- Messages
- 1,207
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
- Dislikes
- Celery.
Hi,
I think that treating hypos correctly is one of the hardest elements of diabetes control; your brain is not working quite right, you are hungry and can be anxious so tend to stuff yourself with glucose/carbs/anything you can find...
I've recently changed my strategy for treating hypos and I think it's working.
Previously I would take 9 grams of glucose tablets (Dextrose) when I was hypo which is 3 of the tablets.
The problems with that is as it is a modest amount in response to a hypo I would often find I would in addition eat something else in response; so would as often as not 'overtreat' the hypo and end up with a high blood glucose level.
Also Dextrose tablets are frankly disgusting.
What I've decided to do is to decide, when hypo, whether I have active insulin on board (with me that means am I hypoing within 4 hours of injecting my bolus dose) or not. If I do I eat a running/sport energy gel. These come in little packets and are about 20 grams of carb.
If I do not have active insulin on board I would treat as normal with Dextrose tablets; boo hiss.
The benefits of this is that the energy gel things get into the blood very quickly are tasty and are very generous in the amount of glucose which stops pretty much any hypo (unless some real mistake has been made). That means that I don't over compensate any more and avoid excessive rebound highs.
The downside is that the running gel things are more expensive than Dextrose tablets and I'm dreading one bursting in my pocket.
Does anyone else use them; does the above sound like a plan?
Best
Dillinger
I think that treating hypos correctly is one of the hardest elements of diabetes control; your brain is not working quite right, you are hungry and can be anxious so tend to stuff yourself with glucose/carbs/anything you can find...
I've recently changed my strategy for treating hypos and I think it's working.
Previously I would take 9 grams of glucose tablets (Dextrose) when I was hypo which is 3 of the tablets.
The problems with that is as it is a modest amount in response to a hypo I would often find I would in addition eat something else in response; so would as often as not 'overtreat' the hypo and end up with a high blood glucose level.
Also Dextrose tablets are frankly disgusting.
What I've decided to do is to decide, when hypo, whether I have active insulin on board (with me that means am I hypoing within 4 hours of injecting my bolus dose) or not. If I do I eat a running/sport energy gel. These come in little packets and are about 20 grams of carb.
If I do not have active insulin on board I would treat as normal with Dextrose tablets; boo hiss.
The benefits of this is that the energy gel things get into the blood very quickly are tasty and are very generous in the amount of glucose which stops pretty much any hypo (unless some real mistake has been made). That means that I don't over compensate any more and avoid excessive rebound highs.
The downside is that the running gel things are more expensive than Dextrose tablets and I'm dreading one bursting in my pocket.
Does anyone else use them; does the above sound like a plan?
Best
Dillinger
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