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HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M STARTING TO HYPO?

Q007

Q007

Well-Known Member
Messages
466
Location
Wales. UK
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Dislikes
People who tell lies.
My GP (Dr Doom).
I'm a relatively new T2, not on any meds, HBA1C results so far have been 71,58,43. Not testing BG but machine arrived today, struggling - really struggling with diet, don't smoke don't drink, having a bad time with GP who just hands me leaflets. This all said, I don't eat and drink on a regular basis, some days I just have a hot cross bun and a Cuppa tea - I've gone into depravation which I won't bother you with here, suffice to say I'm sad. - some days I feel Un well, sweaty even though it's cold, tight chest, feet feel freezing but warm to touch, a bit light headed. Could you help please with what the onset of a hypo is? Are these symptoms a sign? GP confuses the hell out of me and says I'm unlikely to show signs of a hypo with my scores? I'd just like to know from those that have suffered a hypo, what they experience - the signs and if, indeed, I shouldn't be concerned at all. I drive and the lightheadedness may affect my judgements, I have a duty of care to others, with kind regards to all Q..
 
If you are not taking any medication then I think it is unlikely that you will experience hypos, but I could be wrong!

Lorna
 
Hi. Yes, hypos most unlikely unless you are on meds such as Gliclazide or insulin. I suspect your symptoms aren't directly due to the diabetes as your blood sugar levels aren't too bad although need to come down. BTW hot-cross buns although nice (I have one occasionally) are quite high in carbs so don't have them too often!
 
Hi Q and welcome to the forum, your doctor is not giving you much is he...

But there is no need for you to worry at all about hypos. Hypoglycemia is just a technical word for very low blood sugars or blood glucose (bg) levels. As a T2 who is not on medication you have no more chance of experiencing a hypo as a non diabetic ie it wont happen.

Hypos are caused by medication like insulin or oral meds like Glic which stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, without extra insulin in your body you can not become hypo as one of the jobs of your liver is to regulate your bg levels and if they fall too low say after you have exercised heavily or if you have not eaten for a long time it will release its stores of glycogen into the blood stream, glycogen is a type of glucose/sugar.

At the moment as you are newly diagnosed you have more chance of running high bg levels than low so hypos are the one thing that you do not have to worry about, and I realise that you must be worried out of your mind at the moment just as every diabetic is after they have been given the good news by their doctors.

The worst thing about diabetes is that most doctors dont appear to know much about it, although it is very common today it is still a specialised condition that few outside of hospital diabetic units know a lot about it. So the best advice I can give you or any newly diagnosed diabetic is read as much as you can about your condition as knowledge is power.

It is quite common to be in a state of shock when faced with a diabetic diagnosis but it doesnt have to be all doom and gloom and once you learn a few new tricks and start to think about your health and diet you should soon get used to living with your diabetes. The words "your diabetes" are important as no two diabetics are the same as our levels of pancreatic function and insulin resistance are all slightly different so you will soon discover that there are several ways that you can help yourself to get good control.

One of the first things you need to know is that it is not just sugar that you need to be cautious of as all carbohydrates turn to glucose (sugar) in our stomachs so the carbohydrates in your diet will have a direct effect in your blood glucose (bg) levels.

Hopefully Daisy will post the Information for Newly Diagnosed Diabetics for you which you should find a good starting point.

And once again you do not need to worry about hypos :thumbup:
 
Though Sid is correct in saying you aren't at risk of hypos, in the interest of gaining new knowledge I wanted to add that it is actually the alpha cells in the pancreas (glucagon) that tell the liver to convert to glucose. So, even if a person hasn't injected too much insulin they can go hypo if they don't have enough alpha cells.
I have a vested interest in telling this as I have no pancreas so no beta cells (insulin) & no alpha cells (glucagon):

"Glucagon, a peptide hormone secreted by the pancreas, raises blood glucose levels. Its effect is opposite that of insulin, which lowers blood glucose levels.[1] The pancreas releases glucagon when blood sugar (glucose) levels fall too low. Glucagon causes the liver to convert stored glycogen into glucose, which is released into the bloodstream. High blood glucose levels stimulate the release of insulin. Insulin allows glucose to be taken up and used by insulin-dependent tissues. Thus, glucagon and insulin are part of a feedback system that keeps blood glucose levels at a stable level."
 
Hi Q. and welcome to the forum :)

Here is the information Sid mentioned which we give to new members. Ask all the questions you need to and someone will come along to help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find well over 30,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes ... rains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips
The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
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