Over treating hypos

[LauraR88]

I'm hoping someone would be kind enough to give me some help on treating hypos? Although I've had T1 for 10 years now I've only really just started to knuckle down and get things in shape, meaning that I am experiencing some hypos. My problem is that I start to panic when I hypo and end up over treating it as I just want that horrible feeling to go away! Which in turn sends me through the roof!

It's really starting to get me down when I'm trying so hard to keep things in range. Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Postleneo]

Did have similar sort of issue felt it hard not to over treat like you say start to panic. The best treatment for me is to use something called very berry gluco juice exactly 15 grams of carb and works very quickly. I found taking just that works a treat.... after about 5 mins brings me out of hypo then I eat a couple of biscuits. Used to treat hypo with a bit if lucozade then immediately a biscuit but 15 mins later was still showing hypo so would re treat... Then became far too high! Found it better to only take the lucozade (now very berry gluco juice) and wait for levels to rise before having a small snack - if still hypo after about 10 mins I take a further hypo treatment but wait for a rise before having a starchy snack such as a biscuit. I now use a Libre freestyle and am always checking so can now see my where I am at and if on the verge if being too low just pop in a couple of gluco tabs. Works for me! Got the Libre and one sensor free from my DNS further sensors cost about £52 including postage but for me well worth the money. Hope you manage to get sorted

 

[catapillar]

I'm hoping someone would be kind enough to give me some help on treating hypos? Although I've had T1 for 10 years now I've only really just started to knuckle down and get things in shape, meaning that I am experiencing some hypos. My problem is that I start to panic when I hypo and end up over treating it as I just want that horrible feeling to go away! Which in turn sends me through the roof!

It's really starting to get me down when I'm trying so hard to keep things in range. Any advice is greatly appreciated

What are you doing to treat hypos at the moment? Obviously if you're in the middle of being hypo and in the middle of the kitchen trying to choose something to treat it with can lead to over treating! When you are feeling ok have a think about what works to raise you nice and quickly, glucojuice, dextrose tablets, jelly babies. Have a think about how much you need to raise you a couple of mmol. Then you can set up a box with hypo treatments, you can put jelly babies in bags of 4 or whatever. Then you know you have to eat 1 little bag to treat a hypo - if you've got hypo treatment, there's less of a temptation to just eat everything, which is what your body is telling you you need to do! Hopefully it will ease the panic too you'll have hypo treatments on hand all the time, you won't need to think, you can just sit down and eat it give it 10 min test and you should be back up.

If you have noticed a pattern to your hypos you can think about whether you can change anything to avoid them (whether you need to adjust ratios or basal doses) you can think about testing around the time you have been having hypos to see if you need a little something to pick your blood sugar up before you go hypo. Sometimes it's your body's reaction to the hypo (along with the hypo treatment) that makes you shoot up afterwards - you get a counter regulatory response where your liver chucks out glucose and your hormones are like "argh she needs she needs sugar go go go", so it can take a bit to get back stable afterwards.

 

[Jaylee]

Used to treat hypo with a bit if lucozade then immediately a biscuit but 15 mins later was still showing hypo so would re treat... Then became far too high!

Hi,

Sorry, I picked up on this old "scenario" regarding a test showing low despite adequate treatment. Then over responding?

We've all had it..

What's happening is the meter reading due to the flow of blood around the body, is a "snapshot" of anything up to 20 minutes ago. A sort of delay? (Bit like those tedious TV satellite link interviews with someone on another continent?)
So you may be treating & the fast acting carbs are taking effect. A 10 or 15 minute test later may show no rise or even a slight drop. This can be worrying in the event & symptoms of a hypo. Leading to further treatment & ultimatly "overkill"..

 

[noblehead]

Hypo's throw the body into a state of panic and it's so easy to over-treat, sure we have all done it at some point.

The GlucoJuice mentioned by @Postleneo does work extremely fast and is worth purchasing if affordable, I bought a dozen bottles from Amazon a few months back for around £14 which is a lot cheaper than purchasing them individually in the high-street pharmacy's.

 

[Snapsy]

I never used to wait to give time for the glucose to work, and ended up always overtreating.

Now my rule is 3 glucotabs, WAIT 10 minutes. It's really hard sometimes, as I want to recover instantly so am always tempted to not wait and just have more glucose - but I find that 3 glucotabs and a patient wait are an excellent de-hypoing combination.

 

[Mep]

I was told to use the 15g quick acting carb and wait 15 mins rule... if still low, repeat. But I just use a juice box to treat my hypos most of the time as I find that works quickly. I then eat something else if I'm not near a meal time to stop BGL dropping.... well at least I do usually as I've not done this a few times and get another hypo an hour later.

 

[CarbsRok]

I'm hoping someone would be kind enough to give me some help on treating hypos? Although I've had T1 for 10 years now I've only really just started to knuckle down and get things in shape, meaning that I am experiencing some hypos. My problem is that I start to panic when I hypo and end up over treating it as I just want that horrible feeling to go away! Which in turn sends me through the roof!

