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Bad hypos & afterwards

Lozj82

Lozj82

Well-Known Member
Messages
92
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi all

I have been trying to get my diabetes in better control, however in trying to get lower numbers a couple of hypos have snuck up on me without me realising (as low as 1.5) i took the glucose gel twice now in these situations.

Afterwards for a couple of days i have been struggling to get my sugars down, is this due to the liver dumping extra stuff into my blood do you think (or even the glucose gel as i dont normally take this). Just dont know what to do to make myself more aware or to control the highs in the days after (without giving myself too much insulin and ending up in the same situation)

Thanks in advance
 
That is low without realising Lozj82, the usual advice is to run bg levels slightly higher than normal for several weeks to restore the hypo awareness symptoms, it doesn't always work but that is the advice they give out, failing that you could test more frequent to catch the hypo's earlier.

Just be sure that your basal insulin is set at the right dose, if it's too high this can cause hypo's.
 
I did a basal test just the other week and that was fine. I woke up with a sugar of 5.5, had 1 unit for cortisol (as my diabetic dr had told me to) and the next minute i was really low, i had had a few drinks the night before for a special occasions o was wondering if that was what caused me to crash maybe, its the highs after that are frustrating me though as trying to get good level to get the go ahead for trying to conceive (which i obviously wont be drinking when i do). Im already doing about 12 tests a day due to this reason
 
Have a chat with your diabetes team, not sure what effect the cortisol would have on your bg levels but your HCP's will advise further.
 
she told me that cortisol makes your bg rise?

I'm struggling with my team atm as moved to Italy (for 2 years due to husbands work) and we have some language difficulties, feeling a little alone at the moment (sorry for the moan)
 
It could be that you don't need that one unit in the mornings. What's your blood sugar like on average if you don't take it?
 
Alcohol can drop your blood sugar. Depends on the form of the alcohol, how much sugar comes with it, etc. So that could have been the reason for that specific hypo. When people are "hungover" it means they still have alcohol in their system.
 
Hi Lozj82! If you have more than 1 unit of alcohol, your blood glucose levels are likely to drop 6-8 hours later. Sugary alcoholic drinks can increase levels in the short term (depending on what you are drinking), and 6-8 hours later, your liver is too busy processing the alcohol to release any glycogen. So there is no glucose to meet the background insulin you injected before bed, and your blood sugar drops. To combat this, I usually have one of my alcoholic drinks with a full fat dink eg vodka and orange juice, or coke instead of diet coke and always have a carbby snack before bed (sometimes chips, sometimes biscuits). Your bg levels can still drop the next day, so just need to be aware of this the next day. With re. to cortosil, I have no idea the effect this has on bg levels, however it could be that although it raises bg levels, a unit might be too much in your instance? I would try to research it, and also try to test it yourself. eg. test before cortisol, after cortisol (every so often, as the effect might not be immediate) and from understanding when and how big the increase in bg, you might have a better idea of how much, and when to inject?

I am hoping to start trying to conceive next year so completely understand wanting to lower your levels. I wish you all the best.
Erin
x
 
I would blame the alcohol, as Ruth has said it can drop your BG - if I have a few then i have to watch it the next day as this is when I run low, so try not to over exert myself. I find a few carby snacks and careful observation is required the next day.
 
I would look into adopting a low carbohydrate diet, it has worked wonders for me. Most people think that a hypo happens because they have not eaten enough food. Actually, I would argue that it is due to too much insulin. If we ate nothing, and never took an injection, we would not have a hypo. Also, the more insulin we inject, the bigger the room for error. Food companies actually get as much as a 20% allowable margin of error on their food labelling. So if you eat what you think is 100g of carbohydrate, it might be. But it might also be 120g, or 80g. Eating low carbohydrate meals means you need far, far less insulin, so it's easier to predict the results. And the margin for error gets a lot smaller. Go to YouTube and search for dr Troy Stapleton. He's an Australian doctor, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2012. He gives brilliant advice about managing our condition, and how low carbohydrate helps him to do it.
 
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