2 years after weight loss suffering from high insulin and adrenaline issues

By Anonymous August 9, 2012 - 4:47pm

Rate This

Who would have thought that losing weight would make you sick?

August 1, 2010 I began a weight loss journey to get healthy. One year later I had lost a total of 75 lbs. Over the second year I went up a little over the winter (+/- 20 lbs) then my life changed on May 1, 2012.

Just a normal day on May 1, went to the gym, worked my job then went out to eat with my husband. Granted my dinner choices weren't the best - since I have always had a history of hypoglycemia, I crashed before dinner and ate a candy bar, crashed again at the restaurant and ate the appetizer bread, drank a glass of red wine and devoured my creamed spinach and a little steak. Two hours later at home I was reading an article online and I didn't feel right. I started feeling dizzy, saw spots, legs and arms went numb, my heart rate slowed to low 30's. I guess I went to stand up and I blacked out. My husband found me on the floor with labored breathing, I have not been the same since.

For the first month after the initial collapse I exhibited mostly neurological symptoms - confusion, irritability, dizziness, slurred speech, stumbling when walking, memory issues, severe anxiety. It felt like an electric current was pulsing through my body. My resting heart rate used to be in 50's, was now in 120's. My BP was a steady 100/60 for years and was now 160/95. A series of tests followed and I was given an "all clear" by both a cardiologist and neurologist but my issues continued. My PCP referred me to an endocrinologist.

During the one month wait to see the endo I began noticing that the symptoms were tied into what I ate. One hour after any meal containing any kind of carb or sugar caused the symptoms and they progressively got worse throughout the day and had to be drugged up on Xanax to make it through the day.

My endo ordered every test under the sun, my insulin levels were 4x the norm (had a glucose test 6 months prior to collapse and 2 years prior to collapse and they were normal); my cortisol levels were high. My IGF1 (insulin growth factor 1) was triple what it should be at my age. She ruled out any tumors and said my body went into shock from losing weight and at some point my body will readjust. TWO YEARS LATER?

I have spent the past 3.5 months eating carb free, any small slipups cause my body to go into a panic. It is worthwhile to note that the smallest amount of stress does the exact same thing. A verbal arguement a few weeks ago sent my heart rate over 200 BPM, my arms went numb and I collapsed. I am 39 and before May 1 was considered a healthy person.

I have spent months on google trying to find anyone with this same "unknown" condition. Can someone help me out here? Am I ever going back to normal or is this carb free life what I should expect for the rest of my life??

Add a Comment3 Comments

Empowered

Maryann Gromisch RN Guide

Hello Anonymous,

I have never heard of that explanation-- that your body went into shock after losing weight. I am 5'3". I reached a weight of 200lb as a result of high doses of Decadron as part of treatment for a brain tumor. During that period, I was hyperglycemic and hypertensive.

Following surgical removal of the tumor, I worked at losing weight,
I lost 85 lb. and never experienced what you did.

Another physician might suggest more weight loss and evaluate and treat what sounds like severe anxiety attacks.

Maryann

August 10, 2012 - 5:32pm

This Comment

Improved My Health
Changed My Life
Saved My Life

Anonymous

I am 5'2". I started at 230 lbs, after the dieting (and continued weight loss due to being unable to eat much of anything without a reaction) I now weight 151.

Both my PCP, endo and holistic nutritionist all think my body went into "shock". I have no issues getting another opinion, just curious if you had ever heard of this? My endo tells me I am now insulin resistant as per her last 2 hour glucose test however 2 prior tests showed no signs of insulin resistance before my initial collapse (which all drs agree was caused by insulin shock). I have been given every test known to man ruling out endocrine tumors, what would another dr do?

August 10, 2012 - 9:28am