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

Lost hypo awareness?!

TooMuchGlucose

Well-Known Member
Messages
254
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So I'm really confused and stressed out right now. As I posted a few days ago I woke up with a 3.8 checked twice more 3.8 and 4.3 but felt fine. Today just before I was to go to bed I checked it was 3,8 then I checked again 3.4 so I drank lucozade checked about 10 minutes later 4.6 so drank some more 7.1 then ate some carbs. The last couple of weeks I've had really good sugars whole days less than 7mmo/L I don't think it's a coincidence that I seem to have lost awareness of hypos lately. I also reduced my levemir from 14 to 13. I don't know what is causing these hypos, and why I can't feel them have a started honeymooning again?! Please help I'm very confused and obviously worried.
 
Hi,
I can't comment on the honeymooning. Not sure when you were diagnosed..?

The testing.? Please be aware that due to the blood flow in the body, what you read on the meter has a "lag." (A snapshot of your BS anything up to 20 minutes prior?) the time you are taking between tests with the results may cause them to appear like not rising fast enough or even dropping in some cases..?
It's easy to then panic & then over treat.

Personally. I give it 25 to 30 mins to check I'm heading in the right direction with the recovery..

Though you're doing the right thing seeking hospital help.

Good luck!
 
Best to get professional help.

Losing awareness happened to me recently as I improved my BG control, getting most of my pre-meal readings in the 4-7 range so these seemed normal. When they occasionally dropped into the 3's, I only found out on my meter (I previously had hypo symptoms anytime in the 4's).

My DSN has increased my Levemir as she advised my control was too tight and therefore dangerous if I'm not noticing hypos i.e. it's practical too test all the time, so safer to have a few "false" hypos rather than no warning at all.

I now notice hypo sensations if my BG drops to 4.8 or less. The problem is my BG also goes too high now (for my liking), but DSN is pleased.
 

Thanks for replying I was always told wait 10-15 minutes after drinking lucozade.
 

This is pretty much what happened to me, I did get hypo symptoms when it read 4.1,4.3, 4.6 on my meter but the last 2-3 weeks I've been in 4-7 pretty much all day. I went to the hospital but all they said was we're not specialised here, just check more often and to get an appointment with my DSN. I won't get one until Tuesday at the earliest because Monday is a holiday. So now obviously I'm trying to run myself at 7-10 so hopefully I will feel it if it gets to 3.5 or around there. I can't do this forever though, because I would definitely get complications within ten years.
 


Hi

From reading yr msg, I dont really think that you have lost yr ability to recognise the hypo feeling at the moment. Its fairly common for well controlled diabetics to pick on the hypo feeling when bg reaches somewhere between 3.3 to 3.8mmol. and usually results in an average hba1c of about 6.7% if eating a normal diet containing carb etc. The only time where awareness may start to become impaired is when the hypo feeling manifests itself every day and more than once. Tight control of bg between ranges of 4mmol (pre meal) to 7mmol (post meal) usually results in bg eventually dropping below 3.2mmol to 2mmol before the hypo feeling is felt and if left to continue on a daily basis, the hypo awareness doesnt kick in until bg has fallen extremely low. So, at the moment your awareness is normal I think.

Only reduce insulin when a pattern starts to occur when daily bg levels start to fall below 3.3mmol on a constant basis.

All the best
 
Hie
When BG levels go down frequently ur body gets used to it and doesn't give an indication to the brain that ur level went down...I have had this situation twice(as far as I remember) and found out one of the causes which is the one I just mentioned...
Well,check ur BG levels daily and also when u feel ur heartbeat is fast or u feel dizzy or sweaty...etc
And after you eat something when you have hypo..wait for 15-20 min and check ur levels again..sometimes even though ur levels are back to normal...ur body takes time to get normal...
Hmm...found this on the internet and thought it might be useful for you
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/hypo-unawareness.html
 
Recognising hypo's at the levels you state isn't necessarily classified as losing awareness.

