Low Blood Sugar Symptoms/Health Anxiety

[Trbfan]

I've had a worry over the last 3-4 months, involving blood sugar and hypoglycemia symptoms. To preface this, I've had health anxiety for 6 years prior to this over a lot of things but this has been reoccuring.

It started around mid-April I noticed I was feeling hungrier than usual, along with the hunger I'd kind of feel nautious and weak. But I was never able to tell 100% that wasnt anxiety, because I have had low blood sugar in the back of my mind, rarely but I had. Then one in the first week of May I think I was getting my haircut, it was about 1:30 PM and I had only eaten a Peanut Butter Wafer type bar, and a 100 calorie choclate bar. I forgot to bring candy or anything, I was in the middle of the haircut and I started getting warm/cold then my lips started feeling weird, and it got worse eventually my head started buzzing and I felt like I was going to pass out any second, I kinda got pale apparently, I was able to grab a peice of candy and water and the pass out feeling went away quick, but I felt absolutely awful for days after.

That monday I went to the doctor, nothing was really found. They ran an EKG that was normal They found blood in my urine, but urine tests and blood tests came back entirely normal according to the doctor. And thats where I've left it with them.

But this fear of low sugar and even symptoms of low blood are a reoccuring thing. I have done quite a lot of testing of my blood sugar in different scenarios and every time it has been within the normal levels. Never too low or high Im not sure if im getting symptoms from hypoglycemia, or its all from my brain, or maybe my brain feels a little hungry, and just triggers me to think im having low blood sugar. Its been bad today, because I've kinda felt the symptoms of it all day. When it started earlier I hadnt eaten anything yet, but I got 2 peices of hard candy, a peice of dark chocolate, and about half a spoon of raw honey, and it was 98..which wasnt bad as it was right after I had eaten those to get me to lunch. About 3 and a half hours after supper I started feeling a bit hungry, so I took my blood sugar and it was 78. 78 is still technically within the normal range, so I dont know if that may be causing symptoms or not. 78 is also the lowest readings I've had. Normally im in the low 80s in the mornings and 3-4 hours after eating.

I know I've seen that anxiety can cause symptoms similar to hypoglycemia, so has anything else had that without having issues related to diabetes or anything?

[Annaboodle]

I preface this by saying that I realise I've now fully mutated into my mother in my old age.

Reading what you wrote, your diet sounds full of sugary snacks and not much else. You're saying that it's 1.30 in the afternoon for example and all you've had is a peanut bar and a chocolate bar. You also say when you start to feel dizzy cause you'd not eaten anything that morning, you reach for candy, a piece of chocolate and a spoon of honey.

I suggest you try eating a proper breakfast like a low sugar cereal or porridge or something when you get up and see how you are then at lunch time. Cut out the candy and chocolate and eat a full lunch too. Then see how you feel in a week of doing that.

...I'll go back to my knitting and watching reruns of Inspector Morse now.

[cattia]

I do get this from time to time as well, I think the symptoms of low sugar and anxiety can be quite similar. I find that it is much worse around my period so if you're female that may be something to consider as well.

[Trbfan]

Oh, that was just a day that was thrown off due to going to get my haircut at that time, thats not my normal diet at all. I was thinking I wanted to eat something sugary so I didnt have a blood sugar issue while there. I usually dont even eat those. For the most part I have the exact same diet every day, which is 2 normal meals (not fast food usually either), a low sugar type of cereal, a desert of some kind which is usually either an ice cream bar or or frozen yogurt. And sometimes I have greek yogurt if I get hungry. Sometimes, some saltine crackers at night if I feel a little hungry.

Also, I'm a male.

[Annaboodle]

Oh ok, sure. I was thrown a bit, because you used that day as an example to illustrate the issues you might have with blood sugar. The post suggests that following on from that you went to the doctor for the EKG etc... so I assumed you did one because of the other. Reading it I just figured, "well, anyone would feel weird having eaten nothing all day and sat under a hairdresser's lights" (I had a really bad panic once after 3 coffees on an empty stomach at the hairdressers. So stupid).

So how are you on days when you eat your normal diet then? Sounds like you've had the relevant medical tests and all have been normal and fine so hope that is reassuring you? Otherwise I'd keep working on the anxiety, as testing your own blood sugar when you've been told everything is ok and you don't have any diagnosed medical issue is not normal behaviour - you know that right? It's HA behaviour.

[Trbfan]

Its usually ok on most days where my diet is normal. Sometimes 2-3 hours after eating a meal I'll start to get some little bits of hunger or a slight odd feeling.

I know checking my blood sugar too much is an HA behavior partially. I had been wanting to check it anyway before this because there is diabetes on my dad's side of the family so I wanted to see some of my normal baseline blood sugar levels.