How do you feel AFTER hypos?

Hi fellow-diabetics,

I've been diagnosed for 18 months, type 'one and a half'-- diabetes basically under control with glipizide, but I''ve been starting to have real problems with hypos. Hypo awareness is down a bit, but I do the recommended things to bring blood sugar levels back up to normal within 10 minutes or so. All my problems come AFTER blood sugar has returned to normal. I feel incredibly weak, dizzy, body feels very heavy and bruised, short of breath, waves of depression -- all I can do is to go to bed even if it's only mid-afternoon, and these effects now last for at least 24 hours, and every time it takes longer to get out of it. Plays havoc with work, deadlines, etc. And now my body is starting to simulate the attacks even with normal blood sugar level and without the hypo starting it all off. All the books imply that getting out of a hypo is just like bouncing up again (unless the hypo is really severe, obviously). Does anyone else out there experience these after-effects?

Me again. I haven't done this before so don't know how long one is meant to wait for replies, but wanted to write to thank those who have replied already.
sugar2 -- I'm really grateful for your suggestions. I always take the same stuff for hypo -- 3-4 dextrose tablets, bit of flapjack, toast. It would make sense that the problem might be a reaction to sugars going up too quickly, but these things used to work fine in the past, and 30 mins after hypo treatment I'm usually around 7.8/8.2 and similar the next morning. My typical BG in the morning is low 7s, but my hba1c is 6.1. The GP thinks I may be 'over-controlled', which doesn't seem fair! Maybe you're right that this is more typical if one isn't a straight T1 or T2 --- there are an awful lot of us who don't fit (I'm 'suspected MODY').
microfazer -- thanks for this. I usually never go below about 3.5 even in a bad hypo. I'm not on insulin yet, but am certainly trying to sort out alternative medication that wouldn't make me as prone to hypos. GP suggests gliptins or glitazones, but each have side-effects, of course. Hey ho...

daisy3174 -- thanks so much for writing. So reassuring that I'm not alone. very sorry you're having such rotten times. I actually managed a slightly better hypo yesterday -- caught short in M&S (is there a thread on most embarrassing places to have hypos? So far mine are performing in a live concert, and lecturing to 200 students..). I made it to the cafe. No dextrose so wolfed down jelly babies and flapjack and then forced myself to sit completely still and calm and do absolutely nothing. Incredibly boring, and still shaking and queasy after half an hour, but after an hour managed to ease myself around. My tendency is always to try to fight it, or at least to do SOMETHING while waiting for effects to wear off, even if it's just reading or listening to music. Mabe this is part of the problem. It would be good to keep this thread running a while -- we can't be the only people where the '30 minutes max and then you feel fine' rule doesn't work.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to this thread, especially AndyS and Snodger. From these and other conversations, especially with my wonderful diabetic nurse (who has a deeper understanding of diabetes than all the ‘experts’ at the diabetes clinic) it seems clear that is not uncommon for people to have bad after-effects from hypos for up to 24 hours. As you’d expect, after-effects vary in individuals (ranging through splitting headaches, feeling severely hung-over, being sick, feeling very weak, etc). Having recurrences of these symptoms for several days afterwards but without further hypos and with normal BG readings seems to be less common, but effects seem to be alleviated by reducing dosage and letting BG readings rise to 8s and 9s (and in the end this will also enhance hypo awareness anyway, and thus help to stop the whole process getting started). This will all seem very obvious to you diabetes veterans out there, but I do wish hypo after-effects were at least mentioned in books on diabetes. I will try to persuade diabetes.uk to insert a sentence or two on their website.
As for me, having stupidly congratulated myself on this thread for having mastered my latest hypo, all hell broke loose over the next few days. Constant attacks of severe weakness, dizziness, gasping for breath, couldn’t manage a flight of stairs– I’m (slim!) 48 but felt like 88. Halving the medication seems to have helped, though difficult not to freak out at getting 9s and 10s at first. I still take a positive view of it all – I’m getting a very brief glimpse of how life is for someone with clinical depression, or an OAP with emphysema, but I then have the incredible luxury of switching back to a normal(ish) life. In a way that’s a privilege. But god I do miss chocolate....