I don't think there is a specific number (I'm sure other will be able to give better info)Just scared the sh******* out of myself, just felt a bit funny but nothing weird. Quick test 2.2
Frightened now to go to bed
How low can you go before you die?
Thanks @Timostags don't know how libre works but imagine it gives a warning bleep?I don't think there is a specific number (I'm sure other will be able to give better info)
If it helps I had a 1.3 during the night on Friday night (libre reading) . The lowest I remember recording on my metre is a 1.1, and I managed to treat that without any assistance needed.
You can get a device to attach to it called a miaomiao that can connect to a smart phone/watch and give you alerts.Thanks @Timostags don't know how libre works but imagine it gives a warning bleep?
Thanks @evilclive yep, I'm still conscious, got myself back up to 6.3 now. Might have been food/insulin ratio but was 8.3 and dropped to 2.2 with only 1.5 units NovorapidI've seen 1.something on a fingerprick before. 2.2 is pretty low, but you're still conscious. Eat something, bring yourself back up (but don't overcorrect!), and bed will welcome you.
(think about why it went low - if it's just a bit too much insulin for a bit too little food or too much exercise, bringing yourself up then leaving it will be ok. If you've injected a lot too much insulin eg novorapid rather than lantus or an extra lantus dose, you'll need to keep an eye on things for longer, which probably means checking every hour till you're sure it's sorted. But it'll probably be the first type).
Don't have any of that, still using pensYou can get a device to attach to it called a miaomiao that can connect to a smart phone/watch and give you alerts.
I don't have it yet as I was awaiting to get the libre on prescription first, but I have now ordered 1 now.
Getting a Libre seems to be a postcode lottery still at the moment.Don't have any of that, still using pens
Getting a Libre seems to be a postcode lottery still at the moment.
The requirements for where I live is to have issues recognising hypo's and to have completed DAFNE.
I don't notice hypos until I'm around 2.5 normally and and doing DAFNE now (last day is this Friday).
I've done the DAFNE course which told me nothing. My pancreas is still bubbling out bits of insulin so it's unpredictable I suppose if I go hypo or not. Still sitting here wondering if it's OK to go to bed or whether I'm going to die in my sleep
There are a million threads about Libre on the forum if your interested
Thanks @Scott-C I feel much better about going to bed with your kind words.. not just yet though. I'll give it an hour or so. Yep only had this condition for 18 months and this is an all-time low for me. Don't think I'd done anything stupid and my insulin units are tiny. I laugh when anyone mentions linking this to that and miao miaos, I've not even got a mobile which works and have never heard of purging the liver.. sounds gross. Really appreciate your message, very reassuringWelcome to the club, @SueJB , you're fairly recently dx'd and I think we've all made those big mistakes at some point early in our careers - I certainly had a few bad un's in the first year or two, where I was scared of going to sleep.
Although a bad drop to 2, especially at night, can be barnstormingly scary, there is little chance of death.
When you drop below around 4, the body's "autonomic responses" kick in big style to make you safe: adrenalin is released to tell the liver to release glycogen, stored glucose, to nudge levels back up.
Most of the "feeling like ****" after a bad hypo is the after-effect of the adrenalin rush, not the low bg.
There are stories of "dead-in-bed" from a bad hypo, but look behind the scenes of those, and they're generally either, "we couldn't think of anything else to blame it on", or someone doing something extraordinarily stupid, like 50u.
I'd encourage you to ask your team about getting libre on script, and then blinging it with a miaomiao transmitter. It only takes up a tiny little bit of arm-space, and knowing that your phone is going to ring when you hit 4.5 or whatever you set it at, is a huge comfort blanket against nasty night hypos.
Thanks @Scott-C I feel much better about going to bed with your kind words.. not just yet though. I'll give it an hour or so. Yep only had this condition for 18 months and this is an all-time low for me. Don't think I'd done anything stupid and my insulin units are tiny. I laugh when anyone mentions linking this to that and miao miaos, I've not even got a mobile which works and have never heard of purging the liver.. sounds gross. Really appreciate your message, very reassuring
Morning @Scott-C and everyone. I'm still alive 4.1 but feel like pants. Sounds like I might be in for a treat, today............. hypos come in pairs!! I didn't know that and in a way, I wish I still didn't. going to worry. Yesterday I was hysterical, screaming and ranting and Mr B just didn't know what to do and this made everything worse. Hope you all stay in rangeNo probs, Sue.
