Blood Sugar Crashes during walks

lavapixie
lavapixie Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So for the past few months I've been getting what I believe is blood sugar crashes while I'm taking walks. I suddenly get really weak, my heart pounds like crazy, I sweat a lot, and I have to hurry home, but it's hard to walk fast when this happens. My legs feel like jello and I have to fight the urge to just sit on the ground.

I eat 1450 calories a day, I am 68 kilos currently (gained 3 kg during the holidays, been trying to shake it off for 2 weeks but it's going really slowly) and I am 170 cm tall. I am female. I don't eat my exercise calories back usually because to be honest I'm scared to.

I'm really scared that I have diabetes, since I also get really thirsty at night and my wounds heal pretty slowly. I talked to my mother about this and she said that she gets like this too and it's a thing in my family. I asked her if there was anyone in my family that has been diagnosed with diabetes, she said no.

Almost two years ago I used to be 95 kg and my diet was less than stellar. I ate a lot of junk food and sugar, but I never had symptoms like I do now. I would be surprised if it turned out I have diabetes because it's showing itself after I made such a drastic lifestyle change. I don't know much about diabetes, but I thought losing weight would help prevent it? I am planning to go to the doctor to get tested but it's a bit busy now so I think I won't get an appointment until like in a month.

This really disrupts my walks, I can't even finish them because I have to go home and just lay down. I'm wondering if I should eat more calories, not sure what is going on. I never get these when I do intense cardio workouts at home though, only during walks.

Thanks in advance for any advice and for reading this and happy new year.

Replies

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    If you suddenly feel weak and your heart beats fast then it rather sounds like low blood pressure, something like POTs. You can do a simple test: go on a walk and eat sugar when you feel weak again. Do you feel better after a short moment? If not then it's not blood sugar related. You can also test your blood sugar when this happens, either with a kit, go to your GP or maybe a pharmacy. But most importantly: talk to your gp
  • Ssssss666666
    Ssssss666666 Posts: 560 Member
    sugaraddict4321 wrote: »
    Happy New Year to you too. :)

    Please see your doctor for a full health check, including blood tests and possibly an EKG for your heart. What you're experiencing could be related to any number of things, some serious and some not. It's important to avoid the temptation to self-diagnose. Even if two people experience the same symptoms while out walking, it's possible they have totally different underlying issues that are causing the symptoms.

    Good advice
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Rather than asking your mom for medical advise, maybe ask a doctor?
    Sounds like you need some bloodwork etc done to figure out what's going on.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    Definitely talk to your doctor, and I would take a break from exercising until you can get checked out, just to be safe.
  • vickygalo
    vickygalo Posts: 41 Member
    It sounds like anxiety to me, to be honest. I’m not a doctor though. Definitely call and book an appointment for peace of mind
  • lavapixie
    lavapixie Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks for the advice so far, and I'm not asking you to diagnose me, I'm just asking for tips and if anyone has had an experience with this sort of thing. Tomorrow I will book an appointment since today is Sunday and my local clinic is closed, I just came to ask if there are any ideas.

    I doubt it's anxiety since I already know what anxiety attacks feel like, and this is completely random and 100% physical. I am taking antidepressants for anxiety and depression but I've been taking these for years.

    I wasn't asking my mom for medical advice, don't misunderstand. I was just asking her if there is a history of this in my family since it could be useful when I go to the doctor if he is trying to see if I have diabetes.

    Not trying to self-diagnose by any means, I just said that I am nervous about the possibility of diabetes, not that I knew I had it.

    Thanks for the advice so far, I will book an appointment tomorrow.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Eat more and see a doctor is my advice
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I did, during menopause. I'm guessing you're not menopausal? Please see a doc soon.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    First step is seeing a doctor, but that's happened to me too occasionally... usually because I didn't have a balanced breakfast beforehand. Too many carbs or not enough carbs can do it to me, and I definitely don't have diabetes.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    edited January 2019
    I’m not a doctor and you should go see a doctor to make sure everything is in order but to me it sounds exactly how I feel when I’m hypoglycemic (im not diabetic), it’s not a serious issue to fix, you may just have to increase your protein intake. I have the exact same symptoms as you, cold sweats, shaky, dizzy, a bit of nausea and I have to sit down. If you aren’t eating back your exercise calories depending how much you exercise and you’re only eating 1450 cal a day you may be under eating.
  • Nokt2018
    Nokt2018 Posts: 49 Member
    Sounds like classic low blood sugar. Go see your Doctor NOW!!! I'm a Type 2. When I was first diagnosed, my Doctor told me to either work on it or pick which leg you want to have AMPUTATED first!
  • CheyanaLee
    CheyanaLee Posts: 4 Member
    Weight loss helps if you are a type 2 diabetic. But you could still need some medication to level out your blood sugars.
    If you were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes which is a autoimmune disease you would be completely insulin dependent and diet would not help "cure" it.
    I suggest you keep track of your symptoms when they are happening and how often. What a normal day of food and drinks looks like for you. And if you are worried ask for a AC1 blood test to rule out diabetes. I'm not a Dr just a mom with a son who has Type 1 diabetes. :smile:
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Anxiety can absolutely manifest itself physically with sweats, shakiness and lightheadedness, and can also be a delayed reaction. Not that I'm suggesting that is what you're experiencing here but there isn't a true divide between mental and physical issues as one can result in the other.
  • ajwcyclist2016
    ajwcyclist2016 Posts: 161 Member
    Out of curiosity how long are your walks in time. If less than 90 minutes you should have enough fuel in your body if eating properly. Also get a quick check up at the docs.
  • lavapixie
    lavapixie Posts: 26 Member
    Yeah, I've been thinking that if it was diabetes it would be type 2 but I just find it weird that it's manifesting itself almost two years after I've made a big lifestyle change. I don't know much about diabetes though so I'm just guessing really, so I could very well be wrong.

    And yeah I know that anxiety attacks can be physical, I have experienced that before, haven't gotten one in a long time though. I just find it unlikely that it's anxiety since I feel good usually throughout the day, but I have been feeling a bit down for the last few months because I'm starting to binge more for some reason. Been really frustrated because everytime I get closer to kicking the last kilos off, I sabotage myself in one way or another.

    My walks are usually 45 mins to 90 minutes. I tend to take 2 walks a day though (with eating in between) so I often walk around 2 hours.
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    It sounds more like lack of salt or electrolytes to me, but hopefully the dr can sort you out.

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