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

hypo un aware

S

slappy69

Newbie
Messages
2
Location
Ramsgate
Type of diabetes
Type 1
hi I have been told I am probably hypo un-aware as my affects do not start till i Get to 3.1, I know the given level for a hypo is 4 but at this stage I feel fine, One person says I am unaware and another says I most likely can tollerate a 4 but 3.1 is my limit, well who do I Believe,
please someone shed some light on this for me I have only been t1 for 6 months and feel a little confused, no I am not having a hypo now though..
 
Hi,

I think it depends on your control, what are you sugars like at the moment. For example I usually have excellent hypo awareness but If I run my sugars too tight say between 5-6 I will not feel a hypo till 2mmol. Whereas if I'm running at 6-10 I will feel a hypo at about 3.8-4mmol. There are times though that I won't feel a hypo at all but I have a feeling to check my sugars and then, bam, hypo! I know this doesn't help you much but at least your not alone, maybe have a chat with your specialist nurse or consultant if your under a diabetes team? :D
 
Hi thanks for the reply, I tend to run my sugars very tight and feel pretty awful if they run above 7,
so I have managed to keep them at 5-6 and feel really well doing so. I actually feel normal with such a tight regime but I do take care and test if I think I maybe hypo.
:wink:
 
Slappy,

This can happen when people have too tight control or experience daily hypo's, the advice normally is to run bg slightly higher for a few weeks which should reduce hypo's and restore your hypo awareness.

Nigel
 
I think the best info I know of about hypos and unawareness is in the Ranar Hagnas book. If you google
ragnar hanas hypoglycemia awareness in google books then you can find much of the relevent info,
indeed I wrote a post about what he said before.

Google books: Ragnar Hanas hypo. There is an excellent chapter on hypos in his book
'Type 1 diabetes in children, adolescents, and young adults' , and you can read that chapter online.He states that people feel hypos in the 4-5mmol range as a result of higher average glucose levels and suggests that for a person with type 1 and good control the physical symptoms should occur at between 3.5 and 4mmol.
Indeed a normal person may not feel the physical symptoms of a hypo until 2.7. In all people diabetic or not EEG changes which detect alterations to the brain as a result of lack of glucose start at about 2.2mmol.
But it is finely balanced he also states that a person with diabetes and an HbA1c of around 5.2% may consistently not get symptoms until below the level at which the brain is affected.(2.2mmol) This can also occur with swinging levels or very frequently hypos. If you have a hypo one day you are more susceptible to another the next and this can be a downward spiral in your ability to be aware of them
Click to expand...
.
 
The last paragraph of the article sounds frightening Phoenix, perhaps a reminder to keep levels above this range for type 1's.

Nigel
 
Back
Top