Type 1 Hypo remedy

smr55

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What as a matter of interest do T1D's take to remedy a hypo on a low carb diet? Keto and LC diets say to avoid Fruit Juices and Glucose which would technically take you out of Ketosis. I have been taking Yazoo milk shakes which are unsweetened and although the choc ones only contain 10g carbs and the strawberry 8g carb I have been finding this works OK. As its a UHT type of drink it keeps for a couple of months in my bag. Unfortunately I cant find just plain UHT milk in a 200ml carton. The Yazoo is unsweetened so should be OK on a LC diet, but I just wondered if anyone uses something else which might be better/easier to carry/quicker to digest.
Weight is pretty static but need to loose approx.1-1.5 stone. Have only eaten an average of 30-40g CHO over the last 30 days but I'm still sitting at 11st 9lb. I will have to try exercising a bit more, but thought with those few Carbs I would loose at least some weight.
There seems to be a big hold up on getting the T1D, LC diet up and running which I'm sure is perfectly justified with the amount of work that has had to go into it, but hopefully soon.
 

KK123

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What as a matter of interest do T1D's take to remedy a hypo on a low carb diet? Keto and LC diets say to avoid Fruit Juices and Glucose which would technically take you out of Ketosis. I have been taking Yazoo milk shakes which are unsweetened and although the choc ones only contain 10g carbs and the strawberry 8g carb I have been finding this works OK. As its a UHT type of drink it keeps for a couple of months in my bag. Unfortunately I cant find just plain UHT milk in a 200ml carton. The Yazoo is unsweetened so should be OK on a LC diet, but I just wondered if anyone uses something else which might be better/easier to carry/quicker to digest.
Weight is pretty static but need to loose approx.1-1.5 stone. Have only eaten an average of 30-40g CHO over the last 30 days but I'm still sitting at 11st 9lb. I will have to try exercising a bit more, but thought with those few Carbs I would loose at least some weight.
There seems to be a big hold up on getting the T1D, LC diet up and running which I'm sure is perfectly justified with the amount of work that has had to go into it, but hopefully soon.

I say forget about being kicked out of ketosis when you are hypo! It is an emergency and you need pure sugar/glucose. Taking milk may help to raise your levels eventually (far too slowly to bring it up quick enough) but you are playing with fire by messing about worrying about ketosis. If anything take action to prevent going hypo in the first place if you are following a keto diet. Many people do not seem to realise that a hypo is/can be very dangerous and even life threatening. My Mum (also type 1) had several over the course of her life and ended up unconscious and in hospital many times, they also said that too many hypos would affect the brain too so maybe consider that.
 

michita

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Hi and welcome to the forum :) I’m also low carbing type 1. If is is a mild hypo like above 3.5 and if I’m eating meal soon I will make the adjustment with mealtime insulin. If not eating meal soon I will eat half of a glucose tablet (2g). If the hypo is 3.0 - 3.5 I eat 1 glucose tablet. If hypo is worse more etc. I actually quite like glucose tablet as hypo treatment because I know exactly how many grams of glucose I’m eating and how much I need to eat to nudge up.
 

Daibell

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Hi. I agree with @michita. The amount of carbs in a glucose tablet is quite small but may be enough to take you out of the hypo. Take more tablets if needed. Yes, a hypo can be an emergency so not the time to worry about too many carbs. You seem to be doing the right things to reduce weight so may be you have a metabolism that is not easy to fix (like my wife's)
 

Juicyj

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Glucose is essential when hypo - it needs urgent treatment so fast acting glucose and not milk is the best way to treat it.
 

Ushthetaff

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The health authority where I am based use a 15, 15, 15 technique! Take 15 g of fast acting glucose ( a mini can of cola is exactly 15 g ) wait 15 mins then eat 15 g of slower acting carbs , as far as I’m concerned when I am hypo I don’t worry about anything else bar getting rid of the hypo , the rest I deal with when my sugars return to normal ,
 
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Jaylee

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Hi @smr55 ,

Welcome to the forum on your first post.

