Depression

I have had low energy levels and been feeling tired and not been able to sleep for quite a while. I went to the doctor and he says I am suffering from stress and possibly depression and it wouldn't be related to my blood sugar.
I think that these are low blood sugar symptoms. When I pressed the point he suggested I ate pasta every day for 2 weeks and see if it helps. I'm not sure that will make a difference.
Any suggestions?

visitors

My parents have been visiting the last few days which is why I haven't had time to update my blog. My father also suffers from low blood sugar and was wondering how he could lose weight and keep his blood sugar up. I suggested he cut out his saturated fats but continued with the complex carb intake and took more exercise. He said that when he exercises he has more energy and it doesn't seem to drop afterwards, which is totally the opposite to how I feel. My hypoglycemia gives me a big drop of energy after a busy day.

Much more energy today

Well I feel full of energy today. I wonder if it is the walking to school that is making me feel tired, as today I haven't walked much at all and I didn't have the afternoon drop in energy that I experienced last week. Hopefully I will get used to the walk soon and it will stop happenning.

Mid Afternoon Crash

This week I have been really feeling tired in the mid afternoon when I've been picking up my daughter from school. I have recovered now as I haven't stopping eating since dinner tonight. Obviously it is related to my blood sugar and I think I sould eat more through the day, but I don't want to start putting on lots of weight either.

Going to try hard again

I have just finished off the last of my sugary foods (appart from some chocolate that I will give away). I have decided to start to try really hard again with my diet to see if it makes me feel any better, as I have been feeling so run down at the moment.

Controlling Blood Sugar in School

My daughter has started her new term at school and came out today in a terrible mood as her blood sugar was so low. I am running out of ideas of things to put in her lunch box to keep her filled up from lunchtime until the end of the day. Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Panic Attacks

I have noticed recently that I have been getting panic attacks from time to time. This isn't something new (although does seem to be happening with more frequency) but I haven't recognised them as panic attacks before. I found a great site relating hypoglycemia and panic attacks earlier that others might be interested in reading:
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/hypoglycemia.html

The problem with writing this blog

The problem with writing this blog is that when my blood sugar is low I can't be bothered to do it, and when my blood sugar is high I have nothing to say.

No Energy

I don't seem to have any energy at all this evening. It is 8.30 pm and I feel like going to bed, except I know that I wouldn't sleep. I know my blood sugar is low but I also don't feel like eating anything. I have been like this the last few nights in the evenings. Feeling low and not being able to sleep. I have been fine in the day, and have been eating normally so I'm not sure what it is.

Every Day is Different

Does anyone think that what you eat and your exercise aren't the only factors to keeping your blood sugar levels under control?

I find that some days I eat really well and do just the right amount of exercise but still have low blood sugar. I wish I knew what these other factors are so that I can take them into account as well.

'in moderation'

I was wondering what peoples opinions are of having a bit of everything 'in moderation'. Surely when you have somehting like low blood sugar you need to avoid sugar and other things that affect you altogether, what do you think?

Sorry about the delay

I'm back at last after a longer period of not being able to get on here than I anticipated. I have had house guests, which was enjoyable but very tiring. I now feel shattered, by blood sugar is very low but I know I need to get motivated to make a good dinner for tonight. Fortunately the girls don't seem to be suffering as badly as me so at least I have been able to feed them well enough.

Cut out that Stress

I have found that if Iam more relaxed my blood sugar stay smore under control and at the same time I also find that having low blood sugar makes me feel more stressed than usual causing a vicious circle.

I have found that doing some relaxation as well as trying to keep my blood sugar under control works well to help me stay calm.

memory

I was reading something today that linked long term memory problems with low blood sugar. I wondered if anyone else had noticed this, I assumed that the memory problems in our family were genetic but we all have low blood sugar so it could possibly be a link. Does anyone have any thoughts on that.

Here is the article:
http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2006010401

Keeping under control when on holiday

I always find that the hardest time to control my blood sugar is when I am staying away from home. So I always pack some snacks in my bag that I can eat in my room rather than have to keep feeling embaressed asking for more food.

So I keep some oatcakes and wholemeal crackers in with my clothes for a snack at bedtime if I am feeling low. It really helps.

Holiday

I will be taking a break from this blog for a while. Now its the summer I am so much busier with the kids at home that it is becoming a real effort to update the blog. I will be back after a break, hopefully refreshed and full of new ideas.

Another Panic Attack

I had my second ever panic attack last night. I woke up from a dream and my chest was tight and I felt sick. The sick feeling made me go into double panic and I ending up shaking and finding it hard to catch my breath. I think it must be because I ate chocolate yesterday and had no wholemeal foods at all, so I have been careful today, although my blood sugar doesn't really feel low which is really odd.

