Help type 2 doing well no meds bloods 3.5 today

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Hellsbells79

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Type 2
Type 2 doing well managed to reduce my hba1c from 86-53 in 3 months with no meds . Today I thought I was weeing more than usual so I checked bloods and they were 3.5 ? What does this mean and what could it be ? Help advise needed please
 
How significant it is will depend on when you tested as that may be a perfectly normal reading for that particular time. As for weeing a lot you may have eaten something with a diuretic effect. Some vegetables can have that effect.
 
Ah ok so you wouldn’t class 3.5 as a hypo ?
I had eaten about 2 hours before so wa surprised it was so low
 
Hellsbells79 said:
Ah ok so you wouldn’t class 3.5 as a hypo ?
I had eaten about 2 hours before so wa surprised it was so low
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It would if you were taking insulin and felt unwell you would say it was hypo but peoples blood glucose can fluctuate by quite a bit throughout the day.
If you get what appears to be an aberrant reading then it is worth repeating it.
 
Hi.
Firstly it is important to be aware that there is an error margin with home testing kits, so that 3.5 might actually be 4.2. Then it might be a duff test strip altogether. If you get a reading which doesn't correspond to how you feel then repeating the test (ensuring that fingers are clean and dry) is the first thing to do.
It would be unusual for your levels to be below 4 two hours after food unless you had been pretty active after eating. Levels in non diabetic people can naturally drop below 4 if they have done sustained exercise or during the depths of their sleep. The reason it is not generally a concern unless you are using insulin or other medication which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin, is that the liver releases glucose into the blood stream to top you up when levels get a bit low and the pancreas reduces production of insulin. For those of us who take insulin, our slow release insulin is usually injected once or twice a day so we can't get it back out once it is in our body and if that dose becomes too much for whatever reason (maybe a very hot day or we did a bit more exercise that we were expecting to), the liver can struggle to release enough glucose to keep our levels from dropping too low because that insulin just keeps removing it. A true hypo is usually below 3.5 because the body is naturally very unlikely to let levels drop below that and it starts to impact our faculties. Those of us who use insulin and certain other medications are encouraged to keep our levels above 4 and consider a hypo anything below that number. This is because we need our bodies to recognize when levels are getting low, before it gets to those dangerous levels. This is called hypo awareness. We need to preserve this function because without it we might have no way of knowing we are getting low until it is too late and we lose consciousness. That would happen usually about 2 or below and at those levels the lack of glucose is causing damage to the brain and the body is shutting down other functions to preserve the essential functions which can potentially cause damage to other organ tissue. So whilst those of us who use insulin etc would call anything under 4 a hypo the 3.5-4 range is really all about preserving our hypo awareness as much as possible, rather than it being dangerously low. I can usually feel mild hypo symptoms in the low 4s, which is a perfectly healthy reading for someone who is not using insulin, but it warns me that I am getting close to a hypo and I need to have a few carbs to keep me safe. Even at 3.5 for me one jelly baby would be enough to lift my levels comfortably back into the safe zone. When I think back to all the packets of sweets I have eaten and think about the effect 1 JB has on my levels I find it quite shocking as to how delicate the balance is and how much we take it for granted when everything is working well!

As regards weeing lots, obviously high levels will cause you to need the loo more frequently but apart from very occasionally some people having the need for a wee as a hypo sign, it is unlikely to be connected to your diabetes in these circumstances.

Out of curiosity what did you eat for the meal 2 hours before this reading? There is a disorder called Reactive Hypoglycaemia (RH) which I believe can occur independently of diabetes or can happen alongside diabetes where a carb rich meal sends BG levels soaring sky high and then the pancreas kicks into action and produces a little too much insulin and a little too late, so levels spike high and then drop rapidly. The sensation of dropping from a high level very quickly and dropping too low can cause some of the worst hypos, compared to most that I get where I drift slowly from 5 down to below 4 over a period of an hour or more. Dropping from 15 to 3.5 in half an hour can be a bit like a sudden drop on a rollercoaster. Really makes the heart pound and the legs turn to jelly and you may feel faint even though your levels are not really dangerously low. That said some people with RH can actually drop into unconsciousness at levels below 2 without their liver being able to prevent it. Those situations are very rare and people with that condition need to eat little and often and generally low carb foods to prevent such incidences.

Anyway, I hope that sheds a bit more light on the situation with what is or isn't a hypo and hopefully gives you some reassurance that you are not at any risk if you were actually at 3.5 but it is likely an erroneous reading in this case especially when you don't mention any of the normal hypo signs.
 
You said no meds at all?

It depends what you have been doing.
I've hit that after not eating, and some exercise.
But, if it was after a Gregg's steak bake, and a Netflix box set in the sofa, I wouldn't believe it.
 
