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Lowest BS ever of 3.4, bad news for me

berylc

Well-Known Member
Messages
785
Location
Scotland
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Dislikes
When people who know nothing about the LCHF diet tell me I'm killing myself being on it. I was killing myself not being on it!
As I was going up the many steps at the Lillehammer (Norway) ski jump. I started shaking and felt very odd, so sat on steps and took a BS reading and registered 3.4 at step 150 after the long uphill walk to the bottom of the ski jump. I decided to go back down and not climb the other 800 steps. I thought I'd have a couple of squares of chocolate, only to realise they were in my husband's back pack and he was waaayyy ahead of me. Then I thought I can phone him, only to realise I'd left my phone in the rented accommodation. I was thinking, what if I pass out and nobody realises what's wrong. So lesson learnt, I'm going to get something sugary to keep in my bag and invest in a bracelet or necklace with I'm a type 2 diabetic on it and I've been stupid enough to not be prepared for any near hypo! Or maybe just type 2 diabetic on it. Back to feeling normal now at the house.
 


sorry to hear you had such a problem ,
what kind of medication are you on ?
 
Nothing! But too much exercise and too little food I suspect. Had done lots of walking today, mainly up very steep hills.

Sent from my SM-G903F using DCUK Forum mobile app
 
A normal, "bog standard", run of the mill type 2 will not have hypos unless they are on insulin or on drugs which stimulate their own insulin production. Hypos are just not part of type 2, which is a condition defined by raised sugar levels. A T2 on insulin etc may, of course experience a hypo due to having more drugs than their food/circumstances require. There should be no need for a T2 on no drugs or drugs which do not raise insulin levels to carry chocolate or wear diabetes identity bracelets. This latter could cause confusion in some circumstances.
Could I suggest that the OP, @berylc had simply over exerted herself in rather cold conditions and feeling a bit strange was nothing to do with diabetes. She just needed time for her body to catch up.
Sally
 
If you are on no meds then you have no more risk of a hypo than any non-diabetic. Your liver will kick in and bring your glucose up to safe levels. That is the liver's job. Maybe you felt shaky and odd because your body reacted to being lower than you normally are (false hypo) combined with high altitude and exercise at high altitude. Next time make sure you eat beforehand.
 
I understand and agree that a type 2 doesnt have a life threatening hypo, like a type 1.

However, when Type 2's blood sugars go low, we can get shaky, tremble, go cold, feel sick and dizzy and can faint. I have experienced all of those symptoms. If I am halfway up a staircase, or in a situation where fainting can be potentially dangerous, then it is scary and serious.

I think that, although the terminology may be misleading, this situation of low blood sugars should be viewed in the context of our diabetes and prepared for. I now keep something sweet around when going out, for when this happens to me. We are all different, and some type 2's, even not on medication (like me) are more sensitive to lower blood sugar levels and react to them quickly and severely. Low blood sugar is low blood sugar, regardless of the type of diabetes.

The op is suggesting a bracelet with Type 2 on it, not a type 1 hypo alert sort of bracelet.
 

Cold conditions..... not today Sally, it was very warm! I'd left my water at the house too, total stupidity!
 
In my experience, everyone can have hypos, it is normal to have one, for so many different reasons and circumstances. But not everyone gets the symptoms. Some may get symptoms but don't know what is happening.
The liver should intervene by dumping glucose when required.
But in those with diabetes or endocrine conditions will get either severe symptoms or as with those without diabetes be totally oblivious.
It is only by gaining awareness of the symptoms that you know when you are going low or just to confuse it further, going hyper, as symptoms can be either!

It is only by experimenting and testing along with being aware of how your body works and being in control can full awareness help you on how to treat the hypo (or hyper!)

I do believe that @berylc has gained knowledge in how to be prepared for some severe exercise even though it is only walking!

Fascinated by ski jumping!
 

@Lamont D
'Only walking' I will have you know that my only walking was up and up and up!!!!! At least it was followed by only down!
As for ski jumping, I love watching it, but can't for the life of me understand why someone would launch themselves from that height with 2 planks of wood attached to their feet
 
I continually walk up an awful lot of steps to do my work.
I do sympathise!

