Help Chronic Pain

Question:

Hi, I’m new to the newsgroup, though I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks.  I’ve been experimenting with low carb for the past 5 weeks or so and started doing Atkins in earnest about 3 weeks ago.  I had trouble getting started because – contrary to my expectations – I found myself ravenously hungry at 20g carbs per day.  Hungry like I’d never been in my life. Once I got settled into Induction, things started going better.  I still got hungry even right after a large, low carb meal but it was manageable.  I got the occasional dull headache but I was thrilled to death that my old stomach acid problems had virtually vanished.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it is not to have to cart around a bottle of Tums all the time.  I am well into ketosis and have even recently managed to get into the purple while drinking 100+ oz of water every day. Anyway, yesterday things started to go a little sour.  The headache got worse and was now accompanied by a pain at the back of my neck. At first I dismissed it as one of those things but I have since read that neck pain may be associated with poor adrenal function which can be related to hypoglycemia.  I also felt shaky, weak and drowsy all day.  I ate a few more carbs – nuts and berries – in an attempt to compensate.  By the time I went to bed I was feeling ok.  But then this morning, I woke an hour before the alarm and wanted to go back to sleep so I rolled over and instantly suffered a bad attack of vertigo.  The dizziness lasted maybe 30 seconds but when I opened my eyes the room was still spinning visually as if I were rolling my eyes all around, which I wasn’t.  This lasted considerably longer.  It was very frightening.  When it abated, I got up and went into the bathroom.  In the mirror my face was pale (I suffer from rosacea so I was actually quite pleased, I hadn’t looked that normal in ages.) But within a few minutes I was flushing pretty badly and have been on and off all day. The reason I got interested in low carbing in the first place was because I read that it helped rosacea.  It hasn’t been helping me.  I actually started breaking out a couple of days ago.  Interestingly, I read somewhere that one of the symptoms of hypoglycemia is flushing. I went to the doctor (HMO guy, never saw him before) feeling all weak and shaky.  They took my BP both reclining and standing.  I was happy that it had gone down a little, but it was still elevated.  The doctor was concerned about my ears.  He couldn’t find anything wrong with them but was still sure that they were my problem.  I wanted to talk about hypoglycemia but he didn’t seem interested at all and he never explained to me why I might be off base with my concerns.  He finally consented to a blood test because he wanted to check my kidney function to make sure the Atkins diet wasn’t damaging my kidneys.  He also said he’d check the glucose levels.  I asked if he could check insulin too and he said, "Oh, we don’t do that."  Then he kinda chuckled and added, "What, is that an Atkins thing?"  Well, I can’t say I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guy. I don’t know what the tests will show, of course.  And to really get to the bottom of it all, Iknow I’d need one of those 5 hour glucose tests but I had a hard enough time getting a regular blood test.  I know you’re not experts here but I was just hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some reassurances.  I’m afraid my brain isn’t getting enough glucose. Thanks, Dorothy

Response:

I’m afraid my brain isn’t getting enough glucose.

If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should move to a less severe low carb plan. If you can find it, read a copy of the Schwartzenbein Principle by Diana Schwartzenbein. Frankly, I’d eat more complex carbs until you can get another doctor. One who will listen to you and help you. Were you using Lite Salt for the potassium, and have you been taking some supplements? Maybe you’re allergic to something you’ve been eating/taking? Though lack of potassium could cause headaches like that. Don’t take the Lite Salt if your doctor recommends against potassium supplements. ….. Bridget M. LC 7/12/2001 188/176/126

Response:

     Eat more protein and monosaturated fats more often during the day.  Skipping meals and dieting tend to allow the hypoglycemic episodes to continue.  I’m betting your caloric intake is way down (post some fitday.com reports for several days).   I’d suggest a cheese-meat roll-up, an ounce or two of macadamia nuts or an ounce of almonds instead of a carb snack to quell the attack.  Increasing the daily carbs to 30 grams using complex carbohydrates and more green leafy and cruciferous vegetables probably wouldn’t hurt either.   Lee Rodgers Hi, I’m new to the newsgroup, though I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks.  I’ve been experimenting with low carb for the past 5 weeks or so and started doing Atkins in earnest about 3 weeks ago.  I had trouble getting started because – contrary to my expectations – I found myself ravenously hungry at 20g carbs per day.  Hungry like I’d never been in my life.

