Hypo help please

[Kaylz]

Urggh I can't take this anymore just had another one an hour after eating this time and I bolused like a minute before I started eating think I will phone the hospital team tomorrow, will probably get a lecture if I tell them I only had 2 sweets and waited 25 minutes in the hope I wouldn't go rocketing by tea all I can do is keep my fingers crossed x

 

[grovesy]

Sorry hear this.

 

[AJLang]

Hi Kaylz I'm sorry to hear this. Please make sure that you have at least 10g of fast acting carbs when you first realise that you are hypo. Test 15 minutes later and, if you are 4 or under have another 10g fast acting carbs. Please don't leave it for 25 minutes. I know you know this but please don't be scared of occasional spikes after hypos. What was your reading before you injected the insulin? Big hugs

 

[Kaylz]

I woke up on 7.4 this morning as I didn't correct the 8.9 last night as I didn't want to drop low during the night so I took the suggested correction at breakfast time so I had 4 units then, around 4.5 hours later before lunch I was 4.6 so I took my 4 units (had 42g carbs) and an hour later I was sitting at 3.6 (this being the reason for only trying 2 sweets and waiting a little longer) which brought me up to 4.5, I've just tested an hour after all the drama and am sitting at 5.4, I'm worried about tea time now though although I am thinking it was due to the correction this morning and that I should have tried without taking it, as I am on 1 unit pens it's really starting to worry me as my tea is only 25g carbs x

 

[Northerner]

I woke up on 7.4 this morning as I didn't correct the 8.9 last night as I didn't want to drop low during the night so I took the suggested correction at breakfast time so I had 4 units then, around 4.5 hours later before lunch I was 4.6 so I took my 4 units (had 42g carbs) and an hour later I was sitting at 3.6 (this being the reason for only trying 2 sweets and waiting a little longer) which brought me up to 4.5, I've just tested an hour after all the drama and am sitting at 5.4, I'm worried about tea time now though although I am thinking it was due to the correction this morning and that I should have tried without taking it, as I am on 1 unit pens it's really starting to worry me as my tea is only 25g carbs x

You're doing well @Kaylz, try not to worry 🙂 As I mentioned before, this is all very much a learning experience, so you can't expect to be getting everything spot on straight away - it strikes me that you have already learned something from just your one previous experience, but don't let it make you become too anxious about not getting things 'right' the second time, just make sure you are happy that your levels are high enough not to cause problems before your next meal comes around. Try to learn to relax a bit more otherwise it's easy to suffer 'burnout' where you become too stressed over both highs and lows. You're doing well, don't beat yourself up for not being 'perfect' 🙂

And get yourself a half-unit pen for your novorapid - the Novopen Echo is an excellent pen, and is what I have been using for the past few years. It takes cartridges, so if you are currently on disposable pens, get that changed 🙂

 

[Kaylz]

You're doing well @Kaylz, try not to worry 🙂 As I mentioned before, this is all very much a learning experience, so you can't expect to be getting everything spot on straight away - it strikes me that you have already learned something from just your one previous experience, but don't let it make you become too anxious about not getting things 'right' the second time, just make sure you are happy that your levels are high enough not to cause problems before your next meal comes around. Try to learn to relax a bit more otherwise it's easy to suffer 'burnout' where you become too stressed over both highs and lows. You're doing well, don't beat yourself up for not being 'perfect' 🙂

And get yourself a half-unit pen for your novorapid - the Novopen Echo is an excellent pen, and is what I have been using for the past few years. It takes cartridges, so if you are currently on disposable pens, get that changed 🙂

Could I ask you for some advice please - 1. In your opinion was the way I treated today's acceptable as I wasn't as low as I was the first twice and 2. I have just had my tea, obviously I tested and was sitting at 5.9 and as my tea was only around 25g carbs it prompted a 3 unit dose however I did not feel comfortable to take it because of the troubles of the past few days although as I said I think today's hypo only happened because of the correction as my breakfast can be funny (sometimes knocks me up .2 or sometimes takes me down a bit) anyway getting back to the point I only took 2 units with my tea, any advice would be greatly appreciated as I welcome everyone's suggestions and opinions and if that means negative comments then honestly at this moment in time I'd take it x

