Really screwed up!

hornplayer

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Hiya.

I don't know why but I'm really screwed up today. I just can't calm down. My mind is racing and I'm all over the place.

I don't think it's a diabetic issue, at least, not a sugar related one. I don't know if its medication related - I'm on Metformin, but if it was, surely it would have manifested before this? I've been on it for nearly two months now.

Does anyone have any ideas?
Have a similar problem?
Have any tips to stop my insides racing??
 

WhitbyJet

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probably build up of tension?
Try to relax, consciously relax, do some deep, slow breathing exercises, sip a warm, soothing drink.

Hope you feel better soon x
 
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hornplayer said:
Hiya.

I don't know why but I'm really screwed up today. I just can't calm down. My mind is racing and I'm all over the place.

I don't think it's a diabetic issue, at least, not a sugar related one. I don't know if its medication related - I'm on Metformin, but if it was, surely it would have manifested before this? I've been on it for nearly two months now.

Does anyone have any ideas?
Have a similar problem?
Have any tips to stop my insides racing??

Hi hornblower what about going for a nice long calming walk. Just go out and breathe steadily through your nose and exile through your mouth. You could take a flask of tea and a book with you, sit down for 1/2 hour and try to relax and take it easy.

I hope you start to feel better soon and can then unwind a little.

Best wishes RRB
 

anna29

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hornplayer said:
Hiya.

I don't know why but I'm really screwed up today. I just can't calm down. My mind is racing and I'm all over the place.

I don't think it's a diabetic issue, at least, not a sugar related one. I don't know if its medication related - I'm on Metformin, but if it was, surely it would have manifested before this? I've been on it for nearly two months now.

Does anyone have any ideas?
Have a similar problem?
Have any tips to stop my insides racing??

Hi hornplayer .

Any exposure to 'stress' happened last few days ?

Have you been excessively busy lately ?
Cant relax wind down and settle in mind and body ?

Only thing medically I can think of is - hyperactive thyroid gland ?
Best to discuss this with your own GP if you are concerned .

Hope this can help .

Anna .
 

hornplayer

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Can't settle. Can't stop my mind racing - if I read a book, have one tune going in my head, sing the harmony and keep a random repeating rhythm going with my toes, I can keep a lid on it. Surely this isn't normal? This isn't the first time. Can't go out for a walk. Blowing a gale and chucking it down, and that just changes the location, it doesn't make it stop. Breathing exercises aren't distracting enough. Can't play coz my muscles are all tense, I'd sound bad and that would screw me up even more.

Anna, - wouldn't a hyperactive thyroid mean I'd lose weight? I don't think that can be it as I've always had a really hard time losing weight. And the climbing out of my skin feeling isn't there all the time. - feels more like some sort of adrenalin overload. :/

Stressed? Well, yes, but that's nothing new. :(


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hornplayer

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Ate some (too much!) dark chocolate about half hour ago. That feels like it might be helping. Brain is starting to feel numb around the edges. Chocolate is fattening though!! :(:(


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hornplayer

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Ok, so my blood sugar has gone up to 8.6, but I feel a lot calmer now. What was that?? A five hour long semi panic attack???

Obviously I can't use chocolate to get out of it all the time. It puts my sugars up and it's fattening. Not buying it any more. - do you think I should mention it to my DN? I'm seeing her for the first time a week from Tuesday. It was scary. My heart was racing and I could hear it thumping in my head!


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hornplayer

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Wow. I just searched panic attacks and blood sugar on the web. Loads of stuff came up. Some schools of thought saying that panic attacks can be brought on by low blood sugar, others that something called Panic Attack Disorder can mimic the symptoms of low blood sugar and can really interfere with diabetes management. ( and, yes, raising sugar levels can snap you out of it. - not ideal, but good to know. )

I am going to have to talk to DN. I can't self medicate with chocolate, - as much as I'd like too!

Thank you all for your support. I feel calmer now.