IN MY OPINION prefaces anything written above my name Sipping Oil Message Board http://lowcarbretreat.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb it’s__a contraction of it is     you’re__a contraction of you are You’re a loser losing weight     Your jeans will be loose

Response:

Dorothy, Is it possible that independent of your diet you have come down with a virus that has attacked your inner ear. I woke up with one of these one Christmas morning, completely out of the blue.  The symptoms were exactly what you describe. Turning over in bed I felt like the room was spinning.  Terrifying! I did a lot of research to find out what was going on and discovered that it was a virus that attackes the inner ear. It took a l-o-n-g time to clear up completely–almost six weeks, which is what my doctors told me would be the case. But once it cleared up it was completely gone. If you are concerned about low blood sugar, why not invest in a glucometer, the blood sugar measuring devices used by people with diabetes. They are sold at every pharmacy. In the East CVS has just started selling a very good one that only costs $9.99.  The strips cost $25 for a pack of 50 which is a lot cheaper than all the other brands.  The meter comes with 10 strips so if you only do occasional tests you won’t even have to buy any for a while. Hypoglycemic blood sugar levels would be those 60 mg/dl and under.

Response:

i am not sure what you were experiencing was HUNGER, but rather i believe it "feelings" are! — read and post daily! rosie http://www.geocities.com/barrettetc/rosie.html

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I’m new to the newsgroup, though I’ve been lurking for a couple of weeks.  I’ve been experimenting with low carb for the past 5 weeks or so and started doing Atkins in earnest about 3 weeks ago.  I had trouble getting started because – contrary to my expectations – I found myself ravenously hungry at 20g carbs per day.  Hungry like I’d never been in my life. Once I got settled into Induction, things started going better.  I still got hungry even right after a large, low carb meal but it was manageable.  I got the occasional dull headache but I was thrilled to death that my old stomach acid problems had virtually vanished.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it is not to have to cart around a bottle of Tums all the time.  I am well into ketosis and have even recently managed to get into the purple while drinking 100+ oz of water every day. Anyway, yesterday things started to go a little sour.  The headache got worse and was now accompanied by a pain at the back of my neck. At first I dismissed it as one of those things but I have since read that neck pain may be associated with poor adrenal function which can be related to hypoglycemia.  I also felt shaky, weak and drowsy all day.  I ate a few more carbs – nuts and berries – in an attempt to compensate.  By the time I went to bed I was feeling ok.  But then this morning, I woke an hour before the alarm and wanted to go back to sleep so I rolled over and instantly suffered a bad attack of vertigo.  The dizziness lasted maybe 30 seconds but when I opened my eyes the room was still spinning visually as if I were rolling my eyes all around, which I wasn’t.  This lasted considerably longer.  It was very frightening.  When it abated, I got up and went into the bathroom.  In the mirror my face was pale (I suffer from rosacea so I was actually quite pleased, I hadn’t looked that normal in ages.) But within a few minutes I was flushing pretty badly and have been on and off all day. The reason I got interested in low carbing in the first place was because I read that it helped rosacea.  It hasn’t been helping me.  I actually started breaking out a couple of days ago.  Interestingly, I read somewhere that one of the symptoms of hypoglycemia is flushing. I went to the doctor (HMO guy, never saw him before) feeling all weak and shaky.  They took my BP both reclining and standing.  I was happy that it had gone down a little, but it was still elevated.  The doctor was concerned about my ears.  He couldn’t find anything wrong with them but was still sure that they were my problem.  I wanted to talk about hypoglycemia but he didn’t seem interested at all and he never explained to me why I might be off base with my concerns.  He finally consented to a blood test because he wanted to check my kidney function to make sure the Atkins diet wasn’t damaging my kidneys.  He also said he’d check the glucose levels.  I asked if he could check insulin too and he said, "Oh, we don’t do that."  Then he kinda chuckled and added, "What, is that an Atkins thing?"  Well, I can’t say I’ve got a lot of confidence in the guy. I don’t know what the tests will show, of course.  And to really get to the bottom of it all, Iknow I’d need one of those 5 hour glucose tests but I had a hard enough time getting a regular blood test.  I know you’re not experts here but I was just hoping to get some opinions and perhaps some reassurances.  I’m afraid my brain isn’t getting enough glucose. Thanks, Dorothy

