2 weeks diagnosed and first hypo

[Brukkstr]

Hi all.
Joined the forum for the information resurces and to hear other experience and tips.
i'm 38 and was tested at my GPs just under 2 weeks ago following advice from a friend and found to have a BG of 32.4 and a ketone level of 2.9.
2 days later i was at my local diabetes centre learning to carb count and inject insulin with a confirmed A1c of 153. Still yet to have fully confirmed Type 1 as there was a delay giving further bloods but obviously being treated as such.
It has been a steep learning curve getting to grips with the testing, counting, injecting and most of all planning foodsand activities, where i used to graze and indulge rather spontanioulsy.
Jump to now and my levels have come down enough for my to have my first hypo today (prompting a venture on here).
I'm sure most have been through similar so looking to learn through the wealth of information on this forum alone and the excellent help i've been getting from my local diabetes centre.
Look forward chatting with you.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

The first hypo is scary so well done for getting through it. Make sure you have hypo treatment close by in every room, jacket pocket, bag, etc. It’s generally safer to bring levels down slowly so you may be being a little too good at bringing your levels down.

 

[SB2015]

Welcome to the forum @Brukkstr . As you say there is a wealth of experience to tap into on here.

It is a lot to take on board whatever your age at diagnosis, but it does not need to stop you doing anything (apart from scuba diving) but it does require a bit of planning. the best analogy that I heard was that it is like learning to drive. it seems complicated at the start, but then a lot of it becomes automatic and yo7 are just on the watch for the unusual events and the unexpected.

The first hypo is scary so well done. Most of us have stashes of whatever hypo treatment we choose to use in every conceivable place, especially by the bed so that you don’t need to get up if a hypo happens at night. What have you chosen? I use fruit juice for hypos at home in general but find it easier to have a bag of jelly babies to take out, and also stash in the car. It doesn’t matter what you choose so long as it quickly converts to glucose once inside.

As you mention activity needs a bit of planning and preparation, both before and sometimes afterwards. This all takes time to learn, and much of what I know I have learnt from others that live with T1 that are on this forum. Whatever questions arise Just Ask. Nothing is considered silly on here.

 

[Brukkstr]

Thanks. Luckily I had taken that advice seriously (and maybe literally) and had some jelly babies in my bag as nurse recommended.
Only a couple of stashes so far, next to bed sounds like a good tip!

 

[rebrascora]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear you had your first hypo so soon. Ideally you want to be lowering your levels slowly and steadily, but a hypo at 2 weeks suggests your levels are perhaps dropping a bit quickly. This maybe a miscalculation on your part if you are carb counting or more likely your team haven't been quite conservative enough with your initial doses. When your BG levels have been so very high at diagnosis and probably for some time prior, the fine blood vessels in the eyes can be vulnerable to suddenly bringing them back down into range again, so do let your team know that you have had a hypo and hopefully they will suggest some adjustment.
As regards hypo treatments, the bathroom can perhaps seem like an unlikely place to need them, but a hot shower or bath, particularly after exercise, can really drop your levels too and always make sure to keep an eye on your levels whilst shopping. For some reason that often drops them even though it doesn't seem to be particularly exertive, wandering around the supermarket selecting items and pushing a trolley. I hate getting timed out from driving home with my purchases due to a hypo whilst shopping. It almost always happens in the middle of summer when I have frozen and dairy stuff that starts to thaw/melt. 🙄

Have they given you a Libre arm sensor or are you finger pricking at the moment to get your levels?

How did you feel about the hypo? They can be quite scary, particularly the first few. How low did you go? Did you get good warning signs?

Eventually you will be able to graze when you feel like it and use your insulin appropriately.... I have spent today grazing, but in the early days it is best to try to stick to regular meals until you get the hang of using insulin and how your body responds to it and different types of carbs and indeed other foods with the carbs. There is a massive amount to learn in the early days, weeks and months and this forum is an absolute goldmine of knowledge and experience, which really helped me enormously to understand what was going on and how to manage it better. I hope you find it equally beneficial. feel free to ask any questions no matter how simple or trivial they may seem. We all started with very little knowledge and misconceptions, so asking for clarification is really helpful. I know half of what my nurse told me in those first couple of appointments went in one ear and out of the other, so coming here and asking questions really helped to fill in the blanks.

