I went to a naturopath last week…

My chronic dizziness drove me to her.

The doctor who operated on my eye looked at me like I was a hypochondriac when I told him I was frequently dizzy. I informed him it began 4 days after my surgery, so it must be related. He told me the anesthesia should have filtered out of my system in 24 hours. When I read his mind he smirked, “Crazy woman.? A fair assessment, but not his field of expertise…

So, after weeks of nearly continual light-headedness, near drunkenness, and a little research on adrenal fatigue – I made an appointment with a naturopath physician. Surely she would assess that the problem is not only with my mind.

She was like a therapist. I cried, we laughed, and I used more than my fair share of tissue. I told her I not only felt dizzy, but: cold, night sweats, weak, difficulty making decisions, horribly forgetful, even the ring of the phone causes an unfavorable physiological response from my chest. She drew blood, but not like a vampire. She used a needle, and I was brave. She wanted to test for possible anemia or some kind-of thyroid issue…

If I self-assess, I sound like a woman who is still within the first year of having a baby. How can one separate the obvious symptoms of one who is post-partum and one who has other problems up her sleeve???

She listed out several things for me to do while waiting for the results. I lost the list. She printed out a sheet of good snacking options for a dizzy woman. I lost that too. I lost my calendar, and I\’ve lost 4 pounds since Thanksgiving. That is NOT a problem, but it\’s a bit strange… since peanut butter balls and other chocolate holiday fare tempted this post-partum soul. I digress…

The results came back. Low glucose/blood sugar. I was not fasting, but the levels were low for a fasting person. Looking at myself in the mirror, I look like someone who gets PLENTY of sugar. Academically, I know it is different. However, as a woman who is fighting to find her pre-pregnancy body… wha??? I\’m confused. Oh yeah, I have low blood sugar.

I looked online. This site lists out the symptoms:

hunger (not so hungry)
Nervousness and shakiness (check)
Perspiration (check)
Dizziness or light-headedness (check and, yes… CHECK)
Sleepiness (check)
Confusion (that is so a check)
Difficulty speaking (ch e c k)
Feeling anxious or weak (ch.. … .)

Then it says:

Hypoglycemia can also happen while you are sleeping. You might
Cry out or have nightmares (not so much)
Find that your pajamas or sheets are damp from perspiration (sad, but true – and also a post-partum phenom)
Feel tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up (H E doublehockeysticks yes)

I want to breakdown the following sentence from the site: “hypoglycemia is uncommon except as a side effect of diabetes treatment, but it can result from other medications or diseases, hormone or enzyme deficiencies, or tumors.” I agree with the blood-test findings… I do not have diabetes (sigh of relief), but I do have a disease – it’s called Mother Of More Than One Preschooler. Hormones? Hello, my youngest is 10 months old. Enzyme deficiencies – wha??? I\’m sorry, it\’s my low glucose confusion speaking. Tumors – ummm… one just got yanked from my eye a month ago.

Pardon me, I’m feeling dizzy again. I need to go eat my third breakfast. Maybe I’ll eat a head of lettuce and wash it down with a handful of nuts…