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Low Blood Sugars With Nothing to Treat

GrezT1

GrezT1

Newbie
Hi Fellow Type 1 Diabetics,

This is my first post and its just regarding something I have been thinking about....

If I was suffer from low blood sugars but for whatever reason had nothing with me to treat it e.g snacks, lucozade etc. But also had no money with me.

What would I do?

Would a shop be able to give me a free lucozade or snack?

Has anyone ever experienced this dilemma and if so I would like to hear what you did to overcome the low sugar levels!
 
@GrezT1 The quick answer is to make sure that never happens! Never leave the house without plenty of glucose tablets. I check my bag for my purse, phone - and those.

Edited to add that yes, you might find an understanding shop worker - or you might find one that thought you were trying it on. By the time you'd convinced them, you could be very low and they'd be calling the paramedics rather than opening a bottle of Lucozade for you. Never rely on other people to understand.
 
Hello Grez - Fortunately in 5 years I've never had this issue. I always carry something whether it's jelly babies, glucogel, pop or even a banana wth me as I feel naked as a type 1 diabetic unless I have a hypo treatment. If you consider that a hypo can very often be mistaken for being drunk and that you may not be taken seriously which could result in the emergency services being called, it's as vital as insulin and I dont trust anyone but me to look after me ;)
 
GrezT1 said:
Has anyone ever experienced this dilemma and if so I would like to hear what you did to overcome the low sugar levels!
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I saw this happen to a young man when I was in law school. Luckily it happened at the building's cafe, and someone recognized him who knew he had diabetes. Nice people were working at the counter, so he was able to drink a bottle of orange juice very quickly. He was already on the ground at that point, conscious but unable to speak at all.

If not for someone else knowing he who was and what was going on, he could've been pretty screwed. Take sugar with you :p
 
Make sure you have something identifying you as a diabetic in case you lose consciousness.
It's pretty scary and there's not much you can do other than hope it works out. Back in my University days I had slept in, was late for a class - didn't test myself, took my regular dosage of insulin went to the cafeteria to grab a coffee and my last memory (once I regained it) was putting a ton of sugar in my coffee knowing full well by that time that I was going in to a hypo.
I lost consciousness before I had the chance to drink the coffee and woke up in the University infirmary with a doctor telling me that they had almost lost me.
The strange thing was - I had a kind of amnesia - It was the fall, when I came too, my first thought was it's the summer and I must of been in a car accident or something and I was in the hospital. It took about 15 minutes to regain my memory - very strange experience and to further compound things the doctor kept on calling me Ronald, I\m one of those people who have always gone by his second name but my IDs have always identified me by my first name. So when I told the doctor that my name wasn't Ronald - he had quite a concerned look until I told him I was one of those people who have always gone by the second name - he seemed a bit relieved after telling him that.
Anyway, I was in the infirmary for most of the day because they wanted to make sure I had complete control of my mental faculties I guess ... that was the one and only time where I have lost consciousness because of my own carelessness - I don't care to do that again :) - I later ran in to a fellow classmate who asked what had happened as they saw me being carried out in a stretcher - I told my classmate what had happened and this person didn;t know I was type 1 so I made it a habit to let everyone know after that.
 
Even if I was totally naked ( not a nice thought I grant you ) and had no snacks or money and I just happened to be somewhere that had food. I would still have one last chance at getting assistance, providing I was still able I would point out my medical tattoo on my arm and hope for the best. If that failed then I would probably want to pass out through sheer embarrassment.
 
I had this once (had money but long queue). Simply took some of the packaged sugar from a coffee shop and explained. They were understanding. Most people don't pour sugar from those packets down their throats! Have done the same at work too with the coffee machine sugars.
 
GrezT1 said:
Would a shop be able to give me a free lucozade or snack?
Click to expand...

One would hope they would be very understanding under the circumstances.

GrezT1 said:
Has anyone ever experienced this dilemma and if so I would like to hear what you did to overcome the low sugar levels!
Click to expand...

