I'm 1.7. Again

[Antje77]

Yeah I'm going low again. 3.8. Here we go again

So treat again and contact your diabetes nurse on changing your doses again.

 

[Rokaab]

Ending up at 14.1 isn't the end of the world, it takes time to learn what works best.

And even when you do know better its still very easy to overdo it

Went to sleep and was 14.1 a few hours later.

But yeah whilst 14 may not be the best ever, its a lot lot better than less 2 or 3

 

[plantae]

Treating it now. One orange juice, not 1 litre

 

[plantae]

Overtreating a low is very common even in long time diabetics who never had such horrible hypos as you've been having.
Ending up at 14.1 isn't the end of the world, it takes time to learn what works best.

It was easy to do. The problem is I don't know how many mmols different foods raise me, or how quickly. I'm writing more things down now. I'll learn

Edit: I won't be alone in the house again after tomorrow so I might be able to panic less

 

[Antje77]

The problem is I don't know how many mmols different foods raise me, or how quickly.

Of course you don't know yet, it's all new to you!
This is a marathon, not a sprint, learning a new skill takes time and that's perfectly fine.

And like @Rokaab said, most of us overdo hypo treatment sometimes, even with years of experience.

 

[EllieM]

@plantae your record keeping is admirable and a lesson to us all. It should save you lots of time in working out your doses, but since there are a large number of variables here, you need that data.

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Sorry, I deleted my last post. I don't know what I'm pressing. Here it is again.
They've reduced my lantus by 2 units.
Basically I didn't handle the second low well at all. Had too much (1 litre of orange juice and 3 teaspoons of sugar. No, honey, why did I type sugar. I'm probably going low again). Went to sleep and was 14.1 a few hours later.

The 4.1 is when I last posted, but countour said I was lower than that. After the alarm went off I had 42 billion carbs (I was very thirsty) too quickly (I think). I slept for most of the day except when my alarm went off at 9:30'ish. I handled my first low much better. I had too much too quickly because I panicked

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After 1 litre of orange juice and 3 teaspoons of honey (has the same effect as sugar) which would amount to 123g of carbs in one go, I'm amazed the highest reading is 14.1. This would strengthen your theory that Lantus is probably the cause of persistent lows. It would be interesting to your medical team to know both the carb intake and the resulting BG graph

 

[Grant_Vicat]

After 1 litre of orange juice and 3 teaspoons of honey (has the same effect as sugar) which would amount to 123g of carbs in one go, I'm amazed the highest reading is 14.1. This would strengthen your theory that Lantus is probably the cause of persistent lows. It would be interesting to your medical team to know both the carb intake and the resulting BG graph

Sorry, your earlier post hadn't appeared when I wrote the above!

 

[plantae]

After 1 litre of orange juice and 3 teaspoons of honey (has the same effect as sugar) which would amount to 123g of carbs in one go, I'm amazed the highest reading is 14.1. This would strengthen your theory that Lantus is probably the cause of persistent lows. It would be interesting to your medical team to know both the carb intake and the resulting BG graph

Yes I'll be interested as well. I've got everything written down and I can show the diabetes nurse on my phone as well. It was 137g of carbs, your calculations are very good. The thing I changed last night was that I spaced out my orange juice and measured every 10 minutes instead of every 2 haha (I was relatively lucid and BSL wasn't dropping further so seemed safe. My fear basically stems from that I've been alone at nights this week. Peaked at 8.6 last night and then dropped down to 4.1 about 2 hours later and then it levelled out at 4.6 for the rest of the night, so lantus is in my notebook to discuss -- it already was in my head to discuss but it's written down now so I'm less likely to forget, which I've been know to do

 

[plantae]

@plantae your record keeping is admirable and a lesson to us all. It should save you lots of time in working out your doses, but since there are a large number of variables here, you need that data.

I'm a bit of a "data hoarder", if there's such a thing. I've got a bookshelf of diaries that I've kept since 1990! I can look back and see what I did on most days (there's some weeks missing from when I was in ICU) from that period if I want to. I never do, but it's there if for some crazy reason I need it. I have food diaries from 2019 but no blood glucose or insulin data to match up with the food... that's started now

 

[Grant_Vicat]

That's the problem. I don't know what it feels like either. All I know is that I can't remember a thing. My mum has told be that I refused to take my glucose. The Dr said that my paramedics said I went comatose. I can't remember any of this. Looking back on my messages this was not and is not me at all. And that upsets me

I wonder if this might help, taken from something I wrote some years ago:

Hypos fascinate me. After all, they occur because the brain is starved of energy and therefore the body shuts down. Yet I am able to recall many of the topical and visual details and even the state of mind at the time. The shut- down of the brain can begin subtly. Many times my wife Helen has asked me to do a test because my speech has slowed down, not necessarily perceptibly to others. I might insist that I don’t need to. Difficulty in making choices or decisions is also a giveaway. Visibly the face takes on a deathly pallor because what little glucose there is has been distributed to the brain and heart. Vague staring is common, as is slurred speech. The problem is that these are all recognisable symptoms in a drunk. Similar to a drunk, a diabetic can become violent when accosted. This is because the brain translates well-intended actions into attack. When faced with a semi-conscious person it is unwise to offer questions or statements which require reasoning or choice. Do not say “Do you think you ought to have some sugar?” The sheer effort of making a judgement is enough to cause unpredictable reactions. In my 40s I burst into tears (a rare occurrence) when in a hypoglycaemic condition, simply because I was expected to make rational responses. Instead you should say something like “You need sugar, here is some.” Personally I hate sugar, and as I have said, solid glucose. They leave an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth. If I were to go to the famous Desert Island, I would take something savoury, preferably involving bacon. I once said to a Catholic Headmaster: “If there’s no bacon in Heaven, then I ain’t going there. I probably won’t anyway” I have apparently punched well-meaning people {including my poor father} who have tried to administer sweet tea. I am not, however, aware that Lucozade has resulted in violence.

