Have you ever wondered about what a bad hypo is like?

col101

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Thanks for posting the link @tim2000s a sobering reflection, brings up memories especially about the emotional guilt of affecting others.
 
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novorapidboi26

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Good read there.....

Any bad ones I have had are also related to alcohol as well.....and subsequently my memories of any bad words spoken are gone....

I think I haven't said anything too upsetting though, hopefully...:)
 
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BeccyB

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@itsmeme I remembered your post about your husband being ashamed of your behaviour during a hypo - perhaps letting him read the post might help him to see that it's the hypo's fault not yours x
 
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Mark-optimistic

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Hey great post,

I recently had a bad experience of a hypo and had to be taken to the hospital.

It was strange as I had no idea I was having a hypo, just had a lot of confusion.

I remember getting into the ambulance and going to the hospital.

I must of blacked out shortly after arriving, I woke up in a hospital bed thinking "what the hell". Scary stuff
 
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therower

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Hi @tim2000s . Just read the blog, very good.
Personally think hypo's are massively underrated by so many people without diabetes.
Professional's who say " just have a sugary drink or a few glucose tabs" really have no concept of what it's like to go hypo.
25yrs I've had my fair share, hospitalised twice ( once for stitches to reattach a large part of my nose, no alcohol involved, sadly still no recognition of how the detachment occurred)
Various other occasions as well, all different, all unique.
I can look back now and smile and thank my lucky stars at the outcome of all my hypo's.
BUT there are a series of hypo's that don't sit well in the memory bank. My initial insulin regime was pork mixtard x2 daily, eventually I was changed to bolus/ basal . Lantus/novorapid. Great control of sugars was really pleased.
At this time I was weighing 15st 6" tall, weight training daily and had a hell of a lot of power at my disposal. I'm a very placid guy, I don't do aggression.
First hypo on novorapid, wow what the hell, I wanted to fight, I honestly felt that if my wife had come within striking distance I would have seriously hurt her. Somehow, something kicked in, I grabbed a Mars bar and some biscuits and went outside telling my wife to stay away from me. I felt like the Incredible Hulk.
After the hypo passed we spoke about what happened and I explained the dread and fear I experienced at not feeling I was in control of myself, I explained the rage I had experienced.
We decided that if this happened again my wife would get me carbs, place them to hand and then keep a distance. It actually worked out well, next hypo same rage, but providing I wasn't offered any assistance or shown any concern I could keep the rage at bay.
Strangely this problem lasted for maybe a year and involved maybe 4 episodes, and then everything changed, hypo's occasionally but all the rage and anger had gone.
No one ever warned me that novorapid could have this effect. I could have killed that first time.
Sadly no matter how much you know no matter how much research you do you will never understand hypo's until you go there. I just wish HCP's GP's DSN's would believe me when I tell them it's not just a case of a sugary drink and test in 15 mins.
Sorry think I got a bit carried away here but I really do believe hypo's slip under the radar when we talk about diabetes.
 

Jaylee

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Reading accounts over the years I thank my lucky stars I've never "lost it".
Maybe once as a 10/11? Year old on a bike.. Came close to "fitting" in my legs.
But I still managed to haul my **** home & treat myself..

I'm a placid type while low.. Sometimes quiet other times chatty & a bit more "off the wall" than usual..?!
(Like Spud, in that "job interview" in the film Trainspotting.)

I seem to have got off lightly... So far??!
 
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Shar67

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My hyper diagnoses was very interesting, I was in hospital, it was snowing but only on my bed, proper big snow flakes then I discovered I was actually on a cloud which I could control. There was a pastor at the end of my bed and he was reading scripture to me (it was the consultant reading my notes).
I had some beautiful hallucinations when I was in ICU for other reasons, opiates lot to answer for
 

himtoo

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why can't everyone get on........
his words echo and do indeed give an insight into the feelings of being hypo.

good spot @tim2000s
 

jackois

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I try to have a controlled low at least once a month, as I live alone, just to make sure I can still recognise the hypo symptoms. Even self imposed, they aren't very nice...
 

sowerbee

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Hi. I wrote and published the article. Thank you for the link Tim and thanks for all the comments.

Like many of you have said, sometimes it's hard to get across how a hypo feels and the emotions that can last afterwards. Although it meant sharing a little more than I normally would I wanted the muggles to get an understanding of it from our side. I'm no different to any other type 1 and a lot of us will have a version of that story I'm sure so hopefully sharing can help those without a wonky pancreas a little of what it feels like.

Thanks again.

Dave
 
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GrantGam

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I'm a placid type while low.. Sometimes quiet other times chatty & a bit more "off the wall" than usual..?!
(Like Spud, in that "job interview" in the film Trainspotting.)

I seem to have got off lightly... So far??!

Absolutely class interview:D
 
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BeccyB

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wow what the hell, I wanted to fight, I honestly felt that if my wife had come within striking distance I would have seriously hurt her.