A couple of things to be aware of.
Because your body's adrenalin stores have maybe been depleted by that hypo and will take a few days to restock, there will be less of a response to later hypos.
And as your glyogen stores might have lessened with dealing with it, that will also reduce the ability to deal with hypos.
It's quite common for the liver to start sucking glucose out of blood to restock glycogen after a bad hypo, and, ironically, that can lead to another hypo - they often come in pairs.
The answer (there's always an answer with T1 - we deal with difficult stuff) is to rake back bolus shots and load up a bit more on oatcakes etc.
Thanks @kitedoc, as with @Scott-C's reply, I've learnt something. I didn't know about insulin profiles so I'll check that out. Fear is an odd thing so my original question was an honest oneHi @SueJB,
Hypos can be scary.
Thar said the Chinese word for crisis is the same as for opportunity, you now have
a chance to work out how this hypo happened and how to prevent or minimise such an event in future.
Discussion with your DSN or doctor could prove useful in this endevour.
Consideration of things such as suggestions of possible causes mentioned by @evilclive above.
I note discussion above about diet too (DAPHNE) although that was in relation to qualifying for a Libre device.
The NICE guidelines for Type 1 diabetics , which are supposed to be backed by research findings do not recommend any particular diet.
Also be aware that alcohol in one's bloodstream can block the liver from releasing much needed glucose in a hypo situation, Even a glucagon injection might not work to ease the situation. In the past sometimes a diabetic has been arrested as being drunk and disorderly when in fact they have been in a hypo at the time.
But as a general premise the more insulin you are prescribed and inject the more risk of hypos and you may be able to identify, in conjunction with your DSN, the danger times. E.g. Hypos might be more likely when your insulin is working most strongly,
If you look up ' pictures of insulin profile' there are graphs ot tables showing an average or range of when a particular insulin is at its peak effect of lowering blood sugar. That peak time or a little while after might be a more likely hypo time, as well as sometimes if a meal is delayed a bit.
Lots of possibilities, hence the need to discuss it with DSN etc. Night hypos are a special category as when asleep recognition of them may be delayed. Sometimes waking in the morning with a headache and elevated bsls coukd suggest a hypo has occurred whilst asleep.
Sometimes after many hypos someone can lose the ability to detect or recognise the early symptoms of a hypo, and they are in the confusion, disorientation stage ( where the brain is struggling to keep things in order because of glucose fuel shortage). This situation is called hypo unawareness and needes careful professional management and safeguards such as no driving/ license until resolved. Therapy dogs and continuous monitoring with alarms might be needed. But when it comes to technology vs a canine, i personally opt for the canine every time.
Not sure that wondering how low someone can be blood sugar-wise before it is truly life-threatening is helpful.
One does not have to be all that low in a dangerous situation ( say, walking a tightrope, to take anextreme example,) for one to be in extreme danger, so the context/ situation also matters.
As all us TIDs do, we dust ourselves off, try to learn from each experience, repeat the good ones and avoid the bad ones.
Best Wishes and always, always carry glucose tablets or similar with you.
Thanks @Knikki knew I could count on you for a nice bit of humour. Only had lunch yesterday, no evening meal but I reckon I must have overdone the Novorapid. Going to play very safe today, might even have a Jaffa cakeMorning @SueJB how are you this morning?
2.2? As @Scott-C says "welcome to the club", thing to do is learn from it. I suspect if you thing back over yesterday evening there may be something that caused the drop, miss calc insulin for evening meal, some IoB from earlier there are many possible things.
How low you have to go before travelling to meet your maker? Well no idea on that one but a 2.2 won't
I hope you're okayJust scared the sh******* out of myself, just felt a bit funny but nothing weird. Quick test 2.2
Frightened now to go to bed
How low can you go before you die?