 

[Tdm]

Its amazing the amount of low carb treats you can make if you are a grazer...babybells are a nice little snack, with their little wax jackets and the unwrapping they can really fill the psychological snack space

 

[helli]

Its amazing the amount of low carb treats you can make if you are a grazer...babybells are a nice little snack, with their little wax jackets and the unwrapping they can really fill the psychological snack space

I prefer something less processed such as nuts and olives but, as you say, there are more options than you initially think.

 

[Brukkstr]

Hi and welcome from me too.

Sorry to hear you had your first hypo so soon. Ideally you want to be lowering your levels slowly and steadily, but a hypo at 2 weeks suggests your levels are perhaps dropping a bit quickly. This maybe a miscalculation on your part if you are carb counting or more likely your team haven't been quite conservative enough with your initial doses. When your BG levels have been so very high at diagnosis and probably for some time prior, the fine blood vessels in the eyes can be vulnerable to suddenly bringing them back down into range again, so do let your team know that you have had a hypo and hopefully they will suggest some adjustment.
As regards hypo treatments, the bathroom can perhaps seem like an unlikely place to need them, but a hot shower or bath, particularly after exercise, can really drop your levels too and always make sure to keep an eye on your levels whilst shopping. For some reason that often drops them even though it doesn't seem to be particularly exertive, wandering around the supermarket selecting items and pushing a trolley. I hate getting timed out from driving home with my purchases due to a hypo whilst shopping. It almost always happens in the middle of summer when I have frozen and dairy stuff that starts to thaw/melt. 🙄

Have they given you a Libre arm sensor or are you finger pricking at the moment to get your levels?

How did you feel about the hypo? They can be quite scary, particularly the first few. How low did you go? Did you get good warning signs?

Eventually you will be able to graze when you feel like it and use your insulin appropriately.... I have spent today grazing, but in the early days it is best to try to stick to regular meals until you get the hang of using insulin and how your body responds to it and different types of carbs and indeed other foods with the carbs. There is a massive amount to learn in the early days, weeks and months and this forum is an absolute goldmine of knowledge and experience, which really helped me enormously to understand what was going on and how to manage it better. I hope you find it equally beneficial. feel free to ask any questions no matter how simple or trivial they may seem. We all started with very little knowledge and misconceptions, so asking for clarification is really helpful. I know half of what my nurse told me in those first couple of appointments went in one ear and out of the other, so coming here and asking questions really helped to fill in

Thank you for the advice. I will certainly be mentioning the lows at my next weekly review. Perhaps I have been a little eager to get to optimal levels.
It seems I may needs sweets stashed everywhere! Ha
A libre sensor has been mentioned but I need my bloods confirmed formally first which were a little delayed.
The hypo took me to 3.4 with shakes, off feeling and hot/sweaty spell. To be honest I didn’t expect the warning signs to be so sudden and apparent but glad they were recognisable before levels got lower.
Thank you again for the advice, I will stick to regular meals for now.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

It seems I may needs sweets stashed everywhere!

Not everywhere, but make sure you can easily get to some. Particularly when you expect to be sleeping (so make sure you've got something near your bed). (Almost certainly this won't happen, but if you go really low it's possible for muscles to be a bit shaky and you don't want to be trying to go down stairs to get something to eat. As I say, almost certainly it won't happen, but plan for it anyway.)

 

[Inka]

And added to that, your brain might be working a bit slower with a hypo, so you don’t want to be bumbling around looking for your glucose. I have a packet of Dextro tablets discreetly on my coffee table for example. I also have one in the kitchen cupboard and one in a low down kitchen cupboard. I was advised to do this at diagnosis for ease of access. Basically, put some anywhere you can. It’s good reassurance and also means you have plenty of back-ups. As well as Dextro by my bed, I also have a little biscuit tin so I can have extra slower carbs if needed.

The first hypo is quite scary because prior to diagnosis, we probably all think we know what low blood sugar feels like, but a hypo can be sudden and quite intense.

