Favoured hypo treatment

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JonathanGi

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What's the best thing for you when you're hypo?
When I was first diagnosed, back in 1967, I used to carry 5 sugar lumps in a blue plastic container with a sliding lid. It used to accompany me everywhere. It's rattling was actually quite reassuring!
Now, if I need something quick I prefer jelly sweets - Waitrose are the best! 10g of carb. I like to cut them in half for running as anything bigger when you're a bit breathless is difficult to chew. The only problem with them is that they tend to meld together if left too long!
If I am at home I prefer a Nature Valley salted caramel nut bar. Tasty and substantial enough to be very satisfying to eat. 10g of carb.
 
Dextro glucose tablets, Lift glucose shot (for bad/fast hypos) or full sugar Coke. Those are the fastest and I always have one or more of them on or near me. If it’s just a slow/moderate hypo or I’m about to go for a walk or similar, I’ll have some sweets or a fruity chew or even a little slice of something sweet like a cupcake or whatever.
 
I have found uneaten or, much worse, half eaten snacks all over the place. I cleaned my car out on Monday, prior to it's MOT and found lots of sticky, fluffy things. I even managed to wash jelly sweets hidden in my running stuff. It had fused together.
 
Lift for me.
I like the packaging as I used to find rock solid Dextrose when I used them.
I buy them in bulk from EBay and decant into old GlucoTab tubes from years ago.
Normal sweets have been a problem because others do not see them as “medicine”. I have had them missing when I need them or others think I am being rude for not sharing.
 
Dextro tablets are fastest for me and they're wrapped, easy to re-seal. Tried jelly babies for a while, but not fast enough. Then if I'm at home, half a stem ginger cookie. Or if out I'll put my pump on a temp basal.
 
I'm pleased you have something different at home. I have occasionally thought I hope my BG is low enough to enable me to eat a particular item of food!
 
Jelly babies are my "hypo heroes" I also have some Lift tablets but I keep them for real emergency use. I have tried other sweets but I don't find them as convenient as JBs and for some reason I can't adopt the same mentality and discipline as I do with JBs. 1 JB is 5g carbs, so I can grade my response 1, 2 or 3 depending upon my reading and what the Libre arrow shows. ie. if I am 4.2 with a vertical downward arrow it's 2 JBs and they are usually quick enough to turn it around before I hit the red, if I chew them well, but 4.2 with a sloping downward arrow is just 1JB and then monitor. If I am 4.5 or above and want to bump my levels up a little bit to drive or just to give me a bit of wriggle room, then a dried apricot or prune at 5g carbs each or a dried fig about 8g carbs. In a real emergency once when I was ill, I had a spoon of runny honey as that needed no chewing and was quick and being a beekeeper, it is usually home produced.
 
JonathanGi said:
Jelly babies - too much beef gelatine for a vegetarian!
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When I travel, I seek out vegetarian low treatments so I can have a bit of variety (and a souvenir) when I'm back home.

If I have a visitor and I know there's something from their home supermarkets that I'll like, I ask them to bring some (repaying them with a treat they'll like from here).

For visitors from the US, I request Scandinavian Swimmers from Trader Joe's, and Mike & Ikes. For visitors from the UK, I ask for Sainsbury's brand vegetarian sweets and Waitrose White Chocolate and Lemon cookies.

I'm in Germany, so my usual low treatments are (veggie) Haribo, DextroEnergy Tabs, small packs of Skittles and 330ml bottles of juice (a few low treatments in one bottle). For the small sweets, I usually decant them into small hard plastic containers with screw-on lids that are small enough to keep in my pocket and easy to open up if I'm low.

I also keep Nature Valley granola bars in my bag, backpack and with my home low treatments. I find half of one bar (5g of carbs) is enough.
 
JonathanGi said:
That was interesting! I was diagnosed Friday 13th 1967. How weird!
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There aren't many positives to being diagnosed with Type 1, but the fact I was diagnosed on Friday the 13th is definitely something I use to lighten the mood a bit when someone asks.
 
The quickest for me is orange juice. Every now and then, I try something else (JBs, Lift, etc) but they’re just not as quick as oj. Shame really, cos I get sick of lugging juice boxes around with me. Maybe I’ll try some Kendal mint cake - I used to hate it as a kid (like eating toothpaste 😉). It’d be nice if my handbag was smaller / lighter.
 
Bloden said:
The quickest for me is orange juice. Every now and then, I try something else (JBs, Lift, etc) but they’re just not as quick as oj. Shame really, cos I get sick of lugging juice boxes around with me. Maybe I’ll try some Kendal mint cake - I used to hate it as a kid (like eating toothpaste 😉). It’d be nice if my handbag was smaller / lighter.
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Since juice box’s changed to paper straws I can’t use them for lows, it’s enough quickly drinking without the straw going to mush.
I found them great for rugby but again on a wet pitch covered in mud the straw has no chance.
I’m a JB favour myself but will go with wine gums (liked those since a child) fruit pastels.
If I’m dropping but above hypo I go with a small banana or raisins etc, I find that useful most of the time and healthier than sweets
 
Like you I like to have a bit of fruit if going low but not under 4. I also find apples tend to put my BG up quite a bit. Are apples getting bigger and sweeter or is it me?
 
PhoebeC said:
Since juice box’s changed to paper straws I can’t use them for lows, it’s enough quickly drinking without the straw going to mush.
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Do they sell small bottles of juice with screw-top lids in the UK? I get 330mL bottles easily here in Germany and they make using juice as a low treatment much easier, especially when away from home.
 
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