First thing, just because you've lowered basal by 1 unit doesn't mean to say it doesn't need lowering more or splitting doses etc.

Foing to hospital on a Saturday or Friday night etc is a total waste of time. You need to speak to your DSN but continue to perhaps lower your basal by a further 1/2 unit for a few days.

I personally don't think I'm
Hypo at 4.0... My body and brain tells me to eat,..but my brain does not scream "HYPO!". If something in your brain is telling you to test and eat at levels of 3 or 4 then it still counts as awareness.

The speed of your levels dropping will affect your awareness. If its due to just basal injection then your levels will be possibly dropping slower than if its due to too much bolus. Personally I think that if your rates are changing quickly and sharply then your chance of having a severe, unrecognised hypo is greater than if you are subtley slowly reducing downward.
 
Don't forget that any changes to your basal insulin won't generally show for a couple of days... so reduce, monitor for two or three days, then adjust again...
 
Things got a lot worse last night, felt dizzy checked it was 5.3 within minutes couldn't speak or swallow felt sick had to go to the hospital in an ambulance. Doctor said to reduce NovoRapid from 1:10 to 1:12 but based on today's results so far I think it needs to be more like 1:15. I also have a cold now probably the cause of all this, last night before bed I was 15.2 woke up around 9 hours later at 4.4 thinking I shouldn't take Levemir at all tonight.
 
Ok.. I think you are a little bit panicky because of swinging between high and lows...if you are going low overnight... This all depends on your last eating time, your last bolys and the timing of your levemir.
We do not know how much levemir you are raking or when.. You should not stop taking your basal levemir injection.

It all depends on your doses and times of your injections.

It doesn't sound like you are doing enough tests???

At 5.4 you were not hypo.. What were your levels at hospital?
 

If I wasn't hypo not sure what the hell was going on, I was a 10 something when in hospital. I'm taking 13 levemir at around 11pm ate a sandwhich but no NovoRapid that's why it was 15.2 before bed, but have no idea why it went to 4.4 when I woke up. Currently testing around every two hours.
 
Are you having 1 levemir shot or 2 each day?
 
Just one, obviously right now I can only use this forum as it's a holiday tomorrow and I've never had a good experience with NHS direct.
 
Have your levels been running higher than 7 for a while??
It may well be if you have that it was a false hypo feeling.
I do know of somebody that has been running high for quite some while and feels ill when under 7.0.
 
donnellysdogs said:
Have your levels been running higher than 7 for a while??
It may well be if you have that it was a false hypo feeling.
I do know of somebody that has been running high for quite some while and feels ill when under 7.0.
Click to expand...

No it's the opposite they have been less than 7 mostly 4-7 with only one over 10 for the past 2-3 weeks. I normally feel hypo at 4 or less.
 
You are waking up low so this is indicating you are having too much levemir. You have only dropped it one unit from 14 to 13....
Have you got a 1/2 unit pen as this would allow you to finer tune your doses.

Also if you are having 1 jab of levemir it may be better to split.
Ie I have just returned to levemir after being on a pump for 5 years. My nurse suggested 1 jad of 20 units levemir. From playing around myself I hsve found that all I need is 6.5 at night and 7 or 8 units when I get up...
Nurse telling me 20 units at night was sending me stir crazy hypo in mornings!!

One size does not fit all for us diabetics but you need to still take your levemir at night but a reduced dose. If you are 13 then perhaps take 10.. Check your levels at 3am and see if they've dropped.. If they have treat with a little hypo stopper to stop them dropping further.

It is easier to stop highs than lows.. But you must not stop taking your basal..
 
Okay, thanks for all this advice I will drop it to 10 and see how it goes
 
Every case is different, but I have found that having a dose of levemir before the time it takes for rapid to kick in can induce hypos in the night, as I tend to eat quite late I have had to wait up before having my levemir, usually 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I would definitely recommend going to the docs and getting your bloods done, and lowering your levemir dose until you get professional advice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn More.…