BooJewels
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 443
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Insulin
I'd like to add a couple of comments to the great information already posted.
Not all hypos are equal - you don't always get the same symptoms and they can change if the cause of it is different - for example, you might get a different reaction if you've delayed eating and gradually getting lower over time and your numbers just keep diminishing steadily - compared to having a decent BG and doing something that causes it to crash rapidly. So finding yourself at under 4 because you missed lunch might give different symptoms compared to plummeting from 12 to 6 in a short time. A rapid rate of decline can cause a different reaction to a low number.
And the more often you have them, the less symptoms you may display - that's a known phenomena called hypo awareness - which diminishes the more you have, especially if you have a few in close order.
When I was on meds, I'd occasionally have one and would get significant symptoms if I went below 5 - palpitations, shaking, nausea, ringing in the ears, headache, sweating etc. Yet since on insulin, my HbA1c suggested I must be having a lot overnight without even knowing. And after a recent change in my insulin and then my reaction to it, I found myself having several sub-4 hypos a day without any signs at all until I found myself blacking out.
So my advice would be if you think you're prone to hypo, to listen to your body, avoid situations that might generate one, keep your meter handy and appropriate treatment that works for you to hand too - and educate people around you about it. Don't be tempted to go overboard with the hypo treatment, it's all too easy to be tempted to gorge [on otherwise banned goodies] because you've gone low, only to rebound to a high number. Steady does it, it doesn't take much to lift your BG to a safe level.
Not all hypos are equal - you don't always get the same symptoms and they can change if the cause of it is different - for example, you might get a different reaction if you've delayed eating and gradually getting lower over time and your numbers just keep diminishing steadily - compared to having a decent BG and doing something that causes it to crash rapidly. So finding yourself at under 4 because you missed lunch might give different symptoms compared to plummeting from 12 to 6 in a short time. A rapid rate of decline can cause a different reaction to a low number.
And the more often you have them, the less symptoms you may display - that's a known phenomena called hypo awareness - which diminishes the more you have, especially if you have a few in close order.
When I was on meds, I'd occasionally have one and would get significant symptoms if I went below 5 - palpitations, shaking, nausea, ringing in the ears, headache, sweating etc. Yet since on insulin, my HbA1c suggested I must be having a lot overnight without even knowing. And after a recent change in my insulin and then my reaction to it, I found myself having several sub-4 hypos a day without any signs at all until I found myself blacking out.
So my advice would be if you think you're prone to hypo, to listen to your body, avoid situations that might generate one, keep your meter handy and appropriate treatment that works for you to hand too - and educate people around you about it. Don't be tempted to go overboard with the hypo treatment, it's all too easy to be tempted to gorge [on otherwise banned goodies] because you've gone low, only to rebound to a high number. Steady does it, it doesn't take much to lift your BG to a safe level.