It's really starting to get me down when I'm trying so hard to keep things in range. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Hi Laura,
not sure if this will help but have you tried something like a small packet of children's sweets? Something like those small packets of haribo's So once eaten that's it you don't have the urge to keep on eating until a huge packet has disappeared. Another option is to have something you are not keen on so you wont over indulge.

PS well done on taking control

 

[therower]

Hi @LauraR88 . Sorry to hear you're struggling with hypos, it's always difficult trying to find that balance.
Well done on taking more control, unfortunately tighter control can lead to more low readings.
I find hypos can be different, some just slowly creep up and your sugars are dropping at a steady rate, these i find easy to treat with appropriate carbs and no great rise in blood sugar.
BUT then there's the hypo that hits hard and fast. You go into panic mode ( after 25yrs I tend not to panic so much ) you stand in the kitchen or wherever and eat everything and anything, as wrong as you know it is you can't stop. This has happened countless times to me, overtime I've found the best thing to do is go with it, eat whatever. Not the best advice I know but I also know all rational thinking goes out the window in these events. But here's my tip. Whatever you eat leave the wrappers on the side, try to remember everything you devour, if i eat malt loaf I leave it out, if I have a banana I leave the skin on the side, a sandwich leave the bread open.
Now when sugar's start to rise and I feel better I have a tally up of all the carbs I've eaten and make a sensible bolus dose to cover the extra carbs I've had.
It's not ideal but it does stop me going 20+ a few hours later.
Obviously though avoiding hypos is the best way to go, so looking at insulin ratios should be your main focus.
Good luck and well done on taking control.

 

[LauraR88]

Apologies everyone, I have just got round to reading all your replies (the joys of working funny shifts for an emergency service!).

I am glad I am not the only one that panics and eats anything I sight. I honestly felt like the worst diabetic ever and felt really guilty!

I think I'm definitely going to make up some "hypo treatment" bags then atleast I know for sure exactly how many carbs I'm having. I can't stand the likes of dextro tablets the texture makes me want to be sick! Can't even bring myself to put them in my mouth. For those of you that drink the very berry Gluco juice, doesn't it taste it ok? As sometimes when I hypo I don't want to eat so something like this would be ideal?

As always guys, you've been great with all your advice it's much appreciated x

 

[therower]

Hi @LauraR88 . You're not alone. I've actually seen T.shirts with reference to hypos and eating kitchens .
One go to drink for me is water, orange cordial and 3 good spoonfuls of glucose powder ( available from Holland and Barrett ).
I keep the powder in an airtight container along with a spoon.
Good thing about glucose powder is that it isn't really sweet so I can get a lot into a small drink without it being undrinkable.

 

[noblehead]

For those of you that drink the very berry Gluco juice, doesn't it taste it ok? As sometimes when I hypo I don't want to eat so something like this would be ideal?

Tastes fine, there's only 60ml in each bottle anyway.

 

[JJinWA]

I'm hoping someone would be kind enough to give me some help on treating hypos? Although I've had T1 for 10 years now I've only really just started to knuckle down and get things in shape, meaning that I am experiencing some hypos. My problem is that I start to panic when I hypo and end up over treating it as I just want that horrible feeling to go away! Which in turn sends me through the roof!

It's really starting to get me down when I'm trying so hard to keep things in range. Any advice is greatly appreciated

Sounds like we are about on the same time period I got diagnosed 10 years ago as well. For the first 7 years I had your problem I just wanted it gone and would over treat every time. Then i would try to correct and got into this back and forth which made me feel worse but somehow I would eventually fix it.

Then after talking with my dad and brother who also have it my dad gave me some good a dive that has worked well. Keep those little juice boxes orange or apple juice. When going low drink 1 and wait 15 minutes and test if it's still dropping drink 1 more wait 15 and repeat. If it goes up at all then don't drink anything and wait another 15 and test again. That way you don't over treat but gives you a little more control to watch it go up and for me didn't feel as helpless.

Anyways hope this helps.

 

[donnellysdogs]

For me... I have aldi's cherry & chilli chocolate!!

They come 5 in a pack. All individually wrapped. From one bar I will eat 2 oblong bits. They are about 8g in total. This is if I know I am 3.0-4.0 and no insulin on board.

Any lower or with insulinnon board I will have a bar.

Come. Ivht or day it doesn't increase levels above 6.2.

More importantly I am not tempted to have more. Its delicious and I don't drop after because it has some fat..

My health folk are ok with me having this as they can see I do not overload and do not sink... with sugar cubes I sink again at some point.

Plus I do readily eat this. Keep some in coolbag durinv summer if I go out shopping etc. Keep in side door compartment and glove box in winter. Keep in fridge in the house.

