What is the lowest your blood sugar has been?

Unfortunately my lowest Blood Sugar reading lately has been 0.6 but I was unconscious at the time in bed, woke up with paramedics at side of my bed trying to bring it up. Got taken to A&E when we couldn't get it above 1.0. I've had type 1 diabetes for over 50 years, on an insulin pump for last ten years, but lost all my insulin awareness, but just lately it can suddenly drastically drop from a healthy 5.4 to 1.7 in less than 5 minutes. Been witnessed at Pump Clinic at hospital, and at present they cannot find the reason as after a couple of days of hypos, it returns to normal with no adjustments of insulin or food/carbohydrate amounts. Strange. Anyone else have this problem?

Also beware the 200ml cartons of Orange Juice, a favourite to get out of hypos. It has always been 21.4g carbohydrate, but all of a sudden, the same size, 100% pure orange juice can now vary from 16.4 to 21.7, depending on which supermarket you purchase it from. How? I hear you ask, the manufacturers can give me no reason, as they should all be the same, but 5g of missing carbohydrate can make all the difference when treating a hypo, so ensure you check each time you purchase to ensure no errors.

 

You can of course, if you have severe hypos or frequent hypos, drain the Liver and it cannot produce any sugar release, to aid recovery, this is often overnight and why Diabetics still end up in Casualty. Frequent Hypos are very dangerous, and can cause brain damage or worse, if Frequent, really low (below 1.0) and are not quickly treated. You can also loose all Insulin awareness, which means you get no symptoms of a hypo, and if not realised and with no help, can go into a coma or unconscious. It's not only high blood sugars and ketones that can damage you and make you very ill, it's just as frequent for it to be a Hypo.

The reason that people on Pumps have to go on a refresher day course each year, is down to deaths by people not checking their bloods while using a insulin pump, and their sugar and ketones went through the roof and killed them. The coroner said that one person believed the pump would put in sufficient insulin. It will of course if patterns are programmed for Basal and Bolus rates against blood test results, but without frequent blood tests, a pump can become an enemy not a help. Just stick to the rules, frequent tests and you can carry on near enough as normal

 

low multiple times. 1.2 while in ward asked nurse for a blood test she said you don't need one, when at last got her to do one it was 1.2 so I need to get a bit lower before it has massive effects. I think due to having loads of hypos in and poor control for 40+ years body got used to low blood sugars no effects till a lot lower. now if in hospital always make sure I have access to a BM meter, but 5 years on a Medtronic insulin pump with a with low suspend lowest the cgm reported is 2.2. and no hypo's since having the pump and no diabetic hospital admissions

 

Before I regained my hypo awareness my lowest was 1.5, went on a DAFNE course and this really helped.
Being 1.5 caused a lot of problems.

 

T1 for 55 + years
Just a couple of thoughts -
Firstly - don't forget that test meters (Even the same make) have a 15% accuracy rate and different models often read differently!

Secondly - Hypo warnings are different for everyone - Live, learn then remember!

Lowest reading - I don't know as I was unconscious about 30 years ago.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . - one I can remember 1.8 but usually get a warning from 4.0 and below.
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I'm a T2. Lowest ever was 1.2 which was nine years ago just after diagnosis. Like Eireann, I didn't have any experience to help me know about a hypo. Nowadays, I can go down to the 2's or 3's but I recognise the warning signs. My mother was exactly the same, often recording levels under 3.0 in the mornings.

 

If you have any idea on how RH works, then hypos can be really horrible, having consistent levels of hypers then hypos, and at the time no awareness of what is happening, blood readings of low, 2s, 3s, then hypers of teen figures, then hypos again, the body suffers, you crash and blank out!
The brain struggles because of the quickness of the fluctuating levels.
You have some awful symptoms from mild brain fog, forgetfulness to finding yourself on the floor, apparently unaware of what happens. Somehow, my body, helped me out in many situations! Non of which I remember.
How low did I go, on my second glucose test, an eOGTT, my recorded low of 2.1, had the sister and doctor in a panic!
My first had me a stay in hospital from 9 in the morning till 10 in the evening because of the rebound effect of the hypo treachery gave me of more glucose and carbs!!!
It was supposed to be for five hours at the most!

My awareness now is very good, I don't do hypers, so I don't hypo!
If I come out of ketosis, I feel just as bad having a hyper, than I ever have had a hypo!

 

I came in from gardening a few summers ago and knew I was low due to visual disturbance. The meter read 0.6 and I managed to sit down at the kitchen table with the biscuit tin until my husband came in and made me a sweet cup of tea. No more gardening that day!
I'd lost my hypo sensitivity after 50+ years T1, but worked on getting it back ok.

 

Get your meter calibrated...it could be way out as they are not 100% accurate anyway.

 

The lowest I've ever been was 0.8 (15 in the U.S.) and I went into convulsions and shock. My doctor said it was the lowest he'd ever seen someone recover from.

 

0.7. I went comatose whilst in hospital after they changed my insulin. I woke to find a very panicked team of Drs and nurses pumping me full of glucose and glucagon. The problem was, they over did it, so from 0.7 to 'HI' in one day - I felt sick as a dog! (They changed me back to my old insulin after this happened three times!)

 

Thanks for that mate, that explained it very clearly, and I thank you for the explanation, I've never been as low as one, lowest was two point eight. Good thing is I'm testing every few hours, more for peace of mind than anything else, learning patterns etc