Thick as two planks for those guys and gals!
It is an art of balance and courage, and they do it in the summer on artificial surfaces!
Think of the (artificial) grass burns!

Ouch!
 

Sadly nobody jumping when we were there. I did wonder about the astroturf burn!
Showing my age with the wooden skies. All polycarbonate or such now!
 
So, just to clarify - if I'm on no meds, diet and exercise only, I CAN'T have a hypo??

I seem to remember being told, if you're on Metformin you can't have a hypo...
 
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... I had some uncharacteristic "road-rage" today on the A34. Stopped at Chievely and tested at 4.2. So I had a snack and coffee and carried on feeling more human.
"False" hypo?
 
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nomoredonuts said:
So, just to clarify - if I'm on no meds, diet and exercise only, I CAN'T have a hypo??

I seem to remember being told, if you're on Metformin you can't have a hypo...
Click to expand...

Anyone can have a hypo. Seriously.
It just takes the right circumstances, and believe me, Metformin is no protection.

However, there are a few provisos to that:
Most people's liver will prevent a hypo by reaching into its glycogen stores and releasing the right amount of glucose top the blood glucose up. Hypos need some special circumstances which put that delicate blood glucose, liver dump balance out of wack.
- Injected insulin and some diabetic meds will overwhelm the body's own reaction in the presence of too much drug and/or not enough glucose.
- reactive hypoglycaemia, where the body's own glucose/insulin balance is faulty
- other (non diabetic) drugs
- various othe illnesses, stresses and diseases

Medical professionals seem very fond of declaring 'you won't get a hypo on Metformin!'
What they should be saying is 'Metformin won't cause hypos like other diabetic drugs may, but it won't prevent you having a hypo for other reasons'.
 
I know people say "just wait for your liver to dump more glucose and you will be fine, its not serious" as if I am being dramatic or overreacting but, for me, that time for me to recover is at least 20 mins, often more. 20 mins of feeling sick, shaky, cant think, cant move as all the strength has drained out of me, and sometimes I faint. I couldnt drive, operate machinate or be in charge of children when I am like this.

I wonder if my liver does the dump, but, due to insulin resistance, my body cant use the glucose which has been dumped, or use it only slowly, or something?

It does seem as if there is a variation in the length and severity of hypos that type 2's, either on meds or not, experience.
 
I've had hypos both on and off of metformin but I haven't had a serious one since I started my low carb way of eating and - yes - I've had doctors tell me we can't hypo a while on metformin. I don't think it causes them but it definitely doesn't stop them.
 
Metformin works on the liver to help reduce the amount of glucose it produces. Maybe this is the reason some people can hypo on Metformin? We need the liver to dump glucose when there is insufficient glucose in our system or we would hypo, yet Metformin is trying to stop this, even if only to a limited extent. Especially so at high doses.
 
nomoredonuts said:
So, just to clarify - if I'm on no meds, diet and exercise only, I CAN'T have a hypo??
Click to expand...

Actually we don't need medication to get hypo...a high carb meal could well do the job...

Here I had 3 chinese turnip/bamboo shoots dumplings around 11am. The dumpling skins were made with glutinous rice flour.


So 2hr plus post meal glucose shoots to > 9mmols.(165 mg/dl)
And 4 hours post meal glucose drops to 3 mmol (54mg/dl) . I felt a sudden spinning sensation and dizziness followed by the shakes/cold sweat shortly.

This is a typical reactive hypo condition, often experienced by
1) those who are prediabetic
2) recovering T2D...because we have become more insulin sensitive, but still have high post meal insulin responses.

Instead of correcting with glucose tabs/fast carb...I had a cup of bulletproof coffee and some cashew nuts so that I will not over correct...The coconut oil provides the ketones to calm the brain while waiting for the liver to pump out some glucose into the system.
 

That's exactly what I used to get when I ate a carb rich diet and exercised.
 
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