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when is it a hypo? - type 2

  • Thread starter Thread starter serenity648
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serenity648

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Just asking what the type 2 threshold is for it being a hypo?

Today I went down to 3.9 and felt rather shaky and fuzzy. I am diet controlled, no meds.
 
at the risk of being told off ........ I don't think type comes into to it as regards a low blood sugar
a 3.9 along with your symptoms constitutes a hypo in my reckoning

how it is treated may differ however.............
 
I'm not sure that you can put a precise figure on BG level for a hypo, it all depends on how a low BG episode affects you and we all different. Going by what you've described I'd say you experienced a 'hypo.
 
I consider it to be a hypo if without the person taking carbs within the next few minutes they will be waking up in a hospital. So if someone will recover just by having a rest, it is not a true hypo.

Low BG does not make it a hypo, to be a hypo is has to be low BG that the body is unable to control its self. By that definition, anyone can have a hypo and it is often called hypothermia if it is cold.

However, it is very unwise to wait until you know if it is a true hypo before taking action.......
 
As you will have gathered from the above (all valid of course), it varies person to person as much as opinion on it. That said, while there are very serious hypos (as @ringi refers to), I would personally class a hypo as anything under 3.7ish IF you are also feeling unusually weak or just awful AND if that changes when you take introduce some sugar...that I would put down as experience of a hypo and I would note it down and consider what I had eaten/not eaten beforehand, particularly if on meds like Gliclazide. Bottom line, if I was feeling that low AND my level was that low, I wouldn't wait to find out how bad it might get - I'd eat some sweets! It would at minimum be a damned fine excuse to eat sweets!
 
What happened? What did you do? Were you "normal" after?
(I had what I guess was my first hypo a few months ago, and in the time it took me to notice something wasn't right and get upstairs to get hold of some glucose tablets, I was really barely functioning. The tablets worked immediately, after which I slept for 12 hours straight).
 
I've posted below a link to a video that gives a pretty good explanation of 'hypos' as well as diabetes in general. The section about hypos is 1min 30 secs in from the start. It was only through seeing this video that I realised I'd experienced a hypo while on holiday last summer. The video is hosted on the My Diabetes My Way site for NHS Scotland.
Note: Scottish diabetics can access all their test results on this site which is why a login button appears
http://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/videos/monitoring.asp?ID=620&thesection=monitoring&thetitle=Monitoring your diabetes video&thetype=video
 
I was OK, but had a crashing headache for a few hours and felt very tired.

I didnt think someone not on any meds could get a hypo. Thats me learned!!
 
I think "weak with hunger" or other descriptions of feeling faint are probably associated with a level of hypo in non-diabetics.

As others have said, it is only an issue if your BG keeps on going down. This is most likely if you are on some kind of BG lowering medication.

As far as I know unmedicated T2s and non-diabetics can both have hypos but it is usually not common or serious.
 
I regularly get readings between 3.5 and 4 after exercise (even as low as 3.1 on one occasion). Technically this is classed as hypoglycaemic. However, it is not what people mean by a 'hypo' which is extremely dangerous if untreated. It is just that you a consuming glucose faster than the natural glycogen mechanism can replenish your stocks.
When you stop exercising the levels come back up naturally without food (though food will obviously help it along). I have measured every 5 minutes from a reading of 3.4 and found it took 35 minutes to get to 4.5 (my normal background) where it stayed for another 30 minutes until I ate something, returning to below 5 within 90 minutes.
Unless a person has a serious and very rare metabolic disorder, there is no chance at all of a dangerous hypo in someone taking no medication. You can try to keep going to force BG lower and lower if you really want to but ultimately you will become too tired to carry on until your liver releases more glucose from glycogen stores.
 
midnightrider said:
Unless a person has a serious and very rare metabolic disorder, there is no chance at all of a dangerous hypo in someone taking no medication.
Click to expand...

I have seen it in a child canoeing in winter; it was not even that cold, as there was no ice hanging off the backs of our canoes on that day. Likewise with a group hill walking when we got hit with lots of wind and rain.

There was a good reason for me having a large flask of hot sugar solution in my rucksack when I did this sort of activities.....

(Mental or physical shock can also result in none diabetics having bad hypos, hence a cup of hot tea with sugar can be one of the best first aid responses.)
 
@serenity648, I'm diet and exercise controlled too, and got a massive shock when I took my blood glucose after a night out (yes, a few drinks and a meal a couple of hours before that). It was 2.9 but I felt fine! I started to feel a little shaky a little later (don't know whether it was psychosomatic or not) and I was about to go to bed, so I decided it might be best to eat a little something first. so I had a couple of strawberries and one of my homemade seed crackers. When my BG had crawled back up to 4 I turned in for the night. Fine the next day.

I have never had BG that low before; didn't think it was possible!
 
drinks are well-known to do this, hence people with hypos due to insulin who have been drinking are often ignored when they should not be. (As their insulin usage is not always clear to everyone.)
 
ringi said:
(Mental or physical shock can also result in none diabetics having bad hypos, hence a cup of hot tea with sugar can be one of the best first aid responses.)
Click to expand...
Very true, but even if passed out (unless this happens in water for example), the body's natural mechanisms would bring BG back up, except in the case of a diabetic taking BG lowering meds like insulin.
 
As a diet controlled (low carb) type 2 i have "hypos" all the time.

Not real hypos but my blood sugar drops stupid low if i do high intense excercise and i get dizzy.

If i sit down for a few mins and drink some water im good to go.

That is not a dangerous hypo if you are diet controlled. Its annoying and a bit scary but you get use to it.
 
My DN told me that any thing below 4.0 is a hypo but as the others have said in the forum some have been lower and had no ill effects.

The lowest I have been was 3.9 but retested again with my main meter and then my one I keep in the car and both read 5.3 this was only 3 mins later.

DJ
 
Out of experience the liver will dump in times of hypos in unmedicated type2s. When the liver becomes oversensitive to your bodies needs, for survival, it becomes an exacerbated situation and increases bg levels when 5s or 6s would be more than capable of ticking us along.
This is why I argue type2 is more about the liver than the pancreas, at first.
Ps. Hypos should always be treated as diabetes does evolve as you get older. I'm living proof.
Low carbing treats the liver not the pancreas.
 
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