Low blood sugar readings

Hi Pete, anything below 3 or 4 is a concern but below 1 is massively low, particularly if you are on meds! Do you feel any kind of hypo symptoms when you get those numbers? Sweating, shaking, hunger? Do you wash your hands before testing? there is no reason you should be getting different readings at the same time from different fingers, unless one of those fingers belongs to someone else 8) if you don't get any symptoms, I would wonder if your meter is working? Do you have any testing gel to check it's working?

ok, you are definitely having hypo's then and below 1 is far to low. I would speak to your Doc urgently about reducing your meds perhaps? I take insulin as I'm type 1 so I can't comment on the kind of tablets you take I'm afraid but a hypo is a hypo however it is induced :? did you feel hypo this morning when you were 0.6 on one finger and then 4.7 on the other?

pete123 said:

need advice please, iam newly diagnosed type 2 dec 2009. i take 1000mg metformin at moment down from 2000mg at start i keep getting readings of 0.8/0.9/1.0 on regular basis other times on average i get 4.8-5.9 my doctor does not seemed too concerned at present and keeps adjusting my tablets. what can be causing this situation ? why is there a big difference if i take two readings on different fingers at same time? please help.

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Pete.
What exactly does your daily diet consist of and when do you get these ultra low readings ?
Is it pre meals, after meals.....??

Metformin in itself shouldn't cause hypo's however, if your food intake is such that you are way too low anyway, it will reduce it further.

As for the difference in readings, you will never get the same readings from different fingers at the same time or different meters, there are too many variables. Even a lab test will vary. Stick to testing just the once then you won't get worried about a reading.

Good advice so far from DB.

Pete.

We are not allowed to diagnose on here so this is based on my own experience. How were you diagnosed in December 2009 ? Was it just your GP or have you seen a Consultant, an Endocrinologist ?
Are you taking any other medications, particularly those not Diabetes related ?

Has your GP ever mentioned Reactive Hypoglycaemia to you ? As you say your diet seems pretty good to me, there is definitely something else going on here.

Here is some information about RH......
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) usually occurs while fasting. But reactive hypoglycemia is low blood sugar that occurs after a meal — usually one to three hours after eating. Often, the cause of reactive hypoglycemia isn't clear.

Some researchers suspect that certain people are overly sensitive to the normal release of the hormone epinephrine, which causes many of the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Others believe that a deficiency of glucagon — a hormone that normally offers protection from low blood sugar — may cause reactive hypoglycemia.

In a few cases, reactive hypoglycemia may result from excessive production of insulin by the pancreas (hyperinsulinemia). Reactive hypoglycemia may also occur after stomach surgery or due to certain enzyme deficiencies, which may interfere with the balance between nutrient absorption and insulin secretion.

I think you need a referral to an Endocrinologist urgently and I wouldn't accept a NO from your GP.