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Not such a happy new year.

D

Diabetical

Member
Messages
5
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Insulin
It has finally happened. For most of my years with Diabetes the experts have told me that my blood sugar readings have been too high. I even got rushed to hospital last year as they were higher than usual and were dangerous. Thankfully they sorted me out and I have been okay. Until yesterday!

I suddenly began to feel very cold and faint. I was shaking and shivering and had flashing lights in my eyes. I called my wife who in complete shock and panic rang the NHS 111 line. It was Sunday and new years day so this seemed to be the only choice for help. I knew at once that it was a Hypo so did a finger blood test. My eyes woudn't focus and I struggled to get a reading. When I finally did it was 2.4 mol.

I took several Dextrose glucose tablets and a couple of Mars bars. I also had a glass of fizzy orange. After an hour my sugar levels were 10.0 mol and I felt a lot better. I spoke to a Diabetic specialist nurse today at the local hospital and apparently they no longer recommend chocolate to help a Hypo. I have always been told that if a Hypo occurs I should have some sweets or chocolate, particularly a Mars bar. If they are going to change the advice they give then they should at least tell the patients.
 
Hello and welcome @Diabetical

I am so sorry that you have such a scary experience. I hope you have an appointment with a medical professional just to get the updates of the advice you need.

Good luck
 
Sugar tax is the problem. It was once a couple jelly baby’s to sort a hypo now it’s half the packet. I remember my first hypos and they were a scary affair. You do get to know the earlier signs. For me I start to think I have forgotten something. Then all the alarms start going off. Your dextrose is the best bet I feel. I don’t buy the odd packet at crazy prices at a chemist I order an entire box of Amazon. I then have them stashed everywhere in the car, coat pockets, kitchen draws, bedside and even more stashed were you have a hypo more than once. Garden shed when mowing the ruddy lawn!
 
Thanks for your kind replies. I do have an appointment with a specialist consultant in a couple of weeks time. I have always carried around packets of Dextrose tablets and plenty more at home. As my sugar levels have always been high in the past I have never needed them apart from one occasion a few years back when a Hypo struck when I was away on holiday. The Dextrose quickly sorted it.

It was interesting that cxI0702 mentions jelly babies. These were one of the things that the Diabetic nurse suggested yesterday.
 
Diabetical said:
It was interesting that cxI0702 mentions jelly babies. These were one of the things that the Diabetic nurse suggested yesterday.
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As a T1 who has regular hypos I find it important to have some form of sugar that I don't like too much. It's way too easy for me to overtreat hypos if I like the hypo treatment.
Diabetical said:
I took several Dextrose glucose tablets and a couple of Mars bars. I also had a glass of fizzy orange. After an hour my sugar levels were 10.0 mol
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That is quite a lot of carbs. Did you find you levels went a lot higher than 10mmol/L after that? Hopefully in future you will be able to treat hypos before you go as low as 2.4mmol/L....

Yes, hypos can be scary. I hate them, though I have learned to live with them.
 
Hi, yikes that’s way too much to treat the hypo but yum! Can’t really remember the taste of Mars bars but bet they are delish? I am ravenous when hypo so it’s very hard not to over eat and end up in the twenties so I eat three jelly babies, these little things are disgustingly sweet so I dont want to eat more, then I might go for a couple of slices of toast, the jelly babies only lift my blood sugars for a short time so the toast works for a bit longer, biscuits are good too but it’s hard not to eat the whole packet. I also find a two finger KitKat worked well after the jelly babies but the wife and kids always eat them lol
 
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I had the two Mars bars because the nurse at 111 asked what I had that I could take and when I said I had a pack of bars she said to have two, She also said that there wasn't enough carbs and could I maybe have a sandwich as well. My sugar levels soon dropped after spiking at 10.0 mmol/L and had dropped to 7.4 mmol/L by the next test before dinner. When I was in hospital, the Daibetic consultant, who was monitoring me, said the ideal levels for me are between 8.00 and 12.0 mmol/L.. Thank you all for your concern and advice.
 
Too high is better than too low, so I guess the 111 person was airing on the side of caution, as I never finished school I won’t contradict the DB consultant hehe, it’s a bit rubbish being us huh
 
Diabetical said:
I had the two Mars bars because the nurse at 111 asked what I had that I could take and when I said I had a pack of bars she said to have two, She also said that there wasn't enough carbs and could I maybe have a sandwich as well. My sugar levels soon dropped after spiking at 10.0 mmol/L and had dropped to 7.4 mmol/L by the next test before dinner. When I was in hospital, the Daibetic consultant, who was monitoring me, said the ideal levels for me are between 8.00 and 12.0 mmol/L.. Thank you all for your concern and advice.
Click to expand...
The only reason that chocolate and chocolate coated bars are not so effective is that the fat in them delays metabolism. They do work in the end, but it means you have a more prolonged and unpleasant experience. I have often read posts where 3 jelly babies are recommended. In some of my hypo experiences this would not have been adequate. Certainly, whatever your choice for rapid glucose is, eating food with slower release carbs straight afterwards helps to deal with the manic urge to wolf down half a box of Frosties. I once did this and regretted the consequences!
 
I had my first hypo in a long time between Christmas and New Year. I woke up feeling really rough, shivery and shaky, as my Libre 2 alarm had not woken me.

I got up and made myself a ham and salad cream sarny, grabbed a glass of milk, and followed that with 2 fruit chews, and my BG popped up to 6 and 15 minutes later was up to 8, so I went back to bed.

We keep the fruit chews I mentioned in a pot beside my chair (and the grandchildren know just where to look too :D), in the car, but I never think to keep any with me. In the past I've kept them in the pocket of my trousers and the wrapper would wear out and I'd find them loose in my pocket, before ever needing them.
 
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