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Type 1 Mega hypo

N

Nanaclaire

Well-Known Member
Last night I had a mega hypo. 2 hours after my main meal 6pm. My blood sugars dropped 3.4 did the usual hypo routine they kept going up to 5.4 then plummeted again this kept going on I had glucose tablets biscuits lucazade by 9pm I went for weetabix still never went any higher eventually got it to 6.7 then midnight checked again down again 2.5. By this point I was getting scared I can’t understand why I had spaghetti bolognaise & a ice cream for my meal then all the other stuff to correct the first hypo after a full bottle of lucazade it went up to 7.1. Today I feel absolutely rubbish headache feel sick exhausted & this morning bs we’re 16.5 got them down to 12 now but I don’t feel I want to eat
Anyone got any idea what happened as I’m at a loss. Nanaclaire
 
The heat we are having at the moment does that to me , I've been in the threes this morning with no more insulin and probably eaten twice as many carbs than usual , for lunch I have about 30 - 40 carbs and 10 units of Basel but just now had lunch with 3 units of Basel and my Libre has only just gone up to 6.6 .
 
We have had heat here in Cumbria but not as high as some parts of the country about 21 I’ve been diabetic for almost 30 years but never experienced like last night.
All I’ve had to eat today is toast at lunch & breakfast managed to get my bloods down to 8.1 at lunch but feel rubbish & tired
Nanaclaire
 
Was that on a Libre or a fingerprint?
 
Sorry to hear about your bad hypo , sometimes I find hypos don’t follow any rules and can be really testing , I tend to over compensate and deal with the high blood sugar when my mind is able to cope , I use to use Lucozade as hypo treatment but these days due to te sugar content being greatly reduced I find I have to drink nearly a litre of it to get a real sugar hit, if you can try original Coke Cola as it’s the only star drink that didn’t reduce its sugar content a full normal size can is normally more than enough to cope with a hypo , if you have the Libre try setting the low alarm at about 4.5 it’ll gicve you enough Lee way to try and prevent the hypo
 
I’m wondering if my Libre is malfunctioning as it keeps loosing signal & again tonight I’m at 3.6. My metre says 5.4. I don’t feel as if I’m that low this Libre was put on Wednesday as previous stopped working
 
I’ve had plenty of mega hypos over my 40 years and counting of T1. In recent years, or since Covid, the cause has been slow digestion of food possibly caused by diabetic nerve damage but this is not diagnosed by a doctor. This has been triggered during heatwaves. The hypos are hard to treat because of the digestion issues. So hot sweet drinks work best here. This scenario is always followed by a high blood sugar next morning as the food eventually digests. I’d say hydration issues also cause me problems during hot weather and insulin seems to not function in my body if I’m dehydrated. I find it easier not to eat too much and if I do eat a meal, always have 20 minute walk after if possible. I find my mental state or stress level can throw my diabetes/body-functions all over the place. I’ve been at a loss so many times. I hope you can work it out.
 
Nanaclaire said:
I’m wondering if my Libre is malfunctioning as it keeps loosing signal & again tonight I’m at 3.6. My metre says 5.4. I don’t feel as if I’m that low this Libre was put on Wednesday as previous stopped working
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Hi mine keeps losing signal too. The worrying thing is it often comes on again with readings of 3 or even lower!
 
I have two thoughts:
1) were you feeling there you were hypo? If so ignore thoughts about libre malfunction

2) are you on Lantus and had you done a basal jab just before this? I have never had a mega hypo apart from twice and both times I believe the lantus acted as a fast acting insulin, and have since found evidence on here of that happening to others. The amount you’ve eaten ought to have recovered your blood sugars (unless you do have an absorption issue but I don’t know how common that is) Given your bloods went up but then down again I’d suggest you accidentally over dosed on your rapid acting insulin; or your Lantus incorrectly released. I’ve now changed to Tresiba.
 
This would also explain your high blood sugars today; as your basal level is non existent. It is very frightening; just consider a correction jab to bring down current levels, and if on Lantus speak to your doctor about a change. Before I changed I did split my Lantus dose into two (half every 12 hours) as I felt I could eat more easily through that level of hypo if it was only half the dose.
 
Sounds like a case of too much basal. I’m assuming you’re female due to your name but I also find this can happen suddenly to me just before my period starts.

One more thing. Pasta can be slow releasing especially if eaten with protein and fat. I tend to hypo more often after eating pasta as my main meal and struggle all evening to get my blood sugars up until it kicks in a few hours later. My dietician suggested when eating pasta and protein to inject after I’d finished eating if my blood levels were on the low side to begin with.

2.5 is a scary number but when your fast acting insulin profile is past the 2 hour mark it is your basal doing a lot of the work so it isn’t such an emergency, in my experience it’s just a nuisance.
 
Unfortunately, I believe sometimes it's as if your body has a glitch. Yes it is scary, and difficult to correct for. Sometimes I overcompensate and shot up to low 20's or under compensate and drop twice. I am not sure what a expert would say, but I find lucozade original is a safe bet. I am a long term diabetic so have learnt to live with it.
 
Hi
If i have had a physically busy day at work then walked home but have not eaten many carbs during the day then i often take my novorapid after i have eaten.
I end up struggling like the op if i don't.
If i'm level during the day i don't want or need to eat but the physical activity, with no carbs on board, catches up with you and it becomes a race between carbs and insulin and can indeed become a bit scary.

I would point out this is how my body works.

I wish you well

Tony
 
Hi. I’ve had this quite a few times now. Usually at night after a big and or a late meal. I can only put it down to the fact that if I’m eating a large meal, digestion is slower and longer and so the full Novorapid dose is too fast release. Doesn’t help if the meal itself is high in fat, because that slows absorption of carbs (for me at least) and gives me a spike in BG several hours later. For high fat foods like pizza, ice cream and roast dinners, I tend to now split my bolus into two. One half as I start eating and the other half about half an hour after finishing eating. Sometimes I’ll leave the second half longer if I’m worried that the BG isn’t starting to climb. Agree, it’s scary. Mine’s fallen to 1.6 a couple of times and I’ve eaten so much I can barely move!
 
Hi
I've been having the same problems with lows that have gone on all night. My Libre has woken me up 8 times! I've been having Coca Cola and must have had half a litre by the morning.

I've also had massive highs after what I thought was a normal amount of carbs for 6 units of fast acting Humalog. I went up to 18.7 and it took an extra 4 units of Humalog to bring me back to normal. As a T1 diabetic of 44 years I've never had this situation before. I seem to have it back under control now but it's very worrying and I totally sympathise with how you're feeling.
With your Libre, if it's doing stupid things switch off Bluetooth on your phone for about 10 seconds then switch it back on. That usually reboots the Libre. Hang in there, it'll get better.
 
Retepnhoj said:
Hi mine keeps losing signal too. The worrying thing is it often comes on again with readings of 3 or even lower!
Click to expand...
I switch blue tooth off on my phone then restart it. That can help sort out my Libre 2. It's a tip from the Abbott Helpline.
 
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