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What does a low blood sugar feel like?

Alicia R

Alicia R

Well-Known Member
Messages
72
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I'm starting a diabetes blog for a close friend who was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. She's taking it pretty hard and says she's "not ready to be a diabetic yet." I don't want to push her to talk or make her feel uncomfortable, but I know sooner or later she's going to have the same questions I had when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child. When you get diagnosed as a child, it's the only life you know and you don't question it quite like you would if you were diagnosed as a grown woman with a husband and family! I took it in stride -- but she questions everything! I figure when she is ready to talk, she'll have lots of questions and this forum is a good start, plus the blog I'm starting for her.

Now, about that low blood sugar. I know everyone is different, but for the most part, the symptoms are the same. For me, having a low blood sugar makes me have to pee really bad! Kind of like the feeling you get when your blood sugar is high, the same urgency! What does having a low blood sugar feel like to you? Thanks so much!
 
Fear, confusion, irritation, feeling detached and disconnected, unfocused, or thinking I am focused on one thing but I'm not even focused on that. Sometimes it's sudden extreme tiredness. Sometimes the earliest warning is a strong hunger for carbs. Unfortunately I often override that feeling, thinking it's just greed.
 
Spiker said:
Fear, confusion, irritation, feeling detached and disconnected, unfocused, or thinking I am focused on one thing but I'm not even focused on that. Sometimes it's sudden extreme tiredness. Sometimes the earliest warning is a strong hunger for carbs. Unfortunately I often override that feeling, thinking it's just greed.
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Fear? What do you mean? Like panic? I get panicky even though I've been through it a million times before. I think the scariest part, for me, is the rapid heart beat and that feeling like you're about to pass out. I was always scared of fainting!
 
Anxiety is probably a better word, in the earlier stages. As a hypo progresses it changes to real fear, and increases.
 
Spiker said:
Anxiety is probably a better word, in the earlier stages. As a hypo progresses it changes to real fear, and increases.
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That's interesting, because after so many years of having hypos practically every day, it's gotten to where I still feel panicky when it first hits, but I feel a lot calmer after I eat something with carbs in it. Like I know help is on the way, all I have to do is wait it out. Funny yours gets worse as it progresses. What about after you've eaten something and wait for the carbs to kick in -- still feel anxious? Hmmm. Wish you didn't have to feel that way! I'm sorry you do, though. :-(
 
Yes the anxiety goes away once I can feel my blood sugar going up.

It's not great to have such frequent hypos. Do you know why that happens?
 
Spiker said:
Yes the anxiety goes away once I can feel my blood sugar going up.

It's not great to have such frequent hypos. Do you know why that happens?
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I don't have much of an appetite lately, and I haven't been eating enough. I think it could be too much basal insulin and not enough calories. I don't really eat carbs, either. Mainly stick to raw fruit and vegetables. It's the only thing that doesn't make me gag! If it continues, I'm going to have to regulate my basal insulin. Doc says you can self-adjust by 2 units at a time. We'll see.
 
Raw fruit and vegetables are primarily carbs.
 
Ideally your basal only deals with the glucose that constantly flows out of your liver, and you use bolus insulin for food, even relatively low carb food like vegetables. If you are having hypos nearly every day then it's very important that you start reducing your insulin dose immediately. You are very likely to be losing hypo awareness, which can lead to failure to detect and treat hypos, which can be dangerous or even life threatening. And there is a negative feedback loop of more hypos leading to worse awareness leading to even more hypos.
 
Alicia R said:
Oh yes, I know. I meant processed carbs. Raw fruit and vegetables don't spike my blood sugar like processed carbs do.
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Sounds like you have a good grip on your diet and how to minimise the effect on your blood sugars.
 
On which note, I must get to bed. I'm up packing for my holiday tomorrow but I need to get to sleep now. Good night.
 
Spiker said:
Ideally your basal only deals with the glucose that constantly flows out of your liver, and you use bolus insulin for food, even relatively low carb food like vegetables. If you are having hypos nearly every day then it's very important that you start reducing your insulin dose immediately. You are very likely to be losing hypo awareness, which can lead to failure to detect and treat hypos, which can be dangerous or even life threatening. And there is a negative feedback loop of more hypos leading to worse awareness leading to even more hypos.
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I was thinking about hypoglycemia unawareness recently. I used to be able to feel a hypo coming on sooner; but these days, I don't catch it until my blood sugar is around 50 mg/dl. Some days are better than others. I woke up at night several times with a 30 mg/dl and 40 mg/dl. It's starting to freak me out. I know what taking insulin for so many years can do to a body. I used to keep my blood sugar at 120 mg/dl - 140 mg/dl, and all was well, but at the suggestion of my doctor, I started taking more bolus to get it down to 80 mg/dl -- and that might be the problem. Maybe I shouldn't be keeping it that low. We'll see.
 
80 mg/dl or 4.5 mmol/L is very tight. To achieve that safely you really need a careful and conscious strategy for avoiding hypos. The doctor who advised you this needs to support you in achieving it safely. In the UK I doubt you would find a doctor who advised such tight control.
 
Spiker said:
80 mg/dl or 4.5 mmol/L is very tight. To achieve that safely you really need a careful and conscious strategy for avoiding hypos. The doctor who advised you this needs to support you in achieving it safely. In the UK I doubt you would find a doctor who advised such tight control.
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I thought you went to bed? And yes, I know it's not very smart to keep your blood sugar that low especially for people with type 1 diabetes. We have limits, dagnabbit! I thought I'd humor him, but I'm going back to my old way. I was much happier at 120 mg/dl - 140 mg/dl. I didn't feel like I was on the verge of a hypo all the time. And, it dd not require so much bolus insulin. Now, goodnight already! LOL
 
The shakes and sweats are common hypo symptoms that I get, and a brain fog is something else that I used to get on a higher carb diet, that has more or less gone with a lower carb diet. I also get a pins and needles sensation on my inner thighs and on the soles of my feet.

There's also a "I need to glucose test right now" feeling, which is usually indicative of a hypo!
 
I get a lot of the symptoms mentioned, one that is an early indicator for me before i go hypo is a flashing in the eyes, bit of a strobe light effect, not all the time but if i notice it i know i'm going low.
 
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