Hi, I'm a newbie!

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Ann Williams

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Hi,
I my name is Ann and I am not new to diabetes having been diagnosed type 2, 6 years ago. However I am new to this site having decided I am fed up of coping alone. I am on liraglutide 0.6mg and am still having the occasional hypo. Does anyone have any advice or information that might help? Thanks!🙂 Ann
 
Hi Ann, welcome to the forum, glad to have you with us! 🙂 Diabetes can be isolating at times as it can be difficult to explain how things are and how you are feeling to someone who doesn't 'get it', however sympathetic they may be. Here, everyone understands, so please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences - we can all learn something from each other, whatever our situation 🙂 What other medication are you on besides the liraglutide? What are your levels like generally, and how low are you going when you hypo? Are there any particular times that it happens?
 
Hi,
thanks for replying so quick. I am on perindopril for dilated cardiomyopathy, omeprazole, and beclometasone for asthma. No other diabetic medications. My Hba1c is 45 and my levels are normally between 4.5 and 7. Im not really sure how low they go when I hypo (I know I should take a reading) but when I hypo I find its the last thing on my mind. I know that my symptoms during a hypo are dizziness, sleepiness and severe shaking.
I only hypo when Im at work, and believe it might be stress related, although the doctor doesnt seem to agree. Thanks for your help!
 
Ann Williams said:
Hi,
thanks for replying so quick. I am on perindopril for dilated cardiomyopathy, omeprazole, and beclometasone for asthma. No other diabetic medications. My Hba1c is 45 and my levels are normally between 4.5 and 7. Im not really sure how low they go when I hypo (I know I should take a reading) but when I hypo I find its the last thing on my mind. I know that my symptoms during a hypo are dizziness, sleepiness and severe shaking.
I only hypo when Im at work, and believe it might be stress related, although the doctor doesnt seem to agree. Thanks for your help!
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Your levels look very good, and I'm wondering why you are on the liraglutide at all, even though it is a low dose? It's quite possible that your lows are related to stress - it's more common for a person's levels to increase when stressed, but not true of everyone, and can go either way for some people, depending on the type of stress they are experiencing, so I think it is wrong for you doctor to dismiss it. Do try and test though, as you may actually be going high rather than low, I know I have had conflicting results to how I feel when stressed, so it would be good to find out exactly what is happening. The feelings you get may not be related to your blood sugars at all, but you need to know so you have something definite to show your GP 🙂 How does the timing of the hypos relate to when you last ate?
 
My hypos can occur anywhere from 2 to 5 hours after meals. The diabetic nurse today has asked me to start a diabetic log (again!) for the next 2 weeks to show my gp. I will be testing before and after all meals to give a complete picture.
I was originally put on tablets when diagnosed but hey didnt work, then I was put on lantus. Just over a year ago I was put on liraglutide because I was having a lot of hypos at work. The liraglutide worked but whilst I have less hypos than before I still have them and they are just as severe.
 
How much lantus were you on? Also, I'm wondering how the hypos relate to what you have actually eaten - it would be worth recording your food intake as well, particularly the carb amounts.
 
I was on 38,then dropped to 19 when introduced to liraglutide, then dropped to 10, then taken off the lantus altogether. I do try not to have too many carbs (need to lose weight). When at work I take a meal, eg. meat and veg, that sort of thing, but yeah I will try to keep track of food too!
 
Hi Ann and a warm welcome to the forum
 
Ann Williams said:
I was on 38,then dropped to 19 when introduced to liraglutide, then dropped to 10, then taken off the lantus altogether. I do try not to have too many carbs (need to lose weight). When at work I take a meal, eg. meat and veg, that sort of thing, but yeah I will try to keep track of food too!
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I wonder if you actually need a few more carbs? How do you treat the hypos when you have them?
 
Hello Ann, welcome. Just a thought... if you've lost some weight and/or changed your diet, maybe you're taking more meds than you now need?
 
I take sugary sweets, but I usually find milk works the best, when Im better I have biscuits or sandwiches.
 
Welcome to the forum Ann 🙂
 
Is it possible you have reactive hypoglycaemia? You see often with T2 the initial "first phase" insulin release that normal people get when they first eat is broken, so you don't release any insulin - then BG shoots up and then the Second Phase insulin release kicks in to "mop up" the glucose, but with T2s that's broken as well and doesn't know when to switch off, so your own insulin can produce a hypo. It's worth testing at 1 and 2 hours after you've eaten to see if the levels are high and test again when you feel "funny". You could be on the roller coaster which is typical of reactive hypoglycaemia - just a suggestion.
 
Wow! I havent heard of this before. I will definitely do this. I have already noticed that 2 hours after food my levels are high, but another hour or two later I can hypo. I think you may be right. Thank you very much.
 
The way to stop it, if it is reactive hypoglycaemia is to try not to go high, by restricting carbs in your diet. Then when low try not to over-treat it. Just use 15g fast acting carb followed by 15g slow acting if a meal isn't imminent.
 
Hi Ann, if you really want to lose a few lbs, have a read through Sazzaroo's thread in the Weight Loss forum called To PROGRESS or not... It's quite long but it's a real joy to read how a few small steps can make the world of difference. Losing weight can be boring and sometimes seems to take forever, but it can be done with help and support. It can also make an enormous difference health-wise. 🙂
 
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