Hypo help...

[RainbowBrite]

My bg was 2.3 @ 21:18. I immediately ate 5 jelly babies. Just tested again @ 21:35 and it's only rose to 3.6. Should I repeat the jelly babies?

Thanks
Jamie x

 

[MeiChanski]

Hello, my consultant always said if you hypo and treated it, test again 15 mins later and if you're still low, repeat the treatment.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Hello, my consultant always said if you hypo and treated it, test again 15 mins later and if you're still low, repeat the treatment.

Thank you I'm going to have 3 and see how it is. I always find myself going far too high because I think I over treat so was just looking to see what others do. X

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @RainbowBrite you need to repeat after 10 minutes with glucose, once above 4 mmol/l eat 10g of carb.

 

[Scott-C]

I'd be tempted to leave it another 15 mins. There's about 25g of carbs in 5 jelly babies in stream already, which would generally raise bg by between 4 to 6.

It's already risen to only slightly below 4 so the jbs are in the process of doing their jobs, and will probably continue to rise without any more. Another few would likely be over-kill.

If, though, you reckon you might still have a stack of active insulin on board from your last meal, that might drop it again, depending on how big the meal was and how much has been digested. It's always a judgment call with those situations - the meal might be getting into stream now already to balance the bolus.

 

[Flic2019]

I haven’t yet (and hopefully won’t) has a hypo but I was given the same advice. If the BG hasn’t risen in 15mins to repeat.

 

[RainbowBrite]

Thank you all for your replies. @Scott-C I really think you are onto something there as I have suffered hypos then when checked after the advised 15 minutes, retreated then I end up going into double figures!!

 

[kitedoc]

HI @RainbowBrite, also remember that the hypo will trigger your liver to release stored glucose. That can often cause BSLs to sky rocket too.
The important thing after your BSLs is settled is to analyse why the hypo happened and see if it can be prevented in future.
Best Wishes!!

 

[RainbowBrite]

HI @RainbowBrite, also remember that the hypo will trigger your liver to release stored glucose. That can often cause BSLs to sky rocket too.
The important thing after your BSLs is settled is to analyse why the hypo happened and see if it can be prevented in future.
Best Wishes!!

Thanks kitedoc. My diagnoses has only recently changed from type 2 to type 1 so I am still at the stage where my nurses and I are trying to get insulin levels right. I've had a number of hypos recently which we're looking at. Some are due to me having very low carb meals but I'm finding it hard converting from low carb due to type 2 to the mindset of eating carbs now I'm type 1. I think I'd prefer to stick to lower (not low or keto) carbs but I might have trouble convincing the nurses of this

 

[kitedoc]

I am on very low carb /keto diet with Type 1. Usually one establishes an insulin to carb ratio for the pre meal insulin e.g. mine are sometime like: 1unit short acting insulin to 6 g of carbs in the morning (when more insulin resistant) and say, 1 unit to 10 g carb at dinner.
So my short acting insulin in the morning might be 1.5 units (plus a correction factor if the BSL at that time is higher than say 5.5mmol/l). Being on an insulin pump my basal insulin is a programmed input of the short-acting insulin per hour, ranging from 0.45 units per hour to 0.9 units per hour. Total insulin dose per day = about 28 units.
I hope your doses get sorted soon and those horrible hypos become a distant memory !!
Best Wishes!!

 

[Deleted Account]

Hi @RainbowBrite you need to repeat after 10 minutes with glucose, once above 4 mmol/l eat 10g of carb.

Once I transitioned from injections to the pump, I was advised not to follow fast acting hypo treatment with slow acting carbs.
This was explained to me as when on fast and slow acting insulin injections, the slow acting insulin assumes the body needs the same amount of background insulin 24 hours a day. This is not the case so, generally, we select a slow acting insulin dose which maintains our BG as stable as possible at the time when our basal insulin needs are highest. As a result, at other times of the day we have extra slow acting insulin in our bodies. This is why we may be advised we can have a snack of 10 to 15g carbs between meals without injecting fast acting insulin - the snack "mops up" the "spare background insulin". The slow acting carbs post hypo are also to do this mopping up.
The great advantage of the pump is that we can adjust our basal requirements to mach our true needs at different times of the day. Therefore, we don't have any spare background insulin, we need to inject every time we eat carbs and do not need the slow acting carbs post hypo because there is nothing to "mop up".

(Incidentally, the hypo program does not explain this as it is focused on injections and not pumping.)

 

[Juicyj]

@helensaramay

I was responding to the OP in regards to what they should do on injections as per DAFNE advice and is the safest way to treat hypos, as I pump I have my own set of rules which works for me but would never give this advice to anyone on injections.

 

[Deleted Account]

@helensaramay

I was responding to the OP in regards to what they should do on injections as per DAFNE advice and is the safest way to treat hypos, as I pump I have my own set of rules which works for me but would never give this advice to anyone on injections.

Completely understand.
I think some people read old threads to answer their questions rather than starting a new one.
My response had that in mind to complete the picture.

I had no intention to de-rail the thread for the OP.