Feeling a bit funny...

[Feebiecat]

Hi

This probably sounds a bit silly but I don't know if I experience 'hypo's' or not. I am type 2 (diagnosed October) diet and Metformin (since May) and currently not testing.

I suppose my question is - if I feel like I am low then should I act on it given the fact I am not testing or is it better not to incase you do more harm than good? (If you know what I mean). Also I have read that things to take include glucose tablets, lucozade, full sugar drinks and jelly beans etc but wouldn't know how much to have - would I just keep going until I felt better?

I have felt 'funny' this afternoon at work and know I have not felt like this very often.

I am due back at docs in couple of weeks so will ask him about testing and tell him about my 'funny' episodes. I am not sure if I should be going 'funny' if I am just taking Metformin(?)

I just wondered if someone could answer my queries before then.

Thanks very much
x

 

[cugila]

Hi Feebiecat.

Do you know what your Bg readings are when you feel 'funny ?' Could be high or low so we need some numbers here ? I see you are not testing ? Do you have a meter and strips ? You need one.

There are many side effects documented for Metformin. You need to make an early appointment to see your GP and discuss ASAP. Some of the side effects can be serious.

Ken.

 

[gbtyke]

I am also feeling funny the last couple of days - light headed and apprehensive - but my meter tells me that my blood sugars are within "normalish" range. Maybe some funny bug going around?

 

[Feebiecat]

Thanks

I think I may have answered my own question - I just panicked a bit when I felt awful and thought about it too much instead of just doing something about it!

I had a couple bites of my husband's chocolate bar (not my own!) and within about 20 minutes felt much better - my headache had gone and I didn't feel as spaced out. Mind you - I then had a lovely sleep on the couch afterwards! Woke up 2 hours later...

I had eaten a different lunch that day (I normally eat the same things for work everyday - how boring!) and wonder if maybe that had something to do with it.

I will add it to my list of things to talk about when I next go to the doctors
x

 

[LittleSue]

You could indeed be going hypo, or maybe your bs is just lower than your body is used to and its mistaking this for hypo. You need to test when this happens to find out. Some doctors will tell you "only people on insulin get hypos"- they are wrong. If you've lost weight,exercised more or reduced carb intake your dose may need to come down. Obviously going hypo whilst driving would be dangerous - you might want to mention this to your doctor if he's reluctant to prescribe test strips.

 

[jenrose]

I agree that you need to test your blood sugars. You can go low on Metformin because I am on Metformin only and have had blood sugar go as low as 2.9 mmol/l although I usually get symptoms about 3.6 mmol/l. My dietician gave me an info sheet of how much to eat/drink when you go too low, which I have found very useful. If you are too high you don't want to add to it. I am not prescribed test strips so I buy my own.

Dextrose/glucose tablets = 3 - 4 tablets
Lucozade (original) = 60 mls (1/6th of 380ml bottle)
Lucozade (sport) = 155ml (1/3rd of 500ml bottle)
Maynard Wine Gums = 3 sweets
Bassett Jelly Babies = 2 sweets
Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts = 2 - 3 sweets
Jelly Beans = 8 - 10 sweets
Fanta = 85 ml (1/4 of 330ml can)
Ribena = 72ml (1/4 of 288ml carton)
Coca Cola = 90ml (1/4 of 330ml can)

The drinks should not be diet drinks.

This should then be followed by

A sandwich
or biscuits
or piece of fruit

I can't have liquorice allsorts in the house as I find them so addictive. Small packets of wine gums and the dextrose/glucose tablets are easy to have in your handbag.

 

[wallycorker]

Hi

This probably sounds a bit silly but I don't know if I experience 'hypo's' or not. I am type 2 (diagnosed October) diet and Metformin (since May) and currently not testing.

I suppose my question is - if I feel like I am low then should I act on it given the fact I am not testing or is it better not to incase you do more harm than good? (If you know what I mean). Also I have read that things to take include glucose tablets, lucozade, full sugar drinks and jelly beans etc but wouldn't know how much to have - would I just keep going until I felt better?

I have felt 'funny' this afternoon at work and know I have not felt like this very often.

I am due back at docs in couple of weeks so will ask him about testing and tell him about my 'funny' episodes. I am not sure if I should be going 'funny' if I am just taking Metformin(?)

I just wondered if someone could answer my queries before then.

Thanks very much
x

I'm Type 2 on diet and metformin. My GP insists that I'm in no more danger of going hypo than a non-diabetic. The advice he gave me was if I feel funny at all just eat something. He didn't specify what or how much. Hope that might help.

 

[Sheilaanne]

Hi Have just been reading about feeling funny. I am on diet only, was diagnosed 18months ago, was on Metformin but it had an adverse affect. . Whilst in Liddle on wednesday I came over very funny, my whole head felt very strange, and the room went round. Fortunately my hubby was with me and got me home very fast. After a cup of tea and a biscuit I began to feel better although wobbly. I also felt nauseos. Is this a hypo? can anyone help me on this. I tested when I arrived home and it was 5.0. We had been stood talking to a man in the shop for about half an hour when it happened and he had become very boring. :roll: Any comments would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[lilibet]

Non diabetics can get hypos too- ie low blood sugar compared to their own norms. Its what makes your hangovers so bad when you are non diabetic (in part)
Before dx I had plenty of them - working too hard, not eating all day until 3pm etc and post dx I recognised my first hypo because it felt similar to what Id already experienced. Now non diabetics wont have dangerous hypos or need to take fast acting sugar but they will get symptoms. Ive tested OH when he's felt what I think sounds hypo- he has been in the 2's.

