panicked over blood glucose of 4.9

[andy_hull]

Hello

While i was driving home i felt very strange. deep braething felt on odd pin/needle sensation in my head and also felt out of it, as i was passing tesco i stopped in the car park and tested my bg it was 4.9 which then sent me in a tailspin, i got some gluclose tablets and ate about 10 of them and i have also ate a packet of biscuits.

My bg is now 9.1 ands as far as i'm concerned now the higher the better

I have just been put on 80mg of glicizide and have been taking it for about 5 days as the metformin does not do much for me in reducing bg.

Did I have a hype even though I was not below 4 my levels have been between 12-18 pre glicazide.

I was going to not take any more meds and book myself in tomorrow to see the nurse or have i just panicked, i am not sure i want to take any tablets that can give you a hypo, i am a bit of a worrier and it will be on my mind all the time.

thankyou

andy

 

[totsy]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

hya andy,
it could well have been a false hypo with u being so high before, try not to panic, have a word with your dn but make sure u always have gluco tabs on u, i take 3 when hypo and that generally takes me up to around 6-7mmol, try not to overfeed your hypo(i know its hard i use to do it when first diagnosed) if u do you will rollercoaster and that makes u feel awfull too,
hope that helps

 

[andy_hull]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

thanks for your reply

it was my first little episode and i got a bit scared and thought the best course of action was to consume everything down the chocolate isle in tescos, god knows what people did before this forum when they had a problem.

I now have my gluclose tablets,plus I will check my BG every hour tonight and keep a close eye on it tomorrow.

Again thanks for the advice

 

[totsy]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

your welcome and overdoing an hypo is understandable, in the beginning id drink near on a bottle of lucozade out of fear

 

[noblehead]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

Hi Andy,

You did the right thing eating the glucose tabs. I agree with totsy, could be you are experiencing hypo syptoms around the 5 mark due to your previous double figure readings of 12-18. Don't be to concerned, once your body adapts to near normal levels these syptoms will ease up.

In diabetes terms, a hypo is 4 or below, hence the phrase '4 is the floor'. I would advise anyone to treat as a hypo when around this figure, moreso if they are driving. Even if you were not sure, it is better been safe than sorry! I always test before setting off on a journey, pull over and test if the journey is more than a hours drive, and test when I reach my distination. My glove compartment has 2 tubes of gluco-tabs and a meter, wouldn't feel safe driving without them!

Regards

Nigel

 

[andy_hull]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

hi

i will just stick to 6 glucose tablets if it happens again, my over-reaction has so far got me up to 17. I am also going to join my local diebetic group.

andy

 

[Shazza]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

I used to always over feed my Son when first diagnosed but then he,d end up feeling even worse as went from high to hypo then high again 3 glucose tablets and a carb snack seems to work now but taked about 20mins for him to get over a hypo ... those 20mins seem a lot longer tho

Hope your ok and good idea to join group

 

[TheWeasel]

Re: paniciked over blood gluclose of 4.9

thanks for your reply

it was my first little episode and i got a bit scared and thought the best course of action was to consume everything down the chocolate isle in tescos, god knows what people did before this forum when they had a problem.

I now have my gluclose tablets,plus I will check my BG every hour tonight and keep a close eye on it tomorrow.

Again thanks for the advice

Not God, but 30 years ago (before being discharged from hospital after being diagnosed type 1) it was standard practice to induce a hypo under supervision so the docs could be sure patients would be able to recognize & deal with a hypo appropriately. Seems the right thing to do rather than leave you to find out for yourself.

It's a natural reaction to want to keep eating until the problem goes away but as others have said, overcorrection makes you feel awful, and takes more time & concentration to put straight.
Also, I've personally found that after a hypo, there's a delayed increase in BG some 12hrs later, which I believe is the body's own slow reaction to it.

 

[noblehead]

Weasel,

I too had a induced hypo before being sent home from hospital. I forgot all about that, pleased you reminded me (not) .

Nigel

 

[lilibet]

So horrible to feel hypo -remember when first diagnosed fair near falling down stairs in a bid to get to sugar (when bg was actually only in the 5's). I also remember when bg was 7 being TERRIFIED to go to bed in case I had one during the night.

It will take time to know what your body does/needs but, esp if driving, you are better to treat than to take the chance, which you did.

I would say however, for me, Ive never had to take more than 3 glucose tablets and Im a T1 on fast acting insulin and seen bg as low as 1.5 before. So so tempting to overtreat (after all, your body is compelling you to do it - hunger pangs, adrenaline etc etc) but just try very hard not to. Bg of 17 is just as horrible feeling as (false) hypo
As I say, over time you will just know what you can do

Also, as an aside, I HATE wasting the chance for fast acting sugar on glucose tabs but try boiling a kettle for tea when you're at 1.5 :lol:

 

[caitycakes1]

I too remember the panicked feeling of a hypo not long after diagnosis. I wakened in the night at 3.2 two weeks after a diagnosis level of 23.0! Thought I was dying. Wobbled downstairs, opened the fridge door and just went for it :lol: Now when I discover a 3.2 it's no big deal. I usually don't even treat with fast acting carbs as I know a bit of cheese will do the trick. Mind you I'm used to the whole shennanigans now so don't recommend anyone else do this unless they are well versed with how their body reacts to food.

