As far back as I can remember I have been the ‘black sheep’ in my family. Growing up, I had severe mood swings, craved sweets, and had to take a nap a few hours after eating or, on occasions I would pass out. When I was young my parents were embarrassed to take me places, it got so bad at Sunday mass that the pastor reserved a pew in the back of the church so we wouldn’t disrupt the service in the event I fainted.

Was I tested? Yes, and doctors would just say that there is nothing medically wrong, maybe I was stressed, or depressed, even lazy. I went through most of my life not knowing that what I really had was Reactive Hypoglycemia.

Around six percent of highly gifted children have reactive hypoglycemia. This is usually seen in very active, lean children with IQs above 160. The thought is that these children use up the available glucose quickly, crashing mid-morning or mid-afternoon.* For more on this topic see a mother’s story.

http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.info/articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-in-highly-gifted-children/

The fine line between REACTIVE and other Glycemia’s CAN KILL YOU!

Hypoglycemia, also called low blood glucose or low blood sugar, occurs when blood glucose drops below normal levels. The Reactive usually happens when the blood sugar falls too low beyond the normal range a few hours after you’ve eaten your meal. Reactive Hypoglycemic is a medical condition with no known underlying medical problem such as diabetes, scientists are still trying to figure out a sure method of diagnosing this disease. The main reason, they are finding it difficult to diagnose this problem is that once the sugar levels in your blood come back to normal, it becomes nearly impossible to detect whether you had this problem or not.

Some of the signs of both regular and reactive Hypoglycemia are:

Hunger, shakiness, nervousness,

Sweating, dizziness or light-headedness

Sleepiness, confusion

difficulty speaking

anxiety and weakness

Passing out, and sometimes Coma.

With me, it usually starts with difficulty breathing, hyperventilating, then dizziness, and finally fainting. . When I was first diagnosed, they failed to mention the reactive part, so for years I would fill out hospital forms and just put “Hypoglycemic”. Until I had two major surgeries where I fell into a coma. I lived in fear of hospitals, because if you are rushed to the hospital because of a hypoglycemic reaction the first thing they give you is glucose or sugar to elevate your blood sugar and bring you awake, and this is good. These are what 90% of medical professionals will tell you to give:

3 or 4 glucose tablets

1 serving of glucose gel

15 grams of carbohydrate

1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of any fruit juice

1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, of a regular—not diet—soft drink

5 or 6 pieces of hard candy

1 tablespoon of sugar or honey

But when you have Reactive Hypoglycemia you must refrain from sugars!!!!!!!!

Let me say this again, -NO SUGAR-, -NO SUGAR-, NO SUGAR-, It is also what my Medical Id Bracelet says.

This is where the confusion is. Until you are clearly diagnosed as having Reactive Hypoglycemia, when given sugar, you may crash and possibly go into a Coma, and if given too much sugar that Coma can be irreversible. A Coma is a profound state of unconsciousness.

http://www.reactivehypoglycemia.net/hypoglycemia-coma.html

So how do you control Reactive?

Diet, which is the only treatment available for now should include; eating small meals and snacks about every 3 hours. Add protein to your diet. Some good sources of protein are lean meat, skinless chicken, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu, soymilk, peanut butter, low fat milk and other dairy products. Then limit your intake of simple sugars such as chocolate, candy, jellies, cakes, sweetened drinks, honey, and jam. Your body is no longer capable of handling large amounts of sugar, so it’s best to avoid them, especially on an empty stomach. If you have a craving for sweets, make sure to include them with other foods.

Although excessive physical activity can bring your blood sugar level low, a simple exercise is still beneficial. Make sure not to overdo your physical activities as this can lead to sudden drop in your blood sugar level.

http://www.studenthealth.ku.edu/documents/Hypoglycemia.pdf

Stay away from the Halloween candy! I hope this was helpful, please contact your doctor if you have any questions about your health, and be sure to wear a MEDICAL ALERT bracelet, tag or other alert items.

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