Posted by Racer on June 6, 2004, at 17:32:07
In reply to Re: Only regarding the hypoglycemia issue, posted by Daniel Woodfield on June 6, 2004, at 15:39:54
Again, this is just about the hypoglycemia, because that's the only part of this that I do know enough about to comment. You wrote:
"Whether trying to attack the Dopamine system or the NE system (Who knows) will help get back in rythm is something i am trying to investigate, but its hard over here because the doctors aren't interested, and hypoglycemia isn't considered to be a disease that effects anyone except diabetics who have taken too much insulin."
Heheheh, guess what? "Hypoglycemia" really *isn't* a disease. It is, however, a symptom. What it is a symptom of can be a much more difficult question to answer.
Here is a suggestion when speaking to the doctor: Tell him what you're experiencing and ask him about taking either a glucose tolerance test, or keeping a daily diary of what you eat and drink, and frequent blood glucose readings on a properly calibrated glucometer. The home glucometers available now are quite good, and usually not all that expensive. If you have insurance, the doctor can often prescribe one, to bring down the cost of the strips.
Here's my actual point:
Once you go in there and say, "Dr, I'm suffering from a disease called Hypoglycemia," he's likely to respond, "Hypoglycemia is not a disease, and it only happens to diabetics who take too much insulin," right? So, instead, try walking in there and saying something more like, "Dr, you've said that what I'm experiencing is anxiety, and unrelated to my blood sugar. Could we check that out with empirical data, so that you can prove to me that it really isn't my blood sugar?" (NB: Yeah, it really helps the DR EGO thing to phrase it as "I'm willing to believe it, since you say it's so, but I'd like some reassurance before I commit myself." Doctors can have prickly egos, right?) Doing something like that would do a couple of things:
1. Keeping a journal of intake and glucose readings would show pretty definitively whether or not you are experiencing hypoglycemic episodes.
2. Doctors like empirical evidence, so he's more likely to support your efforts to provide it than to accept your self-reports of hypoglycemia.
3. Hypoglycemic episodes can happen to non-diabetics, but they are relatively rare. The symptoms of hypoglycemia really do mimic the symptoms of anxiety for a lot of people, and what you're experiencing really might be anxiety. It really might be a hypoglycemic episode, too. Keeping a record of what you eat and what it actually does do to your blood sugar would allow you to find out what's really going on.
4. Suggesting something to break the logjam over this issue will give both you and your doctor a graceful way out of what sounds like a very frustrating situation for both of you. It allows both of you a chance to start making more positive steps towards helping you feel better.
Now that I've said all that, I'll say one last thing before moving on:
It may sound as if I'm saying that hypoglycemia isn't real, but I'm not. It is very real, and some of these drugs really can cause fluctuations in blood sugar. What I'm trying to say is that self reports of rare phenomenon really aren't well received by many doctors. (My own experience: My doctor asked me to keep a week's record of frequent blood sugar readings a few years ago, followed by a fasting glucose test in her office. When I got to the office, the doctor wasn't there, and the Physician's Assistant refused to do the test because she "didn't believe hypoglycemia is a disease." About an hour and a half later -- remember, "fasting test" -- the doctor came in and had someone else do the test, while telling the PA that, "Hypoglycemia isn't a disease, but it IS a real symptom, and when I order a test I want it done.") If you offer an alternative to the head-butting that sometimes gets started over something like this, I think you'll probably get a much better response from your doctor.
Best luck to you.
poster:Racer
thread:354211
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040602/msgs/354345.html