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Type 2 What is more life threatening

stupot196908

stupot196908

Member
Messages
19
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
So I just wanted a straight answer is a hypo more dangerous for you than a hyper ?
 
stupot196908 said:
So I just wanted a straight answer is a hypo more dangerous for you than a hyper ?
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As far as I understand it? Hypo is more immediately dangerous due to coma and so on but both can be immensely damaging over time. There again with the presence of high ketones in the blood and high glucose a hyper can be immensely dangerous too.
 
That’s helped thanks a lot it’s just today was just another normal day yet about 4pm I started feeling really shaking and not right looked at my blood sugar and I was 3 .5 so had some sweets right away and after about an hour I started feeling ok again I’m new to all this so is that normal?
 
Caeseji said:
As far as I understand it? Hypo is more immediately dangerous due to coma and so on but both can be immensely damaging over time. There again with the presence of high ketones in the blood and high glucose a hyper can be immensely dangerous too.
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Just as an FYI in the case of DKA there are cases when bg has not been screechingly high, usually in the case of T1 but occasionally in T2 also. And DKA is how a lot of T1s are diagnosed.
 
stupot196908 said:
That’s helped thanks a lot it’s just today was just another normal day yet about 4pm I started feeling really shaking and not right looked at my blood sugar and I was 3 .5 so had some sweets right away and after about an hour I started feeling ok again I’m new to all this so is that normal?
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Are you taking any meds for diabetes other than Metformin? It is possible to hypo, but highly unlikely, if Metformin is your only drug. It doesn't work that way. May I ask what time of day it was you felt this weirdness? Was it when fasting for several hours, or not long after eating, or a couple or 3 hours after eating? Did you do a re-test to confirm the 3.5?
 
stupot196908 said:
?.... omg I don’t know what you’re on about sorry guzzler lol
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Caeseji in his comment was referring to DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis, not to be confused with nutritional ketosis which is a different state all together).
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Are you taking any meds for diabetes other than Metformin? It is possible to hypo, but highly unlikely, if Metformin is your only drug. It doesn't work that way. May I ask what time of day it was you felt this weirdness? Was it when fasting for several hours, or not long after eating, or a couple or 3 hours after eating? Did you do a re-test to confirm the 3.5?
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On metformin but this happens to me a lot I was on 3 a day last time I told the nurse and she said only have two tablets a day morning and bedtime
 
I was in cinema watching a film had kraks (crisps) and some mints from 2 pm to 4 so 430 ish 3.5
 
Ah, what happened to you makes sense to me now. :)

I've lived with varying glucose issues since my early 20's beginning with hypoglycemia, followed by gestational diabetes during my pregnancy. Then in my 40's I crossed over to type 2 diabetes.

Starches and sugars (carbohydrates) spike glucose levels (which is followed by an insulin spike that brings your glucose levels crashing down). 30+ years ago, my doctor taught me to always eat protein (and fat) with my carbohydrates to avoid hypoglycemic episodes. If I did what you did at the theater, I would have become very ill too!

The type of hypo that you had is not life threatening, but if you were using one of the other medications or insulin, it could have been. But again, what you experienced is not life threatening, just really miserable and uncomfortable.

It's good you're here. Stick around. Read around the forum. Begin your education on how to not just manage your diabetes but to put it into remission. :)

Keep reading. Keep asking questions. :)
 
stupot196908 said:
That’s helped thanks a lot it’s just today was just another normal day yet about 4pm I started feeling really shaking and not right looked at my blood sugar and I was 3 .5 so had some sweets right away and after about an hour I started feeling ok again I’m new to all this so is that normal?
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Hi, stupot, yes, those hypo shakes can be very scary, but, just to give some reassurance on this, what's happening goes something like this.

The body is designed to run at about 4 to 5. If it starts running below that, your "autonomic responses", the biology which takes care of behind the scenes stuff like heart rate, breathing, temperature and bg levels, kick in to sort it.

Below around 4, adrenalin will be sent out to tell the liver to release stored glucose to raise the bg level to what the body regards as safe. It's the adrenalin which makes you shake, not the low blood sugar.

Think of people who've been in a car crash or a fight - they've got a fright, so they've been kicking out adrenalin to get the "fight or flight" thing going and they end up shaking from the adrenalin rush.

The shakes aren't nice, but it's a good sign that your body is working hard to get you back into a safe zone.

The big question which we all have to find an answer to is how much additional help do we need to give to help it along. It will depend a lot on what type, 1 or 2, and the meds being used, and on the individual.

Sometimes a single 3g dextrotab will be enough, or a biscuit or two, or some milk, it all depends on the situation and the person: you'll have to find what suits you, and that takes time and a bit of experimentation.

At a bg level of 5, there's only about 1g per litre of blood, about 5g total in an "average" human, so it can be very easy in the panic of a hypo to way overtreat it with masses of sweets/biscuits etc, when a much smaller amount would do, but it's probably safer to overtreat to begin with and then you can nuance it a lot more once you're more comfortable with hypos.

If you're not on insulin or glic, sglt2 etc. the chances of you getting anywhere near a life threatening hypo are very, very slim: the adrenalin response and a biccy or two will be enough.

3.5 isn't anywhere near the danger zone. If you start seeing below 2, that would be a worry.

Hypos are always a serious event requiring immediate attention, but, except in the case of the very young and very old, they are rarely life threatening - although our metabolisms are generally screwed, the bits which raise when necessary still work.

Stay safe out there!
 
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