• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

How do lows and highs feel...

E

emmamadi

Active Member
Messages
43
Location
North Wales
Hi all. I normally post in the youth section but really wanted some advice and input from older members if anyone would help. I have a 2 year old son who was diagnosed type 1 in june. We have had a lot of help from his nurse but everything still feels like very early days and we are still getting over the shock of everything! My son Jac is on levemir and novarapid. We are still trying to sort out his doses to what he eats and get him balanced and feeling well again. There are some good days and some terrible days. Today while he was at play group (which was a whole other battle to get them to take him and agree to test his glucose level while there) they rang to say his reading was 28. I went straight there to give him some extra insulin. But on the other hand he can have some days where he has 4 or 6 hypos a day which can be down to 2mmols. His nurse has said it will be hard to regulate things at the moment because of the honeymoon period. He then spent the afternoon having a nap because he said he was feeling really tired (he does not normally nap). My question to people with experience would be how does feeling high and low really feel to you going through it? I really want to understand how it is for him, so that I can help him in any way possible and make things as easy for him to get what he needs e.g rest, quiet time etc when he needs it. I would really appreciate anyone who could help me understand what he is going through, and any tips to make his highs and lows any easier.
Thanks in advance,
Emma and Jac
 
hi Emma

I just want to say your post has really touched me, it must be so hard for you. I know how hard it is living with Diabetes but to have a child with it must be an absolute nightmare (hug).
I will be absolutely honest with you as a Diabetic and a Mum I have imagined what it must be like to have a small child with this disease and I just could not begin to imagine how hard it would be to try and get steady control in a child , who are usually very active and not very self aware.

It sounds like you are doing the absolute best job you can, and really the only advice I could offer is to listen to him as much as you can and try to encourage at all times open avenues of communication and try to look for a consistent pattern..not easy, I'm sure.

I can tell you that when my sugars are high I feel Hyped up at first...full of it. then if it stays that way for a bit I get very tired like I'm walking through treacle, very tired. Also ravenously hungry ,even though I probably had not long eaten...So maybe if he is in an extreme hyper mood or an extreme lethargic mood it could be he is at different stages of being high.

Low...ravenously hungry,again! Sweating ,on edge, panicky, grumpy , also if I go really low ,just past the hungry stage really ,you can then quickly, as you drop lower go on to feeling sick and I do sometimes vomit if REALLY low..but the mood swing may be the first thing you notice with your son.

I don't know if any of this will help ,and I'm sure people will be along to offer and shed more light.
I really hope you both have a smooth ride through it, I'm sure he will be fine and adapt as kids are great at this but I can understand your want for this perspective.
 
hi,

when my blood is low i get really hungry,aggitated, sweaty, tired and sometimes confused.

unfortunately i dont get any symptoms of a high bs, but i suppose everyone is different and will have different symptoms.

I hope it gets easier for you and your son as he gets older and can exress his feelings better by telling you what symptoms he has :)xx
 
Thank you both for your replies! I have been trying to encourage him to tell me if he feels poorly, but with him being so young it may take some time before he recognises the feelings. I do notice sometimes him being pale, shakey and clammy, and this is when I try to prompt him to help him realise how he feels. He also can get grumpy! The joys of trying to explain to other parents that you are sorry your son just pushed their kid, but their kid was not leaving him alone and he happens to be suffering from a hypo! He never normally acts like this though I must add, only when he cant get his own space and is particularly high or low. He also gets the hungry symptom, but as he is a toddler I do have to test to make sure of his levels as I thin k he would eat all day at the moment!
Thanks again for replying, its so useful to hear 'grown up' peoples advice who have been through it.
Emma
 
Emma :D
I can fully understand him feeling the need to lash out when touched or crowded when Hypo. You have all the fight or flight hormones racing around and you have amazing heightened sensitivity ,it feels like your nerves are jangling and trying to get out of you...I hate to be touched when Hypo I feel like smashing people faces in at this point :shock: I know that sounds terrible but it is how I can feel when low . I'm never like this normally it is just an extreme reaction to the Hypo...So yes he will feel like this and will react on it at this young age. Put as many people in the picture as you can. I know this is not easy but his care givers ie nursery helpers,teachers, will need to have it drummed home to them.
My son is a very high functioning Autistic but he does have sensory integration issues and like you have found with your son he will react to being touched, held ,hugged not on his terms, in quiet a volatile way...he can't help it ,and when I am Hypo I know just how my son must feel, so in one way it has helped me understand better and help....Some people don't understand and why should they but then some also don't want to and tend to judge and not make allowances for a lot of things..until you have walked in someone else's shoe's you will never know, so I always try not to judge people. There are sometimes reasons for behaviors beyond someone being difficult or a child just being naughty. Something we are not privy to.

I do understand how tiring this will be for you, it is like pushing water uphill sometimes trying to make people understand and see a different point of view but things will get easier for you both I'm sure as he gets older. Young children are hard at the best of times let alone if they have special needs, or misunderstood medical conditions that can effect reaction and behaviors but you sound like a lovely Mum who will help him all the way ..and like I said it will get easier.
I wish you both all the very best :D
 
Emma, sounds like you're going through it a bit, am thinking of you...

Lows, to be honest the symptoms differ. Today I had a hypo while doing exercise and I knew instantly, because my legs weren't doing what they should, I was weak, confused and light-headed (and light-legged); but other days I'll feel pretty normal, do a test and be 3. I sweat a lot when I'm low, and apparently go grey, so look out for those signs.