People without diabetes can have levels in the 3s. I have measured my partner's blood sugars at that level.
It is not considered a hypo.
For someone on insulin, we treat a reading below 4 because we have no way to control the insulin we have "on board" that we injected. If you are not taking any drugs for your diabetes, a 3.5 is not a concern.
 
rebrascora said:
Hi.
Firstly it is important to be aware that there is an error margin with home testing kits, so that 3.5 might actually be 4.2. Then it might be a duff test strip altogether. If you get a reading which doesn't correspond to how you feel then repeating the test (ensuring that fingers are clean and dry) is the first thing to do.
It would be unusual for your levels to be below 4 two hours after food unless you had been pretty active after eating. Levels in non diabetic people can naturally drop below 4 if they have done sustained exercise or during the depths of their sleep. The reason it is not generally a concern unless you are using insulin or other medication which stimulates the pancreas to produce more insulin, is that the liver releases glucose into the blood stream to top you up when levels get a bit low and the pancreas reduces production of insulin. For those of us who take insulin, our slow release insulin is usually injected once or twice a day so we can't get it back out once it is in our body and if that dose becomes too much for whatever reason (maybe a very hot day or we did a bit more exercise that we were expecting to), the liver can struggle to release enough glucose to keep our levels from dropping too low because that insulin just keeps removing it. A true hypo is usually below 3.5 because the body is naturally very unlikely to let levels drop below that and it starts to impact our faculties. Those of us who use insulin and certain other medications are encouraged to keep our levels above 4 and consider a hypo anything below that number. This is because we need our bodies to recognize when levels are getting low, before it gets to those dangerous levels. This is called hypo awareness. We need to preserve this function because without it we might have no way of knowing we are getting low until it is too late and we lose consciousness. That would happen usually about 2 or below and at those levels the lack of glucose is causing damage to the brain and the body is shutting down other functions to preserve the essential functions which can potentially cause damage to other organ tissue. So whilst those of us who use insulin etc would call anything under 4 a hypo the 3.5-4 range is really all about preserving our hypo awareness as much as possible, rather than it being dangerously low. I can usually feel mild hypo symptoms in the low 4s, which is a perfectly healthy reading for someone who is not using insulin, but it warns me that I am getting close to a hypo and I need to have a few carbs to keep me safe. Even at 3.5 for me one jelly baby would be enough to lift my levels comfortably back into the safe zone. When I think back to all the packets of sweets I have eaten and think about the effect 1 JB has on my levels I find it quite shocking as to how delicate the balance is and how much we take it for granted when everything is working well!

As regards weeing lots, obviously high levels will cause you to need the loo more frequently but apart from very occasionally some people having the need for a wee as a hypo sign, it is unlikely to be connected to your diabetes in these circumstances.

Out of curiosity what did you eat for the meal 2 hours before this reading? There is a disorder called Reactive Hypoglycaemia (RH) which I believe can occur independently of diabetes or can happen alongside diabetes where a carb rich meal sends BG levels soaring sky high and then the pancreas kicks into action and produces a little too much insulin and a little too late, so levels spike high and then drop rapidly. The sensation of dropping from a high level very quickly and dropping too low can cause some of the worst hypos, compared to most that I get where I drift slowly from 5 down to below 4 over a period of an hour or more. Dropping from 15 to 3.5 in half an hour can be a bit like a sudden drop on a rollercoaster. Really makes the heart pound and the legs turn to jelly and you may feel faint even though your levels are not really dangerously low. That said some people with RH can actually drop into unconsciousness at levels below 2 without their liver being able to prevent it. Those situations are very rare and people with that condition need to eat little and often and generally low carb foods to prevent such incidences.

Anyway, I hope that sheds a bit more light on the situation with what is or isn't a hypo and hopefully gives you some reassurance that you are not at any risk if you were actually at 3.5 but it is likely an erroneous reading in this case especially when you don't mention any of the normal hypo signs.
Click to expand...
Wow thank you this is really helpful . I had eaten half a large chicken breast with spinach leaves a bit of pesto and a slice of feta cheese
 
If you are not taking meds for your diabetes and you felt well, I'd be fine with that.

I often see readings in the 3s, and if I'm hungry, sometimes in the low 3s. When I'm low 3s (or lower!) it tends to be when I'm hungry and VERY ready to eat.

I'm fine with that, but if a meal is some time away, I tend to just have a cup of tea, with milk to nudge the number us a tiny bit. I don't ever reach for sugary drinks. I like my bloods to run in smooth curves, not higher spikes and deeper dips.

Important to state I take no diabetes meds and have been in remission over 8 years with A1cs low to mid 30s for the duration.

The only time I had sweet tea and a biscuit was when having a very painful breast biopsy and felt a bit off. The medics insisted, and to be honest, at that point I just wanted a quiet life and to be done. I doubt it did me any harm whatsoever.
 
Mine goes into the 3s after exercise.
It's normal. The body compensates by topping it up. I used to see this when I tried Libre sensors - as soon as I stopped and rested it would slowly creep back up to between 5 and 6.
 
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