What insulin/s & regime (MDI or pump) are you prescribed..
How long have you been T1?

I'm what most consider a low carber. However. (For me.) The type & amount of carb also depends on whether the hypo is during fasting, (basal cause.) or with bolus (fast acting insulin from a meal or correction.) still on board..?
 

smr55

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Hi and welcome to the forum :) I’m also low carbing type 1. If is is a mild hypo like above 3.5 and if I’m eating meal soon I will make the adjustment with mealtime insulin. If not eating meal soon I will eat half of a glucose tablet (2g). If the hypo is 3.0 - 3.5 I eat 1 glucose tablet. If hypo is worse more etc. I actually quite like glucose tablet as hypo treatment because I know exactly how many grams of glucose I’m eating and how much I need to eat to nudge up.
Thank you that sounds like a good plan. I hate the tablets, but would take them if necessary. Yes the milk is quite slow, but I have managed to stay above the 4-4.5 mark so far before taking action and not really gone into a full hypo mode. I will take your advice to keep a few packs of glucose tabs handy just in case.
 
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smr55

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Hi @smr55 ,

Welcome to the forum on your first post.

What insulin/s & regime (MDI or pump) are you prescribed..
How long have you been T1?

I'm what most consider a low carber. However. (For me.) The type & amount of carb also depends on whether the hypo is during fasting, (basal cause.) or with bolus (fast acting insulin from a meal or correction.) still on board..?
Im on a CGM and have been T1 for over 50 yrs. My control is very good except for the usual ups and down we all get. That goes with the territory unfortunately. I was told by one DSN to do nothing as the pump goes into suspend mode - there was no need to. This is rather foreign to us all, but I could see her point. But if it takes an hour or two to come up, then you have the back lash of the high after it and more insulin resulting in the dreaded weight gain - swings and roundabout. Another DSN said to treat it but not over treat it which was why I was carrying the milkshake and it does bring it up, and it doesn't over treat it as long as I catch the fall before it gets too low.
 
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Jaylee

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Im on a CGM and have been T1 for over 50 yrs. My control is very good except for the usual ups and down we all get. That goes with the territory unfortunately. I was told by one DSN to do nothing is the pump goes into suspend mode - there was no need to. This is rather foreign to us all, but I could see her point. But if it takes an hour or two to come up, then you have the back last of the high after it and more insulin resulting in the dreaded weight gain - swings and roundabout. Another DSN said to treat it but not over treat it which was why I was carrying the milkshake and it does bring it up, and it doesn't over treat it as long as I catch the fall before it gets too low.

If it's any consolation to you. I was diagnosed back in the day when "feeling funny" & "ask mum for milk." Was the advice.

It's still my go to. Along with, or a digestive biscuit..

When you are low. Do you back up the CGM with a finger test?
 

smr55

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I say forget about being kicked out of ketosis when you are hypo! It is an emergency and you need pure sugar/glucose. Taking milk may help to raise your levels eventually (far too slowly to bring it up quick enough) but you are playing with fire by messing about worrying about ketosis. If anything take action to prevent going hypo in the first place if you are following a keto diet. Many people do not seem to realise that a hypo is/can be very dangerous and even life threatening. My Mum (also type 1) had several over the course of her life and ended up unconscious and in hospital many times, they also said that too many hypos would affect the brain too so maybe consider that.
Thank you - yes I am aware of all your points and I would if necessary take the required action.. I've been diabetic for over 50 years and its the LC diet that is the newer regime for me. I have been trying to follow it for quite some time now and not really getting anywhere. I've lost only a few pounds. I make my own bread and the odd snack and use almond milk(unsweetened) all the time except the UHT drink as required. I still have OJ in the cupboard and gluco tabs/jelly babies in coat pockets just in case, but the taste of the 2 latter turns my stomach so would reach for the OJ or yazoo before them.
 

smr55

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Type of diabetes
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If it's any consolation to you. I was diagnosed back in the day when "feeling funny" & "ask mum for milk." Was the advice.

It's still my go to. Along with, or a digestive biscuit..

