I need a little help here from the medico types - and anyone else.
My sister has blood sugar problems. She’s hypoglycemic, which means she is prone to low blood sugar. This causes her to go pale and get weak, and come close to passing out. It can also cause mood swings.
The problems first came to light in high school. She went to a doctor who did the glucose tolerance test. The results showed some tendencies a little borderline. But he didn’t really diagnose her that way. He came in and gave her a paper bag to breath in, and claimed she was pale and weak from hyperventilation. Now maybe she was hyperventilating a bit. The testing requires a 12 hour fast, and by the time she got up there she was feeling really bad and probably crying a bit, so by the time he saw her she was perhaps hyperventilating. Anyway, she doesn’t really have a solid record of the medical problem.
Despite that, she sought out advice on hypoglycemia, and treats it as such. This means avoiding refined sugars, eating small meals regularly, etc. She sought nutritional advice on dealing with it. And that works.
Here is the problem. She had some difficulties at work recently. (Ten years later.) Her boss seems to react negatively to her assertion that she needs her breaks regularly scheduled so she can eat. It’s not like she’s asking for extra breaks, she just has to eat so she won’t pass out. Her boss said she needs to document her medical problem. But her medical records don’t really show the problem (as shown above). Furthermore, they recently instituted a new health plan that forced her to change doctors, and she doesn’t know the new doctor. She scheduled an appointment to go talk to him and get whatever she needs, but is worried that testing will be like it was and won’t really back up what is a real affect - her reaction to extended periods without food.
Anyone know anything about hypoglycemia, blood sugar testing, etc, and how to address her problems at work?
My whole family has hypoglycemia – my own problems are relatively minor, while my sister’s are severe.
First off, some doctors put a lot higher importance than others. Your sister might want to try an endocrinologist rather than an internist or family practitioner. She should ask a doctor she trusts (like her ob/gyn) for a recommendation.
My sister eats six small meals a day. That’s two snacks at work, in addition to lunch. Her big problem is getting out of the office on time to stay on schedule for dinner. If your sister has a job with scheduled breaks, she can probably fit a snack into the AM and PM break, and with lunch, that should do it.
Remember, the meals don’t have to be large, just frequent. She can work with a dietician to come up with a good regime, or get good suggestions from her doctor.
Also, she should keep physically fit. I know my own problems tended to fluctuate with my weight and overall condition.
I understand all the words, they just don’t make sense together like that.
I’m not in any position to offer medical advice, but I want to offer moral support. I and several members of my family have the same sorts of issues–blood sugar sensitivities that are significant enough to affect emotional/physical conditions during the day but not serious enough to be “official” (levels never dip below or rise above those that are considered safe tolerances). What kind of job does your sister have that she can’t have something simple to eat while she works? Why the hell should her boss care and what business is it of his anyway? My advice would be to find a doctor who is willing to go beyond the boundaries of official “diagnosis” and acknowledge that your sister has a quality-of-life issue that is important enough to be recognized. I imagine that someone out there would be willing to vouch for her needs without needing to officially label her problem as one thing or another. Perhaps she could see a dietician? Also, is there some reason why she couldn’t buy bulk quantities of nutrition bars (like Balance bars or Zone bars) that contain low amounts of sugar and significant protein to eat at work? I can’t see many circumstances in which a person couldn’t do that while working. Perhaps she doesn’t need permission at all if she can be subtle about it.
Sorry if that isn’t helpful, but I too have experienced some of the same frustrations you talked about, and wanted to lend my encouragement.
Kunilou, her problems aren’t knowing how to take care of the problem or knowing what to eat. It’s the issue with her boss. She works in a library, and recently had issues come up with her boss (that frankly she doesn’t quite understand). One of the things was her boss looking odd at her when she mentioned needing her breaks regularly to eat.
My sister is the children’s librarian, and her duties are running programs, assisting circulation desk, and covering reference desk. Those activities do not allow her the opportunity to snack on duty. When she is in her office, she can. However, if she comes off working a program in the morning and the reference desk worker asks for a break, she might need to take one first (that was in fact something that happened). Her boss seems to feel she should respond to the other staff needs first and work her breaks to support them. Or rather to support them so she (the boss) doesn’t have to cover the reference desk.
As for the doctor, she’s trying that, but the problem is as mentioned that she had to switch doctors because of the insurance. The doctor she was seeing is not available for the new plan. She does not know the new doctor, and he is not aware of her medical problems (hypoglycemia and endometriosis). So she’s worried about getting the doctor to back her up, especially if he has to test her again and gets similar results.
Is there some variation in the testing that doesn’t involve a 12 hr fast? Could they not do an all day monitoring and watch her condition over the course of, say 8 hrs, and monitor the blood sugar levels? If so, they would clearly see her reaction.
I had a disabling bout with hypoglycemia four years ago, and still have occasional problems if I let myself get overextended. If it’s severe, eating every few hours is crucial, or you feel like you will lose consciousness.
Not being a big breakfast eater, I had to be conscientious about making sure to eat well first thing in the morning. Complex carbohydrates help a lot. I always carried those sport’s nutrition bars too, they often came in handy.
I also used an herb, Fo-ti( polygonum multiflorum), and supplemented with chromium (to help blood sugar levels), and B vitamins. This was in concert with my physician’s advice.
I’ve noticed that I’m susceptible to low blood sugar at certain times in my menstrual cycle, particularly right after ovulation, and then after menstruation. Does your sister notice this fluctuation as well? Perhaps MajorMD can elaborate on the hormonal reasons for this. At any rate, to know the susceptible times helps to be extra cautious.
Perhaps she can tell her boss that hypoglycemia is a problem that, like it’s mirror condition of diabetes, needs constant maintenance. There is a general awareness about the severity of diabetes, so the comparison may elicit a more compassionate response.
Funny you should mention diabetes. My sister called just last night. Her birthday disaster this year was a trip to the emergency room where a routine blood test showed high blood sugar. Further tests confirmed that she now has Type II diabetes.
The reason for the fasting blood sugar test is to find out how the body takes care of a sudden onslaught of blood sugar. Hypoglycemics, diabetics and normal people will each metabolize it differently, and that’s the sure indicator that sets hypoglycemia from other disorders.
I understand all the words, they just don’t make sense together like that.