Strange head rushes

Today I have had a couple of head rushes when I got up. I previously thought that these were due to the low blood sugar, but have been wondering lately whether it is due to blood pressure. Mine was always low which has made me not worry about it, but my mums is high so I'm wondering if I should get it checked out.

Decorating

I have been decorating the last couple of days and have managed to keep my blood sugar under control. I have been having regular snacks and lots of wholemeal foods and that seems to be working well for me. I have also stopped having the indigestion that I have had for the last few weeks so hopefully it is getting back under control now.

Can't seem to get my blood sugar up

I find on days when I'm doing lots of extra physical work like yesterday when I was pdecorating, I can't seem to eat enough to keep my blood sugar levels up. I have regular snacks with lots of energy in them but still find that by the end of the day my blood sugar levels are really low. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on how to keep them higher.

Dizzy spells

Today I was cleaning the house with great energy and suddenly felt dizzy and faint. I got a snack and sat down and realised that it was nearly lunchtime and I had only had my normal breakfast. I was really busy in the house and must have needed a lot more food than I had accounted for. In fact I have been busy nearly all day and despite trying to make up for it with snacks, I am still feeling grumpy this evening due to low blood sugar. I will have to get myself a wholesome supper to make up for it!

How to decline politely

Leading on from what I was saying yesterday, I was wondering whether other people find it difficult to decline sugary foods and other things that are bad for the blood sugar in a polite way. I often have people saying 'one won't hurt' and 'you should let yourself have a treat' without understanding that even a small amount of sugar can make a really big difference to your blood sugar. I feel that some people think you are rude to say no to food when it is offered even if you have a medical condition that means you can't have it. Maybe its because people with diabeties so often don't worry about their diet.

Dilemma

This morning at toddler group someone had kindly brought in some vegan biscuits for my daughter as she wouldn't have been able to eat the cakes that were provided for everyone else. The biscuits were full of sugar but because she had been so thoughtful I let her have one. It was difficult for me though, as I know she has low blood sugar and they could have affected her. Fortunately they didn't seem to have much of an affect, but I wonder how to not offend people but also make it clear that she just isn't allowed them.

Feeling Dizzy

Some mornings I wake up feeling dizzy but it gets better after eating breakfast. I was wondering if this is due to the low blood sugar or something else. It would be interesting to know if anyone else with low blood sugar ever gets the same thing.

Better Again

Well my period pains have gone and my appetite has returned so I now seem to be eating everything in site, and as a result my blood sugar has gone back up. Of course I am probably putting on weight too, but with the low blood sugar I find it really hard to get a good balance.
If I eat just fruit and veg for more than a day I start to get a really spaced out feeling and I can't concentrate well enough to drive etc, but eating carbs makes me put on weight.

Feeling Low

Sorry I haven't been on for a couple of days, funnily enough its because my blood sugar is low. Its that time of the month again, I wish there was a magic cure that could stop my blood sugar plummet but I still haven't been able to find any foods that help. Any suggestions would be gratefully recieved.

Tired or Low Blood Sugar?

Tonight I feel really tired. I didn't have much sleep last night so it is probably that, but I wonder also whether it could be low blood sugar as the fatigue didn't kick in till after I ate dinner tonight.

I wonder whether there is an easy way to tell the difference, does anyone know?

A better morning

It seems like feeding Abbie up last night worked. She woke up well and was full of enthusiasm for walking to school. I will have to make sure she has a good filling dinner tonight. Maybe my spagetti with lots of vegetables made with wholewheat pasta. You can find the recipe here if you are interested: http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/spagettibolognaise.html

Nightmares

My eldest daughter has been having nightmares the past couple of nights and crying for no real reason and having tantrums. I have been trying to work out the cause of the problem and I wondered if it was her blood sugar.

I have been trying to feed her up tonight at the moment she is having cheese toasties with lots of cheese and margarine to give her protein and wholemeal bread that will hopefully give her slow release energy through the night to help her sleep better.

The curse of chocolate

I was doing some cooking with my youngest daughter yesterday and decided it might be a nice treat for the girls if she made some chocolate biscuits. We made the biscuits with wholemeal flour and no sugar so they would be good for our blood sugar levels. Unfortunately I couldn't resist adding some chocolate on the top to make them taste nicer. The result has been very dramatic. My eldest daughter had nightmares last night and has been in a real mood today, I was snappy with them both when they weren't really naughty and the youngest has been really tired.

Serves me right really, I should have known better. But my daughter had great fun making them. Below is a picture of her rolling out the biscuits.

