Hypoglycemia vs. diabetes

J

Jhn M

New member
Can anyone fill me in on the difference between hypoglycemia and type 2 diabetes, symptoms wise?

Is sugar/alcohol sensitivity a problem for hypoglycemics just as much as it is for diabetics?

I notice symptoms of my condition get worse when I have a lot of refined sugar and pretty much any amount of alcohol, I'm wondering if that's more common among hypoglycemics or among diabetics...
 
Hi, Bill Zenith . . . I am hypoglycemic and my husband is diabetic.

My husband is on oral tablets to control his diabetes but still eats sugary things without seeming to have any bad effects from it.

I dare not eat sweets. It raises my blood sugar too high and then I go into a crash (have taken blood glucose tests during a crash which range around the thirties or forties when this happens). I control mine by eating a balanced amount of protein and carbohydrate but always start my day out with protein to get my sugar regulated at the start.

Diabetics will also get the shakes, feeling like they are going to drop and other symptoms when their sugar gets too low. My husband's face will turn pale and his eyes will start to look funny. He carries glucose tablets. When I get my symptoms (which are merely the feelings and not the appearance like he gets), I will eat some cheese and that usually brings me right back.

I hope this has helped. If your blood sugar readings are consistently high (like 200 or more range) when tested, this is more indicative of possible adult onset diabetes.

Let us know what you find out!

Lindaru :)
 
Thanks, this has been helpful.

A year ago, I checked my blood sugar with a home glucose monitor in the morning a few times, when my symptoms were really bad (eye problems, dry/itchy skin, numbness/tingling in extremities, generalized neuropathy). I guess I checked it about 5 times. Each time, the reading came out low normal--a couple times in the 80s. So this is consistent with hypoglycemia, but not diabetes.

Is there a better time to check blood sugar esp. if you're looking for hyperglycemia (diabetes), rather than hypoglycemia?
 
The best readings for diabetes are taken about an hour after a meal and then again another hour after. It is normal to see a high reading (possibly in the 100 to 200 range) right after eating, depending on what you consumed. It should start to go down towards normal yet another hour after that.

They diagnosed my husband's by doing three or four hourly tests after he drank this solution and it stayed in the 200's for the first couple and high 100's for the second couple.

There are other indicators of diabetes they checked him for such as ketones and protein in his urine for which he was positive.

Let me know if I can help you any further.

Lindaru :)
 
I just tested my blood sugar 3 times in a 5 minute period, two days ago. I was feeling pretty bad at the time (visual problems, fogginess, sweating) so I decided to see what I could find out. The important thing here is that I did the test shortly after having a lot of coffee (like 3 cups) with sugar, actually an hour before I tested, and then JUST before the test I had another half cup. I had eaten about 6 hours before these tests so the coffee was on an empty stomach. The 3 readings averaged out to 85... isn't this a bit low considering how coffee w/sugar is supposed to increase blood sugar?
 
Back
Top