Reactive Hypoglycemia or Dumping Syndrome?

[leese1313 1]

So I have what I think is Dumping Syndrome or Reactive Hypoglycemia and it is seems like it is caused by 2 things. Taking a shower and exercise.

For some reason after I take a shower at night my sugar crashes so bad I have to take glucose tablets to bring it back up. I don't take hot showers (I hate being hot), just warm and it doesn't happen all the time but often enough that I found a pattern and it doesn't happen when I take a shower in the morning only at night.

It also happens after I exercise. I eat dinner at 5:00 p.m. I wait at least an hour, hour and 1/2 and I am not a gym rate that I am doing it for hours - 30 minute treadmill, 10 minute rowing machine (I had a total knee replacement so I do this for my knee at a slow pace to get the bend in) and 3 sets of arm exercises with free weights. Literally there are times I have to stop while I am exercising because I can feel my sugar going down. There have been times it has crashed as low as the 50s. I have talked to the doctor about this and the physician's assistant said have Protein before you exercise. Well I am having dinner before I do, which is always a protein vegetable and a small amount of carbs.

Has anyone else had this issue? I want to exercise but I am afraid every time I do that this will happen and it happens more often than not. I have taken to as soon as I am done exercising to just automatically taking 2 glucose tablets which is adding extra sugar in but in order to have it not crash on me. Thanks in advance for any responses!

[SpartanMaker 961]

Just based on what you've written, this really wouldn't be either Reactive Hypoglycemia or Dumping Syndrome since both of those would be reactions to what you've eaten, not external stimuli.

There is a chance that an already low blood sugar level prior to your shower or exercise is pushed even further down due to rising body temperature. This isn't a common reaction, but it's not completely unheard of either.

If you don't have a blood glucose monitor, it may be a good idea to invest in one. Were I you, I'd track my blood sugar before eating, after eating, before exercise or a shower, and then at the point where your blood sugar feels like it's crashed. It would also be advisable to note exactly what you ate and the time of ingestion.

This should help you uncover what's going on. I suspect it may have more to do what what you've eaten vs. temperature, but you really won't know without some data.

Best of luck.