 

[AJLang]

Hi Kaylz apologies for my limited feedback but I'm shattered at the moment. However my comments are based on still having full hypo symptoms despite 46 years of diabetes. Yes, after 40 years of diabetes I developed the diabetes complication of Gastroparesis but, touch wood nothing else diabetes related. Everything I say is touch wood but I have a flipping good life, enjoy more wine than I should and still enjoy my food. Right so that's my background.
If I'd had a 4.6 before a meal I would have had 10 carbs fast acting before injecting for the meal and not injected for thise 10 carbs.
In my opinion you've done exactly the right thing having two units for your 25 carb evening meal.
Although a desire to have good control is great it is important that you don't become too focused on a fear of either hypos or higher levels. I've been there and my fear of hypos led to me running higher levels. But equally a fear of high levels led to me having control that was too tight and prone to hypos.
Diabetes is just part of your young life and you mustn't be fearful of it. You need to get a balance - on my meter my target level is 6 (range 5.0-7.0) and my average sugar is 8.3 which equates to a HBA1C of 6.7 (50) - not much above a normal level but it gives me flexibility and my consultant, whom I trust, thinks that my control is almost too tight - but she tells the GP that it is excellent 🙂 Like the title of the diabetes magazine it is all about balance. I don't know if this helps?

 

[Kaylz]

Thank you @AJLang that is really helpful actually, I haven't seen a DSN since the start of January or even spoken to one on the phone and as my levels were never in the 4's at that time they never told me what to do if I ever was in that situation, rather than jelly babies etc what other 10g fast acting carbs are there to have (sorry I'm still unsure of the timing of some foods) feel free to reply to this at a time that suits you and thank you for taking the time to reply when you are shattered 🙂 x

 

[AJLang]

I'm disappointed that you've had so little support from your nurse Orange lucozade is good as long as you have the patience to measure it - after so many years I've learnt to guesstimate the number of gulps needed 🙂 Glucojuice is good - it's a bit expensive but easier to measure and transport because it is small. It is 15 carbs per bottle so I have half a bottle if I'm in the low to mid-4's and a full bottle if I'm lower. I think that a mini can of normal Coke can also be helpfulxx

 

[Kaylz]

I'm disappointed that you've had so little support from your nurse Orange lucozade is good as long as you have the patience to measure it - after so many years I've learnt to guesstimate the number of gulps needed 🙂 Glucojuice is good - it's a bit expensive but easier to measure and transport because it is small. It is 15 carbs per bottle so I have half a bottle if I'm in the low to mid-4's and a full bottle if I'm lower. I think that a mini can of normal Coke can also be helpfulxx

When I got out the hospital I had a lovely DSN called Paul he was great, he phoned me up a couple of times between appointments to check on me and see how I was getting on but in January it was a woman I saw and never heard anything since, I'm hoping it's either back to Paul on Tuesday or someone else, thanks for all your help I really appreciate it a quick question if I am in the 4's and take a couple of jelly sweets is it best to inject for my meal carbs straight away and eat right away (sorry) x

 

[AJLang]

When I got out the hospital I had a lovely DSN called Paul he was great, he phoned me up a couple of times between appointments to check on me and see how I was getting on but in January it was a woman I saw and never heard anything since, I'm hoping it's either back to Paul on Tuesday or someone else, thanks for all your help I really appreciate it a quick question if I am in the 4's and take a couple of jelly sweets is it best to inject for my meal carbs straight away and eat right away (sorry) x

I hope that you get Paul again. If I were in your position and in the 4's I would have the jelly babies, eat my dinner and then inject, but just for the meal, not for the jelly babies. It may leave you a little higher than you prefer but, in my opinion, it is safer x