Response:

i am not sure what you were experiencing was HUNGER, but rather i believe it "feelings" are!

Dorothy, My mom once had a scary attack of severe dizziness similar to what you describe, and it turned out to be an inner-ear infection (like the one someone else posted about above). They should be able to find out if it’s that by testing. Re: hunger — I have been hungry too on Atkins induction, and no, I don’t think it’s just craving. It feels like HUNGER. I am not much of a cravings person, and I’ve always been pretty good at judging when to stop eating by paying attention to when I stop being hungry, so I know what hunger feels like. I find that a relatively high-calorie, high fat breakfast of, say, eggs scrambled in butter plus sausage (around 600 calories total) doesn’t satiate me the way, say, a bagel and butter did back in my pre-low-carb day. For fewer calories. I know other people here report much less hunger on Atkins, so I think it’s a YMMV area. I compensate by eating a lot more on Atkins. Plus sometimes I cheat a bit by sneaking in some SF peanut butter. Sue

Response:

I have been on the Aktins diet for about two weeks and have lost about 13 lbs.  I have been having lower back pains in the area of my kidneys.  I have been drinking at least a gallon of water a day.   Eggs and bacon for breakfast, deli meets (roast beast, turkey and cheese) and fish or beef for dinner.  Wondering and concerned as to what I am doing wrong? Don’t want to damage the ole kidneys! Ross —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

I have been on the Aktins diet for about two weeks and have lost about 13 lbs.  I have been having lower back pains in the area of my kidneys.  I have been drinking at least a gallon of water a day.   Eggs and bacon for breakfast, deli meets (roast beast, turkey and cheese) and fish or beef for dinner.  Wondering and concerned as to what I am doing wrong? Don’t want to damage the ole kidneys!

Go to see your doctor! This is not normal. PS, Where are your vegetables? Maybe you need to reread your book. ….. Bridget M. LC 7/12/2001 188/176/126

Response:

If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should move to a less severe low carb plan. If you can find it, read a copy of the Schwartzenbein Principle by Diana Schwartzenbein. Frankly, I’d eat more complex carbs until you can get another doctor. One who will listen to you and help you.

Thanks for the reference.  I’ll see if I can find it. Were you using Lite Salt for the potassium, and have you been taking some supplements?

Yes, I’m taking potassium supplements as well as a multivitamin. Dorothy

Response:

I’m betting your caloric intake is way down

You may be on to something there.  I do need to keep better track of my calories. Thanks, Dorothy

Response:

Is it possible that independent of your diet you have come down with a virus that has attacked your inner ear.

That was my first thought but the vision disturbances made me wonder. When I saw the doctor, he did his "sure-fire inner ear test" which involved eye tracking and rapid changes in position and I didn’t get dizzy at all.  And I’m feeling pretty good today.  I’ve been making sure that I eat enough. If you are concerned about low blood sugar, why not invest in a glucometer, the blood sugar measuring devices used by people with diabetes. They are sold at every pharmacy. In the East CVS has just started selling a very good one that only costs $9.99.  The strips cost $25 for a pack of 50 which is a lot cheaper than all the other brands.  The meter comes with 10 strips so if you only do occasional tests you won’t even have to buy any for a while. Hypoglycemic blood sugar levels would be those 60 mg/dl and under.

