[audiogatorjim]

I am getting blurred vision lately. Usually it is like seeing sunspots. very bad when in the sun but while driving tonight, lights were blurred and vision was not good. So, I pulled over and checked my blood sugar. It was 89. I ate something and the vision has slowly improved. I have been thinking this may have been a reaction to some blood pressure medicine I have been taking but now I am suspecting lower blood sugar levels (for me anyway)
I will check my level 2 hours after eating.
I might add my sleep has been horrific and I am under a lot of stress.

 

[Richard157]

I get blurred vision when my BG drops below 75, but only if it drops rather quickly. I can also have that problem in the 80s if I have dropped very fast from a higher level. I test and eat some glucose tablets, then the blurring disappears very soon.

It is also true that other things can cause blurred vision. Reactions to medications might cause it. I also remember, about 15 years ago, that I had vision problems due to cataracts in my eyes. After the cataracts were removed that problem was solved.

 

[onaughmae]

My vision gets blurry when my blood sugar is low or is dropping quickly. It passes though once my blood sugar stabalizes. It is pretty annoying though.

 

[righteousdude2]

I'm Right There with You!

Every time my BS goes under 80 it seems as though I'm looking through a screen door. When my number goes below 70, the back of my head and neck feel as though someone has their foot there and is pushing really hard.

At 65, my lips begin to tingle. My ears ring loudly, and I begin to shake.

It happens very quick, and if I get up and go for something to raise my numbers, I can bottom out quickly. :help:

So, the answer to you question is yes! My vision is the first thing to get messed with by low blood sugar. And you'd think I'd do something at that point, but, too often, once I notice the screen door haze before my eyes. I go into a quick burnout.

Yesterday, for example, I checked my number in the bedroom, and it was 77. By the time I reached the kitchen for my quick sugar boost liquid, I was at 51.

A lot of my problem with recognizing low blood sugar has to do with the fact that I take Atenonol, and beta blockers tend to mask low sugar symptoms.

Thanks for a great question. I can personally and completely identify!

Shalom,

Pastor Paul

 

[Richard157]

Paul, you should always have something with you so you will not have to get up and go to another location. Glucose tablets work very fast and a tube of those tablets coul be in your pocket, another on the table by your computer, another in your car, and one by your bed. I buy the plastic jars of tablets for each of those locations, except for my pocket, where I have a tube.

 

[righteousdude2]

How Many Does It Take to Help You Recover?

Paul, you should always have something with you so you will not have to get up and go to another location. Glucose tablets work very fast and a tube of those tablets coul be in your pocket, another on the table by your computer, another in your car, and one by your bed. I buy the plastic jars of tablets for each of those locations, except for my pocket, where I have a tube.

I do have those, but, they don't seem to work that well. How many do you have to take to get out of the 60, and 70 range?

I go to the kitchen to eat some peanut butter, or grab some juice.

 

[Richard157]

Peanut butter digests very slowly and is a poor choice for helping a hypo. Juice is good if it has sugar added. Be sure it is sweetened juice, with a high sugar content. Glucose tabs work faster for me than anything else. They are made especially for that purpose.

I have experimented and found 1 glucose tab will raise my blood sugar about 12 points. If I am 60 and want to reach 100 then I need to raise my blood sugar 40 points. I divide 40 by 12 and get a little more than 3. So I eat 3 tabs.

You need to know how much 1 tab will raise your blood sugar before you know how many to eat. You may need fewer, or more than I do.

 

[righteousdude2]

Thanks!

Peanut butter digests very slowly and is a poor choice for helping a hypo. Juice is good if it has sugar added. Be sure it is sweetened juice, with a high sugar content. Glucose tabs work faster for me than anything else. They are made especially for that purpose.

I have experimented and found 1 glucose tab will raise my blood sugar about 12 points. If I am 60 and want to reach 100 then I need to raise my blood sugar 40 points. I divide 40 by 12 and get a little more than 3. So I eat 3 tabs.

You need to know how much 1 tab will raise your blood sugar before you know how many to eat. You may need fewer, or more than I do.

I was not aware that peanut butter worked soooo slowly, thanks for the info!

I usually need around four or five tablets to get up 40 points.

While I have your ear, how often does the average diabetic have lows? It seems that I can go for a few days without any, then I have been several in the space of a day. It is frustrating to say the least.

BTW, the same amount of insulin I take for the same amount of carbs one day, does not always mean it will be adequate a few days later, for the exact same food and carb count. :boom:

Thanks for your help!

Pastor Paul

 

[Richard157]

I'm not sure there is an average diabetic. Lol! It varies so much. I know diabetics who say they never have lows below 70, and others say they are below 70 several times per day. I used to have some lows in the 20s and 30s a few times each month. When I started using an insulin pump and really learned how to program it i stopped having lows below 50. I am able to take care of my lows by myself now. These lows never occur during my sleep. I have lows 50-70 about once per day, but I am used to them and take care of them very quickly. No problem. That is what so many years of experience can do for you.

I also have a very good day, then eat the same meal the next day under the same conditions and have a high or low that is completely unexpected. That is not at all unusual. I think all type 1 diabetics have that problem. Some type 2 diabetics, like you, have that problem too. I have a close friend who is type 2 and uses a pump. He stays 80-100 about 90% of the time and never goes below 70 or above 110. He has the best control of any diabetic I know. I could never do that, even though I have tried his exact routine.