February 20, 2004
Hypoglycemia
Question from Buena Park, Cailfornia, USA:
I was diagnosed with chronic hypoglycemia in 1996. The doctor I had at the time said I had it because I damaged my pancreas from a diet that was too strict and lacking the right amounts of fats and proteins. My problem is that I do not have medical insurance now. When I went to a low cost medical clinic for another problem, the doctor was very insensitive when I told her I had chronic hypoglycemia. She said that I cannot have it without having diabetes, too. Then she told me that my hypoglycemia was “all in my mind” and a “Fad Diagnosis.”
Right now, I’m going to my school’s medical clinic, but when I graduate I will not be elgible for their services. The only place I can go is that same clinic I went to with that uninformed doctor. What can I do if I have to go back to that clinic again? By the way, my maternal grandfather had type 2 diabetes and other relatives on his side of the family have had chornic hypoglyemia as well. Shouldn’t she be more serious if someone has a family history like this, which I did tell her about?
Answer:
The most common type of hypoglycemia is associated with a fall in blood sugar following meals. Often, these patients may experience improvement in their symptoms if they receive dietary counseling for small frequent feedings throughout the day and a general decrease in weight, if you are overweight. If you can contact a dietitian with your clinic, I would do that. You will have to decide how to procede regarding the clinic. If they offer vital services, it would be hard not to go back. Things might be smoothed over if you could see the dietitian.
JTL
