Blurry vision, nausea, headaches, nutrition.

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Replies

  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I get similar symptoms with hypoglacemia, the lower my blood sugar, the worse i feel. Hospital spotted it after i spent 2 years asking my gp for help..... my sugar was 1.1 at the hospital
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    I get similar symptoms with hypoglacemia, the lower my blood sugar, the worse i feel. Hospital spotted it after i spent 2 years asking my gp for help..... my sugar was 1.1 at the hospital

    Wow! Do you manage it ok now?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,699 Member
    In the US, a test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies could cost thousands. Insurance only pays if it's absolutely necessary. And insurance companies tend to be stingy with this.

    Really?

    I get one done about once a year as a part of a complete physical here ... I think it's about $125.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I get similar symptoms with hypoglacemia, the lower my blood sugar, the worse i feel. Hospital spotted it after i spent 2 years asking my gp for help..... my sugar was 1.1 at the hospital

    Wow! Do you manage it ok now?

    I make sure to eat regularly and always carry snacks on me.

    So long as i keep a close eye im fine. If i start to feel a little fuzzy or confused a small snack will bring it back round. If i ignore those signs then ill end up spending most the day shakey, blurred vision, clammy, nauseous, headachey and dizzy while trying to eat my way out of it.
    Not my favourite way to spend a day
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,513 Member
    I also have migraines that can be food related
    For those the headache always starts behind my right eye and i get neauseous and need my glasses
    It goes when i eat but will come back 30 minutes after eating. Thankfully it never lasts longer than a day
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    I get similar symptoms with hypoglacemia, the lower my blood sugar, the worse i feel. Hospital spotted it after i spent 2 years asking my gp for help..... my sugar was 1.1 at the hospital

    Wow! Do you manage it ok now?

    I make sure to eat regularly and always carry snacks on me.

    So long as i keep a close eye im fine. If i start to feel a little fuzzy or confused a small snack will bring it back round. If i ignore those signs then ill end up spending most the day shakey, blurred vision, clammy, nauseous, headachey and dizzy while trying to eat my way out of it.
    Not my favourite way to spend a day

    I can imagine. Helpful for me to know it's manageable, thanks for your input.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    OP, about 10 years ago I started getting lightheaded and nauseous with a headache several times a week, usually in the morning when I first got to work. My doc had me get a fasting blood test and they found I had super low blood sugar in the morning. I guess as I ate and drank through the day it leveled up, so it was only noticeable on the fasting test.

    They told me to have a string cheese and a glass of juice immediately when I woke up in the morning, and the dizzy spells stopped. After a couple of months, I stayed with my brother for a few days and forgot my little morning snack and had no problems. So eventually I got back to not eating in the AM and haven't had any problems since. I have no idea why it happened and why it stopped being an issue, but I hope you get some answers with the fasted blood test!
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    OP, about 10 years ago I started getting lightheaded and nauseous with a headache several times a week, usually in the morning when I first got to work. My doc had me get a fasting blood test and they found I had super low blood sugar in the morning. I guess as I ate and drank through the day it leveled up, so it was only noticeable on the fasting test.

    They told me to have a string cheese and a glass of juice immediately when I woke up in the morning, and the dizzy spells stopped. After a couple of months, I stayed with my brother for a few days and forgot my little morning snack and had no problems. So eventually I got back to not eating in the AM and haven't had any problems since. I have no idea why it happened and why it stopped being an issue, but I hope you get some answers with the fasted blood test!

    That's really helpful, thank you. I've booked one for next week, so we'll see.....
  • bluestarlight19
    bluestarlight19 Posts: 419 Member
    Have you had an eye exam recently? Its how they found my IIH. I had blurry/blacking out vision and headaches, nausea on and off. But I thought they were just migraines, since I've had those since a kid. Went for an eye exam and they found my optic nerves swollen/enlarged. Was sent for an MRI and all came back normal. They did a spinal tap and it turned out my CSF in my brain is too high. Causing all the symptoms.
  • codycoder
    codycoder Posts: 5 Member
    Hi there,

    I'm really keen to hear what people might think is going on for me.

    I've been using MfP for two years, steadily losing weight, and lowering my intake from 2600 to 1800 over that time. In that time I took up running more seriously, and began fell running last autumn. On two occasions in December and January, both about 48 hours after a big run, I almost passed out. Then I occurred to me that 1800 calories is a BMR for my height and size, and I was only averaging around 1600. So I upped my intake, quite a lot at first (my weight went up to about 15.5 stone) , and have since (over the last three months) lowered it to about 2100.

