Adrenal Fatigue

[krw2586]

Hello, friends!

 

I started Whole 30 on June 1, so this is only day 3. I have advanced adrenal fatigue, which means low cortisol levels across the board. Because of that, it is really hard for me to keep my blood sugar levels up. Prior to this Whole 30, I was eating a lot of sugar because that's the only thing that helped. My low blood sugar episodes cause shaking, sweating, crying, panic, etc. I will cry for hours until the symptoms subside. But I've been gaining weight due to the slowed metabolism from the adrenal crash, so i wanted to stop relying on sugar. The problem now is that my blood sugar won't stay up. Whole 30 approved carbs and fruit don't seem to help. Today my blood sugar level was 48 (I have a glucose meter) even after a meal with protein, fat, and carbs. Does anyone have any advice? Or has anyone been in a similar situation? It feels really awful and I haven't been able to get off the couch. 

 

I know that supposedly your body will adjust to burning fat and protein, but cortisol regulates blood sugar, so I'm just afraid if your levels are too low that you will be in a state of constant low blood sugar.

 

Thank you!!

[ultrarunnergirl]

This is a great podcast and transcript from Chris Kresser you should find helpful. http://chriskresser.com/ask-the-rd-adrenal-fatigue-2/

[Munkers]

Are you at the point that you're having to take supplemental corticosteroids? Was your blood sugar reading taken immediately after a meal, an hour later, two hours later...? Are you testing more than once a day? How much carbohyrdate are you consuming with meals?

 

Early on, you may need to eat more often. I'm not saying to snack throughout the day, but if you find yourself crashing and hungry, then it may be time to go ahead and have another template based meal. And don't forget about salt. Your adrenal hormones are also a driving force in sodium balance and low adrenal hormones mean that you're probably also losing salt in your urine.

[krw2586]

Thanks for the podcast, I may have heard that one before already, but I'll check.

 

I'm not taking supplemental cortisone because I reacted very badly to it. I have paradoxical reactions to nearly everything, even vitamins. One doctor suggested full cortisol replacement but I'm trying to hold off on that because it's very tricky.

 

I test blood glucose several times throughout the day. It's nearly always in the 60s, but occasionally dips a little lower. I believe when it was 48 today it was about an hour and a half after eating some smoked turkey, and half a banana with coconut butter. I try to have some carbs with each meal, but not too much to cause a big swing. And I always include a good sized helping of fat or protein. It will generally be something like half a sweet potato, half a banana, or a handful of some sort of berries. Is there anything I could change?

 

Thanks!

[Munkers]

I would suggest favoring starchy veggies over fruit since they're less likely to cause blood sugar spikes which would then be met with an insulin surge and reactive hypoglycemia. How were you feeling when you had the blood sugar reading of 48? Were you having any symptoms? Are you eating 3 meals a day or more? How much protein are you eating at each meal?

 

Remember that the meal template recommendations is 1-2 servings of protein the size of your palm per meal. I would suggest increasing your vegetables as well--at least 2-3 cups per meal per the template. Vegetables are full of micronutrients which are going to be important in giving your body the nutrition it needs to heal.

[krw2586]

Ok, I will try those things. Unfortunately, I can't eat a lot of fiber, which makes vegetables tricky. I have paralytic ileus (basically gut paralysis) from nerve damage and eating too much fiber causes major problems. It put me in the hospital for a week one time with a small bowel obstruction... all because I purposely upped my veggie fiber intake! I've had some health issues that make things a little complicated But I will keep trying!

 

When it was 48 I felt shaky, sweaty, hot, overwhelmed, emotional, etc. I'm eating 3 meals a day plus a small snack if I start to feel really hypoglycemic. I probably have 1-2 servings of protein at each meal. I can be conscious of upping that a bit more too. 

 

Thank you!