Hypo question

[Muddles]

Is it only people on diabetes medication that get hypos or can you get them if your controlling diabetes with diet only?

And can all diabetics get them even if you're HBA1c result is aroud 47/48 or do you have to be well over that to get them?

I've searched the site and Googled and can't seem to get an answer.

 

[Jaylee]

Hi,

I am assuming your query is with regards to yourself..
Are you able to test with a blood meter? & if so. What are the figures when you suspect a low..?

 

[catapillar]

If you are on medication that causes a risk of hypoglycaemia (sulphonyureas / glinides ), if you are on insulin, if you have a non diabetic condition associated with hypoglycaemia or you are a serious alcoholic who only consumes alcohol then a blood sugar reading under 4 is hypoglycaemia. If none of those things apply then you could call a reading under 4 a hypo, but that might be a unnecessary medicalisation of "being hungry". Plenty of people who don't fall into any of the aforementioned categories will get readings < 4 with no ill effects if they've not eaten for a while.

Anyone can get a reading under 4 - in fact, it's probably more likely in non diabetics as having diabetes inherently pushes your blood sugar up, not down, for a diabetic it is only the treatment (medication/insulin/diet) that brings it down, sometimes under 4.

You HbA1c is an average of your blood sugar over the last 12 weeks - it's an average, so it's perfectly possible to have a HbA1c of pretty much any number & still have some readings under 4. It certainly doesn't make sense to say you have to have a high HbA1c to have readings under 4.

If you think you are having hypo symptoms, test your blood sugar. You could be havin false hypos if you have been used to running very high and you are bringing your body back down to normal readings. The advice is not to treat a false hypo so your body gets used to the normal readings, but it isn't a nice sensation, so maybe try nuts or cheese or little bit of milk. If you are under 4 and you are feeling hypo, then eat something. If you are treating you diabetes with strict low carb, try some cheese or nuts.

 

[Daphne917]

I used to get hypos when I was younger when I ate something quite sweet - used to love crunchy nut cornflakes but I eventually worked out that they, and ordinary cornflakes, would send me hypo so gave them up! Even though I'm diet only I still suffer some hypo symptoms if I go too long without eating particularly if I don't have breakfast.

 

[Jaylee]

I used to get hypos when I was younger when I ate something quite sweet - used to love crunchy nut cornflakes but I eventually worked out that they, and ordinary cornflakes, would send me hypo so gave them up! Even though I'm diet only I still suffer some hypo symptoms if I go too long without eating particularly if I don't have breakfast.

What were you testing at during these events..?

 

[Daphne917]

What were you testing at during these events..?

I wasn't testing because i've only been diabetic for about 4 years. My GP used to periodically test as he said it was Hypoglycemia and he was concerned about diabetes but my tests were always normal and, to be honest, I never used to ask for the figures as I was not as well informed as I am now (1970s-90s pre internet) and normal was OK!!

 

[Muddles]

I haven't tested my bg, the doctor told me theres no need and my diabetes can be controlled by diet alone ?????

I am experiencing some awful symptoms and not even sure if it's related to the Diabetes but it all started back in Jan/Feb when I had a medication reaction to Venlafaxine.

However these 'episodes' were random to begin with but now they occur every single day and more intense and sometimes last all day or just happen once a day. I can't seem to find a trigger for them.

Symptoms are:

Excessive sweating, mainly head and chest, so much so I look as if someone's thrown a bucket of water over me.
Body feels as if it's on fire and legs feel red hot to the touch yet feet and hands feel icey cold.
Light headed as if I'm going to pass out any minute, and hearing muffled at same time.
Dry mouth.
Extreme nausea, feel as if I am going to be sick at any moment.
Sometimes tingling in fingers and lips but not always.
Mild tightness across chest but nothing much to speak of and this could actually be part of the following anxiety attack that I get when all this is going on.
Breathlessness

And of course this all kicks off an anxiety attack because I have no idea what the hell it is and it's really scarey.

Back in Jan/Feb I was put on blood pressure tablets as the doctor said I had high blood pressure. Then after recording BP levels 3 times a day for a week, was taken off the tablets as they said I didn't have high blood pressure.

I was also put on Levothyroxine for my thryoid which they said needed adjusting. Had no problem with it prior to that. Still on those tablet but wondering if its them that's causing the episodes. Or maybe it's a Thyroid Storm?

The day before yesterday I was dreadful all day and its so bad I feel unsafe and unwell to walk from one room to another or out into the garden for fear of passing out. Then yesterday I felt fine all day until 11.30 at night when it all kicked off. It was so intense I rang my neighbour and staggered round to her place for an hour (I have noisey dogs if anyone comes to my place and being almot midnight didnt think my other neighbour would be impressed).

The symptoms seemed to improve very slightly, so I then went back home, and went to bed, sitting up as I felt too poorly to lie down.

This morning I still had the symptoms but not so strong, and rang the doctor and made an app to see him at 1.30 today.

The thing is, I was perfectly healthy in Jan/Feb apart from the reaction to the venlafaxine, and because of that I'm now being treated for thyroid and diabetes when I probably don't have a thyroid problem. How can someone go from being perfectly active, healthy and happpy one day to a total physical wreck the next? wonder if I really need the thyroid meds, and if not maybe its them that's causing these problems.

So I don't know if this is all related to my recent diabetes diagnosis or not. Which is why I asked about hypos because I thought it might be that. I did ring the doctor last Thursday as I felt so ill and he just said, maybe I'm not eating enough carbs and to eat more carbs. *rolls eyes* I can't see how the LCHF diet I am on since February could give me all these horrid symptoms. At my wits end to be honest.

Will post in here when I get back from the doc's. I'm fed up with it now as it's gone on for several months and it's ruined my quality of life. I don't feel well enough to do anything.