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Very STRANGE Hypo Symptoms, Or Something Else?

Kansenji

Well-Known Member
Messages
76
Location
Winscombe, Somerset, U.K.
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Insulin
Dislikes
Being obese.
Due to an unintended 2½ hour delay between having my insulin & eating food yesterday, I experienced the following:

I was with my wife in a Lidl store and started to get some advanced warning of a Hypo. I first experienced problems with my vision but was not very concerned as typically that would give me about 20 minutes before I would start sweating profusely, in which case I would treat myself immediately, on reaching my car. Unfortunately the sweating started a few minutes later and I was about to digest some glucose tablets I carry in a pocket when STRANGE things happened to me.

My eyes started flicking rapidly and uncontrollably from side to side. Then my head also started shaking violently from side to side, followed by my arms and hands flailing about. My legs shook and I quickly collapsed in a heap on the floor just as my wife, two customers and two staff members rushed to my aid. I managed to retrieve my glucose tablets from a pocket and my wife fed me three of them. I was still shaking about on the floor and had great difficulty in speaking when a female customer asked me if she could get me a bottle of Lucozade; (Wow, she knew EXACTLY what was needed!) I managed to thank her but said that my glucose tablets should do their work within a few minutes & that I wouldn't need the Lucozade. The two staff members were enlightened as to my plight. They asked if I would like a chair and glass of water, which they quickly provided; one of them them also helped my wife lift me into the chair. The glucose tablets took about 10 minutes to make me recover just enough to be able to exit the store & reach my medical bag in the car. I discovered that my blood glucose was still low at 3.4, so I drank a little more than half of the bottle of Lucozade that I always keep in the car, followed by some chocolate bought in Lidl. Twenty minutes later, we both ate a meal in the local Costa store. However, I was still shaking a bit & my speech was a bit garbled.

What I would like to know is, has anyone else ever had such dramatic & strange Hypo symptoms? I would like to explain that I have THIRTY different medical conditions and take THIRTY ONE different prescribed medicines. I have developed very serious heart rhythm problems that have triggered "mini" T.I.A's (small strokes lasting 3 to 5 seconds that stop me being able to speak at all). Indeed I am about to have a heart operation called an Ablation which should soon sort most of my heart problems out.

So I am wondering, were my symptoms induced directly by he Hypo, or did my low blood sugar trigger problems with my heart or brain, which in turn caused these symptoms?
 
A few people on here, including myself, have had fits due to bad hypos. It's down to your brain not having enough glucose to perform properly, hence the involuntary movements. It would be worthwhile going to your GP, but I suspect that this was a hypo thing and not a brain or heart thing.
 
I once got as far as violent shaking. Not trembling you understand, more like if you had put a pair of oars into my hands I would have won the boat race.

However, due to your complex medical history the advice to see your GP as soon as you can is good advice.
 
Sounds like you've had an awful experience. It's difficult to give you the answer as non of us are qualified to do so, however very low bg can lead to confusion and vision loss and incidents like the one you have described, to throw caution to the wind I would get checked out at your Dr's.
 
Agree with last 3 posters. I have had one bad hypo and my actions were very much as if I were having a fit. My GP did some tests afterwards I believe but it was the hypo that caused the shaking etc.
 
Never experienced anything like that, not even close. Frightening to think it could happen. How you get cheeked out soon.

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I have fits during hypos but never while I have been conscious or able to remember it at the time or later (if I appear to others to be conscious, my memory is not "recording"). I have never had what you described so as with the others I would say get specific medical advice, particularly given your 29 other conditions.

It does sound horrible and I hope you are ok.

One thing though - when I notice visual disturbances I usually am less than 2 minutes away from a coma. I would not consider that (for me) an early warning signal, it is a total emergency signal and my absolute last chance to act - often too late.
 
Think you should have gone to A&E. Hope you're ok. Would definitely see the doc tomorrow! Take care and a big hug!
 
THANK-YOU TO YOU ALL. It is reassuring to hear that others have had similar experiences.

Usually, I find that taking three glucose tablets raises my blood sugar readings by at least two points. As my blood sugar reading raised to only 3.4, that suggests that mine went down to about 1.4, or at least lower than 2.0; a very bad Hypo.
 
Personally, I just think a bad hypo.. Needing an analysis why.........

Have your levels been running lower?
Have you been busier etc?

I personally have suffered the same as you previously, but not since being on a pump....mine were bad hypo's that actually happened in July.....not every year.. But when they have happened its always been one week around July 20th.... Two years ago I stretched it out to August 3rd!!- but even then, I eventually crawled to help myself cos I was at home.

More important to analyse what caused it.....


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Personally, I just think a bad hypo.. Needing an analysis why.........

Have your levels been running lower?
Have you been busier etc?

I personally have suffered the same as you previously, but not since being on a pump....mine were bad hypo's that actually happened in July.....not every year.. But when they have happened its always been one week around July 20th.... Two years ago I stretched it out to August 3rd!!- but even then, I eventually crawled to help myself cos I was at home.

More important to analyse what caused it.....


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Unfortunately, I had a dose of both my insulins, including quick-acting Novorapid (my blood sugar was 10.5), expecting to leave home & eat out within 20-30 minutes. Various delays happened & we briefly stopped at Lidl on the way to eating at a Costa café. 2½ hours had passed as we entered the Lidl store; I wasn't very concerned, as it was supposed to be a very quick visit & I had no inkling that I was about to go Hypo (I normally get hunger pangs first). This time, everything happened very quickly indeed & I went from no symptoms at all, to having the "fit" within 10 minutes.

Obviously I have now learnt that I MUST eat much sooner after administering insulin. I have had about one Hypo per year (since 2005) and all the others were totally non-dramatic.

That is quite strange that your Hypos repeatedly happen near to July 20th. Of course the second half of July often has the hottest weather in The U.K.; perhaps extreme heat plays a part?
 
I'd say see yer doc.. My wild uneducated guess says you bolused for nowt..?!!

But from personal experience I had similar as a kid on a bike ride, luckily a few meters from my house in which my legs were kicking out & flailing wildly.... I could barley keep em on the pedals...

This vid may kind of help explain too...?.

 
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