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Advice needed please

fillyp

Member
Messages
18
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi any advice please? I recently had a hypo at 3.3 when I was at my drs for blood tests. After 3 glucose tablets, 6 biscuits and 2 big glasses of milk it had only risen to 3.6 after half an hour! Ive been type 1 since I was 15 and I'm 42 now and its never been that slow before. Took another 3 biscuits and another 2 glasses milk and 6 chocs from nurses stash to get it to 4.6 after 50 mins. My bp dropped and my body temp too. X
 
What advice are you seeking...?

Sometimes these things are a mystery although a hypo is usually the result of too much insulin or increased activity.....I would rule them out first....
 
@fillyp .
Sounds like you had what I like to call a " good 'un "
Sometimes things diabetes related have no rhyme or reason as I'm sure you know.
Perhaps it could have been the anxiety and stress of being at your doctors having blood test, then combined with worry, embarrassment of being in the position you found yourself ( I wouldn't want a hypo in a doctors surgery) all these things could have contributed to what started out as a normal hypo.
Hope you feel better now.
 
There are sometimes reasons why diabetes just wants to do its own thing for now reason that I can figure.

I do notice that you had no quick acting glucose in your hypo treatment. The fat in things like milk and chocolate delay the absorption of the sugar so your hypo could last longer and your rise may happen later.
I always carry Gluco tabs with me as this act fast when I hypo.
 
I find the fastest way to treat my hypos are the very berry glucose drinks and only have carbs when back in range. Found if I ate biscuits or chocolates immediately following fast acting hypo treatment the b's rise was a lot slower.
 
hi there @fillyp
welcome to the forum
I would agree with my friends above suggesting that perhaps a change in hypo treatment may be called for------ I always use rowntree fruit pastille as my first pont of hypo
normally 6 pastilles = 18 carbs , wait 15 minutes and test again , if no rise or dip then another 6 pastilles , wait another 15 minutes and test again

your use of milk and biscuits could have delayed the eventual rise --- just for curiousity . where did you end up BG wise a couple of hours later ??

having said that -- we are all different and I am sure with your experience you acted in your own best interest....just sending a hug cuz no hypo is much fun xxxxx
 
Madmaureen said:
Much quicker acting glucose certainly not milk only one thing Lucozade!!!
Click to expand...
Also fruit juice. I can't say why, but for me pineapple juice worked faster than anything. I suppose that, like fingerprints, our metabolisms are equally varied!
 
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I don’t know if you would like this or not as they are a bit childish but I use Capri suns! They are really refreshing and have 20g of carbs in them and also do you have the pump if so put it on suspend I’ve been on a hypo for over an hour once just because i didn’t put it on suspend!!
 
Hi @fillyp, I don't envy you the horrible experience. I just hope none of the medics spoke to you like a toddler. I used to get that even in my 50's especially if hypo at the clinic! One thing occurred to me: did you have any alcohol the evening before? In my distant past I used to get waves ov hypos if I had gone to a student binge. Forgive me if I'm totally wrong. All the best
 
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Hi @fillyp ,

I wouldn't disagree with the answers above.
However due to a little lag in the BS reading on the meter. (It sort of takes a "snapshot" of BS anything up to 15/20minutes prior?) Your "3.3" may have actually been a little lower? Hence the disappointing rise to "3.6".
In effect you may have tested on the way down, then caught it on the rise thinking the treatment hadn't worked?

What was your reading two & four hours later?

I had a hypo with a DSN once.. She didn't even notice..
 
What did your levels peak at later though?

This is the thing that would prove whether the hypo treatment was giving delayed responses to raise you. Did you test 2 hours and 4 hours after?

I used to have milk n 3 sugars as my favourite hypo stopper... raised me quick enough but as I dont have large qtys of insulin at anytime then my drops nowadays espind quicker as they dont have far to drop with too much risk of excess insulin in me....

I am concerned more on the later resulting bloods than the 50 mins to raise to be honest.. DVLA say wait 40 mins and this is more my guideline than any nurse who expects immediate rises....
 
Jelly babaies were recommended to me by the nutritionist on a Dafne course a good few years ago. I still use them; 4 = 20g carbohydrate so how many I take depends on how low I am. I always wiat 10 mins then check BG; if it's still below 4 I take more jelly babies, wait another 10 minutes and check again. Personally, I avoid any food other than fast-acting glucose like jelly babies until I'm certain BG is back above 4. As @himtoo said, biscuits and milk can delay the absorption of the fast-acting glucose, hence my 10 minute wait and retesting. Sorry if you already do all this and it still goes wrong; that's sadly the nature of the beast sometimes...
 
Hi thanks for your reply. I can't stand jelly babies so never have them. Ive never had a problem getting my sugar level up before and been diabetic for 27 years it was very strange
 
2 hrs later BM was 6.6 x
 
It was 6.6 2 hrs later then 8.4 after that. The nurse def noticed mine lol I was shaking visibly, my top was soaking wirh sweat and I was rambling x
 
Thank you no I hadn't had alcohol for 2 weeks, the nurse was lovely she wet tissue and placed it on the back of my neck which helped and looked after me. In going to get her some chocs to say thanks bless her. X
 
Thank you in pleased you found something that works for you. I got put off those when there was mould found in them lol no haven't got the pump I didn't want it xx
 
Grant_Vicat said:
Also fruit juice. I can't say why, but for me pineapple juice worked faster than anything. I suppose that, like fingerprints, our metabolisms are equally varied!
Click to expand...
I wished I had fruit juice with me I should carry some. Allergic to pineapple unfortunately. X
 
Thank you I normally have juice first but used glucose tablets in past then milk and biscuits and its worked before. When I called my nurse she said it wasn't enough carbs! What 3 glucose tablets, half a bottle milk, 9 biscuits and 6-8 chocolates ?? Lol
 
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