Type 1 Anyone Losing Hypo Awareness?

Tinyface

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It must be a worry as you live alone, i have to test levels frequently, yesterday dropped from 6.9 to 2.8 within 50 minutes, I try and keep to the same regime but some days my diabetes has other ideas
Yes mine does the same up n down. .had a hospital appointment today was so scared I just didn't take any insulin..else I wouldn't of gone. .
 
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catapillar

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What is it you're so scared of?

Just because you're struggling to recognise hypos at the moment doesn't make those hypos any different to any other hypo. If you test and find you are hypo without symptoms then the no symptoms bit should mean you are perfectly fine to treat it yourself. Eating dextrose tablets isn't hard to do.

The very worst thing that could happen is you pass out hypo. That's unlikely unless you're particularly prone to passing out hypo and from what you've said you are getting some symptoms to let you know you're low at about 2. If you're worried about passing out wear a medical alert ID and then a paramedic called will know exactly what to do.

Again passing out seems unlikely. Without hypo awareness just be sure to test regularly and keep hypo treatments on hand. The same kind of precautions that anyone else on insulin would be taking.

No hypo awareness doesn't change anything. It doesn't magically make hypos worse. If you've just recognised you're not hypo aware and you previously haven't been testing a lot (50 strips for two weeks isn't enough testing) you've probably had impaired awareness for a while. Now you know, but you're no different to before you realised. It doesn't stop what you can do. Although I hope you've been given advice on avoiding driving and telling dvla.
 

philchap1

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I find it's different than before, before for me i had warning of a hypo coming, now no warning, feel normal one minute unconscious the next, loss of licence, for me being alone can be dangerous, i test 15 times or more a day but like i said i can eat the same every day but have different readings.
 
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Snapsy

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Thanks for this hypo-awareness thread.

I got my latest HbA1c result today.

36. Thirty-six!

Okay, so I need to work a little harder to prevent quite so many post-exercise hypos. And I am beginning to notice a slight - erm - slackening in my hypo awareness.

Socks duly pulled up!

:)
 

novorapidboi26

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I find it's different than before, before for me i had warning of a hypo coming, now no warning, feel normal one minute unconscious the next, loss of licence, for me being alone can be dangerous, i test 15 times or more a day but like i said i can eat the same every day but have different readings.

How long has it been like this.....it sounds truly awful......

would you say your diabetes is brittle in anyway, so dropping for no reason alongside an inability to recognize lows....
 

Tinyface

Active Member
Messages
32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
What is it you're so scared of?

Just because you're struggling to recognise hypos at the moment doesn't make those hypos any different to any other hypo. If you test and find you are hypo without symptoms then the no symptoms bit should mean you are perfectly fine to treat it yourself. Eating dextrose tablets isn't hard to do.

The very worst thing that could happen is you pass out hypo. That's unlikely unless you're particularly prone to passing out hypo and from what you've said you are getting some symptoms to let you know you're low at about 2. If you're worried about passing out wear a medical alert ID and then a paramedic called will know exactly what to do.

Again passing out seems unlikely. Without hypo awareness just be sure to test regularly and keep hypo treatments on hand. The same kind of precautions that anyone else on insulin would be taking.

No hypo awareness doesn't change anything. It doesn't magically make hypos worse. If you've just recognised you're not hypo aware and you previously haven't been testing a lot (50 strips for two weeks isn't enough testing) you've probably had impaired awareness for a while. Now you know, but you're no different to before you realised. It doesn't stop what you can do. Although I hope you've been given advice on avoiding driving and telling dvla.
I am a brittle diabetic and suffer with borderline personality disorder. .don't cope with change very well..but I will study your kind words ..x
 

Tinyface

Active Member
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32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I find it's different than before, before for me i had warning of a hypo coming, now no warning, feel normal one minute unconscious the next, loss of licence, for me being alone can be dangerous, i test 15 times or more a day but like i said i can eat the same every day but have different readings.
Yes it can be different for everybody..I am scared to go out too far..currently don't get enough testing strips..I will make an appointment tomorrow to try and get more...you're lucky to have a loving watchful wife
 

Tinyface

Active Member
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32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Thanks for this hypo-awareness thread.

I got my latest HbA1c result today.

36. Thirty-six!

Okay, so I need to work a little harder to prevent quite so many post-exercise hypos. And I am beginning to notice a slight - erm - slackening in my hypo awareness.

Socks duly pulled up!

:)
Last year I had the highest hba1c
In bristol 145..but they came down to 85. .am a brittle diabetic me thinks maybe you are to..it's not easy for everybody. .some people are excellent others are not quite so excellent lol ..
 

noblehead

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Yes it can be different for everybody..I am scared to go out too far..currently don't get enough testing strips..I will make an appointment tomorrow to try and get more...you're lucky to have a loving watchful wife

Just get your diabetes Consultant/DSN to write to your gp surgery and say that you need sufficient bg strips to manage your type 1 diabetes (as per the NICE guidelines 2016), they'll reinforce this view with you being hypo unaware.

