HELP NEEDED UNDERSTANDING HYPOS

The way I understand this, as a T2 myself, is that my body has got used to a certain level of sugar in it. When I give it less sugar, it panics and wants more. So it makes me shake and sweat, and go cold and stuff to tell me to feed it (a bit like the plant in the Little Shop of Horrors) :lol:

If I ignore it, or give my body just a small amount of carbs, my body starts to adapt. I use to get all shaky and stuff daily but since a few weeks after I started low-carbing my body has adapted and it hardly happens now

I think I am right in saying that it is not the dangerous hypo's that insulin users get because we are still making some insulin, which stops us going dangerously low as our pancreas and liver eventually kick in and dump glucose in our bloodstream. But its unpleasant when it happens.

I think it took my around 3 weeks for my body to adapt to a lower amount of sugar floating around in my blood.

I am sure, if I have got this wrong, someone will come and explain it better.

Grace, are you testing your blood sugars when you feel like this? It could easily be a false hypo because you have been used to higher levels.

I used to nibble something sweet because I was scared. Now I know it wont harm me, I sit quietly and ride it out, and my body gradually adapts to the lower level.

Hi GraceK!
As catherine said, they are probably false hypos. Your body has got used to high blood sugar levels,so once you start to get them under control and head towards more normal levels, your body thinks it's going too low.
This is quite a common theme regarding "hypos" for type 2's on diet only /metformin. There is a lot of confusion caused by the definition of a "Hypo"
"Hypo" is short for hypoglycaemia, which simply means low blood sugar. However, there is a massive difference between low blood sugar and the sort of hypo often referred to in relation to diabetes. Perhaps I can give my understanding.
Low blood sugar is not caused by diabetes. ANYONE, diabetic or non-diabetic, can get low blood sugar. Where energy demands are greater than the energy provided by the food (or drink) we've consumed, our blood sugar will continue to fall as demand is greater than supply. I've recorded 3.1 and I've known of people hitting the 2's (my athletic non-diabetic daughter - tested her once when she had an episode) This can lead to light-headedness or dizzy, feeling emotional, etc. Eventually, the liver will release Glycogen to compensate and bring BGs back up. The ONLY reason why a diabetic on diet only/metformin may be more likely to get this than a non-diabetic is because we are more likely to be on a diet and fall into the energy out being greater than the fuel in trap.
When referring to diabetic hypos, we are normally referring to the sort of dangerous hypo that can occur with an insulin dependant diabetic, or one on strong sugar-lowering drugs (not metformin) Here, BGs can fall into the 1's and the individual could become comatose and, ultimately, die. Intervention by a third party to help is sometimes required. An aware Insulin dependant diabetic will solve the problem themself by taking on board some instant fuel (such as with glucose tablets) to raise BGs. This problem is caused by the intake of insulin being greater than that needed. Perhaps the individual miscalculated the dose needed, or didn't eat the expected food on schedule, or experienced greater exerciser than planned, or drank sugar lowering alcohol in quantities without adjustment. Whatever the cause, the insulin taken has dropped BGs greater than the expected need. This is why Metformin doesn't cause Hypos. It doesn't stimulate the release of insulin as some drugs do. It merely makes the liver release slightly less sugar after food than it normally would, and makes the insulin we DO produce (which occurs after food when our BG is rising) more effective. So it can stop our sugar level from rising quite as high as it would after food, but it doesn't LOWER it as insulin does.
So, in summary, diabetes doesn't cause hypos. Metformin doesn't cause hypos. Insulin can. Insulin-stimulating drugs can. Lack of food causes low blood sugar for either a diabetic or non diabetic (officially a hypo, but not dangerous and not requiring outside assistance). There is a big difference between low blood sugar and a dangerous hypo.
Hope this helps.