Advice please

[everydayupsanddowns]

Dextrose tablets are HORRID.

Bleeurgh!

 

[Laura davies]

Agreed I hate the chalky feeling in my mouth 🙂

 

[Sally71]

We have GlucoTabs all over the house, I guess they are the same as Dextrose. Strange things; but as daughter was only 6 when dx we were advised not to make hypo treatments anything too enjoyable. I suppose because children will want to eat more than is necessary, maybe the crafty ones might even pretend to be wobbly just to get sweets! (perhaps that's one of the reasons why you always have to test first... ). So we've never got into jelly babies or anything else, she has Gluco Tabs at school and at home we've got some sugary blackcurrant squash for a change if she really can't stomach any more glucose. The other thing is, if we had JBs at school we might have a problem with other kids nicking them, whereas they probably don't know what the glucose tubes are, and hopefully wouldn't like it if they did try one!

 

[AndBreathe]

Andbreath I am diet only. My levels vary between5.9 and 9 with occasional hypos.

Thanks Kanga. I'm glad you're feeling better now.

All I wanted to interject is that as a T2, controlling by diet only, be mindful of how you are treating these symptoms as you go along. I am using the same diet only regime. For us, whilst below 4.0 is a lower number, it is nowhere near as critical as T1s, or those T2s, on certain drug regimes. Obviously, if you feel unwell, it is wise to do something, but personally, I would be avoiding glucose tablets, or the like, as they are likely to catapult you upwards, rather than achieve a bit of a nudge over the feeling well threshold. I'm sure you will have read about liver dumps, and how they impact on our numbers?

My bloods routinely run quite low these days. My daily range is 3.5 - 4.5, both before and after meals. My lowest has been 3.0, and I haven't seen 5s, regularly, for a some time.

On the handful of times I have felt "off", with a low blood number, I have had a cup of tea, with some milk, which fairly quickly just takes the edge off it. In that circumstance, I would then assess if my next meal time is due, and wait, or whether I needed something else to eat. If I needed to eat, I wouldn't got for anything high carb. I would rather take,that feeling away, and raise my levels a bit, than go well up and later experience a rebound bounce downwards. But, a cup of tea, and probably a liver dump would usually be fine for me.

When my levels were coming down, I found I would maintain a level for a while, then my scores would step down a notch and repeat the process. Sometimes it takes a short while for ones body to adjust generally to a reduced level, and some people have mild-ish hypo sensations. But, on diet only, it is highly unlikely those symptoms would lead to a serious hypo emergency situation.

Unfortunately, I can't find the link where I read about normally lower blood readings, and the non-diabetic hypoglycaemic threshold, but from memory, the worry point is around 2.2/2.5. I'll have another look, and if I can find the paper, I'll post a link.

Clearly, as you felt unwell, you had to do something. All I'm suggesting is to try not to feel too pressured to reach for the jelly babies or glucotabs in those circumstances, whilst you are drug free. Our livers can be pretty efficient at rescuing those situations,, as happens all the time for non-diabetics, who may have got a bit hungry.

I realise this message differs quite significantly form many of the others on your thread, but it just wanted to post an alternative approach you may find useful as a thought starter.

I just go grab my flak jacket and tin hat for the feedback. 🙂

 

[Kanga]

Thanks andbreath I take your line of thinking on board, next time I go a bit low I will try just taking something minimal and retest it's a learning curve. Wonder what others think.

 

[DeusXM]

We have GlucoTabs all over the house, I guess they are the same as Dextrose. Strange things; but as daughter was only 6 when dx we were advised not to make hypo treatments anything too enjoyable. I suppose because children will want to eat more than is necessary, maybe the crafty ones might even pretend to be wobbly just to get sweets! (perhaps that's one of the reasons why you always have to test first... ). So we've never got into jelly babies or anything else, she has Gluco Tabs at school and at home we've got some sugary blackcurrant squash for a change if she really can't stomach any more glucose. The other thing is, if we had JBs at school we might have a problem with other kids nicking them, whereas they probably don't know what the glucose tubes are, and hopefully wouldn't like it if they did try one!

I completely agree. I find that if I use nice sweets to treat a hypo, I either eat too many or my fiancee has a habit of finding them and 'accidentally' having a few. I tend to use Glucotabs - they don't taste THAT bad and they're dirt cheap if you buy in bulk.

The downer is they can start to shed dust in the tube if you carry them round for too long and I've found that glucose dust is remarkably resistant to being brushed out of a pair of black work trousers!

 

[trophywench]

You may be happy at 3.5, and I agree it may not be a medical emergency - but there again the European medical team looking into hypo levels a few years ago agreed - taking ALL medical and neurological evidence then available into consideration wherever it came from - that at below 3.3 it definitely definitely affects your BRAIN whether you are diabetic or not.

You may not think it does, but there again I've been as low as 1.8 at times and been able to function, apparently. Certainly well enough to apply logic, walk to the kitchen, get it out of the cupboard, measure out and drink 100ml of Lucozade. Only felt hypo as it started to get into the 2's or more from the Lucozade - the opposite of a plummeting low BG, which most people feel a lot more than a gently descending one.

So .... generally I think 3.5 is cutting it a bit fine. And I'd be appalled if you drove at that level. I hope you don't !

 

[AndBreathe]

When I see 3.5, or lower, it tends to be preprandial, and I'm hungry, so I would be expecting food fairly imminently, or I wouldn't have tested (feeling fine). If I was that level and about to go out, or drive, I would do something to bring myself up gently. Aside from my own safety and well being, I wouldn't knowingly do anything to put myself or others at risk.

My post wasn't a "look at me, and how low I can go", but to encourage Kanga, and perhaps others in the T2, non-medicated arena, not to automatically select an aggressive hypo treatment which has the potential to set off the hypo/hyper roller coaster. None of us needs that experience, if we can avoid it.

Quite clearly, anyone with an unnaturally low score, or who is feeling unwell, should treat their symptoms in the best way they know how. Personally, I'm just trying to avoid the jelly babies and/or Lucozade.

On a final note, when I had my last review, in February (which was my first, post-diagnosis), I mentioned the under 4 scores. The nurse conducting the review was unconcerned by the scores and was comfortable about my approach to deal with them. To be fair, in the intervening period, I am seeing more of those lower numbers, so will mention them again when I am next there in August. My last HbA1C was 34.

 

[AndBreathe]

You may be happy at 3.5, and I agree it may not be a medical emergency - but there again the European medical team looking into hypo levels a few years ago agreed - taking ALL medical and neurological evidence then available into consideration wherever it came from - that at below 3.3 it definitely definitely affects your BRAIN whether you are diabetic or not.

Apologies for taking a little while to respond.

Trophy - do you have links to the above research. I'd like to do a little more targeted reading. Thanks