You could also print off the following, it was letter sent from the Dept of Health to all gp surgeries in 2013 advising against test strip restrictions to people with type 1:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa.../Safe-care-of-people-with-type-1-diabetes.pdf
 
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philchap1

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How long has it been like this.....it sounds truly awful......

would you say your diabetes is brittle in anyway, so dropping for no reason alongside an inability to recognize lows....
Possibly, since having the pump nighttime hypos are a lot better and daytime are as well but it can still drop rapidly for no reason, one reason i was given as a child was that I may occasionally produce my own insulin, but after 50 years of diabetes I can't see that still happening.
 

Jaylee

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Hi @Tinyface ,

Just been reading through this thread. Are you on any medication for the "borderline personality disorder"? Or any sort of anxiety?
If so? When did you commence taking the medication..?
 

Tinyface

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Yes on Mirtazapine..been on them for two years..and I go to a group ..am the only diabetic with borderline personality disorder I know of..nobody in my group has diabetes..
 

Snapsy

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Last year I had the highest hba1c
In bristol 145..but they came down to 85. .am a brittle diabetic me thinks maybe you are to..it's not easy for everybody. .some people are excellent others are not quite so excellent lol ..
I'm alarmed that it's so low - I've been trying to adjust insulin ratios according to exercise - I've been training a lot and still haven't cracked the hypos that come out of nowhere several hours afterwards.

Always a rollercoaster! Frankly I don't know how we do all this!

:)
 

Jaylee

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Yes on Mirtazapine..been on them for two years..and I go to a group ..am the only diabetic with borderline personality disorder I know of..nobody in my group has diabetes..

OK. Putting that aside. You mention detecting hypos at 2mmol? (Earlier in the thread.)

When did you actually notice your hypo awareness detection was not right?
 

Tinyface

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32
Type of diabetes
Type 1
I'm alarmed that it's so low - I've been trying to adjust insulin ratios according to exercise - I've been training a lot and still haven't cracked the hypos that come out of nowhere several hours afterwards.

Always a rollercoaster! Frankly I don't know how we do all this!

:)

We do our best but don't let people lead you to believe it's all soo easy..my diabetic nurse tells me even they don't have the answers!
 
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Jaylee

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We do our best but don't let people lead you to believe it's all soo easy..my diabetic nurse tells me even they don't have the answers!

No, but during a hypo, Smarties do! ;) (A realy old advert before your "time".)

I feel you may need to bring up the possible side effects of your "personality disorder" meds with your diabetes nurse for a review....?

I'm by no means an expert. But a quick search. & I'm wondering if the "Mirtazapine" could be clouding your hypo awairness..?

Bring it up with the expert!
 

Tinyface

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No, but during a hypo, Smarties do! ;) (A realy old advert before your "time".)

I feel you may need to bring up the possible side effects of your "personality disorder" meds with your diabetes nurse for a review....?

I'm by no means an expert. But a quick search. & I'm wondering if the "Mirtazapine" could be clouding your hypo awairness..?

Bring it up with the expert!

Ok..I will ask ..may do a search I also take a low dosage of amitriptyline for neuropathy and muscle spasms ..I remember the smarties add am older than you think lol 57! Lol ..
 
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Tinyface

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OK. Putting that aside. You mention detecting hypos at 2mmol? (Earlier in the thread.)

When did you actually notice your hypo awareness detection was not right?

I went shopping one day got home late n missed my lunch deadline time..but only by an hour..so just thought I best check levels and I was 2 I had absolutely no symtomps...that was about three weeks ago..rang sdn..she told me to run sugars up to 20s then she said you're not getting hypos..so I thought umm I am gonna get ketones at this rate so went back to taking my normal levels of insulin then had two situations when I just got hot n checked level n was 2 both times ..Tuesday I was anxious twice first time i checked I was 10 then 20 min later was 2! That was just having anxiety or panic attack..rang nurse again she said well this is normal for someone who's been a type one for 16 years..so this is all new to me..she said anxiety n hypo the same ..umm..
 

Jaylee

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I went shopping one day got home late n missed my lunch deadline time..but only by an hour..so just thought I best check levels and I was 2 I had absolutely no symtomps...that was about three weeks ago..rang sdn..she told me to run sugars up to 20s then she said you're not getting hypos..so I thought umm I am gonna get ketones at this rate so went back to taking my normal levels of insulin then had two situations when I just got hot n checked level n was 2 both times ..Tuesday I was anxious twice first time i checked I was 10 then 20 min later was 2! That was just having anxiety or panic attack..rang nurse again she said well this is normal for someone who's been a type one for 16 years..so this is all new to me..she said anxiety n hypo the same ..umm..

What insulin do you use...? You mentioned "lunch deadline time"?