• Guest, the forum is undergoing some upgrades and so the usual themes will be unavailable for a few days. In the meantime, you can use the forum like normal. We'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Bad head pain & confusion after hypo?

K

Kitty246

Newbie
Hi All, new to the forum so bear with me..

My partner has type 1 and has lived with it for 10+ years. Lately he’s had the odd hypo where I have come home from work and found him either completely out of it (eyes open, know one home, sweating etc) or his mind is in another universe (i.e. alien planet, fighting a war etc) so he’s scared or upset… does anyone else have this?

Weirdly he remembers what’s happening and what we have said to him in order to get some sugar into him (which is also impossible)

But the main reason for writing is due to something that happened on the weekend. I woke at 5am with a hand on my face, shoved it off and realised that he didn’t wake from me moaning at him.. prodded away.. lights on.. eyes open.. no reaction.

Tested him and he was 2.5 which he usually functions ok at. He wasn’t clammy either which is weird. It took a long time for him to be able to talk and he would not take anything sugary. Luckily his levels were going up by themselves quite nicely until he came round enough to sort himself.

But the worrying part was the excruciating headache he had after for most of the day (we ended up in hospital for the day with strong painkillers) He was left for days feeling like he was in a dream world, having troubles remembering etc. To look at him, you would think he was still having a hypo.

So my question is, has anyone had this experience before?

Many thanks, Kate
 
Hi Kate, welcome to the forum

Dropping low on a hypo can cause this type of reaction afterwards, think of a bad head from a hangover and them some, hypos effectively drain the brain of glucose, and as this is the primary energy source for brain function you can imagine why a headache would occur afterwards. Hypos affect all of us differently, some are obviously mild and take up to an hour to recover from, more severe hypos can leave you drained for up to a day afterwards. I have had them so appreciate how they can make you feel.

What's really important though is to understand the cause so any ideas why he dropped ?
 
The feelings of anxiety come from the adrenaline response. If he's got a reasonable amount of insulin circulating, his body's natural defence mechanism will be to keep pumping adrenaline into the bloodstream until it can override the action of insulin (which will be suppressing glucose from being released by the liver). It would be better to have three jelly babies than leave the body to fight the hypo of course.
A couple of suggestions: if hypos are a common occurrence, why not follow a lower carb diet? Lower doses of insulin mean fewer and smaller errors. Secondly, regarding the headache. If the situation ever arises again, get ready with a tablespoon of coconut oil. This medium chain fat is broken down to ketones pretty much as soon as it arrives in the stomach. As you probably know, the brain is able to utilise ketones as a fuel and is not reliant on glucose. The theory goes that any headache related to blood glucose fluctuations (starvation) can be alleviated with a spoonful of coconut oil - and yes it can help with hangovers!
 

Thank you for your message.

It was just a bit worrying as to why he had such a pain following the hypo. I think he was a bit under the weather as both of us have a soar throat at the min, but that is a weird time in the morning to have a hypo as he's usually high when he gets up. Only thing I can think is that he was out a good while for his levels to start going up by itself.. He's also under a lot of stress so thats not helping!

Thank you for your comment. That does make sense!
 

Hi, thank you for your advice. I wish I could get a jellybean in him but he's very good at clamping his mouth tight shut - like i would poison him! I will get him to look at his diet as it's not great, but I think the main cause of these hypos is stress - its high at the min due to work and other stresses.
Coconut oil sounds like a great idea for future occurrences!
 
Hi
If my sugar levels are dangerously low first thing then the bad head that sometimes (but not always) follows later is a true shocker.
I liken it to a migraine.
It only happens first thing so I assume its because levels have been low during the night.

Whatever the reason it is not pleasant at all and he has my sympathy.

Good luck
Tony
 

I feel for you - it must be a real worry and it's evident your partner is having a pretty miserable time of it. Stress will lead to highs and it's easy to over-correct. Exercise is an excellent way to normalise stress hormones if you can encourage him to do something active.
It can be a vicious cycle - as a partner of somebody with T1D myself, I have first hand experience of how fluctuating blood glucose levels can impact on somebody's mental health. Erratic blood glucose levels make you feel rubbish, and at the time when you need to be at your most proactive about keeping yourself healthy (diet, exercise, sleep, blood glucose monitoring etc) you feel least motivated to do it.
Hang on in there and I hope things settle for your partner soon.
 
I have certainly experienced those terrible post-hypo headaches. It usually happens after a night time hypo from which I have not woken which means my body has finally has to take over. As @Juicyj mentioned, it is like a really bad hangover ... without the fun the night before.

I echo all the comments about working out why your partner is hypoing. Unfortunately, stress is difficult to control but it is unusually for it to lead to hypos - usually stress causes high BG. However, I find hypos come in batches - get one and then I may have a few that week.
If he can get a chance to talk to his diabetes team and, perhaps, review his insulin doses - if he is frequently hypoing at night, he may want to reduce his basal dose.

