Type 2 Hypo

What makes you think his blood sugar was too low?
Too high BG can be dangerous too.

Timostags said:

I've had type 1 diabetes since the age of 11 so I know abit about Diabetes, but my understanding of type 2 is very limited.

A friend of mine recently had a couple of episodes where he passed out unexpectedly. His doctor eventually diagnosed him as type 2 diabetic and said that the passing out was down to his blood sugar.

My question is could his blood sugar get low enough for him to pass out, when he hadn't been diagnosed so was therefore not taking any insulin or other medication? I always thought that a type 2 would only have to worry about their BG getting too high unless medicated with injecting insulin?

I'm worried that they have diagnosed the diabetes but there is something else going on to cause him to pass out like that.

Click to expand...

Hi, I would imagine that the doctor diagnosed your friend as T2, then as part of the diagnosis, a full blood panel including a Hba1c test.
If this test indicated hyperglycaemia, this could be the reason why.
However there are conditions that do show hyperglycaemia and also include Hypoglycaemia. There are many types of Hypoglycaemia.
There is also some T2s, that can also have a symptom of reactive hypoglycaemia as well as T2. This is more common than most doctors are aware of.
It all depends, on how high the insulin resistance, insulin response, and food intolerance.

If your friend is getting episodes of Hypoglycaemia, he needs to be referred to a specialist endocrinologist who has experience of hypoglycaemic conditions.

Antje77 said:

But it usually doesn't make you pass out. Reactive hypoglyceamia could be a possibility (@Lamont D , help! I'm out of my depth here) and seems to be connected to T2 (still out of my depth).

If this doctor was a GP (knowing a little about a lot of things), I'd ask for elaboration why they think the passing out was down to his BG and how they came to this conlusion. As far as I know, this is unusual.

Click to expand...

It is unusual, however there are diabetics unaware of hypo awareness, how many times have you heard about posters who have had a nap or fell asleep or had shaking, or other symptoms of low blood glucose levels?

Unless you test, you won't know.

Timostags said:

The fact that he passed out a couple of times (over a few weeks) without other systoms of high GB (no thirst, feeling sick etc.)



I think it was his GP it took the doctor more than one visit to test for diabetes so proberbly not an expert in Diabetes.
I haven't asked him about his Hba1c, as hes only just been diagnosed I am assuming it would be high as his diabetes was untreated and he didn't know to control his carb intake. I have to check with him
Reactive hypo? I'm assuming thats the opposite of a "rebound" where the body can suddenly overproduces insulin?(As I say I know soo little about T2).

Click to expand...

My initial insulin response is weak, so if I have carbs, my blood glucose levels spike high quickly, this triggers an overshoot of insulin as a secondary insulin response.
This keeps pushing my levels to hypoglycaemic episodes.
If I 'treat' the hypo with carbs, as you would, i rebound again up to another spike triggering another overshoot. And so on.
The only treatment is to not trigger the secondary insulin response by not eating enough carbs to keep my blood glucose levels stabilised.

It is different for every one of us, because it is how weak the initial insulin response is.
Because I've been stable for quite a few years now, my awareness is heightened, I can actually feel going up beyond normal levels.
I have had my usual post summer cold, and my fasting levels were in the high fives for the duration. Usually cos of being in ketosis, my normal levels are in fours, no hypos for four years and counting.
I aim below 20g per day.
If anything, is above 5% carbs, I avoid as if it were poison!
My body reacts to dairy, all grains, starchy vegetables especially potatoes, all sugars but I can tolerate some fruit, small pieces!
But I have learned that fasting, eating when I want, at anytime if I feel like it, works.
I believe everything that I've been through since turn of the century, has taught me that food is necessary however, some healthy foods can be really harmful to your health. You just have to discover which foods they are.
Hence a food diary!

Timostags said:

Sorry to keep asking questions...
Do you get gluconeogenesis (learnt that word yesterday from the forums) from having to keep your carb intake soo low?

Click to expand...

Yes, it is part of being in ketosis.

I have had it explained that my body has altered and adapted to my healthy eating habits.
I have understood and experienced the way my body reacts and why due to my extensive food experiments and using my glucometer to monitor what happens post prandial, has given me no choice to avoid these foods.
If I was in the period before diagnosis, my symptoms and ill health, would make me so ill, the excess insulin would have my brain in such a muddle, demanding food, that would just make me worse, a viscous circle of the more food to offset the fluctuating bloods, the worse the spikes and hypos. The more circulating insulin, the insulin resistance, hyperinsulinaemia, even hyperglycaemia, Hypoglycaemia, a rollercoaster ride of symptoms, a list as long as your arm. My hypo hell!
I always refer to my intolerance to a peanut allergy, if it was diagnosed in such a way, why would you eat them if you would get a reaction.
Carbs make me ill, why would I eat them?
It's illogical!

...I passed out before my T2 diagnosis because it was hot and I hadn't eaten all day... (Loads of dextro and fluids got me back on my feet, thanks to the Red Cross people at an event.) I didn't know I was diabetic until 6 months later or so, while I seemingly had been one for years. When it's hot and I'm active, I'll still get hypo's, though I'm not supposed to as a T2, apparently. On keto I hit 3,8 or so practically every day between 3 and 4 if I fast, so I guess sometimes it dips a little too low for comfort. Our bodies don't always do what they're supposed to, I guess.

It is not unheard of for athletes and fitness fans to see this happen, even though they are not diabetic. I believe Paula Radcliffe threw a couple of wobblers when she was running marathons.. Some rowers also have had problems too, but usually there is adaption to keto status that compensates. I remember running at school, A 100m sprint was ok but the last stage was a trial of mind over matter. Then on the 220 yrd (200 m) race, there comes a time about halfway through where we flag until the 'second wind' kicks in. I think that is actually our body switching to fat burning mode when the local glucose stores are running low. Remember that glucose is the flight or fight response, lipids are the long distance escape.