 

[Brukkstr]

Some good tips here thanks all.
I think i need to get some of these tablets then, might be easier to stash rather than jelly babies.

 

[helli]

If you want glucose tablets, I would recommend Lift. They come in plastic tubes which keep them "fresh". I used to find inedible rock hard paper wrapped Dextrose in bags and the car when I used them.
I bought a couple of tubes from Boots many moons ago and now fill them up from tubs I buy in bulk on eBay.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

If you want glucose tablets, I would recommend Lift. They come in plastic tubes which keep them "fresh". I used to find inedible rock hard paper wrapped Dextrose in bags and the car when I used them.
I bought a couple of tubes from Boots many moons ago and now fill them up from tubs I buy in bulk on eBay.

Other things work, too. Lunchbox-sized fruit juice boxes are about the right size (15-20g) and are liquid, which speeds digestion. And there's the ever popular jelly babies (which are cheap and easily available), and Skittles (though they're small so you need ~15 of them for 15g which is a bit annoying).

 

[LydiaDustbin]

My late mother had T2 and she had some eye damage from her diabetes. When she used to get hypos at night, not only did she feel disorientated and brain fogged, but she'd have white spots in her vision (like looking into a lightbulb then looking away) which made seeing clearly very difficult. So for the bedside table, make sure whatever you use is easy and simple to access, just in case!

 

[Bruce Stephens]

So for the bedside table, make sure whatever you use is easy and simple to access, just in case!

That's a potential risk for fruit juice boxes (they can be rather fiddly at the best of times).

 

[trophywench]

It isn't necessary to have any eye problem to get 'spots in your eyes' when hypo. It's just like shedloads of folk got when we'd accidentally looked directly at an incandescent old fashioned light bulb - happened relatively often when I was a kid anyway, though still happened occasionally after I grew up and was taller. You screwed your eyes up closed for a little while to get rid of it. That doesn't work at all when you're hypo though, buggrit. Funnily enough you have to stop the hypo to get your proper eyesight back!

Fairly obviously - I've had this as a hypo symptom since the 1970s - and OK I've got astygmatism and need glasses to correct both short and later, also long sight - but no 'diabetic' or other eye damage at all.

 

[Inka]

If you want glucose tablets, I would recommend Lift. They come in plastic tubes which keep them "fresh". I used to find inedible rock hard paper wrapped Dextrose in bags and the car when I used them.
I bought a couple of tubes from Boots many moons ago and now fill them up from tubs I buy in bulk on eBay.

It’s a matter of taste, I think, as well. I tried the Lift tablets and didn’t like them (but I do like the Lift Gluco shots). I buy my Dextro tablets in a box online so have plenty. I keep a couple of cans of Coke in the car and have my Dextro in my bag when travelling. Being rather sad, I also like the variety of Dextro flavours

 

[helli]

It’s a matter of taste, I think, as well. I tried the Lift tablets and didn’t like them (but I do like the Lift Gluco shots). I buy my Dextro tablets in a box online so have plenty. I keep a couple of cans of Coke in the car and have my Dextro in my bag when travelling. Being rather sad, I also like the variety of Dextro flavours

Definitely a matter of taste. For me, anything orange "flavoured" is nothing like orange and very yuk whereas most things berry "flavoured" are tolerable.

 

[Inka]

Definitely a matter of taste. For me, anything orange "flavoured" is nothing like orange and very yuk whereas most things berry "flavoured" are tolerable.

Yes! I never buy the orange Dextro! Why do shops always stock that one? Lemon is ok, but I like the Blackcurrant and the Tropical flavours best at the moment. Natural, or whatever it’s called, is nice too.

 

[Thebearcametoo]

Fun packs of skittles and Haribo are about the right size so we often use those. Kids mini boxes of raisins or dried apricots are about 10g carbs so we always have a stash of those in too. Lift tabs get used in the middle of the night and most coats etc have some some dextrose tabs in as they’re small to carry around. You’ll work out your preferred hypo treatment. Drinking water with them if you’re not having coke/juice speeds things up so have water by your bed too.