Sunday, January 04, 2009

Hypoglycemia worse? Really?

A few months ago, I wrote a blog entry about my hypoglycemia symptoms. I thought that they had reached the apex and that they could not get any worse and yet, they are worse! Most nights I cannot sleep through the night without getting up to eat. When I wake up, I don't wake up hungry but I wake up feeling shaky and faint. I keep glucose tablets by my bed so that I can pop one in my mouth and it will keep me from fainting so that I can walk to the kitchen to find some real food. The strange part is that I always eat a large bedtime snack that is full of fat and protein. That snack used to ensure that I could sleep through the night. Now, it seems that no amount of healthy food can keep my blood sugar in a steady range. What is going on? This lifestyle is insane. I am completely controlled by food. Sometimes I don't even have an appetite but I have symptoms and the only way to make them go away is to eat. I can actually be found eating a protein bar in bed these days. I just want to sleep but I have to eat and grabbing a bar by my bedside table is the fastest path back to sleep.
For a few weeks, I kept a food journal and I counted calories. I am eating approximately 3,000 calories a day. Some days I try to eat less, because I have gained 35 pounds in the last 2 years, but the decrease in food intake just makes my symptoms occur more often throughout the day. I reach for a cheeseburger and I feel like I am eating to survive (and yet I am packing on the pounds). I know that if I eat a meal or a snack with a large amount of fat and protein that I might ensure an extra 30 minutes before my symptoms come roaring back. I am currently seeing another endocrinologist. So far, all of my doctors tell me that they do not know why my hypoglycemia is so severe. I hope that one of them finds an explanation and a way to help me SOON!