least for a little while.

Turns out, I think the fruit was giving me problems. It's only been a few days, but I'm clearer and less achy/headachy. I can't say I'm less tired because little Dude has been keeping us up a lot lately. But I definitely feel the difference. Plus, when I forget a meal/snack or I've eaten something else that's questionable, I don't crash as hard now. So I guess my big no-nos are sweets, caffeine, alcohol, and fruit. I'm still skimping on beans, and eating minimal amounts of high quality grains. I am undercooking my pasta, making my own unsweetened granola, and cooking so many other things from scratch. I'm also starting to avoid the microwave as much as possible, and it's amazing how much we rely on those for quick cooking.

Thank goodness I have George's mom here (she's been living with us since December) to help me with dishes, or I'd never keep up. I spend a LOT of time every day with my own food prep now. Between feeding myself and Regin, it's hard to get anything else done.

So, other things I have learned about hypoglycemia since my last related post:

1. There are even more symptoms than I mentioned before.
2. Most/all people probably have it to some degree (you can call it "sugar sensitivity" if you like.) The human body is simply not made to process sweets and other simple carbs.
   
3. It can be caused by an imbalance of good/bad bacteria in your body which can be caused by numerous things, such as mercury fillings.
4. Woman who have PMS are (according to some studies) experience periodic hypoglycemia which comes and goes during the menstrual cycle.
5. There is a strong tie between alcoholism and hypoglycemia and the former can be treated/cured by treating the latter.
6. Hypoglycemics are often significantly deficient in a number of nutrients (especially/including various B vitamins).
7. Brewer's yeast may help hypoglycemics, unless they are those that fall into the good/bad bacteria imbalance category. In that case, yogurt/probiotics helps.
8. Sugar leeches nutrients out of your body.
9. Alcohol and caffeine feel good and give you a boost because they make your body go through a pseudo (and strong) sugar rush.
10. Someone going through a strong sugar crash can seem to show signs of intoxication: slurred speech, incoherent strings of words, decreased coordination, and even an alcohol-like breath! One place I was reading suggested that it is (at least in theory) possible to fail a breathalizer.
11. The hypoglycemic diet is more restrictive than the diabetic diet.
12. Fewer people take hypoglycemia seriously (as compared to diabetes).
13. There are fewer resources for hypoglycemics.
14. Diabetics can have artificial sweeteners whereas hypoglycemics cannot.
15. Diabetes can be controlled with insulin injections, etc., hypoglycemia cannot.
    
16. There aren't many cookbooks that are geared towards hypoglycemia, and the ones that are often use questionable ingrediants like artificial sweeteners or concentrated fruit juice.
17. Each book has a mostly-the-same-but-SLIGHTLY-different idea on what you can and can't eat.
18. Many doctors don't know how prevalent hypoglycemia is. They also don't know how to properly test for, diagnose, or treat it.
19. People used to see it as a BS fad diagnosis and there is still some stigma attached to it by some people in the medical community.
20. Nutrition is not something that is spent much time on in the education of a doctor (knew this already).
21. Poor nutrition can to be to blame for many of our major killers & degenerative diseases, including heart problems, cancers, etc..
22. Some people believe that there is no such thing as age-related degenerative problems, they are simply the effects of poor nutrition over a lifetime. And we'd all live to be around 120 (with agile body and mind) if we ate right.
23. Insulin is a fat storer. Many people's weight problems have much much more to do with what they are eating rather than how much they are eating or little they are exercising. If you stop giving yourself major insulin responses in your body from all the crap you are eating, you may lose tons of weight without thinking about it.
    
24. My hypoglycemia was worsened by my pregnancy, birth, caring for an infant, training for the half marathon, and running the half marathon, and at each of these steps along the way, I have experienced more/stronger symptoms.
25. I don't know if my body will be able to tolerate another pregnancy.
26. Gestational hypoglycemia is a thing, just like gestational diabetes. And in the same way, it often goes away after birth.
27. Lack of sleep and stress have much the same effect on the body as having the worst sugars. So an increase in them can cause and increase in hypoglycemic problems, and likewise a decrease will bring about a decrease in problems.
28. Many hypoglycemics see a decrease in problems and may even be able to eat "normally" while on vacation. (I.e. so if you can control your sleep and eliminate your stress, and enjoy life, you may not have to face problems associated with hypoglycemia).
29. A crash can be occurring from something I did wrong 2 hours - 3 days ago.
30. There is a point of no return crash-wise. If I pass it there is no coming out of the crash until I nap or even possibly until tomorrow. I have to ride it out like a bad hangover.
    
31. No one offers any solutions as to how to come out of a crash. They pretty much all say it's about prevention. Obviously none of them are hyp0glycemic or else they'd be desperately searching for ways to come out of a crash.
    
32. I am tired of writing this list even though I could go on and on for hours more.

I'm often asked about how I'm coping with the diet change and if it depresses me. I do get frustrated when I feel like I'm doing everything right and where I thought I was progressing, suddenly I'm not and I'm crappy all over again. I don't think about or miss the foods except when everyone around me is having a favorite cookie or candy or bread in front of me, especially if they are doing it repeatedly. I often forget how much I have changed my diet and when I go to restaurants, or other people's houses, I forget to make special requests and find myself not being able to eat much of what is served. I'm also finding that going to restaurants is tricky. They can take so long to serve you that if you get there right around your next scheduled mealtime, you can pretty much count on a fairly decent sugar crash, since they won't get around to bringing you any foods you can eat for 30+ minutes. I have also learned to stay away from all things bready or breaded, any salad dressings that are sweetened or that contain vinegar (i.e. pretty much all appetizers), pastas (unless I cook them myself) and potatoes, and any sauces that contain any kind of sugar, fruit, or alcohol. I should be avoiding the flour-thickened sauces as well. So that pretty much takes care of all them. Also, most soy sauces are sweetened, so I had to find a special one. I'm also eating mostly organic, since I am trying not to tax my body further (during this recovery period) with toxins.

I do well on my own cooking though. I am learning which ingredients to use, and I know how to cater to my taste buds. But I do get extremely tired of food prep sometimes. Especially when I have to eat 6+ times a day! George and Gloria hardly ever cook for me. But who can blame them? I'm a tad difficult to cook for now, and they don't have my education on hypoglycemia, do they, so it's especially difficult. Sometimes I look forward so much to going out as a break from having to prepare myself something, but as I've explained above, going out to eat is often not a relief at all. Sigh. I'm also really worried about what ingredients I'll have available to me in Malaysia and whether or not I'll know how to use them.

But the good news is, I think I'm finally getting it, though if you ask me in a couple of days, I'll likely tell you otherwise. Recovery is like a graphed wave: it might have an overall trend of going up, but you have frequent downs along the way. And the initial downs after you first change your diet can be worse than any downs you've experienced before.