 

[Gemma2]

Hi. After being T1 for 53 years - I am at the panicking stage/dread of hypos. First time in all the time being diabetic.. I have always had them but I fear them now because I get so spaced out! I have got a Libre but it is making me neurotic using it all the time when I am out walking. I am on a Pump but my educator has now thankfully negotiated with me how to adjust my basal. I was at screaming pitch with the fear of going HYPO and stuffing myself and then going high.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi. After being T1 for 53 years - I am at the panicking stage/dread of hypos. First time in all the time being diabetic.. I have always had them but I fear them now because I get so spaced out! I have got a Libre but it is making me neurotic using it all the time when I am out walking. I am on a Pump but my educator has now thankfully negotiated with me how to adjust my basal. I was at screaming pitch with the fear of going HYPO and stuffing myself and then going high.

Having had all- pump and cgm and libre...
For me the best thing at really recognising and dealing with any hulypos was the pump... you can get hypos without having fast drops... the fast drops to me were always the shocking horrible hypo's... the pump will make these drops less and hypos will not be so severe.....providing you get your basal levels right....

Even though back to mdi I still have much better awareness now than previously. I knew it before... but at night It could need hubby to intervene on an odd occasion.
Not been like that for 6 years now, despite being off pump (18 months) and cgm for nigh on 4 years. Have a libre now but going back to a funded cgm due to lacking finger pricking availability as main reason.

If you get basals good on pump life becomes a lot easier..

 

[Gemma2]

I agree. The fast dropping ones are the worst because you are not expecting them and then you need so much to get back again.

 

[Bluemarine Josephine]

Hello Laura and hello everyone, I hope that you are all very well today!

Here’s what I have come up with, analyzing my hypos.

The first thing is, it depends which insulin give me the hypo.

1. If it is the Novorapid, my hypo occurs usually within the 2-3 hours after a meal. I find that the hypo which occurs from Novorapid is more difficult to treat. While I treat following the DAFNE rules the active Novorapid is still “pulling” my bg down. As a result, I have two forces working opposite each other, carbs pulling up and Novorapid pulling down. The result is that the treat takes longer to correct the hypo than the 15 minutes suggested by DAFNE. There have been cases where it required 30-45 minutes for my bg to begin to rise to the required bg range.

2. If it is my Levemir causing the hypo, usually the hypo will occur 4-5 hours after my meal and the bg drop is generally “milder” and the hypo treatment works faster.

The problematic period lies during the time that my two Levemir injections overlap and my Novorapid is peaking. Particularly, if after my Novorapid peak, follows the Levemir’s peak (which means I need to treat with quick acting carbs + slow release carbs.)

I think that the successful treatment in each case depends on keeping calm and being able to assess which insulin causes the hypo and what happens after you treat (for example, how many hours you have until your next meal or do you have a basal insulin peaking in an hour’s time.)

Analyzing your insulin’s movement will give you a better understanding of what you need to do.
I hope this helps a little.
Regards
Josephine

 

[LauraR88]

I have to agree it's the fast dropping ones that take me by surprise, my heart starts beating so fast I swear I can see it coming out my chest, and that tends to be when I eat everything in sight as fast as I can to make that horrible feeling go away.

I just get frustrated when im slow to so high, when I feel like I'm trying so hard to be so good, it can really deflate you an as hard as I try not to bury my head in the sand again, it looks rather appealing more times than not

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hello Laura and hello everyone, I hope that you are all very well today!

Here’s what I have come up with, analyzing my hypos.

The first thing is, it depends which insulin give me the hypo.

1. If it is the Novorapid, my hypo occurs usually within the 2-3 hours after a meal. I find that the hypo which occurs from Novorapid is more difficult to treat. While I treat following the DAFNE rules the active Novorapid is still “pulling” my bg down. As a result, I have two forces working opposite each other, carbs pulling up and Novorapid pulling down. The result is that the treat takes longer to correct the hypo than the 15 minutes suggested by DAFNE. There have been cases where it required 30-45 minutes for my bg to begin to rise to the required bg range.

2. If it is my Levemir causing the hypo, usually the hypo will occur 4-5 hours after my meal and the bg drop is generally “milder” and the hypo treatment works faster.

The problematic period lies during the time that my two Levemir injections overlap and my Novorapid is peaking. Particularly, if after my Novorapid peak, follows the Levemir’s peak (which means I need to treat with quick acting carbs + slow release carbs.)

I think that the successful treatment in each case depends on keeping calm and being able to assess which insulin causes the hypo and what happens after you treat (for example, how many hours you have until your next meal or do you have a basal insulin peaking in an hour’s time.)

Analyzing your insulin’s movement will give you a better understanding of what you need to do.
I hope this helps a little.
Regards
Josephine

Thats pretty much what your consultants should be telling T1's.

Always look at levels 2-3 hours after ANY bolus.. not just food ones.. and then afain at 5 hours to check levels are at target without problems.

Any other times basal is more likely to be the cause.... unless you have multiple bolus doses that could have stacked, have Gadtroparesis or stomach or colon problems causing erratic levels, an infection or sickness liable or happening etc...

You should be made aware of how insulin works and times etc from nurses.. however, these must be worked out by the individual by trial, error and testing!!