Sudden hunger which makes me feel so ill :

[lindajane1971]

Cant decide if this is anxiety or something else so posting here for some ideas -


I keep getting sudden hunger attacks, when i feel suddenly so hungry that i feel if i dont eat immediately i will pass out or something. I then feel a bit "swishy" when moving around, not really dizzy or lightheaded, just ever so slightly.

And my stomach feels weird, like when you have received really really bad news, not a sick/nauseous feeling more like a feeling of dread and urgency to eat? And i feel a bit flushed too.

It does not make me shake, but i feel that i am on the edge of shaking, i feel like if i dont eat then i will shake for sure.
I am not diabetic as far as i know, but it does feel like how someone who is diabetic would be if they had low blood sugar, but as far as i know you cant have that if your not diabetic can you??? I had blood tests a few months ago and they were normal, though i do not know if they tested for diabetes then or not.


Then when i eat something, my stomach will gurgle like mad for ages. And it takes a good 30 minutes before i feel normal again, well as normal as i feel lol
Happens occasionally however today its been a few times and im now starting to fret a bit.
any ideas or experienced the same thing anyone??



Linda :weep:

[joelhall]

Sounds like transient hypoglycaemia. The symptoms which comes on, which can include sweating, trambling, etc are due to adrenal release to increase your blood glucose. Try lowering he amount of carbohydrates you eat and increasing protein and fat intake.

[Speranza]

I've had that on and off for a long time, was worried I was becoming diabetic but I haven't. I think balancing your foods is a great idea.

[Shelly15]

I also feel like this, I will suddenly feel hungry and if I don't eat it gets worse to the point I feel lightheaded and it puts me on edge that I will faint. I had fears I was diabetic but doctor just said its anxiety,

[joelhall]

One thing you should realise is that anxiety allows the cells to take up and oxideise glucose much quicker than normal. It's a lot like being in the gym doing a heavy work out. Try to simply shift your diet away from carbohydrates (especially sugars) and towards proteins and fats which help stabilise blood glucose. Carbohydrates always destabilise blood glucose.

[lindajane1971]

ive felt it a lot today, i had breakfast at 9am (2 x toast, tea) and by 12 i was really hungry and starting to feel it brew so i had a bowl of oats so simple porridge and a muller yoghurt, then i had a couple of breadsticks at 3.30pm and then i felt it really really bad at 6.30pm so i had supper of salad, weight watchers quiche and some chips. started to feel better around 7pm but again right now its almost 9pm and my stomach feels "gurgly" and i have that feeling of in any second i am going to feel so starving hungry!!!!
i think i have eaten enough today to keep my levels ok but i dont know, this is really worrying me now, what if something happens to me while i am asleep?????? :(

[joelhall]

That's a lot of carbohydrate. You really should change your diet to prevent this. Typically if your blood glucose drops in your sleep you'll wake up covered in sweat. If you have no underlying metabolic disease nothing bad will happen.

[lindajane1971]

and i thought my diet today was good :blush: thing is Joel i aint a clue what i should be eating and when!!

[Tish]

I suffer with this and what Joel says is right, you need more protein in your diet. I couldn't last an hour on eating just toast for breakfast - have an egg or two with it! I have to have protein with every meal or I feel ill. Try some cooked chicken for lunch or a tin of tuna. I always carry nuts with me for a quick fix.

[Speranza]

Linda, do a bit of online research into nutrition. It's really fascinating stuff. I am trying to limit my bread to between 0 and 2 slices a day, if I've had bread then I definitely don't have anything else related like pasta, etc.

Try googling 'food groups' and take it from there...

[countrygirl]

I have this as well and found that eating a small amount of protein with every single meal, for example a level teaspoon of peanut butter with breakfast and eating something with fat and protein before bed stop it happening. As has been said our anxiety makes our blood sugars wonky in the first place so add in a carb rich diet and bingo!

[lindajane1971]

thanks for the replies folks, i have been offline and this is the first chance i have had to read over them.....
last night i had this really badly, i started to feel it when i went to bed so i had a cereal bar and tried to sleep. didnt work i just felt worse and worse and never got to sleep until 5am!
it was the same feelings, stomach gurgling with hunger (but didnt feel hungry) and then i felt like i was on the verge of shaking/trembling in my stomach and just a general feeling of illness, then every time i lay down i could feel my whole body pulsating with my pulse, it wasnt fast it was just a hard pounding and i was getting adrenaline rush type feelings too.
slept from 5am to 9am and have been up now for 4 hours and i still feel it but its not so intense as through the night, its mostly in my stomach now.
im now worried i have diabetes!!!

