A 32-year-old woman, JC, tried the keto diet after giving birth to her daughter. She restricted carbohydrates but experienced numbness in her legs, anxiety, and panic attacks. Despite being diagnosed with postpartum depression, JC's symptoms worsened when she returned to the keto diet. She was hospitalized after experiencing severe hypoglycemia, which caused her to become unresponsive and incoherent.
After a series of tests, including a 72-hour fast, JC's insulin levels were found to be three times the upper limit of normal, indicating an insulinoma, a rare tumor that causes the pancreas to produce excess insulin. The tumor was surgically removed, and JC's depression medications were discontinued.
It was later discovered that JC's symptoms may not have been entirely caused by postpartum depression, but rather by the insulinoma, which was masked during pregnancy due to insulin resistance. The keto diet, combined with breastfeeding, exacerbated the symptoms.
After recovering from the surgery, JC's blood sugar levels returned to normal, and she was able to resume her normal life. The case highlights the importance of considering insulinoma as a potential cause of hypoglycemia in postpartum women, especially those following a keto diet.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. JC, a 32-year-old woman, tried the keto diet after giving birth to her daughter.
2. JC had gained 30 pounds during her pregnancy and wanted to lose the weight.
3. She restricted all carbohydrates to zero and ate only proteins and fats, paired with an hour of exercise daily.
4. JC started feeling numbness in her legs during her morning runs, which was without pain or burning sensations.
5. Her husband noticed her repeatedly pouring water from one bottle to another at breakfast, and she had no memory of it afterwards.
6. JC felt panic and anxiety, started crying every day, and couldn't sleep through the night.
7. Breaking her keto diet and eating carbs made her feel better, but she resisted the urge.
8. JC was diagnosed with postpartum depression at the doctor's office.
9. The doctor had concerns that JC's keto diet could be causing problems with her blood sugar levels.
10. JC's blood test revealed severe hypoglycemia.
11. JC was prescribed medicine and advised to stop her strict keto diet while breastfeeding.
12. JC relaxed her diet but only for a few weeks before returning to her strict keto diet.
13. JC's vision started to double, and she felt tingling in her fingers.
14. JC's husband thought she was joking, but realized something was wrong when she tried to put their baby in the refrigerator.
15. JC had no recollection of the incident, but the same episodes repeated every morning.
16. JC's anxiety and insomnia returned, and her vision started to go dark.
17. JC was hospitalized and underwent a series of tests, including a blood test that revealed severe hypoglycemia.
18. The medical team administered a sugar water mixture intravenously, and JC's consciousness improved.
19. More tests were done, and it was found that nothing was wrong with JC's kidneys, liver, or heart.
20. JC was showing neuroglyco panic symptoms, which refers to a deficiency of sugar in the brain.
21. The brain needs sugar to function, and JC's brain was not getting enough sugar.
22. The medical team ordered JC to fast for 72 hours to monitor her blood sugar and ketone levels.
23. JC's blood glucose levels were less than half the lower limit of normal, and her ketone levels were virtually absent.
24. The medical team suspected that JC had an insulinoma, a tumor that releases insulin inappropriately.
25. An abdominal MRI with contrast revealed a well-defined tumor in JC's pancreas.
26. The tumor was removed, and JC's depression medicines were tapered and then discontinued.
27. JC's symptoms were caused by an insulinoma, not postpartum depression.
28. JC's body became more responsive to insulin after giving birth, which made her symptoms more pronounced.