Finally, don't forget to look after yourself. The only time my partner had to look after me when I had a severe hypo, he was very shaken by the experience. It was thinking about him that made me pay more attention to my insulin dose.
 
helensaramay said:
However, I find hypos come in batches - get one and then I may have a few that week.
Click to expand...

I agree with Helen on this - usually with hypos there's an in-balance which can lead to further hypos, I liken it to the see saw effect. Stress can elevate blood glucose levels due to the release of cortisol, and illness can also elevate BG levels also, particularly if there is an infection involved, so could he have corrected for a high reading with insulin on board perhaps, and possibly a miscalculation ?

It's always a learning process with t1..
 

When I was a kid between 8 - 10 yrs old - I would get hypos in the middle of the night that seem to be the catalyst for night terrors. It would scare the hell out of my parents and siblings as I would wake up screaming and eventually run down the hallway like an invisible monster was chasing me. Interesting observation - my kids when they were around the same age also had night terrors but were or are not diabetic - usually it would happen when they were already fighting off a bad cold or some other ailment.

My point being - when you have a hypo it sometimes triggers other anomalies - which in turn is causing the headaches and confusion. It could be caused by clenching of the teeth, radical changes in blood pressure, etc.

Having BG readings at 2.5 - not a good idea in my opinion. In fact I would suggest that your partner may want to try to loosen his control a bit because it doesn't sound like it's improving his quality of life but that of course is a personal decision he will have to make. I decided years ago not to apply tight control - a HA1C in the 7s is generally what I shoot for and although at times my BGs will get low - they don;t come close to killing me - and I'm alright with that. I've also been spared the complications associated with diabetes so it's probably easier for me to make the "loosen control" of BG level statement.

Hope you figure it out and your spouse manages to resolve the hypo issue - talking about a stressful night!
 
 
You say that he usually wakes up with a high blood glucose. This could be due to his becoming hypo during the night. The body then releases sugar from the liver to compensate and that causes a high. The lows usually occur around 3.00 a.m. When I experience a severe hypo I often know what has been said to me but have been unable to respond. It is not unusual for diabetics to refuse glucose when in this state. Apparently I insist I am 'perfectly alright'. Do you have Glucogel that you can rub on surfaces in his mouth? That can help to bring him out of the hypo. You can get it on prescription and it acts very rapidly. I can often function with a blood sugar of 2.5 but sometimes cannot. That is far too low. It needs treating.
I also often have a bad headache after a severe hypo and feel 'out of it' for about 24 hours.
 

Hi Kate,

Has he ever been to see a neurologist to see if migraines are complicating matters? I have type II diabetes, and can suddenly blank out, with blood sugars of about 14, and slowly come round. All confused, my right hand side weak, my speech slurred, and the most horrendous headache that makes me feel sick, and low blood pressure. I have ended up in hospital a lot of times because of this. The confusion is really scary and I forget really simple things like my name, date of birth, the year etc.

I don’t know if there are any other people out there who have the same thing, or if the two are in anyway connected, but just to let you know, I know what it feels like to be really confused and scared. Being brought round by strangers in the street asking me if I am ok.

Callum
 
Getting glucose into a clenched mouth. Two ways to do this. Honey or Maple syrup. You don't have to get the teath open. Enough to just get some behind the lips and into cheeks. You can get a bit messy but Glucose is a very small molecule and is absorbed through the mucous membranes in the mouth.
Honey or maple syrup is often much more acceptable than glucotabs or gel.
It is absorbed sufficiently before it gets down to the stomach so the BG goes up so he may unclench and start to take more. Again then best taken very slowly to allow absorption in mouth and throat which can be quicker than further down the digestive system. Also I find that slow recovery of levels gives less of a headache than a fast bounce.

Libre would be an excellent way to see what is going on. You may be able to get a trial from your clinic. Some GPS are already making cases to prescribe but it should become easier after November.
 
Hi Kitty246,


Over my 7 years with diabetes my hypo response has become worse and worse. I am working with my doctors to try to figure out whether hypos are triggering non-convulsive epileptic seizures, among other options.

Epilepsy can cause very odd moods and disconnections from reality, and after a seizure it is common to have memory problems, and to be disconnected from oneself, for days.

In any case, I myself have had many experiences where I was aware of what was going on but also in my own horrible world and unable to communicate. This usually happens hours after a hypo, but it sounds like we have a lot in common? Feel free to PM me. I have started taking sodium valproate which has made an enormous difference. I am also using a CGM to prevent 99% of hypos; I wouldn't be able to function otherwise.

Also please take care; low blood sugar can cause brain damage and just because he "functions OK at" 2.5 does not mean that damage is not occurring. If it is happening more than once a month or for prolonged periods you should probably consider changing your targets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…