Question:
tired and light headed
I am 3 years out and i have problems with getting tried very easy (after eating its hard to stay awake) and i get light headed where i have to set or sleep to get trhow it. The dr said he cant test for hyperglicimic unless it is happing right when they are doing my lab work it hard to find out. Lately my heart has been racing along with it. is anyone ealse having this problem — acyapi (posted on October 22, 2008)
October 22, 2008
There are many possibilities your PMD needs to explore. Anemia comes to
mind. Just make sure you get full workup. Labs etc. Alot of what they need
to do depends on you past medical history and age. Be persisitant
— urbrat2
October 22, 2008
Hi Amanda,
Have your doctor check your iron levels...You have the typical symptoms of
iron deficient anemia. I have it and it's so severe, I required a blood
transfusion. My hemoglobin and ferritin levels were so low, I was 1 step
away from being in ICU fighting for my life. It's nothing to fool around
with.
I hope everything turns out well for you!
— [Deactivated Member]
October 22, 2008
Hi Amanda,
I am 13 years out and possibly going for revision. However,
the other answers are correct but have a full lab workup done;
make them check your blood glucose and do at least Chem 7.
I am a retired healthcare professional and these things are very important.
Be persistent because sometimes some doctors or their staff don't pay
attention or listen to their patients.
— vinnigirl
October 22, 2008
Let me preface what I am going to write by saying that I am NOT a medical
professional. I am simply a Weight Loss Surgery PATIENT that was ALSO a
Hypo-glycemic person who became a Diabetic. While it is true that your
DOCTOR cannot check for Hypo-glycemia unless it is occurring while you are
at the office, there are things that YOU can do to HELP him with the
diagnosis. The first thing to do is to purchase an inexpensive blood sugar
testing kit. You can find one at any pharmacy. The least expensive ones
are usually found at the store brand pharmacies and are usually the store
brand testing kits. These will have a small number of test strips, but
this is OK, since you probably do not plan on keeping this unit
permanently. Buy the most inexpensive one that you feel comfortable with
and perhaps an extra container of test strips to go along with it, since
many of these come with only 10 or so strips with the unit. You may need
more than 10 strips to get the data that your doctor needs to make a
diagnosis. Ask your doctor what brand he recommends if you have any
questions. Test strip PRICES vary greatly, so you MAY want to consider the
cost of the STRIPS when looking at the purchase price of the Blood Sugar
Monitor. Test yourself several times a day for a few days to get a
baseline of blood sugar data for your doctor to work with. Keep this up
until you experience one of these episodes that you have been complaining
about. When this happens, make sure that you TEST your blood sugar when
you have this experience! This will give you the data that the doctor
needs to verify whether you have been experiencing Hypo-glycemia or not.
Usually, a blood sugar reading under 80 is considered low if you have been
fasting. It should be higher than that if you have just eaten, but it
should not be over 200. One hundred and forty points are about right for a
blood sugar level right after eating. If your blood sugar level DROPS
after eating, then you are likely experiencing Hypo-glycemia. One of the
best ways to AVOID this is to AVOID eating simple sugars and starches. The
best foods to eat for a Hypo-glycemic person for ENERGY are WHOLE GRAINS.
These take TIME to break down. Fruits, Sugars, and starchy foods like
potatoes and enriched pasta products, break down too quickly for the
Hypo-glycemic to process properly. They cause the blood sugar to rise too
QUICKLY in the Hypo-glycemic person, and cause the pancreas to over produce
INSULIN, which then causes the blood sugar to DROP! Eventually,
Hypo-glycemics tend to become DIABETICS. Many doctors consider
Hypo-glycemia to be a PRE-DIABETES stage for some people. I was FORTUNATE
that my FATHER was a Diabetic and HAD a blood sugar testing kit to HELP me
with the diagnosis. If it had not BEEN for that, I would probably never
have discovered the problem. I also had some very knowledgeable friends
that assisted me with the diagnosis. Even WITH that, it took some TIME to
convince the DOCTOR. Many doctors do not LIKE the PATIENTS telling them
what the diagnosis is. BRING HIM THE PROOF and let HIM make the diagnosis.
Even then, realize that doctors are HUMAN, and can make mistakes. If you
do not AGREE with the diagnosis, get a second opinion. Most importantly,
DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Find out what your blood sugar levels SHOULD be.
