Diabetes Forum banner
  • Welcome! Are you ready to join the discussions? Click here!

Blood Glucose Level at 88 with Hypoglycemic Symptoms?

31K views 24 replies 7 participants last post by  John.in.France 
#1 ·
Hello,

I'm new here, just registered. I've been really trying to take care of my diabetes in trying different things i.e. exercise, diet. But After a workout today I came home to measure my BG level and was at 179. So I dropped in 6 units of Humalog and just minded my own business. After some hours I started to feel jittery, weak and extreme hunger. So I measured my BG level and it was at 88. I thought 88 was "normal" level not hypoglycemic range.

Does anyone have any insight to this? I'm very confused...
 
#2 ·
It IS a normal level - not hypoglycemic by any stretch of the imagination. Apparently you've been running high enough that your body is unhappy with 88. As you stabilize your blood sugar, I think your body will acclimate to "normal" levels, and not be jittery. How did you calculate that 6 units would be appropriate; what is your correction factor?
 
#4 ·
You need to have a long talk with your doctor. They can't just send you out with a pen full of insulin without teaching you how to use it. You need to know how to count carbs, what your insulin-to-carb ratio is, your insulin sensitivity factor and your correction factor.

When our bodies have been running high for very long, they get settled in that rut and they LIKE high levels. Then when we start lowering the blood glucose in order to save our own lives, the body fights that change. Rest assured that 88 is not hypoglycemic, it just feels that way to you because you've been way high. Tell us what was your A1c upon diagnosis, and what are the meter readings you've been getting since going on insulin? Are you adjusting your diet to accommodate your diabetes?
 
#5 ·
This happened to me too. When my BG's levels were super high I actually felt normal until they got TOO high (and I started having symptoms)...Anyway, now that my numbers are within normal ranges I start feeling low and I'll check and they are around 80's and high 70's. Today I felt almost hypo and BG was 70. I feel my best now between 90 and 100. But I am adapting to my blood sugar settling into these low territories.
 
#6 ·
The prescribed unit is 6 per meal, so that is what I use.

So in lieu of my jittery and weakened feeling, should I have not taken any measures? Which I took a sip of a soda, raised me to 114. Reading have been very sporadic even with healthy meals. Which led me to thinking my glucose meter might be faulty.
 
#8 · (Edited)
But you hadn't eaten a meal, so why the 6 units? All you did was work out, which can raise blood glucose. I believe you should have not taken any measures. It's important to test during workouts, and if your readings start to rise too high, then stop & give it a rest. If they start to drop too low, then take a glucose tablet. (btw, glucose tabs are the best option in treating lows, because they are in measured amounts so you know exactly what you're getting, as opposed to a sip of soda.)

This is exactly why you need to learn carb counting, to learn your insulin-to-carb ratio, and what your correction factor is - i.e. how many points 1 unit of insulin will lower your blood sugar.

Your meter can have a 20% variance either way, so it's hard to say whether it's faulty or not. Tell us what you mean by "healthy meals".
 
#9 ·
soli deo gloria said:
The prescribed unit is 6 per meal, so that is what I use.

So in lieu of my jittery and weakened feeling, should I have not taken any measures? Which I took a sip of a soda, raised me to 114. Reading have been very sporadic even with healthy meals. Which led me to thinking my glucose meter might be faulty.
As you work to find which foods your body tolerates BG levels bouncing up and down is normal. Just remember to log every meal and snack and remember to take your one and two hour PP readings and you'll learn a diet your body can tolerate and not have the wild swings.

Good luck and keep it up!

Sent from my iPhone
 
#12 ·
BG's in the 70's-100 are very normal bgs. But as a diabetic if you run bgs much higher when they drop in that range they will feel low. I think the only way to avoid this is to try to keep bgs more stable during the day. I never like my bgs to spike more than 40 points or to go much above the mid 120's. By doing this I can usually avoid those shakey feelings in the 80's and 90's.
 
#13 ·
When I first started carb counting my numbers started coming into normal range pretty quickly. I dealt with false hypos for about a week. At first they made me feel pretty yucky. I likened it to what it must feel like to go through drug withdrawal. My body was in carb withdrawal and hyperglycemia withdrawal I still tested to be sure I wasn't actually hypo. I am fine and now don't feel that til I'm actually hypo which is rare for me. :)
 
#16 ·
If you are actually hypo just use the 15/15 rule. 15 grams of quick acting carbs. Wait 15 minutes and retest. Do over if you are still hypo. Quick acting carbs are glucose tablets. Serving of juice. Don't over do it with sugary snacks it could come back to haunt you later. Its natural to want to stuff your face with cookies, cake etc. you become ravenous when you are hypo and you feel terrible.
 
#17 ·
soli deo gloria said:
Hmmm, so when I get that jittery feeling when I'm in normal BG range do you recommend that I don't react to it by eating something sugary?
I would agree with Marsha's comment with one small caveat. As long as you know how fast your numbers are dropping, act accordingly. Remember, our meters only give us a snapshot of what our bodies are doing at that precise moment and do not show trends or rapid movements and steep changes. That's why testing is so important. It gives us more and more information. And the more information we have, the better we can manage our D.

Sent from my iPhone
 
#19 ·
Thank you everyone for your kind explanations. Next time I am hit with this I will try to ride it out.

Lat night an hour after dinner I checked my BG and it was at 114. I checked again before going to sleep and it was at 144. Checked again after I woke up this morning and it was at 161. I took my dosage of metformin (1000mg) and humalog (4 units) with my breakfast (couple pieces of bacon) and three pieces of Mary's Gone Crackers. I checked my BG before lunch and it was at 239!? I don't understand this at all...
 
#22 ·
soli deo gloria said:
to my calculation 1.615 grams per cracker with .23 grams of fiber. Sorry, I'm not sure what your latter question means. :confused:
Sounds like you were given the standard "take X units of Novolog with each meal". I'm sorry about that. I feel it's laziness on the doc part not to teach how to bolus properly.

Try a google search for "BBIT". It might help

Sent from my iPhone
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top