Unexpected hypo

KEV-81

Member
Messages
11
So I'm late 30's and type 1 just over a year now. Mdi and bloods usually controlled between 5 & 10 mmol/L.

Yesterday I had lunch at 12:30, bloods were 5.7 pre food and at 4pm they were 7.9 (not quite enough insulin I know but drive at 4pm each day).
Went home and by 4:45pm I was hypo at 3.5mmol.

I don't understand the hypo though as I shouldn't have any insulin onboard over 4hrs after my novarapid shot for lunch, and I didn't over exert myself to bring bloods down. Dropping from 7.9 to 3.5 within 45mins for no explanation has me confused?
 
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It is unusual to drop so far so quickly without any exercise.
I wonder if the 7.9 reading was correct - perhaps the meter was having a funny turn or you had some carbs on your fingers. Even something as innocuous as printing ink you can pick up when reading a book can affect BG readings.
 

himtoo

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why can't everyone get on........
duration of fast acting insulin is meant to be 4 hours -- but many people find it has a "sting" in the tail
and can last up to an hour longer

Part of the answer might lie in what carbs you had at your lunch time meal.

also agree with @helensaramay -- accuracy on meters is +/- 15% so you could have been as low as 6.7 at 4pm
and as high as 4.0 at 4:45pm

I also note your 4pm test was only 3.5 hours post lunch bolus -- so you did have a bit of IOB ( insulin on board )
as you were driving home.

a further thought .............as a year into diagnosis perhaps honeymoon period ( so body still producing erratic small amounts of insulin )
 
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KEV-81

Member
Messages
11
Thanks for the replys.

Good point on the meter readings, the 7.9 may have been off ..... the 3.5 was definitely correct as I could tell I was going hypo as rarely go this low.

I believe I am still in the honeymoon period as sometimes the insulin I think I need varies from one day to next.

Wish I had a Libre sensor on at the time, would have given me some helpful information
 

karen8967

Master
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10,330
Type of diabetes
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hi kev i find my insulin lasts about 5 hours b4 its all gone im on apidra not novarapid :)
 

TheBigNewt

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1,167
Type of diabetes
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Insulin
It happens to all of us. Fortunately not much to you, but it's a blip on the radar screen it sounds like to me.