GUEST BLOGGER: Connie Bennett (Part 2)
People With Hypoglycemia Have Been Misdiagnosed A Lot!
Hello Diabetes Notes readers. It’s Connie again, the author of the new book SUGAR SHOCK! (Berkley Books), with another post for you. Of course, you’re more savvy than the average person about the dangers and signs of diabetes, but did you know that millions of people who don’t have diabetes may be suffering from symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)?
Sadly, though, many people with low blood sugar have endured for years being given the wrong diagnosis for their ailments. Part of the dilemma is that reactive hypoglycemia can be manifested in so many ways — there are some 125 symptoms! (In fact, I had to devote an entire page-and-a-half in my book SUGAR SHOCK! to mention many of them — and my list is still incomplete!)
Get ready to be shocked. Reactive hypoglycemia has been called the “Great Imitator,” because the many, strange, startling symptoms can actually mimic a frightening array of diseases and conditions. For instance, people with reactive hypoglycemia have been misdiagnosed as having:
* Bipolar disorder
* Schizophrenia
* Neurosis
* Migraines
* Parkinson’s syndrome
* Chronic bronchial asthma
* Paroxysmal tachycardia (rapid heartbeat)
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Cerebral arteriosclerosis (hardening of the brain’s arteries)
* Menopause
* Mental retardation
* Alcoholism
* Hyperactive disorder
* And even senility!
Shocking, isn’t it? All these people had was reactive hypoglycemia (with no underlying disease), and yet their doctor(s) wrongly diagnosed them! (By the way, in SUGAR SHOCK!, I share some pretty amazing, tragic stores about folks, who spent years going from doctor to doctor and being misdiagnosed before getting the right diagnosis!)
I invite you to think and reply to the following:
- Do you have any friends or loved ones (who don’t have diabetes) but who suffer from perplexing ailments like fatigue, headaches, cold sweats, depression, anxiety, lack of sex drive (females), mood swings, and mental confusion?
- What are their symptoms?
- Did you have any of these symptoms before being diagnosed as diabetic?
I’d love to hear back from you. Tell us your tales.
Connie Bennett, C.H.H.C.
Author, SUGAR SHOCK! (Berkley Books)
www.SugarShock.com
3 opinions for GUEST BLOGGER: Connie Bennett (Part 2)
Lori Rode
Feb 7, 2007 at 1:42 am
Do you recommend that folks who suspect that they experience reactive hypoglycemia purchase a blood glucose meter and test their actual blood glucose levels? I sure hope so. I think that the numbers may make it much more convincing to medical professionals and others.
Lilymoonchild
Feb 11, 2007 at 1:07 am
I do suffer from hypoglycemia. At it worst, I’ve had pain and numbness in my limbs, and once it was so severe that the entire lower half of my body hurt, to the point that I wasn’t comfortable driving. I also have experienced lip swelling, and frequently get very sleepy after meals.
So, what is the recommended treatment?
Trevor
Feb 25, 2007 at 11:15 pm
The list of ailments at the end of this article was ME for many years: I was always tired, suffered endless anxiety attacks, received treatment for depression, had frequent headaches and displayed erratic mood swings. I - and my doctor - thought it was just stress.
This all resulted in having to leave a successful teaching career earlier than planned. A year later I was diagnosed as type 2 diabetic. I might still be teaching if I’d been diagnosed earlier.
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