Thanks for the info and the suggestion.  I will look into it. Dorothy

Response:

i am not sure what you were experiencing was HUNGER, but rather i believe it "feelings" are!

I’m pretty sure it’s hunger, cravings have been more like a specific compulsion for me.  What I’m talking about is an empty, gnawing sensation in my stomach.  It was so severe one night that it woke me up.  I had had a large dinner that night – steak and lobster and salad.  I may have even snacked afterward on pork rinds or jerky.  I had certainly eaten enough but I have suspected for some time that my hunger signals are messed up.  I can be stuffed and hungry at the same time. Dorothy

Response:

My mom once had a scary attack of severe dizziness similar to what you describe, and it turned out to be an inner-ear infection (like the one someone else posted about above). They should be able to find out if it’s that by testing.

He didn’t find anything wrong with my ears and the episode only last a few minutes.  It’s all cleared up now. I’ve always been pretty good at judging when to stop eating by paying attention to when I stop being hungry, so I know what hunger feels like.

My hunger lies to me.  I can be hungry after a huge, bloating meal. I’ve learned to ignore it.  I have noticed some improvement lately and I think that might have brought on my recent problem.  I was forgetting to eat.  I missed a meal on Sunday and my snacks have gone uneaten.  I just haven’t been very hungry. Dorothy

Response:

snipped: If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should move to a less severe low carb

plan. If you can find it, read a copy of the Schwartzenbein Principle byDiana Schwartzenbein. Diana Schwarzbein is an endocrinologist and her book "The Schwarzbein Principle" is always available at barnesandnoble.com for only $11.65. Trust me it will be the best money you ever spent.   Happy low carbing –                                      Dawn

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Diana Schwarzbein is an endocrinologist

You say this every post…

Response:

Diana Schwarzbein is an endocrinologist You say this every post…

 Yes and?

Response:

Dorothy, Eat more!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i am not sure what you were experiencing was HUNGER, but rather i believe it two "feelings" are! I’m pretty sure it’s hunger, cravings have been more like a specific compulsion for me.  What I’m talking about is an empty, gnawing sensation in my stomach.  It was so severe one night that it woke me up.  I had had a large dinner that night – steak and lobster and salad.  I may have even snacked afterward on pork rinds or jerky.  I had certainly eaten enough but I have suspected for some time that my hunger signals are messed up.  I can be stuffed and hungry at the same time. Dorothy

Response:

I’m pretty sure it’s hunger, cravings have been more like a specific compulsion for me.  What I’m talking about is an empty, gnawing sensation in my stomach.  It was so severe one night that it woke me up.  I had had a large dinner that night – steak and lobster and salad.  I may have even snacked afterward on pork rinds or jerky.  I had certainly eaten enough but I have suspected for some time that my hunger signals are messed up.  I can be stuffed and hungry at the same time. Dorothy

In the "Protein Power" book, the Drs. Eades note that a gnawing kind of hunger could be a sign of an ulcer or gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining).  The stomach releases a small amount of acid during the night that can cause discomfort if you have one of these conditions. Eating helps to neutralize the acid, and relieves the ‘hunger pangs’.  The Eades claim that a low-carb diet helps to heal ulcers and gastritis, and say these conditions can be worsened by overeating carbs. I don’t know if this describes what you’re experiencing, just thought I’d mention it. hth, Lisa aka bunniee http://www.bunniee.net/ Hello Kitty Ninja Warriors

Response:

The bad headache at the back of the head (resembling a hangover) might be related to dehydration.  It’s pretty easy to get somewhat dehydrated on induction.   Besides blood sugar withdrawal, some of the weak, dizzy feeling might related to the excess excretion of potassium and sodium on induction. You might try adding some Lite salt to your food, or 1/8 tsp to a glass of sugarfree Kool-Aid or Crystal Lite to make a sort of homemade sugarfree Gatorade. —                 "There’s a seeker born every minute."

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The weak dizzying feeling can also be low zinc levels and low blood sugar. Holly

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