Hypo advice needed

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Robin said:
If like me you get the strips that fit the Libre reader, they come individually wrapped, so I can always just put a strip of 5 into a pocket.
They're not usually on the normal first line prescribing list, though, I was lucky in that when I started getting the Libre prescribed, the hospital told the GP to prescribe that brand, and they did!
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Mine come in pots, but of course I'm not thinking about letting them rattle around loose! I think one of those tiny ziploc plastic bags should do, especially as they will be inside another small bag which will be inside my handbag.

I like the idea of individually wrapped strips, though! When you say "the Libre reader", do you mean the one for using instead of a phone? Or does Libre do its own blood-glucose monitor?
 
Robin said:
If like me you get the strips that fit the Libre reader, they come individually wrapped, so I can always just put a strip of 5 into a pocket.
They're not usually on the normal first line prescribing list, though, I was lucky in that when I started getting the Libre prescribed, the hospital told the GP to prescribe that brand, and they did!
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I bought some Optiium to use in my Libre reader because so far I have been unable to get them prescribed and I was surprised that they were not as expensive as I expected. My BG meter (Caresens Duo Pro) eats batteries and I have had 2 replacements that were just the same, so no point in requesting another. It is because they don't tolerate the cold and I have to either put the whole thing down my bra for 10 mins (not ideal when you are hypo) or take the batteries out, warm them in my hands (thankfully I usually have warm hands) for a few minutes (even in the house in the winter) and put them back and test. I have got to the stage that I just don't bother to use it most of the time, although it does still sit in my bag and go wherever I do.
I hate the foil lined plastic involved in individually wrapping the Optium strips (although overall, probably less plastic than a pot) and they are a pain to tear open when you have shaky hands and they always read lower than Libre whereas my Caresens always reads higher, so that has taken some getting used to and left me not knowing which to trust....usually just the sensor reading these days, but at least the rechargeable battery in the Libre reader is less vulnerable to the cold and works when I need it to.
 
Spathiphyllum said:
I like the idea of individually wrapped strips, though! When you say "the Libre reader", do you mean the one for using instead of a phone? Or does Libre do its own blood-glucose monitor?
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Yes, I mean the reader that I use to swipe my sensor, instead of using a phone. It also has a slot for Optium strips, as @rebrascora mentions. I agree with her, though, it’s difficult to tear the packaging open if you’re cold or hypo!
 
One of the additional advantages of using the reading as a finger prick meter is that it can also be used for Ketone measuring with different strips rather than having to carry two different meters with you.
 
I'm usually quite good at "feeling" when my blood glucose is going low - around 4 - so can head off a hypo. Yesterday I was asleep and my blood glucose got quite low before it woke me up.

I think one of my problems is that I panic a bit when the hypo symptoms don't start to go away quickly so I overtreat. I'm also quite an impatient person, which doesn't help.
 
grovesy said:
I pay around £10 to 12 for a box from Amazon's of the Optium strips.
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Yes, I paid £10.50 I think. I was expecting them to be £15+
 
DancingStar said:
Fortunately I don't get hypos very often. When I do get one I eat 5 jelly babies, wait 20 minutes, retest & then eat 5 more etc, retest etc until my glucose level is above 4. I feel awful when I'm having a hypo - today I couldn't get the test strip into the reader because I felt so light headed & shakey. It takes me a long time to recover from hypo & I generally feel very sleepy & need to sleep afterwards.

I need advice & opinions about how long it takes blood glucose to go up to a decent level. Today I started at 2.3 which went up to 2.7 with 5 jelly babies so I had a very small (100ml?) can of cola which took glucose to 3.2 after 15 minutes then 5 more jelly babies. The whole time I had that horrible light head, shaky feeling, and hypos really affect my thinking. I had a text message from my sister & couldn't make head or tail of it.

I retested my blood glucose two hours later and it was 19.8 (eeek).

My questions, after all my rambling are:
How quickly do you come out of a hypo after eating glucose? Is it normal for glucose level to go up quite slowly? Do you think I should wait longer after eating the jelly babies & testing? I panic a bit, I think, because it feels like I'm going to pass out.

Is it usual for glucose level to go high after hypo?
How can I come out of hypo without making subsequent blood glucose go so high?

Still waiting to be approved for Libre so it's all finger pricking for me atm.
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I had a hypo a couple of nights ago. I woke up absolutely soaked with sweat, and felt groggy and light headed. Knew this wasn't normal so checked my Libre and sure enough I was having a hypo, with a reading of 2.9. Had 3 jelly babies, waited about 20 minutes and saw my levels starting to rise. Still felt a little off so had a glucose tablet. Was still feeling clammy after about half an hour. I think in all it took around 45 minutes for me to feel more or less normal, to the point where I was satisfied I could go back to sleep.

There is a real temptation to overcompensate for a hypo. I agree with you, it's a horrible feeling, and you want rid of it as soon as possible, but try not to panic. Have a couple of jelly babies or a small carton of fruit juice if you have some. Wait 15 minutes and then re-test. Hopefully by this point you should be starting to see your levels rise and the light headedness should start to dissipate a bit. If your levels are starting to rise, don't give yourself any more jelly babies, instead have a slice or bread or some other slow release carb - this will help stabilise you after your spike.

The most important thing is to try to not panic and take on board too many fast carbs, because this could result in you chasing your tail for the rest of the day, as you'll rise too high and then need insulin, which could then result in you dropping too low, rinse and repeat.
 
Glucotab user now called Lift, like them as they come in tube & dont break up in pockets.

Find you need to keep tube refilled otherwise what's left will soon crumble being shaken around when exercising.
 
nonethewiser said:
Glucotab user now called Lift, like them as they come in tube & dont break up in pockets.

Find you need to keep tube refilled otherwise what's left will soon crumble being shaken around when exercising.
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I like it when you open the tube to a cloud of white powder, makes me feel like I'm doing a magic trick :D
 
helli said:
@CivicFreak sorry to read about your night time hypo.
Did you check your recovery with finger pricks? CGMs always take longer to notice bg recovery .
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I did, yes. Sorry I didn't mention this in my previous post. I always back up my Libre scans in the event of extremely low or extremely high readings with a finger prick. This is especially important, because if the BG is rising or dropping fast the Libre tends not to give a reading, giving the old "wait 10 minutes" message, so can't be entirely relied on. I have an Accu Chek Instant at my bedside and an Accu Chek Mobile in the living room.
 
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