Really Scary

[avi]

Hi

Last night I had my first bad hypo, I have had hypos before but nothing like this. I was going to bed so tested my BG which were 8.9 and took my background insulin, let the dog out for a wee and went upstairs. Within half an hour I knew somethng was wrong managed to get myself back downstairs tested again and they were 1.5 within that half hour they had crashed. I drank a carton of orange juice and then scoffed a terrys chocolate orange which I don't remember doing and managed back upstairs and sat crying on the bed where my husband found me, I really don't know how I was still functioning at this level, I think hubby was ready to whip the glucogen kit out. I feel absolutley rubbish this morning, no wonder though BG was 20.2 on rising, and am going back to bed when I get my daughter off to school. What I don't understand though is how my BG could drop so rapidly, it really scared the hell out of me. At least I have an excuse of the chocolate orange disappearing ha!

Avi

 

[jopar]

If this is something that hasn't happened before, then I would ponder whether you had a miss reading when you took your BG before going to bed? And you were lower than you actually thought..

Your high this morning, could be that you over corrected your hypo, the orange juice should have been enough to bring the levels back to normal.. And I actually couldn't say how many carbs are with in a chocolate orange! Or this mornings high could have been because your liver dumped it's store and you haven't got enough insulin to tackle it!

I know that with a 20 BG you do feel rough, but going back to bed isn't going to be helpful, as really you need to see if you can lower this with a correction of quick acting insulin, and be checking for ketones... Being awake, and movement will help to reduce these levels, at 20mmol/ml avoid exercise but normal activities around the house would be helpful (perhaps some ironing I know this activity does lower my BG quite quickly)

 

[jopar]

Just another thought..

Could you have mixed your insulin's up and given yourself an quick acting instead of the background insulin??

I've know several diaebtics do this when they are using insulins like, leveimer/novorapid which uses indentical pens! I've always been lucky to have a different manufacuter when it came to using injections, so had completely different pens for each type of insulin

 

[avi]

Hi
I wondered myself if my meter might be playing up but I have checked it and it seems ok, I reconsidered going back to bed and I have corrected my Bg this morning and will keep checking to see if they are coming back to normal. My pens are both very different I take Novo rapid and Lantus. I did try animal insulin for a while but to no avail, if anything my control was worse on it than on the Lantus, was a bit reluctant to go back to the Lantus but I had an allergic reaction to levemir, I have an appointment with my consultant on Thursday so will tell her what happened as well. thanks for the replys.

Avi

 

[iHs]

Hello Avi

Not sure what exactly was the cause of yr bg level dropping so quickly but today is another day so try not to dwell on it all too much. These things happen from time to time. I would think the reason why yr bg was on the high side this morning is because of the chocolate orange. Just be careful this morning and keep testing every 1.5hrs just in case you have overcorrected :wink:

Sorry to hear that you couldn't get on with animal insulin. Not everyone can.

 

[noblehead]

Avi,

What has been said already is good advice, but with all things to do with diabetes you will learn from this experience. Waking up this morning feeling **** due to high bg is a mistake we all often make when correcting hypo's, it is important to know the correct procedure on correcting a hypo to stop this happening again. First and foremost in everyone's mind is just to get back to normal levels as quick as possible, but this can mean paying the price later. Try the search facility above to look for the correct way to treat a hypo, I know Ken (Cugila) has written some good posts on this subject.

Nigel

 

[jameshallam]

There are 5g carb per slice of choc orange... I often have a slice after dinner
I think there are 20 slices in a full orange, so half would be 50g carbs

 

[timo2]

Hi Avi,

If you're certain that you didn't mix your basal and rapid insulins up, then it's most likely that you hit muscle with your Lantus. Shorter needles can lower the risk of this happening.

Alas, when it comes to hypos, Glucotabs or Glucogel will hit the spot quicker than Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Regards,
timo.

 

[avi]

Hi

Thanks all, usually my preferred hypo treatment is a carton of juice, failing that dextro tabs, usually a last resort as I don't really like them. No wonder my BG was high this morning after the choc orange, it is very hard though when hypo not to want to stuff your face!

Avi

 

[noblehead]

it is very hard though when hypo not to want to stuff your face!

Avi

Been there and got the T-shirt! :lol:

Nigel

 

[Tracey167]

Hi Avi

Yes i have also had that problem a couple of weeks ago i done a glucose test before bed which was 5.9 so had a small bowl of cereal to tired me over the night done my long lasting insulin and went to bed then the next thing i know my husband is trying to get lucuzade down me, the bed sheets were wet with sweat, husband done my blood test it was 1.7 after the lucuzade. It is very scarey but don't worry your not on your own.

