[Stephen]

K so I'm only a newly diagnosed diabetic (one week) so iv got loads of questions but one I'm interested in knowing is about hypos.
I know it's when you blood sugar levels go below 4 right? My main question about hypos if I have one and I more then
Likely will at some stage, what does it feel like to have a hypo? And how do most of ye deal with them? Is there a way il be able
To tell if I'm having one, before I'd do a blood sugar test.

Sorry for all the questions... I'm just trying to learn as much as I can so I can deal with my condition better.


Thanks all

 

[ThoseBackPages]

as a Type 2, i can pretty much tell when i have a hypo coming on.

when i first started with this disease i tested a lot, and learned what was going on with my body.

of course, everyone is different, keep that in mind

 

[aimster1mo]

K so I'm only a newly diagnosed diabetic (one week) so iv got loads of questions but one I'm interested in knowing is about hypos.
I know it's when you blood sugar levels go below 4 right? My main question about hypos if I have one and I more then
Likely will at some stage, what does it feel like to have a hypo? And how do most of ye deal with them? Is there a way il be able
To tell if I'm having one, before I'd do a blood sugar test.

Sorry for all the questions... I'm just trying to learn as much as I can so I can deal with my condition better.


Thanks all

Depending on how hard I crash they can be from mild (shakiness, heart racing , eyes get blurry and just feel off) to hitting me like a ton of bricks.

Last night for instance I didn't really feel the shakiness and I wasn't sweating (which most times happens) but my heart started racing and my stomach started to hurt....badly. That's when I knew I was in trouble.
I don't know about anyone else but the stomach ache for me can be really intense. (I've wondered if anyone else has this experience with a hypo) ???
I immediately checked my sugar and confirmed what I already knew.

**In fact anytime I'm feeling weird the first thing I do is check my sugar.**

I usually drink juice because for me it acts the fastest in bringing my bgl level up but others like other things.

 

[diabetes86]

There are some 20 different symptoms of getting a hypo, No one gets all of them, some get 1 or 2 or 3 of the symptoms. Most common are feeling shaky, confused, sweating "antsy".

Cure for hypo
fast acting sugar... glucose tablets, orange juice, sweetened soda... I find potato chips work pretty fast.

 

[Denedil]

Typically for me the progression of hypo symptoms is :
Sweaty, cool sensation (adrenaline rush?)

Possible very minor shakes (mostly hands) , confusion, dizzyness, anger (for no reason) Ravenous hunger. (Out of the way of the food, or else!!)

Intense confusion (what am I even doing!?), vision starts going black on the edges,progressing inwards.

Previous symptoms intensify, seizure starts, jerking involuntary limb movements, incomprehensible speech. (Your body is moving on it's own and you can't even scream "help").

You even want to know what's next? Avoid the hypos.
Initially I get very stubborn, wanting to ignore the symptoms. I think this is an symptom, do not let it happen, exercise willpower and check/treat. Whatever you're doing can wait.

I treat with apple juice or glucose tablets. Always have glucose tablets with you.

I don't want to sound negative in this post, I just want it clear what *can* happen, not what will. Best of luck, just stay aware of how you're feeling.

 

[Adjitater]

There are also those that have no symptoms at all and just collapse into an unconcious state

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[smorgan]

I'm a type 2 and I've never had a low and don't think I ever will unless I'm forced at some point to use insulin and miscalculate. That's the last thing on my mind. I'm only concerned with not having highs.

Everything I've read indicates that true hypoglycemic incidents are extremely rare in T2s. It seems that most of what you read about in these forums are just "perceived" lows or something of a shock when BG becomes normal after long periods of being hyper and not actual hypoglycemic levels. Search hypoglycemia and you'll see that nothing over 55 is ever called that and even so only when other conditions are met. For women it's even lower.

If they do occur without insulin-lowering drugs or insulin as unlikely as that is, they are most likely "reactive". This means that your body had a late and/or exaggerated reaction to glucose entering the bloodstream, over-secreted insulin and caused the low. The solution to that is to reduce all foods which lead to glucose in the blood prioritizing for elimination first those which do it the fastest.

This may seem counter-intuitive to many who feel that if I'm hypo it means I consumed insufficient carbohydrates. The truth is just the opposite unless you're taking insulin or certain drugs which force BG down like insulin does. You avoid hypos by reducing foods which produce glucose in the blood, not increasing them.

Edit: Sorry, I just noticed the OP is a Type 1. (I forgot this particular forum isn't "segregated" like some others.) This message only applies to T2s. Please ignore if appropriate and don't be offended.

 

[optimist]

When I got my diabetes last year I also wondered how it would be and if I could avoid it.
Two weeks after my diagnose I first felt it, although my BG was only 3,7.
When I got my first low, I never had any doubt at all what it was I experience. I shook, got noisy and sweated like a pig.
After sharing my life with diabetes for a while, things changed when I felt low and how I experienced it.

 

[Stephen]

When u had that hypo, what did u do to raise ur blood sugar?

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[optimist]

I always first drink 1/2 cup with orangejuice or milk, waits for 15 minutes and check my BG again.
If it is lower or the same, I drink milk or juice once more, and check my BG again after 15 minutes.
When it starts to rise, I always eat something with fat and protein. Sometimes I just have some nuts, other times I choose to have a little meal, maybe leftovers or an omelet or a slize of proteinbread with butter and maybe a salad.
I checkc again 30 minutes after this meal, and decides then if it is ok or if I should eat something else.