    However, since January my vision has been blurry, my general energy levels have dropped substantially and I get regular headaches and nausea and dizziness. My GP can find nothing amiss, they've tried labyrinthitis as a diagnosis but the ENT specialist can't find evidence. I'm awaiting a head scan. All blood tests come back fine.

    My acupuncturist has suggested that my stomach/spleen energy is very weak, so has recommended eating
    little and often. This has helped a little in the last few days, particularly with the headaches, nausea and blurry vision. But that has confirmed (a little at least) that the issue is dietary. But what did I do to myself last year that could have thrown my body so completely out of whack?

    I have occasional runs now, no more than 3 miles, and whilst being a bit slow to start there is energy there once I get going, but the day after and (today) 2 days after the headache, blurry vision and nausea return, and eating doesn't really help.

    Any thoughts? I'd really appreciate any advice.

    I'm 6'2" male, and weigh about 14.5 stone.

    Thanks ever so.

    Maybe you need to take a break? It sounds like you've been working hard for a long time. Rest is critically important for long term progress.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,169 Member
    I'm glad to see you're getting the fasting blood test. I second the idea that you have an eye exam, too. You might as well rule out anything you can.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    I get similar symptoms, but only when I don't do strength training. I have no idea why this is the case but it is. Had every glucose test you can think of, even bought a glucometer, even did a challenge test with 10 minute testing instead of the long intervals a doctor would do - nothing.

    So I don't know what's causing it, but picking up difficult bodyweight training (or weight lifting) helps ever time. Just one single really hard session keeps this awful feeling off me for a few days. Training for several months keeps this feeling off me for a long time. Hey, I did the last workouts in July last year. This early July I was so annoyed by the constant crashes, feeling weak and headaches that I remembered what helped previous times, and the problem was gone.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    One note on vitamins and minerals: Some of them can scew blood results, making doctors believe you are fine while you are in fact not. Don't just pop vitamins and minerals if you don't know whether you're deficient in anything. Plus some of them can be overdosed fairly quickly, like potassium, vitamin B6 and a few others.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    In the US, a test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies could cost thousands. Insurance only pays if it's absolutely necessary. And insurance companies tend to be stingy with this.

    Ive never had an issue with these things being tested especially if I had issues like the op.
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    I'm glad to see you're getting the fasting blood test. I second the idea that you have an eye exam, too. You might as well rule out anything you can.

    Actually, I have had my eyes tested twice over the last 6 months, and they've been fine (other than getting reading glasses for the first time).

    Thanks for your thoughts.
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    Have you had an eye exam recently? Its how they found my IIH. I had blurry/blacking out vision and headaches, nausea on and off. But I thought they were just migraines, since I've had those since a kid. Went for an eye exam and they found my optic nerves swollen/enlarged. Was sent for an MRI and all came back normal. They did a spinal tap and it turned out my CSF in my brain is too high. Causing all the symptoms.

    Wow, that's quite a thing. How are you? How long ago did they find it?
  • nickhennessey
    nickhennessey Posts: 26 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    OP, about 10 years ago I started getting lightheaded and nauseous with a headache several times a week, usually in the morning when I first got to work. My doc had me get a fasting blood test and they found I had super low blood sugar in the morning. I guess as I ate and drank through the day it leveled up, so it was only noticeable on the fasting test.

    They told me to have a string cheese and a glass of juice immediately when I woke up in the morning, and the dizzy spells stopped. After a couple of months, I stayed with my brother for a few days and forgot my little morning snack and had no problems. So eventually I got back to not eating in the AM and haven't had any problems since. I have no idea why it happened and why it stopped being an issue, but I hope you get some answers with the fasted blood test!

    Thanks. Yes, I hope it makes things a bit clearer. I recognise over the last few years that I have generally much less tolerance of hunger, I go into flaking-out hungry quite quickly. I never used to have to eat before 10am, but now need something pretty much the moment I wake up.

    I'm a stage performer by profession so there's often quite a bit of adrenalin pumping through me, so I wonder about cortisol levels too. It does amaze me what's possible with adrenalin. All my symptoms disappear while I'm on stage, then creep back in afterwards.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    I used to get exercise-induced migraines, especially during brutal spinning classes... I found that replacing some of the water I drank during class (I usually drank ~48 oz) with Gatorade (the full sugar kind) mitigated the migraines.

    But mine was an immediate reaction--it happened during the class or in the car on the way home. That yours isn't coming until nearly 2 days later is curious. Hope your doc figures it out for you!
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