went to see my DSN today. My glucose results for the past month are okay but I'm still getting a lot of hypos (usually at least 1 a day). I have become rather complacent and I probably don't treat them all (If I'm 3.5+ and about to eat anyway then I skip the glucose tabs). On the other hand I am much more concerned about avoiding high levels than low levels. I am happier bumping along at around 3.5-5.5 than I am in the 7-9 range. my Dsn is concerned that I'm getting too many hypos but I think if I reduced those then I would be too high most of the time. So is it possible to have perfect control?
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how good is your control?
- Thread starter fruitloaf
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Flutterby
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- Type 1
Good questions! I get a lot of hypo's sometimes and I too am scared of the highs but too many hypos can contribute to losing some of your warning signs as your body gets used to the lows and doesn't respond very quickly. Maybe try and avoid so many if possible? Easy to say though.x
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I've spent most of my diabetic life feeling very similar. However it's not just the nuisance of those low level dips themselves that make them worth avoiding... Having more hypos (certainly the number you are talking about and the number I allowed myself to have) will mean loss of warning signs sooner or later. You'll end up going lower before you feel anything. A few 2.x's with no warning signs should ring alarm bells, but by then a hypo a day can feel like a safety net.
I think there is quite a bit of weight behind the thought that reducing spikes and having a steadier bg graph even if at a higher level is way better than a low a1c where there's a zigzag between high and low.
There is also one study that links lots of low level hypos with hardening/clogging of the arteries and build up of arterial plaque. Not sure how convincing the evidence is, but it's worth considering.
If I had my time again I'd concentrate on post-meal readings way earlier.
I think there is quite a bit of weight behind the thought that reducing spikes and having a steadier bg graph even if at a higher level is way better than a low a1c where there's a zigzag between high and low.
There is also one study that links lots of low level hypos with hardening/clogging of the arteries and build up of arterial plaque. Not sure how convincing the evidence is, but it's worth considering.
If I had my time again I'd concentrate on post-meal readings way earlier.
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Robster65
Senior Member
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- Type 1
Agree with Mike. Having got most of the high spikes eliminated, I'm now getting to grips with losing the lows.
It is possible but only with a lot of record keeping to check for trends and adjust your ratios and preferably some outside knowledgeable support and advice so that your own bad habits/fears/myths don't cloud your judgement.
I thought type 1s with excellent control were just lucky, but I think they just work a lot harder at it, or, as Mike suggests, they got to grips with it a lot sooner than most of us.
Good luck
Rob
It is possible but only with a lot of record keeping to check for trends and adjust your ratios and preferably some outside knowledgeable support and advice so that your own bad habits/fears/myths don't cloud your judgement.
I thought type 1s with excellent control were just lucky, but I think they just work a lot harder at it, or, as Mike suggests, they got to grips with it a lot sooner than most of us.
Good luck
Rob
Northerner
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I must admit, I am pretty much the same as you. I have fewer hypos these days, but only really worry when it dips below 3.5 if a meal isn't due.
Anything above 7 pre-meal really gets me, especially if it starts happening frequently, and so I'll adjust to make sure I get back down to those pretty tight levels. I've had the consultant telling me 'too many lows' but it's very hard to 'elevate' your levels so you don't lose awareness deliberately when you are so ingrained with the 'above range is bad' doctrine! My awareness currently is in the mid 2's, which I know isn't ideal, but is also partly due to my blood pressure pills masking symptoms.
F
FM001
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Personally I try and keep my levels above 5 but below 8 most of the time. I try and keep out the 4's whenever I can as it is to close to the wire and am afraid of losing my hypo awareness symptoms. At the moment I have no more than 1 hypo a week (a few weeks back went 3 weeks) and eat 10g of carbs when I hit the 4's, my consultant says I have excellent control and agrees that avoiding hypo's wherever possible is the best way forward, and if that means slightly raised bg (but below the NICE guidelines)....so be it.
