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Anyone else have ''long'' hypos sometimes?

C

Catsymoo

Well-Known Member
Messages
301
Location
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Having diabetes
Hi guys. I had a bit of a diabetes drama last night at work. I was working an hour away from home, everything was great until I came back off my break. I had a sandwich and a brownie, took 9 or 10 units of Novo, which normally would be not nearly enough insulin but I knew I was gonna be working another 5 hours so I cut it down. I would usually need about 18 units for what I ate.

30 mins after I come back off my break, I start feeling weird. Not normal hypo weird, BAD hypo weird where the shakes haven't even hit you yet, you just feel this sense of doom and your vision is a bit strange. I ran off to test just to be sure, and yep, I'm at 2.2 mmol/l. I was so full from my break but knew I had to start downing Ribena and ate a Double Decker I stole from the table. (i was desperate lol). After a bottle of Ribena and the choc bar, it's 30 minutes later and my sugar has only gone up to 4, and I'm still feeling horrific. I waddled back to the shop floor and got a smoothie and another Ribena. Started downing those and then had horrible upset stomach and kept going to the toilet. Sugar only up to 5, then 6, then 4.9 again. I started getting upset because my stomach felt SO physically full that I couldn't handle any more. Even though my levels were above hypo levels, I still felt so ill and couldn't go back to working because it would probably just drop lower again.

Eventually I go into the corridor and shout for help because I felt really faint, first aider called 999 but they wouldn't come because my levels were ''fine''. I had to call my parents at 8pm and get them to come and get me because my driver for work was also running the job and he couldn't leave. (priorities, I know), and I knew the job wasn't gonna finish until about 2am. While I wait for my parents my sugar starts climbing to 6, then 7, then 9.3, ironically after I stopped drinking sugar. I started to feel better hypo wise, but my stomach felt so awful and I still don't feel 100% today.

Anyone else have hypos like this? Normally I eat 30g and I'm fine, but once a month or so, I get these kinds of hypos and they are roooough. My worst fear is having one like this at work and it's so frightening being so far from home. I'm lucky the store I was doing inventory for was open until late! It's almost like my body just ignores some of the sugar and it hits me later and I go too high...
 
I sometimes experience longer hypos - these are usually exercise related: usually post exercise.
I've also had that feeling of being full but having to force myself to eat which is a huge pain.

Looking at what you take to treat your hypo, I wonder if this may have led to an extended hypo?
You mentioned that you had a Double Decker. The fat in the chocolate delays the absorption of the sugar from the Ribena, etc.
I also wonder whether the recipe for the Ribena has changed from what you are used to as they prepare for the sugar tax and reduce the sugar content which will mean you need more.
I take Glucotabs which are 3.6g carbs per tablet (and not much else). I find these easier to carry than drinks and need a lower volume when I am full. I realise some people struggle to crunch, etc when hypo so find drinks easier. On a long hypo, I have taken about 7 or 8 but this is very rare.
 
Exercise related usually and advice from the nurse was just to take the glucose tablets and nothing else for 15 minutes. Only if I'm 5+ then to take something carb related or a chocolate bar. She said its really frustrating when patients get given a biscuit to try and bring their levels up because the slow absorption of the carbs stops the sugar getting into the bloodstream. So pure sugar for the first 15 mins - jelly babies, fruit juice, glucose tablets etc.
 
Hey @Catsymoo sounds like you had a pretty nasty experience.

I agree totally with @helensaramay that you're hypo treatment is a little off. You should really hold off on the chocolate/biscuits/roast potatoes until the fast acting sugar has done its job and brought you back over 5. Maybe talk to your DSN for some advice.

In terms of longer hypos I occasionally have odd ones that make me feel really weird for a quite a while afterwards. 99% of the time my hypos are over before I know it - bloods back up to safe levels and I'm ready to rock. The other 1% is a little bizarre. I'll have absolutely no energy and feel woozy and disoriented for ages (up to an hour?). This sometimes comes with really wobbly legs, meaning I can't really walk, climb the stairs etc. On a few occasions the leg issue has hung around for a few hours even though I'm otherwise totally fine.

