Serious hypo!

leslie10152 · Jun 17, 2017

This morning, around 5:30am, while walking to work I had a very severe hypo. This was scary as I started hallucinating, I started to wonder where I was. I would see a familiar landmark and remember where I was going, then promptly lose my directions again. I noticed that I was weaving and staggering as I walked. Weakness in the legs, intense hunger and confusion.

I finally made it to work, but had to stop at a service station to grab something to eat. I can remember seeing purple flashes of light, dark shadows and loss of colour. It took close to an hour to fully recover.

I woke up at 3:00am, my bgl was 9.3. I had the usual dose of 12 units novorapid and had some fruit to hold me over till I arrived on shift. The walk was approx 20 minutes and I felt symptoms around 11 minutes into the walk.

I have never had hallucinations before. The symptoms were rapid onset with little warning. There are small blank spots in my memory about arriving on shift and what transpired after that point. I am really bewildered as to what brought this on.

Snapsy · Jun 17, 2017

Sounds terrifying, @leslie10152 - hope you're feeling much much better now.

I wonder what caused it? Did you do any exercise yesterday evening, or is it much hotter than usual? Or perhaps it's 'just' a curveball diabetes likes to bowl every so often, just because it's tricksy like that!

I've been on a steady slide all night and woke up 3.3, having been at that level for some time. I'd forgotten to reduce my basal dose after really nailing it at the gym yesterday and then doing a strenuous afternoon at work............. Have got a massive hypo hangover right now!

Hope you're feeling okay!

Jaylee · Jun 17, 2017

Hi @leslie10152 ,

Sounds like a hypo. Colour blindness, flashing lights, gaps in the cognitive stuff..

Just guessing in the next bit..
I'd say it was the bolus for the fruit? (Depending on the type.) Digested & the BS depleated from the quick hit of some sugars in fruits. You may need longer acting carbs or tweak your bolus dose to stop this recurrence..?

I hope yer OK now!?

Lampman · Jun 17, 2017

That sounds very frightening! I hope you are ok now. Could it be the fruit was too fast to spike and drop again? Maybe something a bit slower instead of, or as well as, another time? I am pretty new to diabetes but a very old hand at shiftwork, over 30 years of some of the most horrendous shift patterns known to man. That early morning start plays havoc with most people. 4am seems to be a key point in the day in many ways. A very low point on night shift, and not a great time to start a day! Now it seems its a time when the liver is trying to boost BG too. Maybe it was just late this morning.

phdiabetic · Jun 17, 2017

That's terrible, must have been so scary! Hard to say exactly what happened but possibly the exercise combined with your bolus caused some issues - where did you inject? Perhaps the exercise caused the insulin to work more quickly if you took your bolus in, say, your leg. Did you check your blood sugar when you felt the symptoms? Didn't see it mentioned in the post, I was just curious since it sounded like you were really really low.

kimlala · Jun 17, 2017

leslie10152 said:
This morning, around 5:30am, while walking to work I had a very severe hypo. This was scary as I started hallucinating, I started to wonder where I was. I would see a familiar landmark and remember where I was going, then promptly lose my directions again. I noticed that I was weaving and staggering as I walked. Weakness in the legs, intense hunger and confusion.

I finally made it to work, but had to stop at a service station to grab something to eat. I can remember seeing purple flashes of light, dark shadows and loss of colour. It took close to an hour to fully recover.

I woke up at 3:00am, my bgl was 9.3. I had the usual dose of 12 units novorapid and had some fruit to hold me over till I arrived on shift. The walk was approx 20 minutes and I felt symptoms around 11 minutes into the walk.

I have never had hallucinations beThe symptoms were rapid onset with little warning. There are small blank spots in my memory about arriving on shift and what transpired after that point. I am really bewildered as to what brought this on.

I know what it feels like. I was at an art class about 3 weeks ago, before class level was 111 (after having dinner) I thought I was good to go! WRONG! About an hour into class I started sweating, this is all familiar, so I pop a hard candy (as doctor told me to) and another, than another. I was drenched in 5 minutes, and every time I turned my head I could see vivid traces of silvery-blue. Totally awful, we had to leave and when I got home levels were at 41. You are the first post that I have read about seeing colours, I tried to explain this to my doctor (not much luck with) and he dismissed it. I see a specialist in July and hoping to find out about this, as this happens to me every time I have severe hypos. Also, I found glucose tablets work much better and quicker than any candy for hypos (at least for me). Thinking you today!

Hammer1964 · Jun 17, 2017

leslie10152 said:
This morning, around 5:30am, while walking to work I had a very severe hypo. This was scary as I started hallucinating, I started to wonder where I was. I would see a familiar landmark and remember where I was going, then promptly lose my directions again. I noticed that I was weaving and staggering as I walked. Weakness in the legs, intense hunger and confusion.

