Random blood sugar drops

[Sharrryn]

Hi

A few times in the last six months I have had a random dramatic blood sugar drop just as I’m eating breakfast. It’s the first thing I do each morning so there’s no active insulin or post exercise reason etc for it.

I never pre bolus due to gastroparesis as well so can’t be the breakfast insulin working so soon. And my doses are still the same so there has been no changes to my routine insulin - basal or bolus. I use novopens.

It freaks me out and shatters my confidence for days. I even called an ambulance this morning as I feared I would lose consciousness. I was 10 as I was eating breakfast this morning and dropped to 4 within 15 mins with double arrows down on dexcom so had heaps of hypo treatment and still didn’t budge for hours.

Is it just a ‘diabetes thing’ where there are no answers sometimes and sugars just drop dramatically ?? !!!. I’m so anxious because if it.

 

[Jaylee]

Hi

A few times in the last six months I have had a random dramatic blood sugar drop just as I’m eating breakfast. It’s the first thing I do each morning so there’s no active insulin or post exercise reason etc for it.

I never pre bolus due to gastroparesis as well so can’t be the breakfast insulin working so soon. And my doses are still the same so there has been no changes to my routine insulin - basal or bolus. I use novopens.

It freaks me out and shatters my confidence for days. I even called an ambulance this morning as I feared I would lose consciousness. I was 10 as I was eating breakfast this morning and dropped to 4 within 15 mins with double arrows down on dexcom so had heaps of hypo treatment and still didn’t budge for hours.

Is it just a ‘diabetes thing’ where there are no answers sometimes and sugars just drop dramatically ?? !!!. I’m so anxious because if it.

Hi,

I have to admit if if saw my sensor readings doing a swan dive like that I'd be concerned. (Especially in a short space of time the drop. & stay low for a prolonged period?)
Did you back up the readings from the Dexcom using your meter?
I know I need to with the Libre, which can also represent low readings for a good half hour after I'm technically back in the "zone."

I hope you're feeling better now.

 

[Sharrryn]

Hi,

I have to admit if if saw my sensor readings doing a swan dive like that I'd be concerned. (Especially in a short space of time the drop. & stay low for a prolonged period?)
Did you back up the readings from the Dexcom using your meter?
I know I need to with the Libre, which can also represent low readings for a good half hour after I'm technically back in the "zone."

I hope you're feeling better now.

Thank you. Feel ok now but sugars have rebounded and are high now … always the way. And yep I did confirm the blood sugar with my meter. I was definitely dropping.

 

[Deleted member 527103]

@Sharrryn what basal do you use and when do you take it?
Some people have experienced sudden drops with some basal soon after taking it

 

[StewM]

@Sharrryn what basal do you use and when do you take it?
Some people have experienced sudden drops with some basal soon after taking it

Yeah, if this was happening to me, I’d mostly likely think it was this.

What are you using for hypo treatment? Have you been recommended something that accommodates your gastroparesis? Just with your sugars rebounding high each time, it’s within the realm of possibility that your hypo treatment isn’t acting fast enough.

 

[EllieM]

It’s the first thing I do each morning so there’s no active insulin or post exercise reason etc for it.

You don't take your basal on the morning? @In Response question is very relevant, it is possible for basals to mimic a bolus if you are unlucky.

 

[Sharrryn]

@Sharrryn what basal do you use and when do you take it?
Some people have experienced sudden drops with some basal soon after taking it

Yes I’ve heard of people who have ‘lantus lows’ .. It did happen soon after I took my basal but I use levemir which has a different mode of action to lantus so unlikely to have caused a sudden drop I would think.

 

[Sharrryn]

Yeah, if this was happening to me, I’d mostly likely think it was this.

What are you using for hypo treatment? Have you been recommended something that accommodates your gastroparesis? Just with your sugars rebounding high each time, it’s within the realm of possibility that your hypo treatment isn’t acting fast enough.

Very good point. It certainly didn’t act fast today. With the gastroparesis I tolerate liquids best so was taking my usual glucose drinks today. The glucose tabs don’t work fast enough for me but then nothing did today unfortunately.

 

[Sharrryn]

You don't take your basal on the morning? @In Response question is very relevant, it is possible for basals to mimic a bolus if you are unlucky.

Yes I agree that can happen. I do take my basal in the morning and also at night - split dose - but I don’t think that was the cause today. The injection was in normal fatty tissue and not into a muscle or blood vessel that I was aware of but I guess anything is possible. ??

 

[EllieM]

It did happen soon after I took my basal but I use levemir which has a different mode of action to lantus so unlikely to have caused a sudden drop I would think.

I'd agree that I haven't heard of levemir doing that but lacking any other explanation I wouldn't rule it out. Have you spoken to your clinic?

 

[Sharrryn]

I'd agree that I haven't heard of levemir doing that but lacking any other explanation I wouldn't rule it out. Have you spoken to your clinic?

Yeh. I spoke to my endo. He couldn’t explain it. I’m a very very anxious person so even stress may have contributed but I usually go high with stress but maybe today it did the opposite.

 

[EllieM]

Yeh. I spoke to my endo. He couldn’t explain it.

Yes, well maybe he could go away and do some research to see if he can find an explanation. Much though we may all like to be unique, in medicine it is both rare and undesirable, so I don't think it's unreasonable to ask your endo to do some homework/research. (Maybe I'm overly optimistic?)

Anyway, speaking as someone who's had multiple lantus lows, I feel your pain. Lots of virtual hugs,

 

[Juicyj]

Just another anomaly to throw into the mix, but the heat can also affect insulin absorption rates, I find the heat opens up my blood vessels causing things to accelerate more.

 

[Sharrryn]

Just another anomaly to throw into the mix, but the heat can also affect insulin absorption rates, I find the heat opens up my blood vessels causing things to accelerate more.

Yep. Heat can certainly cause adsorption rate issues but it’s winter here in Australia. Cold here at the moment.

 

[Juicyj]

Yep. Heat can certainly cause adsorption rate issues but it’s winter here in Australia. Cold here at the moment.

Oops ! Apologies I thought you were UK, we are currently having a heatwave here !