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Hypos and Insulin

D

dunika

Member
Messages
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Hi everyone, I often read on here but haven't posted for ages.

My wife is a type 2 who injects insulin. She takes 20 units with breakfast, but tests first and occasionally has woken up with a hypo. In this situation she has a lucozade, then eats her breakfast as usual, but waits until 30 minutes after she finishes eating before injecting. Does anybody else have this problem? Does anybody know how long she should leave it before injecting if she has had a hypo?

I am about to leave for work, so can't respond to any replies tonight, but will check when I come home and reply accordingly.

Regards

Duncan
 
I'm not sure if it differs for type2s on insulin but for a type 1 you treat the hypo with a quick acting carb like the lucozade, after 10 minutes test again and if you're recovered from the hypo then eat and inject as usual. If after 10 minutes the hypo is still there then treat again with quick acting carb until you're out of hypo. Then follow with food and insulin as usual. That's how we deal with it but unsure if there are different rules for type 2s.
 
hi Duncan

This has happened to me and I'm type 2 on insulin. Although I just do what Sophia said and I pretty much inject according to what I'm eating. I have to admit what you've mentioned has crossed my mind too as to whether or not I'm doing the right thing... but so far I've been fine. (eg. I've recovered from the hypo). :D
 
In a type I it is actually quite important to ensure that you have adequate insulin on board after a hypo and that you have eaten sufficient carbohydrate to recover glucose reserves in the liver. Typically if I were to hypo then I would cover with fast acting carbohydrate until I was out of danger and then depending on when I was next due to eat either have a snack or eat a meal with some longer acting carbohydrate in (covered by insulin).

If you do not sufficiently re-stock carbohydrate then you can find you cover a hypo only to hypo again in 1 - 2 hours because your body has been using blood glucose to replenish liver stores.. multiple hypo's in a short space of time are more dangerous because you wont have recovered a glucose reserve to take the edge of them; meaning your blood glucose is more likely to fall lower and faster...

In a type II on insulin I guess the process of re-storing liver glucose is the same... although having some of your own insulin may not need to purposely inject additional to restore glucose. After a hypo its always worth checking blood glucose more regularly... if you note that its falling when it shouldn't be then make sure you take on board additional carbohydrate.
 
Hi again, thank you for your replies. It sounds like there is no need for my wife to wait, lucozade toast and fig rolls for breakfast will have brought her levels back up ok by the time she's finished eating.

Duncan
 
In these circumstances (I'm type 1) I would treat the hypo and when levels were back to normal eat breakfast as normal, what I tend to do is inject after eating and give a reduced insulin dose knocking around a third off the normal dose.
 
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