As diabetics using insulin it is important at all times to be aware of the dangers of hypoglycemia, there is on-going research into low blood glucose levels and mortality, and although this condition is very rare, if you google 'death in bed syndrome' this will shock you but make you more aware of the dangers involved.
As diabetics using insulin it is important at all times to be aware of the dangers of hypoglycemia, there is on-going research into low blood glucose levels and mortality, and although this condition is very rare, if you google 'death in bed syndrome' this will shock you but make you more aware of the dangers involved.
imtrying
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
I feel bad after reading all your posts about how good your controls are....
I am the opposite to some of you on here in that I verge on being High, as I hate hypos and the feeling of not being in control.
I will be trying to sort my controls out soon though - when my new drs actually refer me to a new local diabetes centre.
I am the opposite to some of you on here in that I verge on being High, as I hate hypos and the feeling of not being in control.
I will be trying to sort my controls out soon though - when my new drs actually refer me to a new local diabetes centre.
When I was a kid my parents deliberately ran me a bit high to avoid hypos (dad would still advise me to run at 8-10, er, don't think so Pops! 😱 )
When I was pregnant I was paranoid about being high so ran low most of the time, got an HbA1c of 5.7 and just as I was feeling smug got a rolicking for "obviously going hypo ALL the time!"
Although that was the dingbat doc on the team, they did have a bit of a point... the good doc has told me on numerous occasions to 'get rid of the lows to get rid of the highs' - when he looks at my results he will try & spot when I go hypo & tweak there & ask me to resist the urge to over cook the corrections on highs for a week or two - usually he's right! 🙄 I guess it's that holy grail of 5-8 mmol - I could never sustain this on mdi, but for the first time in 32 years, now I'm finally on a pump I'm getting there!! I feel sooooooo much better! Looking at the stats on my meter I'm 'in range' for around 50% of the tests I do, slightly above for 40% and hypo 10%. Bear in mind though, the usual health warnings of these are spot results etc! I don't have a cgm thing...
When I was pregnant I was paranoid about being high so ran low most of the time, got an HbA1c of 5.7 and just as I was feeling smug got a rolicking for "obviously going hypo ALL the time!"
Although that was the dingbat doc on the team, they did have a bit of a point... the good doc has told me on numerous occasions to 'get rid of the lows to get rid of the highs' - when he looks at my results he will try & spot when I go hypo & tweak there & ask me to resist the urge to over cook the corrections on highs for a week or two - usually he's right! 🙄 I guess it's that holy grail of 5-8 mmol - I could never sustain this on mdi, but for the first time in 32 years, now I'm finally on a pump I'm getting there!! I feel sooooooo much better! Looking at the stats on my meter I'm 'in range' for around 50% of the tests I do, slightly above for 40% and hypo 10%. Bear in mind though, the usual health warnings of these are spot results etc! I don't have a cgm thing...
runner
Well-Known Member
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- Type 1.5 LADA
I'm more the other way - concerned about hypos becasue of something I read about them affecting your brain function longer term - and I need all the help I can get in that department! My control has not been brilliant over the past year, with my Hba1c going up to 8.5 from 7.3. But I have at last been seen by a hopital Dr and had a test to confirm I am T1 (1 1/2). And I'm being referred for a DAFNE course - yeahh
Would love one of the new wireless pumps..... but due to age etc, don;t think there's much chance
Would love one of the new wireless pumps..... but due to age etc, don;t think there's much chance
F
FM001
Guest
I'm more the other way - concerned about hypos becasue of something I read about them affecting your brain function longer term - and I need all the help I can get in that department! My control has not been brilliant over the past year, with my Hba1c going up to 8.5 from 7.3. But I have at last been seen by a hopital Dr and had a test to confirm I am T1 (1 1/2). And I'm being referred for a DAFNE course - yeahh
Would love one of the new wireless pumps..... but due to age etc, don;t think there's much chance
Hopefully the DAFNE course will turn things around for you Runner!
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