Pancrease And Pots

[dizzygirl]

i folks.. I am wondering since pots effect autonomic functioning.. can it effect the pancrease (SP?????).. i ask for a few reasons.. I did a search and couldnt find much on the pancrease being effected..

And my thoughts about it being.. that in 2002.. when i got really really symptomatic w/ pots.. i began having blood sugar elevations... and they thought I was having beginning signs of diabetes.. 4 yrs ago..

NOTE: i've have pots my whole life.. and never had sugar problems till the last few years... AFTER my pots became severe...)

Well in the ER when my BP was 195 over 100 something and my heart was dancing in the 170-200 range.. I remembered that my labs came back that my sugars where elevated and my potassium was low..

so they folllowed up on it at home.w/ fasting blood test and stuff.. and my sugar levels had returned to normal.. and stayed in the normal range.. 6 months later.. they were slightly elevated again.. then for the next 3 yrs they were fine.. in normal range.. well with in the past year.. as my POTS has grown increasingly worse.. my blood sugar are all over the map!!!!!!

and I'm wondering if I have actually diabetes.. or if pots is effecting my pancrease/insulin output.. and is mimicking diabetes..b/c I have a great deal of other wacky hormonal things going to too.. and during a lengthy hospital stay a few years back an endocrinologist tested me for diabetes (2004) and it was negative...and its been monitored and tested ALOT over the past 4 years... and when my pots is at it worst.. my sugars go up.. thenn will return to normal till the next really really bad tachy spell or pass out or something..

Also a friend of mine spoke with a doc in texas.. who told her that "SOMETIMES" dysautonomia can affect the pancrease..

So here I have been thinking about that.. and thinking back on the rollercoast I;ve been running on in the past few weeks alone with pots.. I've had 20+ passing out/paralysis and or both epsidoes in the past few weeks.. and its been terrible on my body.. well my sugar levels have been with in a normal range.. the other night.. I was severe symptomatic... and tried to jot down some notes on how i was feeling.. and I checked my sugar and it was high (206) 206 is high.. I realize not severely high like a majorly diabetic person.. but high enough to make me feel like poop!.. and I seriously felt like I was going to die.. I had the whole about to float out of my body and everythin going on.. so not cool!!

I remember trying to drink some water and went to bed.. and since then my sugar levels have returned to normal (about90-105)

SO I've got my thinking cap on ... and am wondering if you folks have any insight on this.. or know if the pancrease is effected by dysuatonomia..

its not that I'm in a denial about diabetes... i just have my doubts if its true diabtetes or somehow pots related.. know what i mean?

[calypso]

I would not think POTS could cause blood sugar elevations that high, but I am not sure. Anything above 126 on a fasting glucose test is considered diabetes, I believe. 206 would be pretty high, if you were fasting. If you had just eaten, this may be normal -- I don't know how that works.

Are you supposed to be monitoring your glucose at home? Because if you haven't been given the proper instruction, you could be taking it at the wrong times and getting higher readings because you've recently eaten. My dad was diabetic for 20 years, so having watched him a lot, I know you aren't supposed to check glucose until right before you eat -- so at least four or so hours after your last meal. And you only need to check it this frequently if you are insulin-dependent. I think non-insulin-dependent diabetics only check it morning and evening.

Amy

[cmtaylor5]

Hi, Linda,

I've read more than once that dysautonomia can cause a type of hypoglycemia called "reactive hypoglycemia" (which is the opposite of diabetes "hyperglycemia"). I don't have a good enough understanding of how it works to explain it, but it seems like it would be possible that if dysautonomia can cause one, maybe it could cause the other. Maybe someone with more medical knowledge at the forum can take an educated guess. It seems like there could be a connection for you.

Carolyn

[stellakitty]

Just wanted to add my two cents...

Last year I had some issues with my blood suger becoming high (I think the highest was like 260), then it would drop to normal in a matter of minutes leaving me feeling hypoglycemic. Now a days I have to be sure to eat every couple of hours or my blood sugar drops and I become very shakey. I've noticed some help in leveling out my levels with eating less carbs and more protien.