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My first hypo?

paulchew1988

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Hey all, I was diagnosed as a type 1 about a month ago. I'm currently honeymooning so my sugars are really hard to keep down. Yesterday my sugars were running high and I couldn't get them down even eating little carbs. Today is a different story I took my levimir this morning only my usual low dose of 8 units. Sugars on waking were 5.9. Had my breakfast and dinner both had about 40g of carbs. When I had my tea roughly 120g of carbs I had my 2 units of apidra. All the insulin is set by the diabetes clinic. I've checked my sugars as I normally do before taking my evening levimir and my sugars were 3.6.

I felt completely fine though. Is it possible I'm completely oblivious to any hypos or could I have just been on the verge of having one. I took some glucogel and had a couple of biscuits. And will be leaving my evening levimir for the night.
 
nessals946 said:
Im not sure i would leave out the levemir altogether.
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I was just worried about having a night time hypo. Took my bloods again 20 mins after the gel and biscuits and now I'm sitting at 12.6.
 
I think you should take the levemir,you have corrected the low already.I would set your alarm for sometime in the early hours and check your blood sugar, just to make sure you're ok.
 
nessals946 said:
I think you should take the levemir,you have corrected the low already.I would set your alarm for sometime in the early hours and check your blood sugar, just to make sure you're ok.
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Thanks. Still getting used to it.
it's a steep learning curve.
 
I’d really not advise missing your basal dose either - you could go dangerously high overnight. At most I’d drop a unit or two. Levemir is quite a reactive basal insulin - a dose change will show up the “session” in which you take it. But if you’re higher now, please take it.

Problem with a hypo is training yourself to think rationally and ignore the panicked messages your brain is telling you - this is when we have what I call a “snacksident”, where you eat the kitchen until you start to feel better. And then we go high, and have to correct, and then we go low and have to correct - one white knuckle ride on the glucose rollercoaster.

Bearing in mind that the healthy human body contains just 5g glucose in the bloodstream you realise how little we really need to get levels back up to normal. Assuming a healthy person has blood glucose of 4 - so if you want to get yours to 6, you’d only need a few 3g dextrose tabs. It takes about 10-15 minutes for the sugar to hit your bloodstream, but up to 45 minutes for things to level out.

One of the hardest things as a T1 (I think) is waiting for corrections to take full effect.
 
Blood testing meters have a 10 or 15% margin of error - so your 3.6 could have been over 4. I would agree with @nessals946, take the levemir, a reduced dose if you're paranoid, but test in the night.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, it really helps. First time being under 5 to be honest so with it being so low was a bit of a shock. I'll take my evening dose now and report back in the morning
 
Good morning everyone. Just to update. Wasn't the greatest sleep I've had. But woke up and my blood sugars were 7.5. Managed to get another test in about 3 am and got a reading of 11. I'm really unsure what caused my low last night. But will speak to my DSN today. Thanks again for the advice.
 
If you are newly diagnosed and felt normal at the 3.6 then it may have been a false reading. Did you repeat it at all? Did you watch your levels come up by testing soon after?
 
Unfortunately sometimes with T1 we can’t always explain these things - but if you’re honeymooning, it may just be that your pancreas just decided to chuck out enough insulin to make you hypo - you know, just for sh*ts and giggles... I’ve been at it for 20 years, and still can’t explain some of the anomalies.

For example, I went to a patchwork quilting show last Thursday with a bunch of old ladies who are in their 80s and 90s, so it was hardly a full on physical yomp around. Yet late that evening, I had the first hypo in months that put me below 3, and it wouldn’t come up. I’d been steady in the 5s and 6s all day, had a low carb, high protein lunch, and didn’t take any fast acting insulin after around 11am. So I knew I was just running on my basal by late afternoon, and I’d had a snack. Yet I ended up with a stubborn hypo that it took more that my usual couple of dextrose tablets to lift me out of. I ended up having a chocolate spread sandwich, because all my ‘brain training’ to not eat the kitchen failed. Woke up the next morning on a 13, which stuffed most of the next day. Didn’t get back into range until mid afternoon.

These things happen - and unfortunately the honeymoon period is about the hardest to manage, as your pancreas keeps flickering back into life. The one time you need predictability - when you’re learning how to manage T1, is the one time you don’t get it. It’s totally S*d’s Law I’d recommend double checking readings that feel a little off, as @Diakat says. It’s not unknown to get a dodgy test strip, and if it’s a reading that requires correction action, it’s worth doing a second test just to make sure.

It will get easier, I promise. But you’re doing great.
 
Diakat said:
If you are newly diagnosed and felt normal at the 3.6 then it may have been a false reading. Did you repeat it at all? Did you watch your levels come up by testing soon after?
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No I wasn't aware I should check it again. My DSN advised me on that this morning. But atleast i know for next time
 
Thanks, I sometimes feel like I won't get there. But I'm assuming everyone feels like that at first especially with the honeymoon period.
 
paulchew1988 said:
Thanks, I sometimes feel like I won't get there. But I'm assuming everyone feels like that at first especially with the honeymoon period.
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Absolutely. It’s quite an overwhelming life change. But you’re doing great, you’ve come to the right place for support, and you’ll get to grips with it. It’s never simple, but you’ll get the hang of things soon enough.
 
paulchew1988 said:
Thanks, I sometimes feel like I won't get there. But I'm assuming everyone feels like that at first especially with the honeymoon period.
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Ive had this for 42 years and im still winging it half the time.You seem to have the right attitude towards this hellish condition already,you will get there.If you have any worries there is always some great advice given on this forum. Hope you get a decent night sleep tonight
 
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