I finally made it to work, but had to stop at a service station to grab something to eat. I can remember seeing purple flashes of light, dark shadows and loss of colour. It took close to an hour to fully recover.

I woke up at 3:00am, my bgl was 9.3. I had the usual dose of 12 units novorapid and had some fruit to hold me over till I arrived on shift. The walk was approx 20 minutes and I felt symptoms around 11 minutes into the walk.

I have never had hallucinations before. The symptoms were rapid onset with little warning. There are small blank spots in my memory about arriving on shift and what transpired after that point. I am really bewildered as to what brought this on.

How scary leslie10152, my hypos have happened at home, I haven't seen colours but have felt like I was floating and looking down on myself with no control. Meds have been reduced since then and no hypos since.

himtoo · Jun 17, 2017

all the classic symptoms of a hypo.......hope you're back in the land of the living now !!!!!

Medusa41 · Aug 3, 2017

Hope you're feeling much better @leslie10152. Very scary for you.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Snapsy said:
Sounds terrifying, @leslie10152 - hope you're feeling much much better now.

I wonder what caused it? Did you do any exercise yesterday evening, or is it much hotter than usual? Or perhaps it's 'just' a curveball diabetes likes to bowl every so often, just because it's tricksy like that!

I've been on a steady slide all night and woke up 3.3, having been at that level for some time. I'd forgotten to reduce my basal dose after really nailing it at the gym yesterday and then doing a strenuous afternoon at work............. Have got a massive hypo hangover right now!

Hope you're feeling okay!

This one really caught me off guard.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Jaylee said:
Hi @leslie10152 ,

Sounds like a hypo. Colour blindness, flashing lights, gaps in the cognitive stuff..

Just guessing in the next bit..
I'd say it was the bolus for the fruit? (Depending on the type.) Digested & the BS depleated from the quick hit of some sugars in fruits. You may need longer acting carbs or tweak your bolus dose to stop this recurrence..?

I hope yer OK now!?

All good.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Lampman said:
That sounds very frightening! I hope you are ok now. Could it be the fruit was too fast to spike and drop again? Maybe something a bit slower instead of, or as well as, another time? I am pretty new to diabetes but a very old hand at shiftwork, over 30 years of some of the most horrendous shift patterns known to man. That early morning start plays havoc with most people. 4am seems to be a key point in the day in many ways. A very low point on night shift, and not a great time to start a day! Now it seems its a time when the liver is trying to boost BG too. Maybe it was just late this morning.

I am still bewildered over this one.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

phdiabetic said:
That's terrible, must have been so scary! Hard to say exactly what happened but possibly the exercise combined with your bolus caused some issues - where did you inject? Perhaps the exercise caused the insulin to work more quickly if you took your bolus in, say, your leg. Did you check your blood sugar when you felt the symptoms? Didn't see it mentioned in the post, I was just curious since it sounded like you were really really low.

Still trying to piece together events of the morning.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

kimlala said:
I know what it feels like. I was at an art class about 3 weeks ago, before class level was 111 (after having dinner) I thought I was good to go! WRONG! About an hour into class I started sweating, this is all familiar, so I pop a hard candy (as doctor told me to) and another, than another. I was drenched in 5 minutes, and every time I turned my head I could see vivid traces of silvery-blue. Totally awful, we had to leave and when I got home levels were at 41. You are the first post that I have read about seeing colours, I tried to explain this to my doctor (not much luck with) and he dismissed it. I see a specialist in July and hoping to find out about this, as this happens to me every time I have severe hypos. Also, I found glucose tablets work much better and quicker than any candy for hypos (at least for me). Thinking you today!

I have only had that one episode, normally my vision becomes very blurred. Doctors do not understand.

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Hammer1964 said:
How scary leslie10152, my hypos have happened at home, I haven't seen colours but have felt like I was floating and looking down on myself with no control. Meds have been reduced since then and no hypos since.

Fingers crossed!

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

himtoo said:
all the classic symptoms of a hypo.......hope you're back in the land of the living now !!!!!

Back on deck!

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Medusa41 said:
Hope you're feeling much better @leslie10152. Very scary for you.

I felt that I would collapse before I reached safety. That was one frightful situation.

Wayne18000 · Aug 3, 2017

Hope it doesn't happen again @leslie10152 I normally go in to panic when I'm nearing 4!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

leslie10152 · Aug 3, 2017

Wayne18000 said:
Hope it doesn't happen again @leslie10152 I normally go in to panic when I'm nearing 4!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Diabetes.co.uk Forum mobile app

Amen, moments like that are not easily repeated.

Mugwump · Aug 5, 2017

My T1 has complained of various problems with her sight around a hypo - it sounds scary and one of those things someone who has never experienced a hypo (like me) can't understand. Just sending hugs.

Serious hypo!

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