Hypo Question

[fiona35]

I've had a couple of readings lately that have been between 3.1 and 4 before my lunch and I've been snappy and irritable in the process which has led me to test then gone on to eat my lunch and tested an hour after but its only raised to around 4.5. I've then found that I've needed to eat something else to last me through the afternoon before my evening meal.

My question is should I have corrected the Hypo first and then eaten my lunch or eaten a slightly bigger lunch or do nothing as I was going to eat my lunch anyway? :?

 

[acron^]

Firstly, are you Type 1 or Type 2? It differs, but if you're Type 1 I *think* (please correct me if i'm wrong) that official guidelines are to treat a hypo immediately, whatever the case, and if you're going to be more than an hour without a meal then follow up with a slow acting carb.

What do your lunches consist of? Any chance you're still honeymooning?

EDIT: Just seen you're Type 2, so ignore the first part of my post

 

[Dennis]

Hi Fiona,
If you are starting to hypo just before lunch then I would simply use your lunch to correct it. As your post-lunch BS increase is so little, it suggests that your lunch contains hardly any carbohydrate. What are you having for lunch?

 

[Trinkwasser]

If this happens regularly how about transferring some of your lunchtime carbs to a snack an hour or two *before* you normally drop low?

Longer term you may need to consider whether you are now overmedicated for your current situation.

 

[bonerp]

not sure about you but I couldnt have just my lunch to treat a hypo. I need something much faster acting else I'd be flaked out on the floor!

Usually with glucose tabs. Then lunch.

 

[Stuboy]

i too treat a pre lunch hypo with lunch. But by pre lunch i do mean the reading litterally before i eat and calculate my bolus.

If im low then i eat my lunch as normal (usually between 60 - 110 carbs) and take 0.5U or 1.0U less bolus, depending on how low i am.

If the Hypo is about half hour from lunch then i treat it with some biscuits in the office... it usually serves me well for half and hour until i have my lunch.

If you are going low before your meals, then it would suggest that maybe your Basal is sightly too high or you are taking too much meal bolus and the tail end of the action profile in your bolus is taking you too low.

I would first try adjusting your basal by 1 unit and leave for a week to see the results.

Just my two pence worth.

Of course this all does depend on whether you are type 1 or type 2.

 

[fiona35]

Well Brekkie is at the moment a very small bowl of porridge with a few blueberries and lunch is 1 slice of GF Linseed Bread with some salad and a couple of slices of ham/chicken/cheese.

It has occured to me that as I'm still adjusting to the Byetta and feeling a bit sick sometimes I am not eating anywhere near what I would have eaten so wonder if this is why my sugars are dropping and once the Nausea stage has passed I might feel like eating something a bit extra.

Do you think I should make it a regular sandwich rather than an open one? The size of the bread is about half the size of a regular normal loaf.

Thanks for the advice peeps.

 

[Thenotsohairybiker]

My advise would be to eat a little often. looking at what you eat and the timescale in between, it is little wonder your BS's are low.

 

[fiona35]

You are probably right, brekkie is at 7.00 am and lunch is at 12.30pm and I don't usually have anytihng mid morning so maybe I should have an oatcake with some peanut butter on or something similar to keep my levels straight till lunchtime.

What a numptie I am to not realise that lack of food will do it!!

 

[gillyh]

I'm type 2 diet/exercise only. I've started to get low bs readings while travelling home on the bus. I started to feel 'fuzzy' so took my kit with me and tested enxt time it happened. I got readings 3.6 to 4.2. Normally mine is 5.5 to 6.8. what's the best thing to take with me in case it happens again?

 

[Stuboy]

glucose tablets. Personally i prefer the lucozade ones as they taste nicer. You only need 2 or 3 to bring your sugar levels up.

The Dextros tablets do the same thing but dont taste half as nice.