... Which I never use to. I get hungry then begin to feel shaky. I eat and still feel a little shaky. After an hour or so I get a headache. I am over weight about 20 pounds because I stopped smoking and gained extra weight. My Dr ordered a Hba1c test CBA CMA lipid BH. Duno what tests they are
What is the difference between hypoglycemia and diabetic? I find myself hungry feeling hunger pains?
Question posted by ChaCha64 on 20 Aug 2013
Last updated on 22 May 2018 by krheabloom
The information on this page reflects personal experiences shared by our community members. It is not reviewed for medical accuracy and should not replace professional medical advice.
7 Answers
krheabloom
22 May 2018
Hello,
Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar(glucose). This means you need to eat or drink something. If you had hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar (glucose) then, if severe enough you would need insulin. I know it can be confusing, old school suggests you keep jelly beans, or a coke, or orange juice close at hand, in case your blood sugar drops too low and you could pass out. Please take care and hope this helps.
Kayla14700
22 May 2018
Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and diabetes is when the body can't control is blood sugar levels and can be too high or low depending on the situation.
Akocka
11 Sep 2013
Hypo glycemic is low blood sugar. Yes it will cause dizziness, and shakiness.
Hyper glycemic is high blood sugar. This causes sleepiness and if not treated can lead to coma.
endlessPred
22 Aug 2013
Hello ChaCha. The symptoms you recently described are the classic symptoms of diabetes. Your blood sugars may be dangerously high. This causes shakes, sweating, thirst, dizziness, mood changes,to name a few things. Get an appoint,net with your doctor for the follow up with the blood tests. They are very important and will tell your story best.
The A1c tells how high your blood sugars have been over the past months. The CBC tells how your blood is working and if there is infection, or other problems. I think some of your letters are a bit confused, unless you are copying them from something. Have you done the blood draw? The numbers with the reports will tell you a lot more about this. Your doctor will discuss each one with you. Hold tight. These things are well known for finding out your condition and what needs to be done. Stop eating all those carbs as they raise blood sugar quickly and then once used you will crash and be miserable. Start the reading and let's see what they find out.
ChaCha64
22 Aug 2013
Thank you so much ladies... I am so impressed how so many of yous' are very informative. And it feels good that you all understand what exactly what I am feeling and why. I have an appointment on August 27 to draw my blood. I cannot believe the amount of weight I have gained. I wonder if there is any natural vitamins that can help me to stop the cravings of carbs? My Dr foes not want me to do anything until he gets blood work results. :(
endlessPred
22 Aug 2013
Current research studies have shown that sugar is addictive. A recent experiment showed that rats prefer sugar over opioids. Yep. The greater amount of brain showing pleasure lights up then with opiates. Anyone out there who has weaned off opiates knows how tough it is. People have to wean off of sugar. One 12oz can of soda has 15 teaspoons of sugar in it. That alone is huge for gaining weight. So cut out soda. Don't switch to artificially sweetened sodas. These are even sweeter and the brain dumps insulin to get rid of it. Problem? No sugar, too much insulin and you will gain weight. Fast. So cut out artificial sodas. You just can't do this quickly. But over a month you can reduce this.
I cut out soda. I drank one to three a day. Often skipped lunch. It did me no good. One day we took out the cans to recycle and it hit us. Time to stop. I started losing weight once i started. The best part is carbs became easier to control. Because after the third month or so I found I couldn't drink a soda. It was painfully sweet. Same with lots of other things. Cindy bar was no longer a thought. My jaw would clench. My point is we can retrain the brain, science backs it up, and these things aren't difficult if we take it slow. Saying we have no control is a thought process that can be broken and turned to something better. I don't spend my time eating kale chips and drinking green concoctions. I just look at food and decide. We all have that skill. Sometimes we forget we had it. I think you can start there.