I don't know about a connection to novorapid, but I had problems with hypo rages when I went through puberty. Fortunately my friend was as understanding as your wife - even when I physically picked her up off the chair I wanted to sit on, and the time I lifted a stool ready to hit her with it!! It really is scary that we can 'flip' so much and so quickly.

These days I just get a bit stroppy, well ok a lot stroppy, but I'll settle for that all things considered
 

Parisemo

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This is a good blog post that details the experience that one T1D had when they had a bad Hypo. I thought it was worth sharing as it's very descriptive and shows that it happens to all of us!

http://thetangerinediabetic.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/a-hypo-that-hurt.html
The really bad hypo I had, I woke brain working, body and voice paralysed for anything upto an hour (not the first i've had of these) then slither along the floor to jelly babies that I keep dropping as my limbs still not working. Eventually I manage to eat some. My legs are like jelly cannot stand, takes time to be able to. Once I get something substantial in me I finally function.
 

rockape37

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My last hypo where i needed assistance was 3 years ago mid October.

I was working as a security guard on a car storage site and one of my last jobs that shift was to walk about 400 yds or more to a car body shop and unlock it ready for the oncoming shift.
I do remember feeling somewhat confused but to the extent that i was unable to recognise and treat myself. I remember staggering as if drunk and fell between two Range Rovers hit my head on the rough ground. Sometime must have past as my colleague in the gate house was getting worried and when i did finally answer the radio all i could say was "I'm on the Deck". He scouredthe areawhere i would have walked and checked the building i had unlocked a couple of times but couldn't find me.

He then called the police explaining that he feared that i had collapsed knowing I'm a diabetic and couldn't find me and could they help as the site is rather large. They actually said they would but at that very moment my colleague see me between 2 Range Rovers. My colleague had to sqeeze my cheeks to get some sort of groaning response from me.
I can remember coming round in the ambulance shivering despite the ambulance having its heaters on full blast as my core temperature had dropped considerably after being unconscious for an hour or more on cold ground.

Believe it or not that's not my worst, the worst was probably 15 yrs ago. I will never forget them.

We don't do we.

Regards

Martin
 

madbunny

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My hyper diagnoses was very interesting, I was in hospital, it was snowing but only on my bed, proper big snow flakes then I discovered I was actually on a cloud which I could control. There was a pastor at the end of my bed and he was reading scripture to me (it was the consultant reading my notes).
I had some beautiful hallucinations when I was in ICU for other reasons, opiates lot to answer for
I was adamant the staff in the hospital were cats . Hubby said I'd been watching too much Dr who
 
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PD Oz

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That story is a real wake up call on the importance of staying focussed on preventing such bad experiences and developing routines which work.

I have found that a couple of (self corrected) scares early in the months after starting on insulin, particularly at night time, led me to adopting quite a tight regime, while still enjoying alcohol drinks.

The thing I find works best is always stick to the same dose (to food) and time any alcohol just before the main meal (or with lunch if lunching) and not go overboard with too much plonk. Drinking it more slowly helps although that can be difficult when drinking with friends or colleagues.

Low carb beer, dry red wines and non spiced spirits on ice with no mixers do not make my BG go silly but they will cause a lessening of BG levels after the event. Again avoiding too much can avoid bad lows after the event.

I always expect the unexpected too and if waking up in the night to go to the toilet (especially in the phase when rapid insulin is still acting strongly ie within 6 hours of dose) do a BG test. As we all know for some inexplicable reason a low will occur when you are not expecting one, alcohol or not.
 

tim2000s

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Of course what's also missing from this is the benefit that the newer pumps and closed loop hybrids that allow suspend before low to occur. As long as you don't over bolus, these things can quite literally be a life saver. The technology in the 640G has reduced my time below range to around 1%-2%, which means the likelihood of severe hypos is hugely reduced.
 

RAPS_od

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I've had extremely bad hypos - about five in my life - that have landed me in the hospital. The last two I had within a month of each other seemed to be due to the addition of Metformin to my regular insulin. Metformin made my sugar too unpredictable and after the last hospital stay, I quit taking it (and told my doctor).
People often assume I just don't take care of myself, which is untrue. They get very high-minded and don't feel any compunction to temper their opinion when talking to me. I've listened to them patiently and then said to go stuff it as they have NO IDEA what it's like to have brittle T1 for 48 years. Good friends know better.
And all this is just dealing with what they think of the physical aspects; many don't stop to realize that there are psychological aspects, like excessive guilt and helplessness, that accompany physical bouts.
Thanks for posting this article that addresses some of the guilt we go through for being diabetic.
 
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phoenixlyn

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I've had extremely bad hypos - about five in my life - that have landed me in the hospital. The last two I had within a month of each other seemed to be due to the addition of Metformin to my regular insulin. Metformin made my sugar too unpredictable and after the last hospital stay, I quit taking it (and told my doctor).
People often assume I just don't take care of myself, which is untrue. They get very high-minded and don't feel any compunction to temper their opinion when talking to me. I've listened to them patiently and then said to go stuff it as they have NO IDEA what it's like to have brittle T1 for 48 years. Good friends know better; this article may help with the others. Thanks for posting!