I have a whole battery of warning signs when I am low, sugar-wise. The most obvious is sudden excessive yawning. Many times in public I have been tempted to ask total strangers whether they are diabetic, simply because they yawn incessantly. Is this because the brain thinks it needs bucketfuls of Oxygen to create unattainable energy? I can also feel unnaturally depressed. Red stars can dance within my eyes and if I walk into a darker area, what look like giant sunflower heads blot out my vision. Tingling affects all my mouth, my hands shake, and I have a raging headache. I have often been alerted to low readings because I am unable to make decisions. Ironically this is often at lunchtime, in a food shop, when I am trying to work out what adds up to 60g of Carbohydrate.

 

[plantae]

Thank you for taking the time to write/adapt this for me @Grant_Vicat

I don't think I became violent, nobody has told me that... I've been told that I became very stubborn, refused to do what anyone was telling/asking me to do and would not talk. When I was in hospital the Dr asked me for permission to talk to my mum which I, of course, gave because I was lucid again at that stage. He gave her many suggestions, some of which match exactly what you've written. I still feel guilty though... she was trying to save my life and I shut down. At least I can understand why now.

The other night my symptoms were extreme headache, extreme thirst and then after the hypo extreme fatigue. I also noticed last night that I was shaking; I've never noticed that before so maybe I'm starting to become more aware and can now start to recognise these symptoms. I've also set my libre alarm to go off at a higher level in the attempt for me to learn to recognise my lows (apart from avoiding them of course)

I've got glucose tubes now. They're exactly 15 g of glucose so I can more easily track my progress instead of trying to think "oh this orange juice has about 20.2 g of carbs, 18.9 g of sugars etc etc" and trying to calculate things when I'm not thinking straight anyway

 

[Grant_Vicat]

Thank you for taking the time to write/adapt this for me @Grant_Vicat

I don't think I became violent, nobody has told me that... I've been told that I became very stubborn, refused to do what anyone was telling/asking me to do and would not talk. When I was in hospital the Dr asked me for permission to talk to my mum which I, of course, gave because I was lucid again at that stage. He gave her many suggestions, some of which match exactly what you've written. I still feel guilty though... she was trying to save my life and I shut down. At least I can understand why now.

The other night my symptoms were extreme headache, extreme thirst and then after the hypo extreme fatigue. I also noticed last night that I was shaking; I've never noticed that before so maybe I'm starting to become more aware and can now start to recognise these symptoms. I've also set my libre alarm to go off at a higher level in the attempt for me to learn to recognise my lows (apart from avoiding them of course)

I've got glucose tubes now. They're exactly 15 g of glucose so I can more easily track my progress instead of trying to think "oh this orange juice has about 20.2 g of carbs, 18.9 g of sugars etc etc" and trying to calculate things when I'm not thinking straight anyway

I honestly think you should not feel guilty at all. This is not a condition you brought on yourself. Although hypos are frightening both for you and your mother, it is worth remembering that many Type 1s (I realise you are 3c, but this is still appropriate) have slept through hypos. This is one of the worst I can relate:
1979 At a party in Haringey, hosted by one of Helen’s predecessors: The hostess left for work at Harrods, with Yours Truly unconscious on a sofa. She telephoned at 12.45. “You still there?” After my baffled response, I put the phone down and tried to think about my state of affairs. I had a raging headache, my vision kept disappearing, and worryingly, I was experiencing a total memory loss. I started to pace around the stark room like a leopard in its too confined quarters. What the hell is wrong? This is not a hangover. I need to talk to someone. My father. What’s his name? Where does he work? (He retired in 1985 and I still remember his number – 01 405 9222 ext 6036) Brain’s battery was completely uncharged then. As I sped around the room in increasing panic, I chanced upon a directory. With my focus looming in and out, I flipped through the pages in the vain hope I might recognise anything. Something suggested the word “assurance” and I had enough cognitive function to write it down. Minutes later I was through to some saint (female) at the switchboard. Why she didn’t think “We’ve got a right one here” I’ll never understand. She deserves recognition.
“Er, er, Oh God, what’s his name?”
“Don’t worry love, which department is he in?”
“Er, ....... Oh blimey I can’t think.”
At this point she began reading down the list until she said:
“Job Evaluation?”
“That’s it!”
I’m a great believer in fate. Normally one of three lovely secretaries would have answered the phone, but for some reason my father himself answered. I must have been able to tell him my whereabouts, because I remember him giving me some chocolate in the flat. The rest is blank until 6.30 the following morning. I had been put in my sister's bedroom and my father put his head round the door to check progress. He found me with the top of my head on the floor, followed by most of my torso. He managed to get me back on the bed and then tried to give me warm sweet tea. I hit him.
Two things strike me here. Firstly, in spite of almost total memory loss, I could remember these details so many years later. Secondly, in those days chocolate was often given for a hypo. The fat in it slows down the absorption of carbs. Years later my father wondered whether he had made the right decision taking me to hospital in 1959. When I asked him why, he said "Because you had such a rough ride." I assured him that he certainly had and that my life in general proved this.