 

[Kaylz]

I hope that you get Paul again. If I were in your position and in the 4's I would have the jelly babies, eat my dinner and then inject, but just for the meal, not for the jelly babies. It may leave you a little higher than you prefer but, in my opinion, it is safer x

Ok great thank you very much 🙂 x

 

[Kaylz]

Well looks like a correction will be needed at bed time currently 10.4 and another 2 hours to go, I can't do anything right x

 

[AJLang]

Kayz you are doing everything right. Please don't worry about a 10.4. I understand that it may be difficult to accept but type 1 diabetes does not equal perfect Blood sugar levels unless you are very lucky.

 

[AJLang]

You are doing brilliantly xx

 

[Northerner]

Well looks like a correction will be needed at bed time currently 10.4 and another 2 hours to go, I can't do anything right x

That may still come down @Kaylz 🙂 I avoid giving corrections, especially before bed, unless things really demand it e.g. I wouldn't correct a 10 because that's likely to fall a bit overnight anyway - I'll just try and work out why it's 10 and not 6 or 7 and try to deal with the problem next time. For me to correct before bed it would need to be in the teens, and even then I would be very cautious and only inject enough to bring me down to 9-ish.

 

[Kaylz]

That may still come down @Kaylz 🙂 I avoid giving corrections, especially before bed, unless things really demand it e.g. I wouldn't correct a 10 because that's likely to fall a bit overnight anyway - I'll just try and work out why it's 10 and not 6 or 7 and try to deal with the problem next time. For me to correct before bed it would need to be in the teens, and even then I would be very cautious and only inject enough to bring me down to 9-ish.

I'm really hoping it does come down, it's all getting the better of me now, I've only been dropping by like .3 or .4 during the nights but after my hypo yesterday I didn't correct the 8.9 at bed time and by this morning was down to 7.4 so dropped 1.5, what would you suggest I do x

 

[Northerner]

I'm really hoping it does come down, it's all getting the better of me now, I've only been dropping by like .3 or .4 during the nights but after my hypo yesterday I didn't correct the 8.9 at bed time and by this morning was down to 7.4 so dropped 1.5, what would you suggest I do x

I wouldn't worry about waking up to a 7.4 after going to bed on 8.9 (and not correcting). It's not going to happen everyday, and neither of those numbers are particularly bad. Part of the problem, of course, is that we have these fairly accurate meters these days so we sometimes tend to get bogged down a bit in '1.3' or '0.5' differences (for example). Before blood testing meters you'd just have to go off the colour of a stick you peed on so you probably wouldn't have noticed the slight differences in colour on the pee stick, so wouldn't have felt you needed to take any action 🙂

 

[Kaylz]

I wouldn't worry about waking up to a 7.4 after going to bed on 8.9 (and not correcting). It's not going to happen everyday, and neither of those numbers are particularly bad. Part of the problem, of course, is that we have these fairly accurate meters these days so we sometimes tend to get bogged down a bit in '1.3' or '0.5' differences (for example). Before blood testing meters you'd just have to go off the colour of a stick you peed on so you probably wouldn't have noticed the slight differences in colour on the pee stick, so wouldn't have felt you needed to take any action 🙂

So would you suggest if below 10 tonight when I test for bed leaving it at that and if required take a correction with my breakfast please let me know what you think just until I get to tomorrow when I can phone the diabetes team at the hospital, don't these people know we need someone at the weekends too sometimes lol x

 

[Northerner]

So would you suggest if below 10 tonight when I test for bed leaving it at that and if required take a correction with my breakfast please let me know what you think just until I get to tomorrow when I can phone the diabetes team at the hospital, don't these people know we need someone at the weekends too sometimes lol x

No, I wouldn't correct the 10 before bed 🙂 If it was still around 10 on waking then I'd add in a bit of a correction with my breakfast dose, but wouldn't bother if it was lower than 10 🙂