Could this be Keto flu?

Bob314159

I was on Keto starting mid 2016 [pretty much cold turkey], running at 30-50 carbs and losing 2lbs a week. At the end of 2016 I started an more intense 3 times a week weight program and slowed down on the keto to lose at 1 lb a week [at the advice f my trainer]. In July 2016, I wanted to take a break and try and stay at that weight to see what happened [while still needing to lose 30-40 lbs] - partly an attempt to minimize skin folds. During all that time I never had Keto flu.

A month ago I started easing back into Keto, losing mayb 0.5lbs a week - daily carbs 50-80 - so not very agressive yet. I'm getting symptoms that maybe a version of Keto flu

I don't have headaches,cramps, diarrhea, nausea, rashes,

I have oddball feelings of my heart rhytm being off- but I can do a 45 minute weight workout with no problem.

Getting itchy eyes.

I have fatigue in the morning, but if do a gym workout, 90% f the time I'm better. Generally have lost a drive to do work and am lethargic.

I get feelings of some sort of dizziness, but not enough that I would fall

My sleep is not as effective as it used to be, 7 hours used to be ok, now I need more like 8.5

I'm getting more knee pain than I used to - should be none on my non workout days.

I eat 3-4 tbs of coconut oil a day, take magnesium citrate, multi vitamins and various other specific vitamins e.g. turmeric

Also - probably unrelated - I have an blood circulation problem in one leg that is normally under control, last week I was in emergency with a possible blood clot - turned out it was minor surface vein breakage.

ladipoet

Yeppers, you've got the Keto flu alright. Dissolve and drink a bouillon cube twice daily in the appropriate amount of water. Upping your sodium/potassium (via the bouillon cubes) should fix you right up.

Bob314159

I've upped my sodium to 4000 - but still getting symptoms on and off. Today I was driving to a local mall to get a indoor walk and felt I might collapse. Ended up eating a sugar loaded Cliff energy bar, got in 5k steps but at the expense of 37 carbs.

DietPrada

I cringe every time I see the term "keto flu". It promotes a negative expectation to newbies, and it's really nothing like the flu. A bit of a headache, a bit of lethargy - all of which can be avoided by eating a few pickles or adding some salt to food.

KnitOrMiss

To me, this sounds more like a state of adrenal fatigue and/or lowered thyroid function which can also surface at any time. I'd personally suggest having that whole system worked up (labs). Just like with blood sugar levels, and anything else, bodily stress can wear out reserves from your adrenal system or endocrine system, particularly if when you changed your intake, there were nutrients of which you inadvertently changed (reduced, added, or paired with different foods) consumption. There are a number of support supplements you can take and such.

Additionally, just the stress alone of ending up in the hospital (thankful it wasn't worse!!) is enough to throw all your systems into chaos. @cstehansen can personally attest that stress can trigger blood sugar issues and all manner of chaos, especially around working out and such.

Heart rhythm definitely needs to be medically checked out. Could be potassium, could be underlying issue unveiled. What does your blood pressure look like?

Itchy eyes (can be A deficient, or C), morning fatigue (low thyroid, high/low cortisol, loss of glucose control), lost drive (too many things to list), lethargy (ditto), dizziness (scariest one here!), less effective sleep (not a good thing), joint pain (increased carb loads, increased grains, increased sugars, increased inflammation, reduction in restorative nutrients, etc.), circulation issues. If you typed this into a site like WebMD, I'm sure it would tell you that you're almost dead, but honestly, this list is MAJORLY concerning. Stop and look at it on it's own.... Scary.

At a minimum, until you rule out major health issues, it sounds like you need to dial back on your activity level severely. (hugs)

Bob314159

Thanks for the push

BP normal

Blood tests in progress [including thyroid]

Heart rate irregular - [and the spike that shows - matches the lack of energy, lethargy and dizziness] - probably can be fixed by taking aspirin, but waiting for analisys of a cardiogram- I don't have to cut back on anything yet - gym is still allowed

Bob314159

My trainer - who has had bad experiences with Keto and wishes that I would abandon it - pointed to this

Arrhythmia, heart palpitations, ketosis, and low-carb diet – an update

https://thorfalk.wordpress.com/2011/11/14/arrhythmia-heart-palpitations-ketosis-and-low-carb-diet-an-update/

I am now wearing one of those long-term ECG boxes.

Comments welcome

kpk54

I'm glad you're being monitored. As one Doc told me one time, we're born with 1 heart and it has a limited number of beats.