Hypo... what?!?! {Reactive Hypoglycemia}

Recently I was diagnosed (by myself) with hypoglycemia. Now, don't judge me, but I fit all the telltale signs of this disease and since I started treating myself I have seen amazing improvements in myself.

Anyways, let me backtrack a little and tell you how I stumbled upon this...

About 15 years ago a traumatic event happened in my life. Ever since then I have had a fear that I've carried with me. Over the last 3-4 years that fear (and countless others) have become intensely overwhelming and life altering. However, it never occurred to me why it all changed in intensity within the last few years.

Recently I realized why the change happened, it is now clear, and I'm beginning to understand.

About 3-4 years ago yet another major event happened in my life. I will not go into all the details, but I will merely say that my entire world turned upside down. During that time I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, and I cried all the time. It was major and awful! I did, however, lose a lot of weight.

Once the storm and turbulent waves of that time subsided I liked the fact that I lost all the weight (although it was in no way healthy or even recommended - we need to eat people!). My diet changed, but not in a good way.

It was as though food held no value to me and I merely ate to sustain myself. All I was consuming was coffee and diet pop! I would go all day and not eat until 8 hours after waking - when my body absolutely was about to collapse. I had numerous bouts of the the shakes, dizziness, nervousness, tiredness, and various other symptoms of my blood sugar levels dropping. And my fears snowballed and grew until they overcame every area of my life.

You name it and I was fearful and afraid of it! Some fears were rational and some were incredibly irrational. However, at that time I never related my fears, anxiety, depression, and major mood swings to my lack of eating!



Now, lets fast forward to 2012. I remember one day briefly (and leaving out certain details) explaining to my friend that I was tired all the time and had irrational thoughts, anxieties, fears, etc. She suggested that I may be deficient in certain vitamins. I remember driving home and thinking to myself "that makes perfect sense... I don't eat!" I was always afraid of gaining the weight back and not looking "good."

It was the first time that I realized I may have a eating disorder! Thats when I began to evaluate the way I ate (or didn't eat actually). I began to pray and ask God for guidance on how to remedy this and what was going on.

That's when I stumbled on a group of individuals online who have the EXACT same thing as I do! I was amazed! The symptoms and signs of reactive hypoglycemia are diverse yet similar among those who have it. I am not alone! There are a lot of people who have this.

My mood swings, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, headaches, palpitations, sugar cravings, inability to concentrate and many more are all related to my Reactive Hypoglycemia. What about my list of irrational fears? YES! They are a result of this too! I've noticed that when I go long periods of time without eating that I begin to start dwelling on those fears. Its amazing how a little food is like a "calming" pill to me and changes everything!

Now I am on a journey to regain my health and wellness! I am learning as I go, but I am ready to fight this fight! I am going to win!


I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Fight Back Fridays, Fresh Bites Friday