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Type 1 Diabetes
explaining what it's really like to live with Type 1
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<blockquote data-quote="Grant_Vicat" data-source="post: 1669057" data-attributes="member: 388932"><p>Wouldn't allow this section! As promised, my experience of hypos in general terms</p><p>Yet another Greek concoction, where hypo means “beneath” or “under”. At least for a comparably large range of readings Hyperglycaemia does not impair brain function whereas the NHS rates all readings of 4mmol/L and below as hypo. It is illegal for anyone to drive with a reading of 3.5mmol/L (more recently 5.0mmol/L) or under. Amazingly the lowest reading I have had while still able to make decisions (sluggishly) is 1.3mmol/L and yet on other occasions I have passed out at 3.9mmol/L. I am convinced this is because of variable glucose tolerance. In my early teens I had a very high HbA1c, which is a three month average read out. In other words the body becomes accustomed to functioning incorrectly and tries to compensate, e.g. by passing large amounts of urine. Hospitals encourage diabetics to achieve an HbA1c of about 53mmol/mol. I have achieved 38mmol/mol, which is as near as dammit normal for anybody. But this means my glucose tolerance has drastically lowered and therefore the body tolerates much lower readings before shutting shop. This could be devastating behind the wheel of a vehicle. I have been strongly advised to raise the level and test before driving. I have personally driven a diabetic passenger who had been banned from driving because he had a hypo at the wheel and he and the cockpit were found ten feet up a tree in Norfolk. We are closely monitored and have to submit a medical declaration at least every three years, if not each year. It is therefore more than slightly galling when a drunken halfwit plunges into the back of a car, killing three vicars and is only banned for three years. But since when was life fair?</p><p></p><p></p><p>Hypos fascinate me. After all, they occur because the brain is starved of energy and therefore the body shuts down. Yet I am able to recall many of the topical and visual details and even the state of mind at the time. The shut- down of the brain can begin subtly. Many times my wife Helen has asked me to do a test because my speech has slowed down, not necessarily perceptibly to others. I might insist that I don’t need to. Difficulty in making choices or decisions is also a giveaway. Visibly the face takes on a deathly pallor because what little glucose there is has been distributed to the brain and heart. Vague staring is common, as is slurred speech. The problem is that these are all recognisable symptoms in a drunk. Similar to a drunk, a diabetic can become violent when accosted. This is because the brain translates well-intended actions into attack. When faced with a semi-conscious person it is unwise to offer questions or statements which require reasoning or choice. Do not say “Do you think you ought to have some sugar?” The sheer effort of making a judgement is enough to cause unpredictable reactions. In my 40s I burst into tears (a rare occurrence) when in a hypoglycaemic condition, simply because I was expected to make rational responses. Instead you should say something like “You need sugar, here is some.” Personally I hate sugar, and as I have said, solid glucose. They leave an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth. If I were to go to the famous Desert Island, I would take something savoury, preferably involving bacon. I once said to a Catholic Headmaster: “If there’s no bacon in Heaven, then I ain’t going there. I probably won’t anyway” I have apparently punched well-meaning people who have tried to administer sweet tea. I am not, however, aware that Lucozade has resulted in violence.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I have a whole battery of warning signs when I am low, sugar-wise. The most obvious is sudden excessive yawning. Many times in public I have been tempted to ask total strangers whether they are diabetic, simply because they yawn incessantly. Is this because the brain thinks it needs bucketfuls of Oxygen to create unattainable energy? I can also feel unnaturally depressed. Red stars can dance within my eyes and if I walk into a darker area, what look like giant sunflower heads blot out my vision. Tingling affects all my mouth my hands shake, and I have a raging headache. I have often been alerted to low readings because I am unable to make decisions. Ironically this is often at lunchtime, in a food shop, when I am trying to work out what adds up to 60g of Carbohydrate.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Grant_Vicat, post: 1669057, member: 388932"] Wouldn't allow this section! As promised, my experience of hypos in general terms Yet another Greek concoction, where hypo means “beneath” or “under”. At least for a comparably large range of readings Hyperglycaemia does not impair brain function whereas the NHS rates all readings of 4mmol/L and below as hypo. It is illegal for anyone to drive with a reading of 3.5mmol/L (more recently 5.0mmol/L) or under. Amazingly the lowest reading I have had while still able to make decisions (sluggishly) is 1.3mmol/L and yet on other occasions I have passed out at 3.9mmol/L. I am convinced this is because of variable glucose tolerance. In my early teens I had a very high HbA1c, which is a three month average read out. In other words the body becomes accustomed to functioning incorrectly and tries to compensate, e.g. by passing large amounts of urine. Hospitals encourage diabetics to achieve an HbA1c of about 53mmol/mol. I have achieved 38mmol/mol, which is as near as dammit normal for anybody. But this means my glucose tolerance has drastically lowered and therefore the body tolerates much lower readings before shutting shop. This could be devastating behind the wheel of a vehicle. I have been strongly advised to raise the level and test before driving. I have personally driven a diabetic passenger who had been banned from driving because he had a hypo at the wheel and he and the cockpit were found ten feet up a tree in Norfolk. We are closely monitored and have to submit a medical declaration at least every three years, if not each year. It is therefore more than slightly galling when a drunken halfwit plunges into the back of a car, killing three vicars and is only banned for three years. But since when was life fair? Hypos fascinate me. After all, they occur because the brain is starved of energy and therefore the body shuts down. Yet I am able to recall many of the topical and visual details and even the state of mind at the time. The shut- down of the brain can begin subtly. Many times my wife Helen has asked me to do a test because my speech has slowed down, not necessarily perceptibly to others. I might insist that I don’t need to. Difficulty in making choices or decisions is also a giveaway. Visibly the face takes on a deathly pallor because what little glucose there is has been distributed to the brain and heart. Vague staring is common, as is slurred speech. The problem is that these are all recognisable symptoms in a drunk. Similar to a drunk, a diabetic can become violent when accosted. This is because the brain translates well-intended actions into attack. When faced with a semi-conscious person it is unwise to offer questions or statements which require reasoning or choice. Do not say “Do you think you ought to have some sugar?” The sheer effort of making a judgement is enough to cause unpredictable reactions. In my 40s I burst into tears (a rare occurrence) when in a hypoglycaemic condition, simply because I was expected to make rational responses. Instead you should say something like “You need sugar, here is some.” Personally I hate sugar, and as I have said, solid glucose. They leave an unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth. If I were to go to the famous Desert Island, I would take something savoury, preferably involving bacon. I once said to a Catholic Headmaster: “If there’s no bacon in Heaven, then I ain’t going there. I probably won’t anyway” I have apparently punched well-meaning people who have tried to administer sweet tea. I am not, however, aware that Lucozade has resulted in violence. I have a whole battery of warning signs when I am low, sugar-wise. The most obvious is sudden excessive yawning. Many times in public I have been tempted to ask total strangers whether they are diabetic, simply because they yawn incessantly. Is this because the brain thinks it needs bucketfuls of Oxygen to create unattainable energy? I can also feel unnaturally depressed. Red stars can dance within my eyes and if I walk into a darker area, what look like giant sunflower heads blot out my vision. Tingling affects all my mouth my hands shake, and I have a raging headache. I have often been alerted to low readings because I am unable to make decisions. Ironically this is often at lunchtime, in a food shop, when I am trying to work out what adds up to 60g of Carbohydrate. [/QUOTE]
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