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had similar issues?

J
 
I had half the Ribena before the double decker bar, but honestly I had nothing else on me apart from breakfast biscuits, and I figured the DD would be easier to eat in a panic situation. The full sugar Ribena is good for hypos - I usually carry one in my pouch and sip it at work to keep my levels stable over long shifts without having hypos. The Ribena has about 50g sugar per bottle, and because it's not carbonated I find it easy to glug down. I can't stand glucose tablets and they don't seem to work for me, and jelly babies I've completely gone off because I associate them with hypos now, and they make me feel really nauseous when I start eating them. Aldi have also cut the sugar in their jelly babies! 4 sweets is only 11g of sugar now I believe!

I have hypos from Novorapid a lot, but I didn't work in December because of a stomach ulcer, so my insulin has been all over the place with sensitivity. Sometimes I need 9 units for a sandwich, sometimes I need 15. It's bizarre. I've recently gone back to work in the busy period and it's really trial and error with insulin doses atm due to increased physical activity.

For example Wednesday I had a hypo of 2.6 literally as I got in the door from carrying shopping and coming home from work, I had a glass of apple juice and a Reese's cup and I was normal in 10 minutes.
 
Jeremy_Wood said:
Hey @Catsymoo

I'd be interested to know if anyone else has had similar issues?

J
Click to expand...

Yes. I've had this. Most my hypos I'm OK after a little while and ready to roll as you said, but I have weird ones too where I feel really strange afterwards. Almost like my life force has been drained and I want to sleep. It bugs me when you still feel like **** and your sugars have gone up to normal. I reckon the ups and downs and shock from hypos has to take it's toll, and that's probably why we feel **** after some hypos. I'm very lucky my hypos wake me up if I'm sleeping and I crawl into the kitchen to mindlessly eat everything. I usually end up laying in bed for a while trying to wait it out to be comfortable enough to sleep, and come morning I almost feel hungover.
 

Yes! That's totally it. Maybe we've discovered a new area of diabetes... We should be knighted!
 
Catsymoo said:
Anyone else have hypos like this? Normally I eat 30g and I'm fine, but once a month or so, I get these kinds of hypos and they are roooough.
Click to expand...

Could this be connected to 'the time of the month'?
 
A Hypo is not just food related. It's also liver related . The liver dishes out glucose when we need it. It every so often runs out and we go really hypo. Most of what you ate were short spikes of Glucose, which is good to get out of hypo, but if followed up with a multi-grain sandwich, even orange juice would then have a slow release of glucose. The NovoRapid is going to be dragging you low for 3 - 4 hrs and I find if I have had a few recent Hypo's the liver is not going to help me out and around the 3.5hr mark the Novo Rapid has a nasty kick. When my liver is happy I don't experience the kick.
 
Yeah, I had a prolonged hypo at school one time. My taxi was waiting and then after some time the school told them to go because they had kids on board. They had to take them home and go home themselves. I had 2 lows and my taxi went that was more recent than the other one but still...
Now the kids can't go in the taxi if that happens until I come out. (Apparently).
 
yess i've experienced this all too often, it's so frustrating when you're levels are telling you that you should be feeling fine but your body isnt corresponding!
 
Hey,

Get yourself tested for coeliac disease ASAP. I’ve been type 1 for 29 years and started having hypos that would take an hour to come up. Not being able to give the right amount of insulin for what I was eating day in day out (would change one day to the next with the exact same meal and exercise ).

It’s an autoimmune disease that goes hand in hand with type one unfortunately. Treated by eating a gluten free diet.

If you have any questions, please get in touch. I’ve been diagnosed less than a year but no idea how long I hadn’t it before diagnosis!
 
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