Don't know if this is hypo...

[Optimistic_ginger]

Hi guys, I'm new the forum and the whole world of worrying about blood sugars! I've had type 2 since 07, on metformin and had a completely normal HbA1c, until this year,

My sugars have been high for a little while without me realising - it was 21 last week and I felt fine, where previously anything over 10 would make me feel most ill. My HbA1c was 8.9 so I've been started on sitaglipin and have finally started to pay some attention to my diet!

I feel dreadful, lightheaded, disconnected and vague, I don't know whether this is cos my sugars are coming down, (9.8 this morning) or cos they're still high? Or my diet changed dramatically, or shock about my diabetes getting worse? Or completely unrelated to diabetes?

I'm new to all this and quite scared, so any words of advice would be very welcome, thank you.

 

[Caroline]

Diabetes can be worrying and scary so you have lots of company there.

What I think you had is a false hypo. The accpeted range is between 4 & 7. Anything below 4 is considered a hypo.

Because your levels have been high for sometime, now they are comming down, the lower numbers will feel like a hypo until your body adjusts to having less glucose swimming round in your blood.

I'm not sure how best to deal with it, although someone is sure to be along soon with ideas for you. I hope things feel better for you soon

 

[Northerner]

Hi O_G (great name) welcome to the forum 🙂 I would agree with Caroline, it is most likely that you are feeling false hypo symptoms because you have been running higher levels for some time (as indicated by your HbA1c increasing), and your brain hasn't quite caught on to the fact that you are getting back to more normal levels now. As long as it is above 4 then you don't need to do anything, although some people find that they feel better if they have a little something to eat just to nudge their levels up slightly. In time you will start to feel these symptoms at lower and lower levels until hopefully they disappear altogether when your diet and medication match your body's needs, and your levels become stable and in normal range 🙂

Only if levels drop below 4 do you have to have something if it is upper 3s then a small biscuit of jelly baby will do, just to nudge them back up.

Of course, as you suggest, part f the way you feel may also be due to changes in your diet and getting used to the new medication - hopefully, you will start feeling much better soon as you adapt 🙂

Please feel free to ask any questions you may have - nothing is considered 'silly', so if it is confusing or confounding you, please fire away! 🙂

 

[Nic:)]

I felt exactly the same when my blood sugars were returning to normal for around two weeks I had terrible headaches and felt shocking most of te time but i soon began to feel normal again I guess it's just your body getting used to having normal blood sugars again .

 

[pav]

I had the same about 6 months ago when coming down from the 20's to more normal levels. On the plus side at least it gives you a feeling what a true hypo can feel like, though I found hypos can also vary in how you feel at the time.

Its also worth testing when you feel this way, to give you peace of mind if its a false or true hypo.