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Type 2 - Managing Fear of Hypos

D

Dimaccio9616

Newbie
Messages
3
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Ok I will share my struggles. I am 45, Been diagnosed with Diabetes 7 years ago. I went a long time with unregulated blood sugar, partly due to very bad doctors in the Netherlands where I spent 3 and a half years, and partly due to occasional lack of Ozempic in the market. When that happened the doctor's assistant (you do not get to see a doctor in the Netherlands for something as petty as Type 2 Diabetes) started putting me on all kinds of generic substitutes, and within 9 months whatever management i had managed to do keeping my long term values around 6-6.5 went down the drain. I was back at 9.5 and the assistant refused to put me back on Ozempic despite deteriorating results. So I went back home to Greece and saw a proper Diabetologist and Professor who followed a very aggressive combo of Ozempic (1.0 MG every 5 days) + 2000mg Metformin Daily + 20 mg of Forxiga daily. It did wonders the first months and got my long term sugar down to 6.3 within 2 months BUT! I started getting hypos lowest being 3.2. Clearly the combo was way too strong, especially since I wanted to reduce carbs to lose weight. In the end we cut out Forxida which flushes out the glucose from the body and things improved. But one plus year on, I cannot get over the fear of Hypo. To the point where I will stuff my self with food proactively and elevate my blood sugar just so I feel safe. I am afraid to leave the house without a chocolate and a sandwich in my bag, and if I see any value below 5.0 (which actually doesn't happen very often any more) I start panicking and call my wife, while eating any carb I can find . I switched to Munjaro 10.0 mg plus 2000 mg of Metformin a couple of months ago and that too was too much as I had another low . So went back to Ozempic. Can anyone tell me if they have the same fear and how they manage it? My biggest fear when it happens is that I will eat something sweet but the glucose will not increase and I will fall into a comma. Although I have never even come close to a Severe Hypo (like below 3.0 or something as I hear from others).
Really desperate to hear how others learn to manage the fear of hypos
 
Hi and welcome. I've had afaik three proper hypos in the last five years, the first having fairly bad consequences as I didn't recognise what was happening and was away from home on my own. I suspect I had others prior to diagnosis.... These days I run with quite low blood glucose almost all the time, generally in the range 4.7- 5.7, and most of the time this is OK. I'm not on any glucose lowering medication, or any medication at all for that matter.

I wouldn't say I have a fear of hypos at all, so maybe I'm not the best example, but there are a few things I do to avoid any consequences. The issue for me is when drinking alcohol - it has a glucose-lowering effect due to the liver switching down glucose production.

So if I'm going to have alcohol in any quantity, I will always eat some carb. I have found I don't need a lot - easy to add a bit of starchy carb to a meal or if not having a proper meal, packets of crisps do the trick nicely and are usually readily available where alcohol is served. The other is to make sure the people I'm with know that a hypo is possible - so not to let me wander off or if I appear suddenly very drunk after not very much alcohol, to get some sugary coke or orange juice into me quickly. This works.

For me, it's about managing my condition properly, avoiding the bad consequences of too-low blood glucose, and not limiting my life or social activities any more than necessary.

Others might find it's easier to cut out alcohol altogether, or whatever. You find what works for you. Having the confidence that you're managing your condition might remove the anxiety. Best of luck.
 
Thank you Kenny , indeed everyone handles it very different. I for example never have lows after alcohol. But the one or two that i had got me so scared I struggle to control the fear. Not the condition itself
 
pretty expesive if can't get prescribed, cgm may offer some reassurance.

can get a free trial https://dexcom.com/en-GB/dexcom-one-plus-sample (10 days) https://www.freestyle.abbott/uk-en/getting-started/sampling.html (15 days). (may have to replace with your own country specific url website should redirect you)

regarding fear, have you spoken with your dsn/gp about it? i have needlephobia and was given some workbooks (mood juice) anxiety to go through seemed to help with that the most. some coping techniques breathing etc. the specific needlephobia booklet was not nearly as useful as the more generalised anxiety one. I've had a few lows t1/lada but none that required help from another person to treat.
 
I am also scared of hypos, having suffered, what I believe to be, a hypo three times in the last few months. I am pretty sure i know what caused it, but I am now scared to be hungry in the mornings or during the night, so I am necking glucose tablets.

My practice doesn't have any specialist diabetes people - I have been trying to get support for some time - but I did mention this to a GP at the last few appointments (different GPs each time) and they don't believe I have had hypos. Which is really not helping, as I am pretty sure that was happened each time.
 
Guineveretoo said:
I am also scared of hypos, having suffered, what I believe to be, a hypo three times in the last few months. I am pretty sure i know what caused it, but I am now scared to be hungry in the mornings or during the night, so I am necking glucose tablets.

My practice doesn't have any specialist diabetes people - I have been trying to get support for some time - but I did mention this to a GP at the last few appointments (different GPs each time) and they don't believe I have had hypos. Which is really not helping, as I am pretty sure that was happened each time.
Click to expand...
Your profile says you are diet only, @Guineveretoo . Is this correct? If not please update it.

Some medications can make you prone to hypos. Are you measuring and recording your blood glucose levels?
 
Guineveretoo said:
I am also scared of hypos, having suffered, what I believe to be, a hypo three times in the last few months. I am pretty sure i know what caused it, but I am now scared to be hungry in the mornings or during the night, so I am necking glucose tablets.

My practice doesn't have any specialist diabetes people - I have been trying to get support for some time - but I did mention this to a GP at the last few appointments (different GPs each time) and they don't believe I have had hypos. Which is really not helping, as I am pretty sure that was happened each time.
Click to expand...
It is funny you should mention . My diabetologist back in Greece , for over 9 months refused to believe that i was overmedicated hence getting the lows. He said neither Ozempic nor Metformin nor Forxiga cause hypoglycemia , but it did. He was even trying to insinuate that it was all in my head. Although my readings told a different story . As soon as we got rid of the Forxiga things went back to normal. But the memory and fear remains....I m hoping to meet other people here and learn from their approach
 
Hi
Type 1 of 50 years.
Hba1c 39 or 5.7.
I can operate quite normally in the 3s and as i have never passed out or been hospitalised i do not worry about being low.
I'm more concerned over being high and micromanage my condition.
I am not being smug or glib its just i've had diabetes that long its all i know.
To have lows enables us to deal with them but i realise its easy for me to say.

I wish you well

Tony
 
I am the opposite of you.
I'm scared of too high bloods that trigger too much insulin and cause a hypo, as I'm hypoglycaemic.
there are some T2s, like me that overproduce insulin because of insulin resistance.
I know if I regulate my carbs and sugars, then the trigger won't happen.
I am diet controlled.
there are some that have been over medicated or prescribed the wrong meds or don't really need meds, when diet would be more effective. but it is individual.
having a testing regime or a CGM would be really helpful to monitor BG levels and the results would help you and your doctors.
 
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