Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Drink Up! It's Time For Glucose Tolerance Test

Yuck! Drink quickly, I was told at the start of my recent Glucose Tolerance Test. This gross orange liquid is suppose to give the doctor a good idea on my hypoglycemia symptoms I have been having. I had to show up fasting, eating nothing for the past 12 hours. A blood draw was done prior to the drink. After drinking the substance, I had my blood drawn every hour for three hours. Three hours of sitting can be excruciating for someone as active as me. 

I was concerned at first with the drink since it had dextrose (corn) in it. For those of us with food allergies, it is tough to know you are eating/drinking an allergen. I never knowingly eat anything I am allergic to (no cheats), because I feel much better not eating them (and the symptoms of doing so are no fun at all). However, in order to get an accurate reading and get enough glucose in my system, I agreed to drink it, despite the upcoming days of brain fog, headaches, and bloating. I need to find out what is going on!
By hour two, my blood glucose was so low, the nurse had to treat it. Out came my Glukos for a quick boost. Three gummies later and a blood draw 15 min after hour two's draw, I was back up to normal range. Hour three's reading was ok as well and I was sent on my way. Still waiting on specific results and instructions from my doctor. 

A note: If you are having hypoglycemia symptoms and taking the Glucose Tolerance Test, be aware that if you have been treated during the test, you will crash hard afterwards. I barely made it to lunch before I was shaking and sweating. My glucose monitor said I was LOW. My lunch got me back up to the 70s, but I find I function best in the mid 80s to mid 90s. That way, if I have a dip, I am not at 70 or lower.

I am so ready to figure out what is going on with my hypoglycemia and will update. Anyone else having extreme hypoglycemia symptoms? Please share your experiences. 

No comments:

Post a Comment