Smelling Sweet Things

Have you ever stood outside a sweet shop and smelt the beautiful smells that are coming from it. Or smelt a chocolate bar through the wrapper and had the same kind of hit that you get from eating it?
Well believe it or not even smelling foods can trigger insulin production and cause a reaction in your blood sugar levels. So be warned next time you are enjoying the smell of a sweet treat that you might have a reaction to it later.

Bananas

In all the books I have read about low blood sugar they say that bananas are too full of sugar to be good for hypoglycaemics. However I find they fill be up and are very satisfying and don't seem to alter my blood sugar levels. I wonder if it affects other people.

Filling foods

Some days I find that no foods seem to fill me up at all. I wonder if anyone else is the same. Even if I eat lots of wholemeal things with slow release energy and lots of fibre I still want to eat more and more. Do you think this is due to low blood sugar or due to something else?

Try to reduce your stress levels

One definate contributing factor to the low blood sugar symptoms is stress. As soon as you get stressed your adrenalin goes up and this in return lowers your blood sugar so it becomes a vicious circle.
Try relaxation techniques to help to calm down and rationalise things carefully to try to reduce the stress.

Higher bloodsugar because of the rain.

I find that on rainy days my daughter always seems to have higher bloodsugar. I used to think this was because she wasn't so hot and bothered, but have realised that it corrolates with the days when she can't go out and play. On those days she doesn't use up so much energy so comes out of school in a much better mood. Of course I can't stop her from going out to play but it does help me work out which days to give her more food in her lunch box.

A simple idea to help with blood sugar

I usually make pancakes, pastries and sauces with white flour, but I have found that the work just as well with wholemeal flour and it is much better for keeping your blood sugar level up. It is amazing how such a simple thing makes such a big difference to how I feel through they day.

Busy Day

Well I worked really hard today, was tidying up the kids bedrooms - only took me 3.5 hours!! I did the housework after that as well. I did make sre I ate a bit extra because of the increased physical work that I did. I had some extra bread with lunch and had 2 portions of dinner and made enough so there is some for supper as well. I knew that once I sat down this evening I wouldn't want to get up again so I thought I had better make sure I had some food in reserve for when my adrenalin falls and my sugar level crashes.

Good Blood Sugar Levels

Generally my blood sugar levels have been really good at the moment. I think it is mainly due to not being able to walk to school and back with the kids at the moment. I am sure that next week when I will stop using the car I will be tired again, so I will have to spend some time thinking about some high energy snacks I can take with me. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Low Blood Sugar

I had a sudden feeling of no energy early this afternoon when I was getting the kids out of the car coming back from the shops.
I suddenly realised that I hadn't had any lunch yet and it was 1.30. This was only about an hour later than usual but it makes a big difference to me and I had to get something to eat before I sat down or else I know it would have made it really difficult to get back up again.

Avocado

I had a delicious avocado tonight but then thought about the fact that they are supposed to be high in sugar and therefore not suitable for a low blood sugar sufferer. They are packed with nutrients so for me as a vegan they are a worthwhile food, but I will have to make sure that I have a good snack later on to make up for it.

Potatoes

Today my kids were really moody early in the day and I realised that it was the second day in a row that they had potatoes for their meal. Not only are potatoes bad for blood sugar they also replace the thing in the meal that is usually the slow release energy like wholemeal pasta or brown rice.

I made up for it at supper time by giving the girls pancake pizzas made with wholemeal flour.

If you are interested in the recipe you can find it here:

http://www.recipesforvegans.co.uk/pancakepizzas.html

Quick Fix Foods

I found today that my blood sugar was a bit low after an afternoon out to a museum with 5 kids.
When I got back I had some melon to keep me going while I was preparing dinner and it worked a treat to get my blood sugar back up for a short while. Although you would imagine that most fruit would be the same, I haven't noticed such a dramatic effect as that one from any other fruits.

Giving up Sugar

If you have low blood sugar, giving up sugar can be very difficult. I found this site earlier that was quite inspirational and made me realise why I was doing it:

http://www.annieappleseedproject.org/124waysugrui.html

Oats make a good breakfast

I find that if I have porridge for breakfast that my blood sugar generally seems to stay higher through the day. I'm not sure why as it is the same amount of food as I usually have. I think there must be something in oats that helps raise my blood sugar. I wonder if anyone else has found the same thing.

A busy day seems to usually be a high blood sugar day

Today I was really busy and have only just had time to sit down. I have realised that my blood sugar has been higher today. I wonder if it is true that on a busy day your blood sugar is higher. Maybe its just the high adrenalin and I will feel low later. It would be interesting to know how other people are affected.