There are PLENTY of web sites that HAVE that information. If your blood
sugar level is NOT in the ranges of acceptable medical NORMS, then there is
PROBABLY something WRONG, and you need to speak with a COMPETENT MEDICAL
PROFESSIONAL. Find a doctor that you can TRUST. The KEY is TRUST. I hope
that this helps. Hugh
— hubarlow
October 22, 2008
Read Hugh carefully, he has the whole story. I have missed his posts and
am so happy to find this excellently written answer. Lyn
— SkinnyLynni2B
October 22, 2008
As the previous authors have stated, probably low blood sugar or anemia.
Either way, you need a complete workup with labs, EKG's etc. just to be
sure. Call your PCP and/or surgeon and make an appointment asap as what
you are experiencing is not normal.
When I have experienced low blood sugars in the past, it happened after a
long period of fasting or about an hour after eating something really
sweet. I would feel a little dazed and confused, I would become sweaty, my
hands would tremble and my pulse would race. Don't know if this is what
you are going through, just sharing.
Please, make an appointment asap and get thoroughly checked out.
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
October 22, 2008
Hi Amanda - I haven't read the other posts carefully, but sounds like you
definitely should check with your Primary Care doc. Also, an
endocrinologist [specialist] may be the person to see regarding blood sugar
or other endocrine-related conditions. Definitely - your symptoms sound a
bit worrisome and, unfortunately, we can't diagnose ourselves. All the
best, Barbara W.
— oakroom
October 23, 2008
Uh oh! I had the same problem at 2.5 years out! I had a "gut"
feeling that my iron was not where it should be, so I vivisted a
hematologist (blood dr.) since my RNY surgeon was a bit perplexed. My
symptoms were just like yours. As it turns out my ferritin iron was
depleted! My hematocrit was tanked, so the red blood cells could not
convert the iron in my system effectively. I had a "dextran"
infusion and by 4 weeks I was feeling so much better. I'd find a
hematologist within your insurace plan, and seek him out. Hope this helps!
-Darlene
— dadebrito
October 23, 2008
As you can see...it could be so many things but especially hypoglycemia
because of the association with eating! Go get labs! Have them check all
your vit levels too to rule out deficiencies...You need to be concerned and
not wait! Never mess around when your heart racing is a symptom! I did
when I was anemic and was pretty sick...Magnesium defs make my heart race
and I get anxiety attacks when I am very low on mag...So please go see a
doc!
— .Anita R.
October 23, 2008
Amanda, I was having symptoms similar to yours, so I went to the doctor
last month and requested labs. They sent me a postcard saying my labs were
normal, but when I went back for a follow-up regarding my blood pressure
(unrelated issue) I found out that my labs were NOT normal - my iron test
actually showed me to be anemic. My doctor said my iron wasn't so low that
she was concerned, but it was low enough that I needed to do something
about it so it wouldn't get worse. I am on 65mg of iron a day right now
(half the "normal" dose, but she is concerned about constipation
because of my diet) and I will go back next month and probably have another
test to re-check my iron levels. The moral of the story is: My doctor's
Medical Assistant is the one who sent the postcard telling me the labs were
normal, and I didn't even think to ask the doctor about them when I went
in, because I thought everything was okay. If she hadn't brought it up, I
wouldn't have known. So ASK QUESTIONS and don't rely on what anyone in your
doctor's office tells you about your labs ... ONLY rely on your doctor,
when s/he is SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU looking at the results. Best of luck
to you ... I'm sure you will get thru this ... Keep us posted!
— lauren_marie
October 23, 2008
Have you ever taken your blood pressure while experiencing these episodes?
Is it a possibility that it could possibly be postprandial hypotension?
Just a thought! Good Luck in your serach....I hope you feel better soon!
:)
— BBCakes123
October 23, 2008
As far as the hypoglycemia goes, do you know anyone who is diabetic or can
you get access to a glucose monitor? Check your levels periodically
throughout the day- make sure you write down the time, the level, and try
to make sure at least 1 test a day is within 20 min after eating as well as
about 20 minutes before a meal....that ought to give them some idea whether
your sugars are crashing
— Ravenwulf
October 24, 2008
Ask your doctor to do a hemoglobin A1C, it checks your levels for the past
three months. I am a diabetic and when my sugar is out of whack, I have
headaches and feel exhausted. My sister feels tired, light headed, and
wants to sleep. She is borderline diabetic and is trying to control hers
with diet, so when she's eating right & exercising she feels a lot
better. So, ask your dr. about the test & good luck.
— donnapusser
October 24, 2008
You need to have full labs done, with fasting blood drawn. That's how I
found out I was diabetic two and one-half years ago. You don't need to be
in a full-blown glycemic state to accomplish the necessary labs.
— [Deactivated Member]
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