# Non diabetic hypo



## Frantastic (May 24, 2011)

Hi guys

Recently my boyfirend has been having hypo's but he's not a diabetic (at least not diagnosed one) and I was wondering if anyone would know why he would have them, because surely if he was a diabetic then surely his sugars would be high all the time and not low. Thats what mine did before diagnosis anyway. I rarely had hypos before diagnosis.

He's been having the odd one now and again for a while and I started actually testing him when he said he felt 'funny' and all he wanted to do was eat, and the readings are always between 3 and 4. Last night was 3.6. And they are getting more frequent.
He's terrible at not eating properly and skips meals in the day but most of his hypo's happen after dinner when he's had a proper meal, so why is are his sugars dropping like that?

He's generally very healthy and skinny as a bean and doesn't even know who his doctor is because he hasn't seen one since he was 3 years old! 
Should I suggest he gets checked out? it'll be hard convincing him though....!


----------



## Robster65 (May 24, 2011)

Hi Fran.

It's not unusual, I believe, for non-diabetics to read between 3 and 4 but obviously it's not good for him to be eating such a poor diet.

He's risking a lot of malnutrition problems if he's skipping meals and is very thin. Similar to people with eating disorders.

My girlfriend would never eat breakfast and I tested her a couple of times and she was in the 3s. She's been eating a healthy breakfast for a few weeks and now tests in the 4s and 5s. SHe has more energy, etc.

I would advise that he sees a doctor to get checked out.

Rob


----------



## Frantastic (May 24, 2011)

Yeah the funny thing is even though he skips meals his diet is still healthy, mainly because he eats what I eat and I always make sure meals are based around the vegetables first (he does hate me for it), with a good portion of carbs for energy, and he has a good appetite and will always finish his plate which will be more than mine anyway. I think its just his metabolism that makes him so skinny.

When he gets the hypos too he has all the full on symptoms, its not like someone who just naturally runs on low sugars. You can tell from his mood when he's up and down.

I don't want to diagnose him because its not fair, I just need to give him some advice on how to look after himself.


----------



## Robster65 (May 24, 2011)

If he's getting full on hypo like symptoms, despite eating healthily, then there must be some other underlying reason.
His only way of knowing if he's healthy or not (despite no other obvious symptoms) is to consult a doctor. If he's chooses to ignore it and carry on, then he may be gambling with his future health.

I realise that you probably share this view and need to try and convince him but I would say that low BGs indicate either some form of malnourishment or a problem with his endocrine system maybe.

Obviously exercise, alcohol consumption, etc will all play their part too.

Rob


----------



## Northerner (May 24, 2011)

Sounds a lot like me when I was younger - 8st wet through and could eat a horse between two bread vans with no impact on my weight. Rob is right in saying that a non-diabetic can experience levels between 3-4, in fact this is perfectly normal, and you also need to take possible metter innacuracy into account. It is possible for a non-D to drop lower than this, but usually due to high levels of activity e.g. Paula Radcliffe suffers from them occasionally, as did Ranulph Fiennes when trekking in the Arctic. Other possibilities are 'reactive hypos' where the pancreas kicks out a surfeit of insulin in response to a sudden high sugar and causes the person to quickly drop low again. As you know, a fast-falling blood sugar can give more pronounced symptoms than a slow fall. 

I wouldn't be too worried if he's not - I would only worry if levels were in the 2s.


----------



## mcdonagh47 (May 24, 2011)

Frantastic said:


> Hi guys
> 
> Recently my boyfirend has been having hypo's but he's not a diabetic (at least not diagnosed one) and I was wondering if anyone would know why he would have them, Should I suggest he gets checked out? it'll be hard convincing him though....!



It could be Reactive Hypoglycemia, which can be a condition in its own right but is common in the early stages of Type 2 Diabetes. 
Basically after a heavy glucose load the bgs shoots up, the pancreas responds by pumping out lots of insulin which takes the bg right down again.

If the lows happens after a meal it sounds as though it could be Reactive Hypoglycemia.
It might be followed by a Liver Dump which takes the bgs back up.

Off to the Quacks with him for proper tests or test his fasting bgs a couple of times yourself ( any 2 over 7 = diabetes) or just a random one at any time ( any random bg over 11.1 = diabetes).


----------



## Frantastic (May 25, 2011)

Thanks for all your advice guys. Whats you've said makes a lot of sense and i've had a look at Reactive hypoglycemia and it does sound very similar. But like whats already been said its just going to be tough to get him to see a doctor without scaring him and getting him to go at all will be the biggest challenge.

I'll wait until it next happens and try and talk him through it and make the friendly suggestion to get checked out. I might suggest that he goes to get diet advice and then let him take it from there.

Thanks again for your knowledge though


----------



## Bolddog (May 25, 2011)

Frantastic said:


> Hi guys
> 
> Recently my boyfirend has been having hypo's but he's not a diabetic (at least not diagnosed one) ..............................
> 
> ...



Many parallels with how I was in my teens, 20s & early 30s. ( my gluten issue didnt show much because I just didnt eat very much stuff with gluten ).  

Can you find him a nice quack that has some clue about autoimmune diseases ?

Bolddog


----------



## Ren (May 25, 2011)

I agree with mcdonagh47, it sounds like Reactive Hypoglycemia. I had a friend in my school that had this and he kept little sticks of sherbert to bring him up from a low. 

When Luke was having intense cramps in his leg every night and losing lots of weight I told him to get to the doctors ASAP. He didn't think much of it and fobbed me off with excuses for a few days, but I think the pain in his legs got too much that he had to go. Some gentle persuasion to get him to go is needed here.


----------



## Frantastic (May 25, 2011)

Ren said:


> I agree with mcdonagh47, it sounds like Reactive Hypoglycemia. I had a friend in my school that had this and he kept little sticks of sherbert to bring him up from a low.
> 
> When Luke was having intense cramps in his leg every night and losing lots of weight I told him to get to the doctors ASAP. He didn't think much of it and fobbed me off with excuses for a few days, but I think the pain in his legs got too much that he had to go. Some gentle persuasion to get him to go is needed here.



Thats interesting that you mention about cramps, because he's started getting really bad cramps in his legs at night. They're crippling for him. I didn't realise they could be related. 
Aren't cramps a salt imbalance in the diet? 

In reagrds to eveyone elses comments, thank you for your input, I completely agree with all of you.
Now that I have a suggestion other than diabetes it'll be easier to discuss it with him and hopefully convince him to go to the doctors!!


----------