Thankfully never happened but I'll admit I have left home without glucose before, last time I was 2 miles from home walking in the countryside before I realised :rolleyes:
 
You've hit on the format for a reality TV game show....

Six celebrity diabetics are given 25 units and sent out cashless in a strange city. Their task: blag enough free carb to avoid the inevitable.

Dexcom and Medtronic compete to sponsor it: live CGM traces from each competitor sent back to the big screen in the studio - phone line betting on who'll hit 4 first.

Could call it the Hunger Games but that's already taken.

Winner/survivor wins a (lipohyper)trophy ...geditt, geditt?

Sorry, I'll get me coat....
 
hi GrezT1
I once walked into a shop sweating and shaking. I grabbed a mars bar ate it and then queued to pay for it. The girls at the counter did comment "You hungry".

I Always carry stuff in the car for obvious reasons. I find jelly babies are quick acting and taste good.


"Hypo Games"....Not sure that's gonna catch on!
 
You can also try the somewhat risky approach of trying to release stored glycogen in your body though that would require some form of exercise, preferable anaerobic. Maybe doing a couple of short sprints could help though i'm not sure that would be a sure thing to increase blood glucose. If you're already low that could have an adverse effect.

Other than that stress had the tendency to raise blood sugar ... you can always start thinking of all the things you still have to do, the bills to pay, .... :D
 
Have experienced Hypo without food on me twice once in supermarket so ate item from shelf keeping wrapper to pay. Asked for somewhere to sit, assistant very helpful .on another occasion years ago was out with no money, went into corner shop and asked and was given help/ surgery drink. Now have jelly babies on me in pockets/ car drawer at work etc. Can happen don't be afraid to ask for help, even knocking on someone's door helped when I was a child.
 
qe5rt said:
You can also try the somewhat risky approach of trying to release stored glycogen in your body though that would require some form of exercise, preferable anaerobic. Maybe doing a couple of short sprints could help though i'm not sure that would be a sure thing to increase blood glucose. If you're already low that could have an adverse effect.

Other than that stress had the tendency to raise blood sugar ... you can always start thinking of all the things you still have to do, the bills to pay, .... :D
Click to expand...
Wouldn't advise this had very serious Hypo recently while exercising but unaware until finished then couldn't stand had jelly babies surgery tea sweets felt very ill, sleepy and took 11/2 hours to recover! Was scared by this.
 
qe5rt said:
You can also try the somewhat risky approach of trying to release stored glycogen in your body though that would require some form of exercise, preferable anaerobic. Maybe doing a couple of short sprints could help though i'm not sure that would be a sure thing to increase blood glucose. If you're already low that could have an adverse effect.

Other than that stress had the tendency to raise blood sugar ... you can always start thinking of all the things you still have to do, the bills to pay, .... :D
Click to expand...

Running from shop security would have the same effect.... :nailbiting:
 
Heathero said:
Wouldn't advise this had very serious Hypo recently while exercising but unaware until finished then couldn't stand had jelly babies surgery tea sweets felt very ill, sleepy and took 11/2 hours to recover! Was scared by this.
Click to expand...
Not 11/12 hours 1 1/2 !
 
ME_Valentijn said:
Not too far off from some of the game shows in the Running Man - the novel, not the movie :p
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Saw the film but haven't read the book. At last office xmas night out, one of our team is a budding but unpublished writer in her spare time, and as we got elegantly wasted we came up with the plot for the next great dsytopian near future novel which vaguely involved ukranian hackers hacking Theresa May's insulin pump via satellite and starting WWIII, devastating insulin supplies. Eva Saxl's great-granddaughter then turns up and saves the T1D populace by finding grandma's notes and figuring out how to make insulin from the pancreases of those otherwise useless vanity dogs which people carry about in handbags. All seemed a great idea after two bottles of white, but the first chapter doesn't seem to have been written yet!
 
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