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If <4 mmol/l but Feeling Fine

You should always treat below 4 because you don't know if it will continue to drop. How far below 4 will determine how many fast acting carbs you need. Once you are above 4 then have some slower release carbs (not too many, maybe a biscuit)otherwise you could start to drop again, but always treat.

Harry
 
u can feel different depending on how quickly ur dropping too my son sometimes doesnt feel ill when hes been in the 2s always best to treat before it gets too bad in my opinion, hope ur feeling ok now

anna marie
 
ams162 said:
hiya
under 4 is still hypo feeling ill or not take some fast acting :D

anna marie
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Thanks for the info. I was curious as to whether a hypo was only when you feel the symptoms of a hypo or when you drop below four. I guess what confuses me is the fuzzy logic behind it and why 3.9 is such a big deal when 4.0 is not.
 
some people are hypo unaware so dont know when they are hypo, u dont want to drop too low and make urself ill always better to treat as soon as u know ur under 4 than leave it and then be so bad u cant treat it urself

anna marie
 
Hi fencer. Although the guidelines for blood glucose levels are between 4-7 I also have pretty low readings and am still able to function OK. I very rarely have a reading above 4, but I'm fine...really. I start getting hypo symptoms around 2.6, but it fell to 2.1 last week before I started feeling shaky. No one can be called 'normal' as we're all different. Shouldn't these guidelines be constantly reassessed? I bet I'm not the only one with low readings who feels absolutely fine? When I do get symptoms I do something immediately. :twisted:
 
sue32 said:
Hi fencer. Although the guidelines for blood glucose levels are between 4-7 I also have pretty low readings and am still able to function OK. I very rarely have a reading above 4, but I'm fine...really. I start getting hypo symptoms around 2.6, but it fell to 2.1 last week before I started feeling shaky. No one can be called 'normal' as we're all different. Shouldn't these guidelines be constantly reassessed? I bet I'm not the only one with low readings who feels absolutely fine? When I do get symptoms I do something immediately. :twisted:
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Sue, I guess the question is (and I don't know the answer) is, are you not hypo until the lower level, or are you just hypo unaware?

Bet your HbA1c is fantastic though!
 
It all depends on whether the 3.9 is falling further or at the bottom of the valley and on the way up - if you have lost your hypo awareness you can probably funciton fine at 3.9 but, and this is the big but, if you don't feel any symptoms until you're in the low 2s it can hit you quite aggressively, so I would err on the side of caution and treat it at 3.9 (not too much!) to bring it up a little.
Interestingly, when pregnant you are told that you're not hypo unless you're below 3.5 and that 3.5 -4 is acceptable. I found this hard to understand, surely you are either hypo or not whether you are pregnant or not? Anyways I certainly wouldn't drive or do anything requiring any concentration with a blood sugar under 4.
 
sue32 said:
Hi fencer. Although the guidelines for blood glucose levels are between 4-7 I also have pretty low readings and am still able to function OK. I very rarely have a reading above 4, but I'm fine...really. I start getting hypo symptoms around 2.6, but it fell to 2.1 last week before I started feeling shaky. No one can be called 'normal' as we're all different. Shouldn't these guidelines be constantly reassessed? I bet I'm not the only one with low readings who feels absolutely fine? When I do get symptoms I do something immediately. :twisted:
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Sue, I think we've been here before and by the looks of things you have had a close call with the 2.1 reading. It doesn't matter if ou feel fine or not with hypoglycemia, the fact is you are endangering yourself and anyone else who may be in your care; I hope you don't hold a drivers licence or take part in pursuits such as cycling as you will be a danger on the roads as a type 2 diabetic using insulin .

My endocrinologist says that research is ongoing into the dangers of frequent hypoglycemia and it's long-term effect on the brain so it may well be worth keeeping this in mind.

Nigel
 
Hi Nigel

I have reactive hypoglycemia, and can go below 3 a couple of times a day!!

Is this bad?
 
Sorry Fliss but it's not my place to say and you would be better discussing any concerns you have with your diabetes team. I found this article that gives suggestions on how to limit episodes of reactive hypoglycemia, pick the bones and see if you can put in place any of the suggestions:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/33205 ... oglycemia/

Nigel
 
The other day I had just got in from sorting out the horses, felt absolutely fine, casually did a BM to find I was 1.9 :shock:

I tend to go with the whole '4 is the floor' theory, and will treat anything under 4 as a hypo accordingly.
 
Hi

New to the forum but been type 1 for forty plus years. I have a fear of the complications of high blood sugars so am quite tight with what I let my levels get to. For a while I ran them low, less than 4 was normal for me. I started to find that I did not feel hypo until the sugar level got below 2. I was still feeling normal and seemed to be OK. I have now sorted the problem out and just run the sugars at what is a normal level.

I agree totaly with the 4 is it, I also find that sugary drinks are great for incresaing the levels but they burn off very quickly and the low sugar can return quite quickly.
 
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