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possible to have hypos with high blood levels

A

aard

Well-Known Member
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All my life ive had classic symptons of hypos and usually just scoffed sweets to stop the symptons.

Now Im diabetic Ive been monitoring my blood levels reading up. Started low carb diet and lows are now 5.2 to 5.6 with no spikes after meals. Yet I still get the hypos(?), however when i measure my blood its usually in low 4s i.e. 4.3/4.7 etc

Howeve, I thought hypos only occur at 3.5 or lower.

Is it possible to have hypos in 4s?

The natural assumption is this is not a hypo, but I have the exact symptons described for hypos and eating sweets/drinking sugary stuff instantly cures me. I dont know of any other condition that matches so perfectly how I feel at the time.
 

The clinical definition of a hypo (in the UK) is being below 4.0mmol/L. But if your blood glucose has been high for a while then you could experience the symptoms before you get to this level. This is often termed a false hypo. For T1 diabetics who start taking insulin it's very common because our blood glucose levels come down quite quickly. It is (maybe) less common for T2's.
 
What diabetes type are you? Would you mind filling in your profile, as the answers often depend on type.

If you are type 2, depending on your meds, you can find that the swing between high and normal gives you hypo sensations, due to fast blood sugar level changes.
 
Hi @aard
I have just read some of your posts.
Is it true, that you were diagnosed because your Hba1c levels were borderline?
Have you had another blood panel results?
Have you a monitor for testing your blood sugar levels?

I have a condition that is non diabetic and I can go hypo.
I have heard about other similar conditions as mine, but you don't go actually hypo.

The symptoms you are experiencing could be classed as hypo symptoms but are not, this could be a false hypo, which can be common with uncontrolled blood levels, are you on a low carb diet?

Give us some more information, so we can advise you on what to do.

Keep safe
 
Chloestreiow said:
You can only experience a hypo when insulin or medication is taken.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome to the forum.
I have a non diabetic condition called Reactive Hypoglycaemia.
I produce too much insulin, I am not on insulin or medication.
If I don't control my condition by dietary means, I will go hypo.
We have a forum on Reactive Hypoglycaemia, just use the search function or press the reactive hypoglycaemia forum on forums list and discover something you were not aware of.

Stay safe.
 
My hypothesis is that a hypo reaction occurs when our brain is inadequately fueled. And if our brain has become insulin resistant, it would require a higher level of glucose to feel normal.

From fasting experiments of healthy adults, when glucose levels dropped, ketones levels are increased to compensate.

There were also experiments done where glucose levels were dropped to 2.8 mmol, and yet the brain function normally.
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/bl...-during-acute-hypoglycemia.1914/#comment-2771


For those of us who have metabolic dysfunction (insulin resistance), the higher level of circulating insulin will prevent a rapid production of compensatory ketones. So the brain finds the "normal" level of glucose inadequate.
 
I agree with all those posting about the feeling of being hypo without being hypo.
For example being physiologically used to a higher bg level then having a lower but normal level ( i.e. above 4 where the brain is getting adequate glucose) .
From type 1 experience this happens for that reason but also when there is a rapid transition from high to lower (a vertical arrow drop for those of us using fsl) that engenders a symptom. IF you're type 1, type 2 on meal time boluses or have RH it is more likely that you will have this kind of dramatic drop caused by excess insulin.
The other situation I can get symptoms is when anxious either about my blood sugars or something else. Then I get surprised to find that adrenalin has caused similar feelings to the hypo possibly because if your brain was actually running out of sugar it would also give you a surge of adrenalin to kick start you into finding something to eat asap.-
 
Once my mum got her numbers down (type 2) she'd feel hypo at around 5 initially!
 
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Don't know if this is relevant to the "false hypo" discussion or not.

I have also had an odd experience in the last couple of days. This happened about 11am and I'd been up five hours. I'd been really low-carb for the previous four or five days - maybe 10g a day. I hadn't eaten anything for 14-15 hours previously. BG had been bumping along at about 4.6-4.9 for the past week. This is pretty normal these days.

First thing I noticed was feeling "strange"; then my vision became blurry; I felt nauseous; and when I tested about 15 minutes later my BG was 6.6 and falling. 6.6 is really high for me these days. BG was back at the 4.6 level about three hours later. It seems like "dawn phenomenon" but not at dawn, or possibly a physical (false hypo??) reaction to a low BG. I really don't know. Background - I also have had "dawn phenomenon" a lot over the last six months - it's only started since my blood glucose has dropped into normal levels.
 

I have experienced this, once was after a small apple, I try to eat one every day.
I actually thought I was having a hypoglycaemic episode. But it was for some unknown reason I had the same symptoms as a false hypo/hypo. But I put it down to my hyper awareness kicking in, because I was so used to intermittent fasting and very low carb, that I haven't gone out of ketosis for a long time.
The other is when I did actually have a hypo last summer. I had a breakdown last summer for many reasons and I fell off the wagon for a few days.
If you have control for a long period, anything that kicks your blood glucose levels out of your normal levels, your body is giving you a warning that something has triggered the symptoms.

Keep safe
 
Thanks. I guess the going low is provoking a massive liver dump. Happening once, I don't mind about. However, if my liver is going to keep on deciding (wrongly) on a whim that I suddenly need A LOT MORE glucose in my blood it is going to be a bit annoying.
 
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