When you are low. Do you back up the CGM with a finger test?
Yes 99% of the time. I have had a problem with wheat for the last 20+ years so wouldn't reach for the biscuit tin if I can help it - again if necessary I would. I think anyone in a state of hypo would put anything in there mouth if the result would return a normal BG.
 

smr55

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The health authority where I am based use a 15, 15, 15 technique! Take 15 g of fast acting glucose ( a mini can of cola is exactly 15 g ) wait 15 mins then eat 15 g of slower acting carbs , as far as I’m concerned when I am hypo I don’t worry about anything else bar getting rid of the hypo , the rest I deal with when my sugars return to normal ,
The health authority where I am based use a 15, 15, 15 technique! Take 15 g of fast acting glucose ( a mini can of cola is exactly 15 g ) wait 15 mins then eat 15 g of slower acting carbs , as far as I’m concerned when I am hypo I don’t worry about anything else bar getting rid of the hypo , the rest I deal with when my sugars return to normal ,
This was always the plan. Just wondered if anyone had any different ideas, and I have found that the milk does it bring it up but just a little slower and it doesn't over treat it.
 

localshop

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Jelly babies are 5g carb each, so if you don't like the glucose tabs they could be an alternative? My DSN actually recomended them as a hypo treatment as it's easy to calculate the carbs. Below 3.5 I have 4 of them, wait 15 mins and check.
 
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I normally have shrimp and banana sweets, or kinder chocolate, 5 individually wrapped in a pack.
I have to look carefully at the ingredients as I'm Coeliac.
 

Daibell

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Thank you that sounds like a good plan. I hate the tablets, but would take them if necessary. Yes the milk is quite slow, but I have managed to stay above the 4-4.5 mark so far before taking action and not really gone into a full hypo mode. I will take your advice to keep a few packs of glucose tabs handy just in case.
Have you tried different Dextrose tablet flavours?
 

michita

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Jelly babies - I know they are popular but are they quick to digest and act as glucose tablets ? They don’t melt in your mouth ?
 

KK123

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Thank you - yes I am aware of all your points and I would if necessary take the required action.. I've been diabetic for over 50 years and its the LC diet that is the newer regime for me. I have been trying to follow it for quite some time now and not really getting anywhere. I've lost only a few pounds. I make my own bread and the odd snack and use almond milk(unsweetened) all the time except the UHT drink as required. I still have OJ in the cupboard and gluco tabs/jelly babies in coat pockets just in case, but the taste of the 2 latter turns my stomach so would reach for the OJ or yazoo before them.

Hi there, sorry, I reread my post and it sounded a bit preachy! I just get anxious when people talk about hypo's because they really can cause damage whether by falling into the road or ending up in hospital. x
 
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smr55

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Jelly babies are 5g carb each, so if you don't like the glucose tabs they could be an alternative? My DSN actually recomended them as a hypo treatment as it's easy to calculate the carbs. Below 3.5 I have 4 of them, wait 15 mins and check.
Yes I know about Jelly Babies - not my first go to choice as the taste is so false. Same goes for jelly pastilles which are harder to chew if you are very low. (ps once took a mars bar when very low and it was like trying to wade through thick treacle to get it down my throat). Found bountys good both taste and chew wise, but not good to keep in pockets of coats. Because of my wheat problem another good buy was GF nakd bars - taste is great about 14-17g per bar depending on the flavour and the box lasted for ages.(subscribe & save Plenty of options flavour wise. Thank you for this.
 
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smr55

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Hi there, sorry, I reread my post and it sounded a bit preachy! I just get anxious when people talk about hypo's because they really can cause damage whether by falling into the road or ending up in hospital. x
No not at all. I know how you feel. I've been around a lot of years with this way of life and I felt you were just watching my back - so no worries and thank you for that. We have to learn to live with this condition and not let it live our lives for us. We probably all do a daft thing now and again - that's par for the course and we learn by our mistakes, but this way of discussing things via the forum highlights things to us all which we can either discuss further or ignore and or revisit later as we feel necessary, and also pick up pointers that we may have never thought about but might explore further. Again Thank you.
 
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