LorraineP
Active Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Before you say, don’t have a severe hypo in the first place it’s not as straight forward as that. I’m an experienced diabetic of 40 years but I occasionally get unexpected hypos at unexpected times. In spite of my vigilance, sometimes I have to fight very hard, sometimes for 2 - 3 hours, to bring my blood sugar up to safe levels.
These hypos are usually linked to episodes of vomiting which can come on very quickly with little warning. However as soon as I feel sick I check my BG (which is always low when I vomit), I suspend the pump and take Lucozade (double the amount these days!).
I give it full blast as early as possible because I know the Lucozade may not stay down for long especially if I ate not too long beforehand. For belts and braces I also take Glucogel and wait (whilst rushing to and from the bathroom).
A couple of nights ago, after a 3 month break from vomiting, it happened again and the accompanying hypo lasted for 240 minutes! My BG varied between 2.2 and 2.6 for most of the 4 hour hypo. Even Glucogel made little difference, although when I came round after blacking out there was still some residue on my gums so that’s probably why I came round.
So in a situation like this I should take glucagon, yes? But no, neither my GP nor my diabetic doctor will prescribe glucagon BECAUSE I LIVE ALONE!! Someone else must administer it.
So if someone else must administer it, I should ring for an ambulance, yes? But here’s the problem. When my BG is so low and I’m projectile vomiting my ability to make decisions and articulate myself is seriously impaired.
On Tuesday night I worried that I’d be told off for phoning for an ambulance because they’d think I should know to just take glucose. I worried that I’d have to explain the problems I have in getting the glucose into my system. I felt too confused, exhausted and distressed to cope with that.
I decided I would phone for an ambulance if my BG fell below 2 but I kept falling in and out of consciousness and didn’t manage to do so. I thought if I waited just another 15 minutes my BG would start to come up again but instead it kept on falling. Luckily I had left the back door unlocked so if an ambulance had turned up they could get to me.
My diabetic clinic’s attitude is that if I’m having such severe hypos then I must be doing something wrong. However, having gone privately, this week I’ve had a diagnosis of 1) atrophied pancreas 2) pancreatitis and 3) gastroparesis. I also had small intestine bacterial overgrowth diagnosed 3 months ago and Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency diagnosed 6 months ago. So, pretty much the perfect storm for erratic blood sugar and gastro problems. Thankfully the scans showed no sign of pancreatic cancer.
So now that I have a diagnosis I’m going to try again and ask for glucagon. I don’t know what I’ll do if they refuse because I can’t continue to live like this. Even if I don’t use it, the glucagon will make me feel safer just knowing it’s there.
Does anyone else here who lives alone get glucagon on prescription?
These hypos are usually linked to episodes of vomiting which can come on very quickly with little warning. However as soon as I feel sick I check my BG (which is always low when I vomit), I suspend the pump and take Lucozade (double the amount these days!).
I give it full blast as early as possible because I know the Lucozade may not stay down for long especially if I ate not too long beforehand. For belts and braces I also take Glucogel and wait (whilst rushing to and from the bathroom).
A couple of nights ago, after a 3 month break from vomiting, it happened again and the accompanying hypo lasted for 240 minutes! My BG varied between 2.2 and 2.6 for most of the 4 hour hypo. Even Glucogel made little difference, although when I came round after blacking out there was still some residue on my gums so that’s probably why I came round.
So in a situation like this I should take glucagon, yes? But no, neither my GP nor my diabetic doctor will prescribe glucagon BECAUSE I LIVE ALONE!! Someone else must administer it.
So if someone else must administer it, I should ring for an ambulance, yes? But here’s the problem. When my BG is so low and I’m projectile vomiting my ability to make decisions and articulate myself is seriously impaired.
On Tuesday night I worried that I’d be told off for phoning for an ambulance because they’d think I should know to just take glucose. I worried that I’d have to explain the problems I have in getting the glucose into my system. I felt too confused, exhausted and distressed to cope with that.
I decided I would phone for an ambulance if my BG fell below 2 but I kept falling in and out of consciousness and didn’t manage to do so. I thought if I waited just another 15 minutes my BG would start to come up again but instead it kept on falling. Luckily I had left the back door unlocked so if an ambulance had turned up they could get to me.
My diabetic clinic’s attitude is that if I’m having such severe hypos then I must be doing something wrong. However, having gone privately, this week I’ve had a diagnosis of 1) atrophied pancreas 2) pancreatitis and 3) gastroparesis. I also had small intestine bacterial overgrowth diagnosed 3 months ago and Pancreatic Enzyme Insufficiency diagnosed 6 months ago. So, pretty much the perfect storm for erratic blood sugar and gastro problems. Thankfully the scans showed no sign of pancreatic cancer.
So now that I have a diagnosis I’m going to try again and ask for glucagon. I don’t know what I’ll do if they refuse because I can’t continue to live like this. Even if I don’t use it, the glucagon will make me feel safer just knowing it’s there.
Does anyone else here who lives alone get glucagon on prescription?
