A tad confused

[ladyjaynie]

Hiya people,
I am a bit confused i have had readings as high as 8.8 and as low as 3.4,reading information around here and on the net,what is a hypo score?and can type 2s get them,i asked my dn the other day and she said it is only dangerous in type 1s and that a reading that low is nothing to be concerned about and that non diabetics can have readings that low on a morning or after not eating for a while.
I found out i was type 2 6 7 weeks ago and have lost over a stone ,long may it continue only another 4 to go.

 

[Northerner]

Don't worry, you're doing great! 🙂 As you were told, a non-diabetic person can go as low as 3.5 mmol/l, and it's not a problem if you are not on any medication that could potentially drop you lower, like insulin or gliclizide for example. People on insulin are told to treat a reading as hypo if it is below 4.0 mmol/l but this is to give a margin of safety.

Well done on your superb weight loss and great levels! 🙂

 

[ladyjaynie]

i,m on diet and excersise at the mo,i really really dont want to have to take meds but my dn said i will eventually need medication.

 

[Ellie Jones]

Yes non-diabetics can get numbers in the mid 3's... With the non-diabetic in general they will feel a bit shaky etc but eat and all's fine, at worst they could faint which is something my mother in laws does on occasions.. The liver will dump some glucose from it's liver store into the blood stream to bring them back to normal..

Your DS isn't strictly correct..

Yes hypo's can quickly turn into a medical emergency if left untreated, because the insulin that we've injected can't be turned off, so will continue to lower the blood glucose level... And the switch that tells our liver to dump it's glucose store doesn't kick in very quicker and may not at all... So can put us into dire straights😱

Now where your nurse got it is slightly wrong...

Some T2's also can be in a very similar situations as T1's dependent on the type of medication they are taking, if they are injecting insulin or it they are using an oral medication that increases the amount of insulin the pancreas produces they can be in the same position at the T1, where the body's ability to dump enough glucose from the liver in the system isn't quick enough so the body becomes over whelmed with insulin which causes a medical emergency..

But sounds like you'll doing very well indeed, and well done for the weight loss..

 

[Northerner]

i,m on diet and excersise at the mo,i really really dont want to have to take meds but my dn said i will eventually need medication.

Perhaps, one day, but that may be many years in the future. Many people manage perfectly well without medication once they have established a good, healthy diet and lifestyle that helps maintain good control. I think for a lot of people the medication comes sooner partly because they do not get the right advice and education at the beginning, and the tools to manage things properly (like test strips). Also, some people may need medication sooner after diagnosis because they have been undiagnosed for many years. Or there can be genetic reasons why they need medication to support their own pancreas. Diabetes has a broad spectrum so it's an over-generalisation to suggest that everyone will progress to medication or predict how soon that might occur.

You can only do your best, and you are doing very well so far! 🙂