low blood sugar?

[lyralee]

hi. I wasn't sure where to post this. As far as I know, I'm not diabetic. I'm 23 and have been doing Atkins solidly since last September. my parents have both developed type 2 diabetes after being overweight for many years.

I had never checked my blood sugar before, but did so with my parents meter this morning, because I was curious.

It said 43. I had been awake about 3 hours and hadn't eaten breakfast yet (only had water), so I expected it to be a little low, but how low is that exactly? I wasn't feeling dizzy or weak or anything.

I've been eating anywhere from 20-35 carbs a day. I didn't go up the rungs exactly as I was supposed to, but usually eat only induction foods and sometimes nuts and berries.

I know I should check again at a different time of day to see how it relates, but it really makes me squeemish.

I was just wondering, for a non-diabetic on Atkins, what is a normal blood sugar range? Is normal the same range whether you're diabetic or not, or Atkins or not?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[norweaver]

Re: low blood sugar?

Normal sugar is the same for everyone- 60-120 and varies slightly by laboratory. Are you comfortable with using the meter? Are you sure the test strips were coded correctly into the meter? Do your parents check the meter regularly with test solution? You are at higher risk due to your genetics though. If you had absolutely no symptoms, not dizzy, not shaky, no hunger, sweating, headache, I would check with your doctor, but not worry too much. It is possible that you could be pre-diabetic or insulin resistent which can cause hypoglycemia, but it could also be simply a malfunction of the meter or misunderstanding how to run an accurate test if you have not been trained. It is important though, to eat breakfast shortly after arising.

[cypressgirl]

Re: low blood sugar?

I have experienced this while on this WOE as well. It doesn't cause me to be dizzy or have any problems but it did make me see the importance of eating something for breakfast (which I used to always skip).

3 hours after an overnight fast is a bit long to go with nothing. Just try to make an effort to have a little something and you should be fine.

Also, I agree with the variations in machines. There can be quite a range on some of them. For instance, if you had taken another reading immediately after that one, you could have seen even a 10 point or more difference on the same machine. That is why diabetics take their readings at regular intervals - having a pattern gives you something to compare it to.
You may want to check it from time to time and if you happen into the Dr.'s office you may want to mention it - definitely see about it if you have any side effects from it. I chose not to say anything simply b/c I hadn't felt any different and doc's tend to get a little wound up over Atkin's for whatever reason!

[lyralee]

Re: low blood sugar?

thanks for replying you guys. I'm not too worried about it. I did check again a few days ago about an hour and a half after breakfast and it was 96. My mom helped me check to make sure I was doing it right. In any case, it made me feel better. I do try to eat breakfast, but since I work from home, I tend to sleep in and hit work right away and forget to eat until a few hours later. I've been trying to get up earlier so I can eat first.

I have no health insurance, so I don't go to the doctor unless I feel horrible or something like that, though I am curious what my blood work would look like after 5 months on Atkins.. or at all. Unfortunately I have no before results to compare to. Anyways, thanks for the replies.