ChaCha64
22 Aug 2013
I am not much of a soda pop drinker. I have one cup of coffee a day with cream and one sweet low. I drink water rest of day. I stopped smoking a month ago. Going on Wellbrutin help me stop smoking and I thought I wouldn't gain any extra weight cuz the Wellbrutin is also used for obesity not for me it did not work for that reason. I drink regular ice tea maybe 3 x a week. I crave more carbs than sweets. I will eat cereal to kick the crave of sweets. It's so expensive to eat healthy it is sad to say with the economy and such and still trying to cook for a family too. Very frustrated :(
endlessPred
23 Aug 2013
Veggies. Fruit. Fruit is carb. Sweet corn is carb. Do you have a farmers market or are you trapped in an area where groceries are difficult to get? I suggested soda and artificial sweeteners because they do harm many a person. Today on Katie Curie they reported this as well. In the south it is the sweet tea, more sugar than even the soda. The idea is to cut portions. Because metabolism changes as we get older, it is natural to gain about five pounds per year. My professor was teaching this back in the late 70's. So at sixty I would have naturally gained 20 lbs minimum. It becomes a battle for some. Look for hidden empty calories. It is hard when you are being careful and still gaining weight. I go through that with prednisone. However, becoming aware of how the body treats things is the key. That is something we can control. You know the deal, whole grains instead of white bread. Whole wheat or oat cereals instead of fruit loops. Lots of fruit, whatever is in season.
One excellent peach is better than a pint of ice cream. Make slow changes. Too much at once is a good way to feel poorly as it is too hard to do. And exercise. Whatever works. Dancing to the TV. Walking through the neighborhood. I used the soda as an example, since it may run true with someone else, hope you didn't mind. This is in your control. Look for opportunity and it will be there. Karen
ChaCha64
23 Aug 2013
I cannot thank you enough. You are literally explaining things to me that I actually understand. Baby Steps is so reassuring when you said not to do a lot at one time. I live in Az so I can't go outside in the sun. I am allergic. I would like to do a Zumba class when I get blood test results back. I had been feeling sleepy sleepy sleepy all last week so my Dr said to stay in bed until tests come back. I started at 173 in January 2013. On April 183 now today 193. I am 49 years old. Stay at home mom. I seem to gain weight on my upper belly arms. This is definitely gonna a be a life change for me
endlessPred
23 Aug 2013
It is a life changer but it is not needing to be a life taker. Careful planning and a good understanding will take you a long, long way. Read when you get the time the info on the American Diabetes site. Ask lots of questions. Write me anytime either public or private. We all have stories and they end up pretty much the same. Let us know as you make progress. There are some wonderful support people on the site. And thank you for your kind words. I may write a lot, but having gone through this, I hope to touch on some of the things I had to figure out. You are not alone and this is all very common. Best of all you can live a perfectly fine life and will actually improve the diet of your family. Now that can't be wrong, right? Oh, and be sure everyone old enough in your family knows what to do if your blood sugar crashes. Extremely important to have an ID bracelet just in case. I have a friend whose son was three and he called 911 because his mom fainted. He saved her life.
Be sure your kids know you are taking medicine to stay well. That way they don't get scared. Details can come in later teens. Take care, Karen
ChaCha64
23 Aug 2013
I am so greatful to you. I had read that Dr choice of medication is metformin because it helps you lose weight also. Is this true?
endlessPred
23 Aug 2013
I don't know. Am allergic to the pills. It does regulate your blood sugars although you still need to test and watch the diet. Personally I think the diabetic diet is what causes weight loss as diabetes is well controlled when people lose weight and eat proper proportions and balance protein with carbohydrates. I have medically induced diabetes because of various medications I take. If I am careful with carbs to protein ratio, I don't even need any I insulin except for Nph which works a lot like the pills. Others use it. Perhaps they will respond. You can ask a new question and select conversation, discussion, and you will get lots of answers.
lady2882
20 Aug 2013
Being Diabetic means that the body doesn't produce enough insulin to use the sugar in the body and results in high blood sugar levels and high sugar levels in the urine. This is dangerous for the brain and the kidneys.
Hypoglycemia means that when a person eats the body produces too much insulin and that causes the blood sugar levels to drop too quickly resulting in low blood sugar levels which is also dangerous.
