Mep
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- 1,461
- Type of diabetes
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@SusanMoore - I've noticed no one has mentioned that you need to know your 'safe' number in order to avoid hypos. For me that is 5, yours may be different. What that means is if I drop below 5 I drop very quickly and usually within half an hour or so I hypo. My hypo symptoms can start anywhere below 5 and it varies depending on what I'm doing... but definitely below 4.5.
Where I live there is no such thing as a false hypo and I did question this with my endocrinologist when I saw it mentioned on this forum, he also confirmed a hypo is a hypo and must be treated... not ignored. He told me there is no such thing as a false hypo either. So that means if your body is reacting I was told it is important to treat it. I don't agree with advice given on this forum in regard to ignoring a false hypo as it takes away the premise that you are already in a state where you are not able to drive or do anything risky because your body thinks it is in trouble. It is dangerous... how would you know you're not dropping further, etc? You've already lost your judgment as soon as your body starts reacting (that's the first hypo symptom and the last symptom to leave my endocrinologist explained). Sitting there and "riding through it" as some have said seems rather dangerous to do, especially if you're already under 5 on your meter. If you're sitting on 7 or something then yes maybe that could be true, but you're probably dropping fast still and would need to keep an eye on it and still shouldn't be doing anything if you're feeling unwell. I've personally not had that experience. Also we all know meters aren't 100% accurate with readings. So this means you could well be lower than your meter says.
I would say that if you notice you continue to experience hypo symptoms below 5 then your safe number is probably 5 and I was advised by my endocrinologist to stay above my safe number at all times. This is the best practise really to avoid hypos which is what we're supposed to be doing. My very first hypo I was 4.2 on the meter and I didn't ignore it because for starters I walked into a wall. That happened for me years ago when I was on metformin only. Anyone who tells me that isn't a hypo is not telling me the truth as I've had numerous hypos ever since and know what a hypo is for me. I have had 2.1 on my meter and having a hypo and I've had 4.5 on my meter and having a hypo... same reaction. The only variance I may get is slurred speech or not... the symptoms vary but they're all the same symptoms I get. What I've noticed though is the quicker I treat it the better and faster the recovery. Eg. if I treat it at 4.5 then I only take half an hour and feel much better. If I treat it at 2.1 I take a lot longer to recover.
I guess you could always wait 15 mins after seeing 4.8 on your meter to see if you've dropped further.... but your body is already warning you at 4.8 so it's best to treat and ensure you're not doing anything that is risky for you or others.
I wish you the best.
Where I live there is no such thing as a false hypo and I did question this with my endocrinologist when I saw it mentioned on this forum, he also confirmed a hypo is a hypo and must be treated... not ignored. He told me there is no such thing as a false hypo either. So that means if your body is reacting I was told it is important to treat it. I don't agree with advice given on this forum in regard to ignoring a false hypo as it takes away the premise that you are already in a state where you are not able to drive or do anything risky because your body thinks it is in trouble. It is dangerous... how would you know you're not dropping further, etc? You've already lost your judgment as soon as your body starts reacting (that's the first hypo symptom and the last symptom to leave my endocrinologist explained). Sitting there and "riding through it" as some have said seems rather dangerous to do, especially if you're already under 5 on your meter. If you're sitting on 7 or something then yes maybe that could be true, but you're probably dropping fast still and would need to keep an eye on it and still shouldn't be doing anything if you're feeling unwell. I've personally not had that experience. Also we all know meters aren't 100% accurate with readings. So this means you could well be lower than your meter says.
I would say that if you notice you continue to experience hypo symptoms below 5 then your safe number is probably 5 and I was advised by my endocrinologist to stay above my safe number at all times. This is the best practise really to avoid hypos which is what we're supposed to be doing. My very first hypo I was 4.2 on the meter and I didn't ignore it because for starters I walked into a wall. That happened for me years ago when I was on metformin only. Anyone who tells me that isn't a hypo is not telling me the truth as I've had numerous hypos ever since and know what a hypo is for me. I have had 2.1 on my meter and having a hypo and I've had 4.5 on my meter and having a hypo... same reaction. The only variance I may get is slurred speech or not... the symptoms vary but they're all the same symptoms I get. What I've noticed though is the quicker I treat it the better and faster the recovery. Eg. if I treat it at 4.5 then I only take half an hour and feel much better. If I treat it at 2.1 I take a lot longer to recover.
I guess you could always wait 15 mins after seeing 4.8 on your meter to see if you've dropped further.... but your body is already warning you at 4.8 so it's best to treat and ensure you're not doing anything that is risky for you or others.
I wish you the best.