[lindajane1971]

Hello again everyone.............i am still having this feeling a lot so i have decided to go see my doctor, i have an appointment on the 28th, i have been tempted to buy a blood sugar monitor but i have resisted as i fear i will become obsessed with it. Everyone i talk to about this says it could be hypoglycemia, i am not diabetic as far as i know but i do have diabetics in my family (maternal grandmother, uncle and cousin) so i am at risk, i am also obese so i am guessing that this is where i am heading so i need to find out now what is happening so i can do something about it. I am honestly petrified at the thought of having diabetes. :( :(

[katesa]

Lindajane, if - and it's a big if - you have diabetes, it is a very common illness that can be managed with just lifestyle changes. I have insulin resistance (pre diabetes) and honestly, besides cutting down on the sugar, which my ample figure needed anyway, I never even notice it. My old Nan has full blown type 2 and besides feeling rough if she has the extra mince pie at Christmas, she's right as rain.

[Rennie1989]

I get this if I simply don't each enough. If you skip meals or not eat enough (and remember that we do need to eat more in the winter) then that explain why you feel the way you do.

Also, guys, can we lay off diagnosing people, please. Suggest that somebody sees the doctor for 'x' condition but no diagnosing. We are not medical professionals and even they can't diagnose over the internet.

[lindajane1971]

Hi Katesa, thanks for replying to me :) may i ask do you have any problems at all with the pre diabetes?? im curious if you have ever felt how i described?
My gran has type 2 as does my uncle and cousin, gran has complications in her foot with it and her eyes, i think she had it at least 10 years undiagnosed :( my uncle is borderline for needing insulin injection even tho he is type 2 and my cousin seems to plod along with not much trouble at all. Their sugar levels are always high tho never low so i just dont know what to think.

[katesa]

I used to Linda, I would get starving hungry, feel sick, and get headaches. Once they figured out the problem I was given metformin pills for a few months while I adapted my eating habits and thereafter it hasn't affected me at all.

If - and again it's a big if - you have a blood sugar issue, then with the advice of your doctor, it really is nothing to be petrified of.

Let us know how your appointment goes x

[fretty freda]

I know this is an old thread but I'm desperate.
I have had this sudden extreme hunger feeling , sudden lack of concentration, head tremmor for as many years as I remember. I have had all the diabetic tests and they've been clear . I've also had a scan of my pancreas. I'm fustrated I know it is not anxiety. I know this because I'm an expert on my own anxiety and this feels different! The hunger or low whatever it is may cause anxiety but the attacks are not due to anxiety it's simply different. I'm fustrated with doctors fobbing me off with "Its anxiety " It is not !
It's like a massive drop in my body I've always thought was hunger as it happens when I haven't eaten enough or eaten chocolate instead of real food or happens out the blue . Lately it's becoming worse and even after I've eaten the feeling won't go . I've been tested for thyroid and everything. I know my own body and something goes low 100 percent. Has anyone found any answers ? All my family have thyroid issues but the tests always come back normal for me . Lately the head tremmor is also getting worse it happens for no reason anxious or not and it's more obvious when hungry and tired . At wits end .

[swajj]

I didn't realise this was a bumped thread until I saw the posts by Joel Hall. He actually was a junior doctor so I need to take back what I said about there being no doctors here lol. But I don't think he has been here for a long time so don't bother looking for him. :winks:

[tryingtosurvive1]

I suspect that this is just a subclinical drop in blood sugar that for some reason affects you a lot. I have it too. I have low thyroid but it's corrected and my blood sugar issues go back to childhood. I was tested for diabetes very recently and don't have it.
I'm not saying don't get retested but monitor your eating for a couple weeks as well. Make sure to eat enough and not to eat just chocolate. Carry nuts around maybe. Hard boiled eggs are good too. I eat starbucks boxes of nuts and cheese sometimes. See if this helps before going back to the doctor.
The final possibility is that you have a combination of low blood sugar triggering anxiety that in turn maximizes the bad feelings. Again, try eating protein religiously for a couple weeks and see how you do.