Guidelines say 4 is the floor and should be treated with fast acting carb and then slower acting carb to maintain.

Caitycakes x

 

[jopar]

Caitycakes

The informations and suggesting that a BG of 3.2mmol/ml is no problems and not to be treated, is dam right dangerous information to be giving let alone following..

All diabetics taking medication for there diabetes shoudl treat anything under 4mmol/ml as a hypo and take apporpiate action, that of eating/drinking a fast acting source of carbs..

You may be functioning at 3.2mmol/ml but your body is very near the point of not being able to cope, as a lot of diabetics would actually be in a dangerous situation..

Eating protien means that the body is going to contunual to drop it's glucose levels before protien will get any where near picking up the levels..

The out come of what you are suggesting could lead to the death of the individual, or in cases where they are driving could actually lead to a very serious accident where people could Die or at least leave the driver to being proscuted with dangerous driving, driving with out due care and attention and/or driving under the infulance of drugs..

how sound does your advice sound now?

 

[Ardbeg]

Guys,

If "4 is the floor" then what is the ceiling?

As a newbie I'm not sure if I've ever had a hypo (I reckon I could have been diabetic for several months and not realised it). I just generally feel unwell on a regular basis.

Today for example, I woke up after oversleeping and have the same sensation I used to feel after a heavy drinking session.................and all I had last night was 2 glasses of diet coke. :shock:

The notion of a self induced hypo so you can experience the symptoms in a controlled environment seems a sensible idea, but a bit scary. It's almost akin to hitting your thumb with a hammer to experience what the pain will feel like I guess. :twisted:

 

[sugarless sue]

Today for example, I woke up after oversleeping and have the same sensation I used to feel after a heavy drinking session.................and all I had last night was 2 glasses of diet coke.

Did you test when you woke up? What were the numbers ?

The 'ceiling' ? Type 2 = 8.5 mmol/L. Type 1= 9 mmol/L. ( NICE guidelines)

 

[Ardbeg]

Hi Sue,

I'm still not officially diagnosed as being diabetic yet, I see my GP and meet the nurse for the first time this Thursday. I therefore haven't bought a meter yet or started testing myself until I've spoken to them both. My BG was either 16 or 18 when tested by a doctor at my local A&E on new years day. I've no idea what it is now, but should get the fasting test results on Thursday

Just participating in this forum, researching on the net, reading some betes books and scaring myself to death in the meantime. :wink:

 

[cugila]

Jim.

You need to get yourself a meter ASAP. That in itself will give you a head start on your Diabetes. Something as well to show the Doc/Nurse what your levels are and that you are being pro-active. Without a meter you are riding blindfold. It will help explain more things to you.

The morning feelings could be because you were really high....it could also have been because you were really low ??? The meter is the tool that would have helped you decide what to do about it, eat or maybe some light exercise etc.

The advice here to ANY Diabetic as soon as diagnosed is get a meter, keep records, test frequently even if only for a few weeks. Keep a food diary. THAT, is what gives you information and gets results !

 

[Ardbeg]

So in essence Ken what you're saying is:

Knowledge is power, but power is nothing without control.

I'm in a life coach mood today. 8)

Jim

 

[sugarless sue]

So in essence Ken what you're saying is:

Knowledge is power, but power is nothing without control.

I'm in a life coach mood today. 8)

Jim

Knowledge is the key to control

I'll second that too...... :wink:
Ken.

 

[lilibet]

I cant believe you tested a bg of 18 at an A and E dept and they were just happy to send you home to see your own GP. Makes my blood boil.

What if you were T1! So many assumptions made with diabetes, and some are dangerous(in my own case I was told there was no way Id have it, too young for t2, too old for t1 -admitted hospital later that day with a Hi reading on meter, first recordable was 28 and highly ketotic)!!

Please dont scare yourself to death though, you will get on top of it very soon if you have been reading forums and what not. I wish you good luck with your result

Caity, I was quite comfortable on premixed too just eating and not treating if I was over 3.5 but would always have treated with fast acting below this and usually with a carby thing like a cracker, crisps etc. Im surprised cheese works for you, as it does nowt for me (thank god, its my snack of choice!). With rapid acting, theres no slippage -needs to be fast acting sugar as its far too scary otherwise. What I dont do however is snack, depending on how much time my Novorapid has to run as otherwise I always end up higher when it runs out

 

[benniesmum]

I think it must be relative. After being diagnosed last year at 17.9, anything below 7 used to make me freak. Now I'm regularly in the low 5s first thing in the morning and low 4s most of the day, and I feel really great! (Interestingly, my pre-diabetic fasting level was 3.7)