Advice please

[rodders1960]

Hi all, i am T2 and was diagnosed 12 months ago. I have bought my numbers right down to normal levels. However, a couple of times recently, ive felt shakey and not well. Checking my levels i was 4.2. I know this is in range, but can people have different levels of starting to get too low?

 

[Tdm]

If your body is used to higher levels, its going to feel hypo before you get into hypo ( low blood sugar) terrirory (4 or below for those on insulin/ hypo causing meds and 3.5 for others)
Usless you are on insulin, or other med that can cause low blood sugars, any number above 3.5 is ok. Your body will adjust.
If its making you feel not well, you can have a jelly baby or a jelly bean or two to get bump your sugars up
Are you on meds that can cause hypos, such as glycaside, insulin?

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all, i am T2 and was diagnosed 12 months ago. I have bought my numbers right down to normal levels. However, a couple of times recently, ive felt shakey and not well. Checking my levels i was 4.2. I know this is in range, but can people have different levels of starting to get too low?

This is usually a false hypo, the body had become accustomed to higher blood glucose so thinks it is low, but 4.2 is perhaps a bit low anyway, just have something to eat if it happens again.

 

[John Gray]

Don't forget that meter readings are quite variable, so your 4.2 reading might be somewhat lower (or higher!).

ISO Standards for Blood Glucose Meters says:
In 2013 new, tighter accuracy standards (ISO: 15197:2013) were drawn up, requiring that 95% of blood glucose results should reach the following standard

• Within ± 0.83 mmol/L of laboratory results at concentrations of under 5.6 mmol/L

Consequently it would be within the standard if your meter reading of 4.2 was actually 3.4!

 

[rodders1960]

If your body is used to higher levels, its going to feel hypo before you get into hypo ( low blood sugar) terrirory (4 or below for those on insulin/ hypo causing meds and 3.5 for others)
Usless you are on insulin, or other med that can cause low blood sugars, any number above 3.5 is ok. Your body will adjust.
If its making you feel not well, you can have a jelly baby or a jelly bean or two to get bump your sugars up
Are you on meds that can cause hypos, such as glycaside, insulin?

No just metformin.

 

[rebrascora]

I can certainly feel impending hypos at 4.2 particularly if BG levels are dropping fast. As someone who uses insulin, I usually have a single Jelly Baby (5g carbs) at this level, but your body should stop insulin production and your liver should release some glucose to balance things so you should not be at risk of dropping dangerously low (below 3.5) and should not need to eat anything, but if you do feel you need to, be very disciplined about it and just have a very small amount, like 1 JB or a couple of jelly beans or one dried apricot or dried prune. It is all too easy to over treat hypos or false hypos and that doesn't do your diabetes any good because l;evels will shoot back up again when you really just want to stop the drop and maybe nudge them a tiny bit higher.

It might be worth keeping a diary of such events and see if it correlates to something you ate before the event or something you did, like a meal which had more carbs than usual or quick release carbs, or perhaps a brisk walk after a meal brought them down fast or a couple of glasses of wine and a walk triggered the sudden drop, that sort of thing.
With you just being on Metformin, it is certainly not something you need to worry about.

 

[rodders1960]

I can certainly feel impending hypos at 4.2 particularly if BG levels are dropping fast. As someone who uses insulin, I usually have a single Jelly Baby (5g carbs) at this level, but your body should stop insulin production and your liver should release some glucose to balance things so you should not be at risk of dropping dangerously low (below 3.5) and should not need to eat anything, but if you do feel you need to, be very disciplined about it and just have a very small amount, like 1 JB or a couple of jelly beans or one dried apricot or dried prune. It is all too easy to over treat hypos or false hypos and that doesn't do your diabetes any good because l;evels will shoot back up again when you really just want to stop the drop and maybe nudge them a tiny bit higher.

It might be worth keeping a diary of such events and see if it correlates to something you ate before the event or something you did, like a meal which had more carbs than usual or quick release carbs, or perhaps a brisk walk after a meal brought them down fast or a couple of glasses of wine and a walk triggered the sudden drop, that sort of thing.
With you just being on Metformin, it is certainly not something you need to worry about.

Thankyou x

 

[harbottle]

If you’re not on any medication that causes hypos don’t worry about it. Mine quite often goes down to that level after a walk. It goes back up naturally.