T2 can be hypo too- either lower than what their body 'likes' (esp when bg is coming down post dx) or just low generally. The debate is at what level are you hypo? For T1 its 4 - though many people do ok below this .

T2s on diet/meds more likely to get liver dump that T1 so some protective factor there and thats the main thing about hypos, its not about low bg per se,its about what that means for the individual and in some cases it means paramedics!

 

[terry100]

I'm a recently diagnosed type 2 insulin dependent diabetic. I'm 16 weeks pregnant so I'm hoping it's just gestational, but we'll find out in Jan!

Since I have been a teenager I've experienced shaky spells every few months where I'm disorientated, so shaky I drop things and the only thing that seem to get me back to normal is to eat a snickers/chocolate. It's only later on that I kind of think it was a hypo.

Yesterday I was driving to Church with my two children in the back, a 15 min journey from door to doo. About half way I felt a bit shaky and felt like I was going to get a hypo. I thought if I pull over now and try and eat my glucose tablets and take my reading, my freinds and family wouldnt be able to find me to on some random street so I continued my journey. By the time I got into Church I was all over the place, sweaty, very very shaky and could hardly speak. I saw a freind and asked her to get me some food whilst I took my reading and 3 glucose tablets. I at about 8 sandwhiches and a capri sun and it wasnt until after 30 mins that my readings went from 4, 4.2 to 6.8. It was the longest 30 mins ever and it was quite scary. When I got the 4.2 after 20ish minutes, I was prepared to call for an ambulance if it hadnt gone up at the next one and I started to shake less. Stupidly in my panic of what to do, when it didnt go up I thought I needed insulin and injected 12 units. My nephew is a dr and I asked him about what had happened and he pointed out that injecting inslulin would lower my blood sugar! Der, I was in such a panic about what to do as no0one around me knew what to do, I did the one thing I didn't need.

I want more answer from my diabetic team, it's not been very comprehensive so far.

if your having a hypo and your blood sugar remains low, how long before you ring for an ambulance or someone should administer glucagen emergency kit?

how long should it take from taking glucose tablets/food/sweets/etc should it take to reflect in your blood sugar readings/

After yesterday I am very suprised how it took literally minutes for myself to turn into a complete wreck. I should have sought propery help straight off, but I need to prepare and educate my freinds alot more as they were more confused than me at what was going on.

 

[Spiral]

When you have been running high numbers for a long time you do start to feel a bit shakey and hypo-like when you rnumbers reduce. These false hypos for me are usually when I get to 5mml - but not always.

I also get a bit shaky and hypo-like (all fingers and thumbs and likely to drop things as my fine motor control goes a bit) around the time my period starts. This has been the case since I was in my teens. This shakiness was at its most debilitating when I was in my 20s. With the newfound knwledge I have from my meter over the last couple of months, I know that I am nowhere near a hypo at these times. This shakiness and carb craving is related to my menstrual cycle, when my numbers are also running higher. I'm trying to work out how to manage it.

Hypos are very low sugar numbers and more likely to happen to those injecting insulin.

 

[LittleSue]

I at about 8 sandwhiches and a capri sun and it wasnt until after 30 mins that my readings went from 4, 4.2 to 6.8. It was the longest 30 mins ever and it was quite scary. When I got the 4.2 after 20ish minutes, I was prepared to call for an ambulance if it hadnt gone up at the next one and I started to shake less. Stupidly in my panic of what to do, when it didnt go up I thought I needed insulin and injected 12 units. My nephew is a dr and I asked him about what had happened and he pointed out that injecting inslulin would lower my blood sugar! Der, I was in such a panic about what to do as no0one around me knew what to do, I did the one thing I didn't need.

I want more answer from my diabetic team, it's not been very comprehensive so far.

if your having a hypo and your blood sugar remains low, how long before you ring for an ambulance or someone should administer glucagen emergency kit?

how long should it take from taking glucose tablets/food/sweets/etc should it take to reflect in your blood sugar readings/

How long you wait before calling an ambulance would depend on how bad your hypos usually are, whether you know why it happened and the situation you're in (for example realising you'd injected twice for the same meal and had no access to more food). I think ambulance staff would prefer to find you've recovered when they arrive than find you unconscious, especially if no-one nearby knows your diabetic.

I think in your sitation I'd have called an ambulance after injecting the 12 units!

How fast your bs comes up will depend on what you treat the hypo with.

After bs returns to normalIt can take 15 mins or so for symptoms to subside. I had a recent one where my bs came back up to 6 but I still had double vision and felt 'drunk' for some time. You should not drive for at least 10 mins after levels return to normal, as your concentration could still be affected even if you feel ok.

 

[Manogwent]

I am also feeling funny the last couple of days - light headed and apprehensive - but my meter tells me that my blood sugars are within "normalish" range. Maybe some funny bug going around?I am also feeling funny the last couple of days - light headed and apprehensive - but my meter tells me that my blood sugars are within "normalish" range. Maybe some funny bug going around?

Hi,All,if my BG's go down to low 4's i start feeling funny, went to 3.5 and i was shaking and light headed, starting to recognise these signs now and now i need to eat. The lowest i went to was 2.9!!I'm on Metformin SR and Glicazide at night to get AM levels down. When i had ordinary Metformin ,no problems with low levels but as my control has got better ( lower BG's) then i have been in a potential hypo situation although not a disabling one, so I guess that means i am hypo aware,good job as i also drive but normally test before i do to check my levels are not too low. Seem to think that eating regular spaced meals seems to preclude the risk of hypos, regards, peter