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First real hypo

M

Mayfly

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I was not really concerned about hypos as I've just had my gliclazide cut in half, and I was compensating for my night nypos by ensuring that I had something to eat/drink before going to bed. Measured 6 point something Saturday morning, which I count as rather high, but my body is still settling after the reduction of medication. Had lunch with no carbs at about 12.45. Got ready to go to town at about 3.00 and suddenly thought, "I feel a bit wibbly". Heart started going, felt quite cold but the worst thing was the shaking. I had to fumble around with my testing kit and finally managed to get a sample - 3.8! I seem to get hypos at 4 and below (I had a semi hypo before at 3.7, but it wasn't this bad!). So I decided that I would have pumpkin pie (without pastry) for dessert that night as it tends to spike me for a little while. Next morning, sugars were 5.3. So I had a tomato with breakfast to make sure I didn't get the drop again, and did very nicely all day. Had more pumpkin pie in the evening, plus two limes (my favourite drink, lime and ginger beer). This morning - 4.8. I did my usual routine of exercise and cycled into work, only to find that I had managed to forget my testing equipment. I never usually carry it because I just don't have hypos. This morning, I took precautions and had a nibble of some plain cake (got a dry throat almost immediately, but then found out that the cake had sugar sprinkled on the outside - whoops!), but I was again feeling wibbly and shaking.
I'm not sure whether to be excited or not. It's too soon I guess to be doing handstands. i just find it weird that as soon as my medication is cut, THEN I have hypos. Maybe it's medication combination?
I'm currently on Byetta 20 micrograms, 2000 mg metformin a day and now only 80mg of Gliclazide. Obviously I want the BG's to drop but at a controlled rate! I've even bought a can of Coke just in case my beloved has eaten all his biscuits next time. Maybe it's just more settling down.
I've just had a meeting with a type 1 who told us that his sugars are going up, and he needs more insulin or to do more exercise. And then went and had some flapjack. I really, really would like to know if type 1's are OK to eat whatever they want, or should he be watching his suagr intake? I'm worrried, because I think he's heading for insulin resistance, but he doesn't take me seriously because I'm 'only' a type 2.
 
Hi Mayfly

I was on gliclazide previously... you have to be careful to make sure you include some low GI carbs with your meals as if you don't you can hypo easily. When you say you ate cake... I'm assuming sweet? a cake is pretty much made of high GI carbs unless there is low GI foods added to it (eg. raisins). So if you have a high GI carb you will have a sudden spike and then a crash... your BGLs will be on a rollercoaster ride. I'm sure you probably know all this already. :lol: Please take care though. In regard to type 1, the same principle applies in making sure you care for yourself. I also know a type 1 that eats all the wrong foods and just pumps more bolus or basal insulin through their pump to suffice... but they also hit dangerous lows... 1 something and they have some hypo unawareness now. So it's really important to avoid going too high or too low regardless of what type of diabetes you have.
 
Oh bother, meant to say I'm type 2. Well, I literally had a 5mm x 2mm bit of cake that fell off the side. I knew it had carbs and sugar, and I was only looking to stick my BGs up by about 0.2. Seemed to work anyway. Yes, I knew about the Gliclazide causing hypos but my issue is surely it should cause more and worse hypos when I was taking twice as much?

I'm adding in a bit of carb here and there (slow release) to make sure I don't hypo again, and sugars were 5.8 this morning - that's usual for me and I'm happy with that.

Right, I thought that was the case with type 1's, although I can imagine that their doctors might be saying, "Well, you can be just like a normal person so long as yout ake insulin". I think my example doesn't realise that normal people would be very overweight if they ate what he did. He 'lucks' out because he's type 1, but I can see him heading for complications as time goes on. He even mentioned last time how he was putting on a bit of weight.
 
Are you taking your glic at the same time as before? I find time of day can be the crucial factor, regardless of amount, in pushing towards hypos.
 
Well, I stopped taking the night dose, to cure my sleepless nights with hypos (I didn;t know what they were and now I don't get them as I make sure to push up my sugars before going to bed). I think the morning one is OK, so long as I try to add a few carbs into breakfast. As that's my main meal of the day, I'm hoping that will work but I've brought my testing kit this morning as we found we had absolutely no veggies in the house whatsoever.
But as my sugars have settled down again, I'm wondering if the Glizlacide does anything for me at all? I've been maintaining for some time now that I'm insulin resistant rather than 'not producing enough insulin' and all the evidence seems to suggest that. My sugars were......5.6 I think this morning, so I'm back around the figures I had before. I could probably make them even less with a drop in caarbs.
 
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