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Hypo goodies

Lisa69free

Well-Known Member
Messages
151
Recently had a week of hypos. Dr said honeymoon stage. I've not really had many until this week. Luckily today has been better. I am curious as to what you all use to get glucose up?

I've always had the jelly babies but with dentures chewing sweets is awkward as jelly sticks to them. I've picked up some Dip Dabs. 21g carbs per bag. Would 1 of them be ok?

Also picked up Lucozade but looks like I'll have to drink nearly a full bottle to get the benefit. Any other alternative as I'm not a fan of the taurine fuelled energy drinks. The smell makes me wretch lol
 
Lisa69free said:
21g carbs per bag. Would 1 of them be ok?
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How many carbs do you usually need? If that's close to 21 such a bag sounds about right.

The amount of glucose we need to get out of hypo territory depends on a lot of things: How much active insulin do you have going around at the moment, when did you last eat, and what, are you having a steep drop (like from going from 16 to 2 in an hour) or rather a slow descent (like going from 5 to 3.7 over 4 hours), and of course the thing that we all react differently to carbs.

Lisa69free said:
I've always had the jelly babies but with dentures chewing sweets is awkward as jelly sticks to them.
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You could also use plain sugar or honey, no need for chewing.
Or a small bottle of undiluted cordial/squash/whatever the stuff is called in the UK. It's usually used to make lemonade for children.
I like to use it because it's almost pure sugar so although it tastes horrible it only needs a small amount and it's easy to carry in a little bottle.
 
Dib dabs with licorice? Oh I need one of those! Been like 40 years.

3 jelly babies for me, they are disgustingly sweet, it’s my punishment for getting dose wrong.
 
This yesterday. Tested at 12 and was a (UK) decent 6.4 then took my daily shot and pre bolus 6 units. Got caught up on a lengthy call at work and within an hour dropped to this. I had to leave the customer and sort myself. I can't pre bolus at work no more. During the week, getting 2s. Today has been good.
 

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Today totally other way but at least after speaking to my Dr, I know that a little high isn't as bad as lots of lows
 

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Lisa69free said:
Today totally other way but at least after speaking to my Dr, I know that a little high isn't as bad as lots of lows
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My nurse recommends the small cartons of orange juice and she says juice works quicker than sweets. I am not keen on orange juice but cranberry juice works just as well for me. Or if you are going as low as the two’s sugar cubes? This happened to me at the beginning and I had to reduce my insulin, if it keeps happening speak to your DN about changing the dose. Hope you have a more stable weekend.
 

My Dr from diabetes clinic at the hospital rang me in the week and we discussed if I got more than 3 days of hypos to lower my daily shot. Just like magic it started going up again. Honeymoon phase is pants
 

Hi Lisa, looking at your hypo levels, 1.8???, forget the jelly babies and anything other than made for, fast acting glucose! You need to get that level up fast, your brain will be thinking about shutting down imminently at that level and actually (in extreme, frequent cases) can cause brain damage. I say this not to alarm you but quite a few people sometimes think a low is not so bad as it can quickly be brought higher. Not true. Of course there will be people who have gone down to that level or lower and been ok or still able to act themselves but it is not worth the risk. x
 

Most glucose tablets are chewable so my dentures won't break them down fast enough. I will try the honey suggestion or ooh maple syrup. That would be ideal medicine wouldn't it?
 
I use GlucoTabs. They are not chewable but neither are they what I would describe as “goodies”. They do their job, are not likely to be taken by anyone else in the house as treats, come in reusable plastic tubes and are standard size so I know how many to take to treat a hypo.

Sometimes, when I am at home, I may have dried fruit such as apricots.
 

So if they are not chewable, how are they fast acting? I've seen them in Morrisons. A little tube with 10 in. So do you just suck them?
 
Hi, I just use 5 dextrose tablets. They get my blood sugar back up within 15 mins x
 
Just a word of caution. For me when I've gone to 1.8, I need liquid, so use glucojuice. 15g of carbs in a bottle. I've found glucoTabs don't work quick enough. I appreciate they work well for a lot of people though.
 
Hopeful34 said:
Just a word of caution. For me when I've gone to 1.8, I need liquid, so use glucojuice. 15g of carbs in a bottle. I've found glucoTabs don't work quick enough. I appreciate they work well for a lot of people though.
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Seen online, one called lift? Why are these things so expensive though. Think honey or maple syrup be cheaper. Wonder how much would have to take to cure a hypo
 
Sorry, yes it's Lift now, used to be Glucojuice. You could always buy one bottle of Glucojuice and a packet of powdered glucose, and once you'd used the Glucojuice, make up your own glucose solution to fill the bottle with.
 
Hopeful34 said:
Sorry, yes it's Lift now, used to be Glucojuice. You could always buy one bottle of Glucojuice and a packet of powdered glucose, and once you'd used the Glucojuice, make up your own glucose solution to fill the bottle with.
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That is an amazing idea. I'll research glucose powder. Thank you everyone. Just checked bloods and a nice 5.2
 
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