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mo1905

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hornplayer said:
Wow. I just searched panic attacks and blood sugar on the web. Loads of stuff came up. Some schools of thought saying that panic attacks can be brought on by low blood sugar, others that something called Panic Attack Disorder can mimic the symptoms of low blood sugar and can really interfere with diabetes management. ( and, yes, raising sugar levels can snap you out of it. - not ideal, but good to know. )

I am going to have to talk to DN. I can't self medicate with chocolate, - as much as I'd like too!

Thank you all for your support. I feel calmer now.


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Glad you feel better. Wise decision to let your DN know. I wonder if we could get chocolate on prescription lol !!
 
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The only thing that rang a bell with me was the tune. From my drinking days when suffering from a hangover I would get a phrase of a tune in my head and it would be on a loop and keep on playing over and over. Now I know more about blood sugars I find that low blood sugar is one of the things you get with a hangover.

You say the chocolate eased it. Great. Don't worry about getting fat on one bar of chocolate. I'd rather be fat than nuts.
 

hornplayer

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Thanks guys! :)

Just spoke to my boss. He's also one of my closest friends. He pointed out all the times over the six months, pre diagnosis, when he's had to talk me out of a state. There is a definite pattern there. Maybe I'm not as mad as I thought?!

This is all really surprising! My sugar level aren't low, but they are considerably lower than I'm used to. - and ... There's a good chance that I'm not bonkers. - happy thought. :)


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hornplayer said:
This is all really surprising! My sugar level aren't low, but they are considerably lower than I'm used to.

There is a clue here. Added to which another poster and myself once carried out some tests on three makes of meters. Two of them read high to the tune of 1.0 in the case of one and 1.3 in the other. Anyone using these makes could be mislead into how low their sugars are.

The first one was the SD Codefree and the other was an Accu Check owned by the other poster.

There is nothing wrong with these meters providing you know that you have to make allowances for them and as we all know the SD is cheap to run. If you are using such a meter it could explain a lot.
 
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No I don't, we only tested three and that wasn't one of them. It may be ok for all I know but I have heard of people having hypos when their reading seemed fine (one made it into an ambulance). Later they find they have a high reading meter.
 

hornplayer

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I don't think this is a question of panic attacks being the same as hypos, or hypos being mistaken for panic attacks. From what I've read, they are two separate issues. - from what I understand (and I need to do lots more reading), panic attack disorder can be treated by raising blood sugar, which goes against what we're all trying to do, keep it down. There's no suggestion that blood sugar levels should be kept high.
It isn't a hypo. My blood sugar in the middle of it all wasn't low by any means, low 6's? Post chocolate, when I started to feel better, it went up to 8's. I had a period a couple of weeks ago where it was in the 5's with the odd 4, with no anxiety problems. The last couple of weeks it's been mostly 7's and high 6's. I know that isn't low, but it is a lot lower than my pre diagnosis level of a couple of months ago. - Who knows how long I was at that for!
- I dunno?


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hale710

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hornplayer said:
There's a good chance that I'm not bonkers. - happy thought. :)

I thought being bonkers was a requirement when you're a musician? I am confident I wouldn't survive a single tour if I wasn't completely off my rocker :)

On a more serious note, I have a melody in my head 95% of the time. Usually just a couple of bars, a line or two at most. Today it is from the Wicked soundtrack. Odd since I haven't listened to it in hmmmm...... A year maybe?

I don't tap a tune with my toes but I have incredibly restless legs. Jumpy and bouncing constantly!

For the last 5 or 6 years I've played doe-a-deer on an imaginary piano at every opportunity. I'm not kidding. I know it's crazy (even more crazy because I'm a wind player.....I can barely play the piano!) I do it under the table, or on my leg. I try to be discrete because I know I'm a nut job, but I'm fairly certain people see.

I've only been T1 since February so I don't think it's down to BG for me. The start coincided with me starting my degree so I can only assume it is a stress thing. So I just have to embrace the crazy!
 
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hornplayer said:
I don't think this is a question of panic attacks being the same as hypos, or hypos being mistaken for panic attacks.

Well, whatever, I'm glad you got it sorted yesterday and I hope it doesn't happen again.