Highs, I get really irritable and grouchy, terrible temper. Lethargic and sometimes feel sick. Eyes can ache, too. When I'm very high (ie 20 or higher) the best description I can give is that it feels like I'm lying in a bath full of golden syrup or something, so gloopy and gummed up that I can hardly move. Amazing how all that energy comes back when the insulin kicks in.

Good luck :)
 
Hi,

It always saddens me to hear of a child that has to grow up with diabetes, but it also is so lovely to see how parents like yourself take it in their stride and work so hard to do the best for their child. I know it's especially hard in the beginning, with so much to learn it can feel very overwhelming, but it looks like he's in good hands.

In regards to hypo's adults and children tend to have different warning signs, and of course a child will most likely describe how their feeling in a totally different way too.

You will learn how to recognise them for him, i'm 23 years old and my mum can guess where i am from how i look or what mood im in! she's usually on the ball too!

I think you will learn alot from your motherly instinct, from his mood changes, some children can have mood changes which can be a good indicator, grumpiness, giddiness, becoming clingy or tearful.

I've read a few parents struggle in explaining when their child lashes out at another child during a hypo, i think the best way is to explain to child and parent that his behaviour was down to a hypo, but still tell your son that it is wrong to push another child and of course apologise to the other child so all is well with them both. It will be hard because technically it wasn't his fault but will need to learn how to control how a hypo makes him feel. I can get grumpy when i have a swing in blood glucose, most people will know it's down to that, but i always feel terrible for being grumpy and snappy and i always apologise even if the other person is saying don't worry about it.

Keep encouraging him to tell you if he feels funny or poorly, then he can start to associate his own warning signs and be able to tell you or other adults more frequently and as soon as possible.

Most of all best of luck to you and Jac, it will get easier. Diabetes is a pain, i always find it remarkable at how resiliant children are with a thing like diabetes.

Oh, and it won't be long before (if not already) he starts to associate hypo's with sweet things and doesn't see it so bad if he gets a little treat :)
 
Hi there,

I was diagnosed when I was 16 months (I'm now a healthy 29 year old, so don't worry too much!)

From what my parents have said:

Lows, it's mainly mood swings (with me it was mainly moody / angry / grumpy), other things are not being able to stand up (legs going weak) and being confused / sweating (also if he's talking not being able to talk properly...) - many people say that is similar to when someone has been drinking..... Oh I also go really pale too....

Highs: a little bit harder but look out for all of the things that he was like just before being diagnosed (possibly to a lesser extent though) Thirst, going to the toilet a lot, aching legs etc... I do agree with the burst f energy stated above too...

Oh and as a note for the future when it comes time to get him injecting himself, a bribe of a transformer toy works great ;)
 
Hi,

Poor little love!

I have tried to describe this to other peole, and it is difficult.

When I was diagnosed at 4, I think I knew that I was low...telling my Mum I had a "funny felling". I am 39 now, and if, when visiting my parents I go a bit low, my Mum will still ask me if I have a "funny felling" :oops:

High
Feel tired, and my eyes hurt. Also thirts and needing the loo

Low

the early stages, to me, feel a bit like the the feeling you get when you have a had a glass of wine...not dunk, but you know youhave had a drink...a bit light headed etc. Really low, it is general confusion shaking a and sweating.

A tip from my hubby would be, each time you test him, and he is either high or low...look at his eyes. I am not sure what happens to your eyes when you go low...but my husband can tell I am low, by looking at my eyes. It is not 100% accurate..but it is accurate enough, that if he says to me, are you alright, your eyes look low that I will reach for my meter...and he is about 75% correct! Doesn't work for being high alas.
 
sugar2 said:
Hi,

A tip from my hubby would be, each time you test him, and he is either high or low...look at his eyes. I am not sure what happens to your eyes when you go low...but my husband can tell I am low, by looking at my eyes. It is not 100% accurate..but it is accurate enough, that if he says to me, are you alright, your eyes look low that I will reach for my meter...and he is about 75% correct! Doesn't work for being high alas.
Click to expand...
A friend of mine says she even uses this on herself - looks in the mirror to see if her eyes are looking 'hypo'. Not entirely sure what she's looking for, I didn't quite understand, and it's probably different for everyone.
My mum told me the other day that my ears were looking hypo, which made me laugh. Again, I didn't quite grasp what she was looking for. Difficult to put into words I suppose.
My hypos have changed so much over the years and from hypo to hypo that it's not easy to describe how they feel.

Another thing to note: it's sometimes the recovery period after the hypo that is grim, too - especially a night hypo. A bit like a horrible hangover combined with not having enough sleep.

I liked the description above of being in a bath of golden syrup when your bg is high. I almost feel as if I can sense the sugar oozing around in my blood. Almost gritty.
 
Hi Snodger!

Yes you are right on the recovery after a night time Hypo :mrgreen: <me after one minus the smile. It would take me a good day and a half to get the glucose out of my blood too ...Then the stacking up would start again...and woosh another night time Hypo.Just a horrible vicious circle.
This, I found with me was down to the Lantus, that I'm sure of now. For me the Levemir has been a real revelation. I feel like a new person.Also the Apidra made correction doses hard to do as it was just too strong an action for me...but yeh ,you are so right in "the day after the the night before" feeling! Ooomphhhh!
 
Back
Top