Hypoglycemia can be control by diet just as early diabetes can. Simple carbohydrates are turned into sugar very easily so one needs to eat complex carbohydrates and enough protein to help regulate blood sugar levels.
I hope this helps.
Take care
ChaCha64
20 Aug 2013
Thank you ladies for the information. Its funny you mentioned carbs. I am a carbohydrate junky. Every time I eat whether big or small meals I feel so fatigue. I can eat cereal fatigue. Fruit fatigue. Chicken fatigue. It is so strange. I am so clueless understanding the science of protein carbs calories good or bad carbs it is all foreign to me.
Inactive
21 Aug 2013
Hi ChaCha - there are a lot of good websites to educate you about diabetes. The A1C test will show your doctor how your blood sugar is averaged over the past three months. This test, along with the fasting blood level, will help your doctor to diagnose whether you are a diabetic. But even if you are not, being a carb addict will cause you to become a diabetic in time. You need to feed your body food that will act as fuel. Carbs cause your blood sugar to rise rapidly, too high, but they don't last long, then they dive lower, which gives you the fatigue you are feeling. You need the complex carbs and proteins to sustain that energy level. The fatigue you are feeling is your body crying out to be fed - foods that will give it the energy it needs. This doesn't mean that you have to give up all your favorite foods. It does mean that you need to combine them with protein and complex carbs that break down slowly.
Go to Diabetes.org - and take some time to really get to know what they are talking about - before you are a diabetic and so sick that you do need to stop eating ALL of your favorite foods because you have damaged your body terribly. Act now, and hopefully your body will serve you well for a long, long time. By making these changes you will feel SO much better and have tons of energy! Get better - EJ23
kathyhanson
20 Aug 2013
ChaCha,
I think lucy has it confused. Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar and Hyperglycemia is high blood sugar (diabetes). I don't know what those tests are either, other than the lipids. To diagnose either high or low blood sugar, a glucose tolerance test is needed.
Kathy
lucyb78
20 Aug 2013
Hypoglycemia is high blood sugar and diabetic is low. My father has hypoglycemia and I believe I have it too. Less severe cases can sometimes be controlled by diet.I have to eat smaller meals several times a day. If I don't I get shaky and lightheaded. I don't know about the tests you mentioned. I assume it is levels they are checking for a blood test. My doctor ruled out. diabetes in a urine sample. Hope you find out what's causing your symptoms soon and hope this info helped
Inactive
21 Aug 2013
Hi Lucyb78 - I'm sorry, but diabetes can't be ruled out with a urine sample. Sounds like you are experiencing hypoglycemia - the low blood sugar levels. This can be diagnosed, as well as diabetes, from several blood tests. Please ask your doctor to test you properly. These are conditions that can cause serious problems if left untreated for too long. I wish you the best - EJ23
endlessPred
22 Aug 2013
As stated below, hypoglycemia is low blood sugar. Diabetes is high blood sugar. Both are serious. Both need treatment. Both left untreated can cause a person to become unconscious and die.
Trinabell
26 Sep 2013
Hey guys just wanted to let you know that you can be a diabetic & become hypoglycemic. My youngest son is type 1 diabetic. Diabetes is not just low blood glucose. Diabetes is from a failing pancreas. Diabetes is uncontrolled blood glucose. When the pancreas doesn't work there's nothing in the body to process or release sugars & our natural insulin. You can become hypo or hyper glycemic-which is low or high blood glucose without being diabetic but it wouldn't last long cuz your pancreas will balance you out on the highs & you eat meals to fix your lows. When you get shaky sweaty,dizzy,headache that's from low blood sugar. when blood glucose is over 150-180 we should worry bcuz once over 200-250 own body starts attacking our organs doing permanent damage eventually.
lucyb78
26 Sep 2013
Just want to apologize. I read over my comment and realized I got it backwards! So sorry!
sutherland11
9 June 2015
Hiya its the other way around hpoglocemia is when your blood sugars are low and diabetes is when your sugar levels are high.
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headache, smoking, pain, hypoglycemia, weight, diabetic
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