Managing Symptoms

Getting ready for the holidays was hectic, so this is actually the first chance I’ve had to write since early December. To follow up on my last post, I had an appointment with an endocrinologist at the beginning of December. She went over the basics of Reactive Hypoglycemia, most of which I had already gleaned from the Internet, and we discussed my specific symptoms and trouble-spots. My primary care doctor had already suggested I eat something every 2-3 hours, and that practice was making a difference during the week, but on less-structured weekends I was still crashing frequently. I was also having symptoms – shakiness and queasiness – every time I went running, although if I ate immediately afterwards I could avoid crashing. But feeling sick after every workout was not helping me stay motivated to exercise, so I was hoping to find a way to prevent this.

The main outcome I was hoping for from this appointment was a referral to a nutritionist, which the doctor actually suggested right in the beginning. She also sent me home with a glucometer so that I could do some sporadic testing of my blood sugar levels. She asked for a few fasting levels (first thing in the morning) and a few levels when I was experiencing symptoms. My follow-up appointment is scheduled for February, so look for an update sometime mid-month about that.

In the meantime, the pre-Christmas frenzy prompted me to stop working out altogether in favor of running holiday errands. Either coincidentally or as a direct result, I’m not sure which yet, my sugar hasn’t crashed since the beginning of December. This easing of symptoms has led to a lack of motivation to contact the nutritionist, but I plan to make an appointment in the next few weeks. For diet management, I now pay much more attention to the protein content of the meals that I eat – no more large bowls of pasta unless I pile on the meatballs, too – and I have stocked up on protein-rich snacks, as well. I buy trail mix in large bags, then immediately split it up into several snack-size bags which I store in a container by the back door so I can’t grab my car keys without seeing them. I also bought cheese sticks (I hate the bland mozzarella ones, but the sharp cheddar sticks are a tasty treat!), yogurt cups, and trail mix Kashi bars, all of which are easy to grab between meals or throw into my lunch bag to eat during the work day.

Goals for January – ease back into running while still successfully managing my symptoms; and make that appointment with the nutritionist that I’ve been putting off.