If I becomes hypo when !`m out, I use my treasure-box; first I take the juice and then I will take a piece of schocolate or a biscuit, and also some potatochips or nuts in the end.

The first times I got hypo, I paniced a little and ate to much, which gave me a high BG afterwards, but I learned to adjust it after some mistakes.

 

[naynay]

Stephen, you should always get in the habit of having glucose tablets or glucose gel handy for those moments when a hypo does occur. I had a dangerous situation occur a few weeks back where I was driving my car and had a hypo (down to 55). Luckily I was 5 minutes from home and was able to get there okay, but when I got out of the car I was swaying from the garage to the inside of the house. I had nothing with me in the car. Hypos can come on so suddenly and really be dangerous. I learned not to get in my car and drive without first checking my sugar, and secondly I went right out and bought 2 containers of glucose tablets (one in my purse and one in my car), and a bottle of glucose gel to keep in my office (work place) and advised my boss if this should occur to give it to me immediately. It is important that people who are around you the most know what to do in case you go hypo as well. Hypo feelings are different for every one, but for me I get antsy (like anxiety attack or panic attack), heart races, sweating, shaking, brain fog, and just overall feeling very bad. Sometimes I get a stomach ache as well. When you start having a blacking out feeling, you need to get a sugar source into you right away. However, keep in mind that it will take approximately 15 minutes for whatever source you ingest to get into your bloodstream. Therefore, be sure to check your numbers often. It can be very scary so it is extremely important that you have steps and a plan in place should this occur. Typically this will happen more so with meds or insulin. Mine occurred shortly after being placed on insulin.

Good Luck to you!

 

[Joshua Shorter]

I always get this feeling in my stomach like it is eating itself when my bg is too low. I get the shakes that sometimes start as restless hands. I always start shaking them to try and shake the feeling but it rarely works and then I realize what is actually going on.

Like was said earlier, I think you will know as soon a you have one. Everyone is different and people even have different symptoms themselves.

Also, don't think that just because our bg has been going along just fine that means it won't drop. I can test at a perfectly fine number and drop an hour later. Sometimes this disease likes to screw with us.

 

[MsTCB]

I agree with NayNay. The low BG can come on VERY quickly. Last week I was eating out at a Mexican Restaurant. My BG was 134 before I ate the taco salad and I took my 20 units of Insulin before I ate. After eating I went to grocery store for a quick 20 min. trip and by the time I got home I could barely walk up my apartment steps. My BG had dropped to 62!

I have to respectfully disagree with "Smorgan" - at least in my experience low BG's are not so rare in T2's. I've struggled with them off and on throughout the past 13 years.

For me the symptoms are lots of sweating (my entire head of hair gets wet!), my breathing becomes fast and shallow (like panting), sometimes I get tunnel vision (peripheral disappears), hands visibly shake, legs and arms feel weak - like you've been running, heart beats harder, and my mind gets highly focused on getting food. Hope this helps.

 

[smorgan]

I agree with NayNay. The low BG can come on VERY quickly. Last week I was eating out at a Mexican Restaurant. My BG was 134 before I ate the taco salad and I took my 20 units of Insulin before I ate. After eating I went to grocery store for a quick 20 min. trip and by the time I got home I could barely walk up my apartment steps. My BG had dropped to 62!

I have to respectfully disagree with "Smorgan" - at least in my experience low BG's are not so rare in T2's. I've struggled with them off and on throughout the past 13 years.

For me the symptoms are lots of sweating (my entire head of hair gets wet!), my breathing becomes fast and shallow (like panting), sometimes I get tunnel vision (peripheral disappears), hands visibly shake, legs and arms feel weak - like you've been running, heart beats harder, and my mind gets highly focused on getting food. Hope this helps.

Do you get those symptoms at 62? Medically, that is not regarded as hypoglycemia (not even close) so I'm wondering if there is another cause which happens to coincide with these "lows". Or perhaps it actually dropped much lower than 62 and you caught it on the way back up?

Actual hypoglycemia as medically defined is I believe extremely rare to nonexistent among T2s. Hypoglycemic symptoms are not normally experienced above 55, even lower for women. Maybe it is the size of the drop from an abnormally high level just prior?

Or, perhaps years of excessive glucose could make such levels "feel" dangerous, but I've never seen any suggestion that a BG level of 60 could be harmful in any way.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

i start to "feel it" when i hit the low 60s. it's just my body's way of reminding me that it's time to eat something

 

[Shanny]

The difference may be in type 2s who are insulin dependent and those who are not. I have never suffered anything lower than 80 (4.4). You may not have either, Salim. But when people are using insulin, the odds of going low increase substantially, and if I'm not mistaken, 60 (3.3) is the jumping off point for treating it. You prob'ly aren't going to slip into a coma at 60, but you better be testing & reaching for a glucose tab, because if you're dropping, it can go lower very quickly.

 

[ThoseBackPages]

"You prob'ly aren't going to slip into a coma at 60"

no, i dont believe you would either. ive been lower then that a few times, but havnt been in a coma lol

it does have a "drunk like" feeling to it though

 

[d33na]

I would think anyone using insulin could have a hypo regardless of type

 

[optimist]

For me it has changed a lot.
My first low was 3,7 and believe me; I really felt it.
Now I drop to 2, 3 before I notice anything, but then I really feels it.
I believe it is different when we feel low and how we feel it.

 

[Adjitater]

The actual level that hypoglycemia starts at is 69.

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