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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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76 Year Old Suffering From Diverticulitis. Severe Fatigue. Could This Be From Low Blood Sugar Levels?

My 76yr-old dad has diverticulitis: and has ALWAYS had to eat every 4 hours or he felt ill, sick, shaky, fainty.. (he was very active). Now about 30mins after he eats he has extreme fatigue and I do MEAN extreme: He sleeps for upto a couple of hours. His blood sugar is ok (recently tested). but his diet AT THE MOMENT has quite a lot of carbohydrate , not much fresh fruit and veg. (He didn t have this problem when I was looking after him after 2 knee replacements) and cooking LOTS of fresh veg and giving lots of fruit. Could he be having low blood sugar after eating bread, pasta, potatoes? He also doesn t seem to have much proper protein at mealtimes as he relies on ready meals and the co-op cafe. Thankyou for listening.
Mon, 15 Jul 2013
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Gastroenterologist,  's  Response
Hello, thanks for contacting HCM with your question.
From the description of his symptoms of shaky feeling, faintness
few hours after eating does indicate that he may have hypoglycemia
or insulin sensitivity. In response to food , pancreas produces excess
insulin and this brings the blood sugar down until his next meal. This
could be a pre-diabetic stage and your father needs to have HbA1C ,
fasting and two hour post meal blood sugar levels tested. Rarely ,
insulinoma (Tumor ) can do this. I agree with you that he should have
more protein in the diet and cut back on concentrated sugar products.
Wish him the best.
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76 Year Old Suffering From Diverticulitis. Severe Fatigue. Could This Be From Low Blood Sugar Levels?

Hello, thanks for contacting HCM with your question. From the description of his symptoms of shaky feeling, faintness few hours after eating does indicate that he may have hypoglycemia or insulin sensitivity. In response to food , pancreas produces excess insulin and this brings the blood sugar down until his next meal. This could be a pre-diabetic stage and your father needs to have HbA1C , fasting and two hour post meal blood sugar levels tested. Rarely , insulinoma (Tumor ) can do this. I agree with you that he should have more protein in the diet and cut back on concentrated sugar products. Wish him the best.