PMT is over

Well my PMT went with the start of period today, but it has zapped my energy. I'm ready to go to bed now and its only 7.30. I am trying to build up my blood sugar by eating snacks and having wholemeal foods, but its a long slow process. I have found that peanuts make me feel full, but I do wonder if the caffine in them is high enough to affect my blood sugar.

PMT Blues

Tonight I could just sit and eat loads (and probably would if it wasn't for the sore throat that I still have). I always get like this when I have PMT. I just want to eat all the time and if I'm not eating I'm moody. I know its because my blood sugar gets low but so far haven't found any magic foods to get me through it. On the months that I don't even realise its that time of the month because my mood has been good I don't take note of what I'm eating either. Maybe someone somewhere is telling me to keep a food diary.

Soft foods to keep your blood sugar up

I still feel like I'm swallowing razor blades, so would appreciate any suggestions for soft foods that are easy to swallow but are also good for blood sugar. Bananas are good for my fruit but aren't great for blood sugar, and there is a limit to the amount of yogurt I can eat.

Sugar Free Medicines

Does anyone else find it annoying that all the medications on the market are either full of sugar or horrible artificial sweeteners. It would be refreshing to find some that don't have to have these horrible substances in them.

I have tonsilitis at the moment and I tried to find something to help my sore throat but most shops only sell things with sugar that I obviously can't take because of my low blood sugar, but the only alternatives are full of artificial sweetners that are really unhealthy. Does anyone know of any nice alternatives?

Having Snacks

Today my daughter came out of school in a much better mood than usual. I found out that they had done cooking in the afternoon and because they made sweets that she couldn't eat they gave her a banana instead. It seems that the extra snack made a huge difference to her later. I am wondering whether the school would be willing to let her have an afternoon snack every day, or whether she might be embarressed at being the only one in the class having something. Hasanyone else asked schools to do this for children?

My blood sugar is much better

I really can't work out why but my blood sugar has been much better over the last week. I haven't really been eating any different to normal.
My mum says she thinks its because it hasn't been as hot, as when I was young the heat used to make it worse. I wonder if anyone else suffers from problems with blood sugar when the weather is warm.

Staying away from home

My kids were staying with friends of their dad's at the weekend and when they came back they both had really low blood sugar. I find it really difficult when away to get other people to understand how important it is to have good meals on time. I wonder if anyone has any suggestions about how to get over this problem. They did take food with them that helped a bit, but you can't take whole meals along.

Feeling Good

The burst of sugar really helped me this morning, I was really motivated to do my jobs and was dancing around to loud music while I was doing my decorating. I have made sure that I have had plenty of other foods through the day to keep my blood sugar levels up and I am feeling great.
I must remember to include fruit at the start of my day in future.

How to get up your energy levels

After a couple of fairly lazy days I have quite a bit to do today, so I have decided to start the day with a big bowl of fruit. I will make sure I get plenty of complex carbs later, but I wondered whether the sugar hit first thing will give me the energy I need to finish my painting in the hall and do all my other jobs today. Hopefully it will work, I will let you know.

Why is it so low at the moment?

Having tried to introduce a lot more wholemeal foods into our diets at the moment I would have expected my blood sugar to be much higher. However looking back into what I've been eating lately I've realised that not only have I been making smaller portions, I have also been missing out on some of my snacks. I do find that if I don't have a snack in the middle of the afternoon, and a decent supper before bed that it does have a big impact on the way I feel. Does anyone else feel the same?

Feeling Low

After all my efforts to try and higher our blood sugar I am feeling really low today. Tired, no energy with a headache. I am doing my best to snap out of it, and will have an early night tonight as it could just be tiredness due to a burglar alarm going off nearly all night outside my house.
Abbie is much better today though. She didn't eat as much lunch, but she had a big snack after school and is in a much better mood.

Trying to help my moody 5 year old

My daughter always gets moody in the summer because she plays out in the evening with her friends. She is usually pretty bad when she comes out of school so I always have a snack at hand, but she is always really miserable when her friends are round. She is fine until it is time for them to go home and then she starts crying. Last night she cried for ten minutes, and usually she doesn't cry at all.
I am trying to increase the amount of complex carbyhydrates she has in her diet and also give her a bigger snack after school and might try putting more food in her lunch box but it is a real struggle with her. Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Low Blood Sugar

Low blood sugar is a disease that runs in my family. The aim of this blog is to keep a diary of how things I am doing in my diet and other parts of my life change the way I feel and how my blood sugar is doing in order to help other people cope with this.

It accompanies a website I have created which is where I started this diary. However, I felt that it would be a good idea to change it to a blog diary as I would be able to more easily have feedback on how other people cope.

I hope you enjoy the blog and while you are waiting for my first diary entry take a look at the website:

http://www.bowbridgepublishing.com/lowbloodsugar