Weird symptoms

[An0chick2]

Hi!

I was diagnosed with CFS about 3 years ago a symptoms I sometimes suddenly have and I think it relates to carbs... is when I have a carb.... I will all the sudden feel extreme sleepiness and air hunger and racing thoughts. I don’t have diabetes. Technically I’ve never tested for hypoglycemia but I have a glucose monitor and the lowest blood sugar I’ve ever caught has been in the 80’s. What could this be?!

 

[Runner5]

I've been going through a million tests lately at the docs. I have the same issue, about 20 minutes after eating (particularly grains) I get super tired and often fall asleep. It's like popping benedryl.

Although the exact reason may still be unknown for me, I did find out I'm anaemic and have an abdomen full of fibroid tumors, some which seem to be rather large. Although I did try a low-carb diet thinking it was blood sugar related, and even gave intermittent fasting a go for 3 long unpleasant months -- it did not solve my issue at all (and made everything worse, which is a long story). After taking iron supplements I can now safely eat a gluten free pumpkin whole grain waffle with impunity and am really enjoying that.

I suspect I have a low blood volume (POTS) along with anemia and when I would eat the carbo-super-rama foods, even though I eat complex and not simple carbs, that my blood was going to my stomach.

This doesn't totally explain it, I mean I walk around and blood goes to my legs and I don't fall asleep. But as much as I can figure it does have to do with iron, at least for myself.

Everyone here pretty much seems to heartily and enthusiastically endorse Keto and Low-Carb (sometimes I think a little too much so, to the point that any other option or a persons choice is dismissed out of hand as 'wrong'), so I suspect you'll have a cascade of answers of, "beware the evil carbohydrate" -- but I have had zero luck controlling anything about CFS with diet, although I do enjoy eating Vegan as a personal choice, (critters, environment + health reasons) and while being Vegan managed to drop my blood sugar way down into a nice healthy range and my blood pressure is the best I've ever seen it so I have chosen that this really works for me and I'm GTG.

Oddly enough my ferritin test wasn't terrible, but I guess I still needed iron. I also started watching out for calcium which blocks iron absoprtion.

Hope this helps. Please no one attack me for saying complex carbohydrates aren't the devil. I stress easily and dog-piling is very impolite. Thanks in advance for being civil.

 

[mrquasar]

Might be a long shot, but it could be a form of bacterial overgrowth or d-lactic acidosis. The treatment is a round of antibiotics and a low-carb diet. It would at least be worth trying to stay on a low-carb diet for a week or two and see if you notice any improvement in your symptoms. If you have a positive reaction, the low-carb diet could be part of your treatment even if you can't determine a specific underlying cause. Just something to try.

 

[ryan31337]

@An0chick2, @Runner5, I think you will both find this video extremely relevant:

You will likely need an extended mixed meal GTT + insulin monitor in hospital to spot the swings. Spot glucose testing will be normal.

Significant dietary change almost entirely eliminated these very debilitating issues for me

 

[An0chick2]

Here’s the thing. When I was first diagnosed with CFS I was devastated that my doctor told me I’d live that way for my entire life. So I researched and found people who had cured themselves by eating whole foods and staying stress free. So I eliminated high sugar foods, (no fruit), processed foods, and high potassium foods (as they made me dizzy... I think so so sodium/potassium balance and adrenal fatigue). Well after 6 months.... I could tolerate berries and honey. And my fatigue only occurred in the mornings by 5pm I had energy all throughout bedtime then I’d actually sleep 8 hrs STRAIGHT. NO ISSUES.

But after like 1 year I started cheating on my diet. I started eating junk again. I’ve always been thin but always have had a major sweet tooth so I really fell down a spiral of eating junk. Since then I’ve had worsening of symptoms. (The same symptoms that plagued me when I was first diagnosed). So I know I have to keep my Blood sugar stable. I know I can’t eat simple carbs and right now I honestly react to all carbs except for brown rice. No idea why.

Also I know I have some sort of dysautonomia. Bc I get dizzy when I eat things that have potassium and I crave salty foods. Also if I’m low on salt or low on water I start to feel extremely weak. So I suppose I just wanted to see if it was common.

Thank you all.

 

[JaimeS]

Hi!

I was diagnosed with CFS about 3 years ago a symptoms I sometimes suddenly have and I think it relates to carbs... is when I have a carb.... I will all the sudden feel extreme sleepiness and air hunger and racing thoughts. I don’t have diabetes. Technically I’ve never tested for hypoglycemia but I have a glucose monitor and the lowest blood sugar I’ve ever caught has been in the 80’s. What could this be?!

Same. I'm still not entirely sure what causes it, but you know when you go to the doctor and you say, "doc, my arm hurts when I move it like this!" And the doc says, "ah, I see, I have your solution: don't move your arm like that!"

Go back to the low carb / no carb diet.

If you cheat, or if you accidentally ingest something you later realize was high sugar, I've found symptoms are helped by a mouthful of powdered cinnamon. I swallow it with plenty of water. Here's why, likely:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22671971

I'm not a doctor, and this isn't medical advice.

Also, don't use a remedy as an excuse to 'cheat'!