Getting going again after treating a low

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JoeC

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
Any suggestions for getting “back to it” after treating a low?

My BS reads as “OK” after 15 minutes or so, but my motivation and energy are gone, my brain is foggy, and my mood is foul.

I find it really hard to get going again…

Coffee and just trying to push through it aren’t doing it for me.

Cheers from Canada!
 
How long have you been diagnosed and how many hypos have you had? I found my early hypos after diagnosis really wiped me out but most of the time now I can just eat a jelly baby of two to treat the hypo and keep working, even quite physical work, like mucking out my horses, so for me it has just been a question of my body adjusting and no longer panicking. I think it is the adrenaline release which takes it's toll on your body (sweating and heart pounding etc) If I can catch my hypos before I get to that level then there are no real side effects and I am good to go.
Do you have CGM ie. Libre or Dexcom? If so, what level do you have your low alarm set at? Prevention is better than curing the after effects.
 
If you libre or dexcom set low alarm higher so to avoid hypos, have so very few nowadays thanks to such tech

Tbh never really got washed out by hypos unless they were really low where I'd get shakes & sweat for England, they sometimes took some getting over afterwards.
 
It depends how low you’re going @JoeC It can take 45 mins for the brain to recover full function after a hypo. Physically, you’re best sitting and waiting for your blood sugar to come up and stabilise. Are you taking enough glucose and are you having long-acting carbs afterwards?
 
Sorry to hear about your hypos @JoeC :(

You aren’t alone in getting this foggy fallout from hypos.

In the UK the laws around driving require people treated with insulin (or on certain oral meds) to check BG levels carefully around driving. And for any reading below 4.0, the driver would have to wait 45 minutes after levels have returned above 5mmol/L (90mg/dl) before driving again. Because as @Inka says, it can take that long for the brain function to recover and cognitive impairment to clear.

The best bet is to try to reduce the frequency (and depths) of your dips below 4.0 (70). Do you have access to CGM? If you have alarms and can set them to 5s (90s) you get time to react and head off a dropping BG before it gets too low.
 
Why not try a NO CARB diet! I have completely come off meds just by eating a carnivore diet!
My doctor was amazed by my results! I didn’t exercise due to COPD I just ate a strict carnivore diet (which I love) no longer diabetic and have endless other health benefits
So wish I had done this years ok! I have lost 32lbs in weight and have never felt better! I’m 61 years old! I truly believe the diabetes advice in the UK is wrong! In fact Australia have just changed there advice to a virtually no carb diet!! When will the NHS catch up????
Do yourself a favour and stop all carbs!
 
@Wicksy You do understand that Type 1/LADA is currently uncureable? Before the discovery and purification of insulin, every single person with Type 1/LADA died. Some died quickly, some slowly, but everyone died because, at the time, it was a terminal illness.

Type 1 and Type 2 are very different illnesses.

BTW, a carnivore diet increases your risk of serious illnesses so it’s not something I’d try even if I were Type 2. There are safer ways to go into remission with Type 2.
 
As others have said, the post hypo lethargy is quite common especially soon after diagnosis. @everydayupsanddowns point about precautions after driving are a good indication of the need to acknowledge the impact of the hypo on us physically.

Certainly the sensors that are now available can help to head off the hypos (although in reality they don’t eliminate these) or reduce the drops by making use of the alarms and also the data available to identify the causes (although some just happen with no logical reason)
 
Why not try a NO CARB diet! I have completely come off meds just by eating a carnivore diet!

Glad you have found a system that works for you @Wicksy, and that you are feeling so much better on it.

We don’t often recommend a strictly no carbohydrate menu here, as you can only eat meat and drink oil or water. There are trace amounts of carbohydrate in all vegetables (even lettuce!), and also in things like eggs, milk, and cheese, so aiming for no carbohydrate at all means cutting out lots of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and things which are important for a healthy, flexible, and sustainable menu.

There are also concerns about the impact on kidneys of eating a diet with excess amounts of protein in it.

Many T2s here find an easier and more flexible balance on a lower carbohydrate approach. Anything below 130g of total carbohydrate intake in a day, but for some people, much lower - even something like 40-50g a day can put you in ketosis but still leave room for veggies and other things 🙂
 
As others have said, the post hypo lethargy is quite common especially soon after diagnosis. @everydayupsanddowns point about precautions after driving are a good indication of the need to acknowledge the impact of the hypo on us physically.

Certainly the sensors that are now available can help to head off the hypos (although in reality they don’t eliminate these) or reduce the drops by making use of the alarms and also the data available to identify the causes (although some just happen with no logical reason)
Thanks for giving this a name; "post hypo lethargy" sounds almost poetic

So I am have been closed loop for almost 5 years now, surely I would not be considered newly diagnosed

In reality, what should I expect?

From what I see, everyone seems to be just ducky 15 minutes after treating, am I just a "insert local insult here"?

I have stopped Medtronic Autocorrect because it just drives me low, the local rep grudgingly admitted maybe it didn't work for me

Cheers - the eclipse was just awesome!
 
From what I see, everyone seems to be just ducky 15 minutes after treating, am I just a "insert local insult here"?
I think it just depends. If I just go a little low for a few minutes I'm fine. If I fall further then sometimes it can take hours to recover fully.
 
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