Tracey167

 

[eleswan]

hi this is my first time on here.i got told i had type 1 diabetes 2 years come this may .i was 43 years old .i went to bed the other night my BG level was 23.2 i took my slow acting insulin which is 24 units and i woke up with a hypo i had droped to 2.6 sweating,shaking,and my balance is off.sometimes i drop at such a great speed you geta bit scared to go and do a lot of things because of what people outside will think if they notice my shakes.its so hard to live with this condition although my family are great with it all .i hypo a lot at night which is scary.i just feel that i need more help from people who are going through this .the only way i can control it is by not eating a lot which is causing my weight to drop.please can you give me some advice as how to control this better as i am losing the will to live. they told me that it could take up to a year to control at the clinic. does anyone have any experience of being over sensitive to insulin as I think that this is a big part of my problem? Should I eat smaller amounts more often an inject small amounts of insuline more throughout the day?

 

[loafhead]

Hi, this is my first post, so apologies if it's not in the correct context.

I have had diabetes for coming up to 19 years, I'm aged 27. I have found myself in a similar situation to yourself in recent years. Generally if I have had an alcoholic drink(s) on consecutive nights. e,g If I have a few pints on a Friday and a couple on a Saturday, I will inevitably have a Hypo on a Sunday evening, even if I go to bed with a reasonable level. As you hadn't mentioned drink, I would guess that isn't a factor, but thought I would mention it.

Also Re: Chocolate Orange, if you are 1.5mmol chocolate is not efficient at distributing sugar quickly. Can of coke, lucazade, dextrose tablets/gel, raw sugar are the best. The slow break down of the chocolate also would account for your raised levels the next day.

 

[avi]

Hi

eleswan, have you tried slpitting your long acting insulin. This is what I am trying again to try and stop hypos at night. I currently take 15 units of Lantus which I have now split to 9 at night and 6 in the morning. I also try and stick to roughly the same carbohydrate portions at mealtimes ie 30g at breakfast, 30g at lunch at 60g at teatime, this is to try and make the carb/insulin ratios easier to work out and corrections easier when not injecting huge amounts. It is very frustrating and a lot is trial and error.

Avi

 

[ams162]

My 8 yr old had this problem and i spoke to his nurse who has suggested moving his levemir to mornings instead of evenings so the main of his dose will be in the day happy to say we havent had a hypo in the night since (touch wood) this may help but if u change we had to split dose on one day and do remainder the next morn then the following day went to morn doses

 

[brendan1985]

I have had diabetes for coming up to 19 years, I'm aged 27. I have found myself in a similar situation to yourself in recent years. Generally if I have had an alcoholic drink(s) on consecutive nights. e,g If I have a few pints on a Friday and a couple on a Saturday, I will inevitably have a Hypo on a Sunday evening, even if I go to bed with a reasonable level. As you hadn't mentioned drink, I would guess that isn't a factor, but thought I would mention it

very good point here, the exact same thing happens me when i drink more than one day at a time. i ended up in an ambulance 3 weeks ago in Leeds as i had a very bad Hypo in jurys hotel around 7.30pm after drinking the two nights b4. i bit my tongue and the inside of my cheek and there was blood everywhere basically trying to chew my face off from the inside out :shock: !! my friends were with me and was ok after a glass of coke but ambulance checked me out and my bs was 1.5mmol. it scared me however and was really down for the rest of the week disappointed that i let it get so bad. i now know i can only go drinking once every couple of days now and leave a sufficient gap inbetween

 

[NeedleMagnet]

Do you remember why you where crying?

I have cried just a few times when hypo, its wyrd and inexplicable, just a sudden urge to unleash floods of tears!

You didn't confuse your background insulin with actrapid did you? That sounds the easiest answer - drop like a stone and then a high in the morning....

 

[hanadr]

T1 husband has done this when he's hit a blood vessel with his injection.
Hana

 

[lilibet]

Hi
I believe insulin can stay under your skin for a bit then get into bloodstream but tbh I dont see how ANY diabetic could function if it was that prevalent, but maybe something like this

Maybe you did give the rapid insulin instead of bolus. Its absolutely unbelievable how much of automatic pilot you get. i nearly gave myself 8u novo yesterday (instead of basal) cause I was working late, emergency situ and still in work at 8.30pm. Only JUST realised at the last minute it was the pen with the novorapid (and I mean, needle in leg but button not pressed type JUST).

May however be 'one of those things' thats seem to blight the pancreatically challenged

Noticed a commen in thread too from Tracey

i done a glucose test before bed which was 5.9 so had a small bowl of cereal to tired me over

If you novo is not out of your system (though I know by hour 2.5 if im going to be ok or not overnight if eating late) then this might be sensible but if basal is set right and rapid acting out of your system you shouldnt have to 'tide' yourself over. If you do, basal needs cut
Just a thought.