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Hypo on metformin

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I'm guessing from what the pharmacist said mines going all over the place because of my conditions, severe stress and meds I'm on as well. I didn't get the hypo before having something to eat at 2, which I was very afraid of.

Whilst those in my medical or social care aren't helping (apart from GP!) others at least are. It's hard though.
 
My bgl does that spike and plummet thing, Becca - quite often it goes up to 14 or 15 an hour after eating and then I'm hypo an hour later. And it's all very random, some days it happens, and other days with the same foods (I have a very limited diet because of food intolerances so it nearly always is the same foods) it doesn't. I'm not sure whether I have Reactive Hypoglycaemia or whether it's just my autonomic dysfunction meaning my digestion doesn't work properly, but whatever it is, it sounds as though you may have similar problems. You may well have been 14 an hour after meals before without realising it, you just weren't testing as much.

The good thing is, now you know what's going on you will be better equipped to deal with it - if you do hypo again you'll recognise the feeling immediately so you should be able to treat it quickly before it gets too bad, like you did when you were 4 today. And the walking and drinking water obviously worked for the reading of 14, so you know what to do if that happens again too. It's exactly what I do when I get a high reading too, loads of water and a bit of gentle exercise - if it's too late to go out for a walk or it's raining I'd do some dusting or trot up and down the stairs a few times. I also find relaxing (lying down, doing breathing exercises or something like that) lowers my blood sugar, and so does a hot bath.

Being 14 all the time would be a problem, but the occasional 14 shouldn't hurt you. Rapid spiking and plummeting isn't good though - so you need to try to control that (I know the feeling!), and it really does sound as though you're going about it the right way.
 
Ah. I'd not thought of the autonomic dysfunction issue being a part, my body certainly does go into over (and under) drive very randomly and not sleeping badly effects it. I've not managed a hot bath for almost twenty years as it triggers my autonomic issues unfortunately I'm really jealous that you can!. That might explain my sometimes random readings when I go out as they can go up or down. I'd not thought of the autonomic issues being a part of that.

I don't have any stairs, but what I've learnt over the last week of the extra testing is that an hour after breakfast is always quite high, though not that high!. I do take meds to help with reflux issues so that impacts on my meds working as well. I've noticed that I don't get high readings other than an hour after eating. I'm able to do averages on my meter and the average is 7 which gp said is ok. Aside from today they usually gradually drop, I suspect the plummeting today was because I was panicking and missed my usual snack and meds?

I do wonder if I've had 14 before and assumed it was something else and not realised. So im going to continue testing when feeling not good. An hour after lunch it was fine and now (an hour after eating) it's 7.4.

I also have really erratic readings when I get my period which I've noticed before and is due soon.
 
It's funny, I'd prefer to have showers, but my shower's broken so I'm stuck with baths at the moment! I don't think they are that good for me either, but they're not impossible. I have a friend who has both EDS and ME who finds baths incredibly helpful for pain relief, so much so she sometimes stays in the bath all day! But we are all different ...

A gradual drop is much better for you, so if you only plummeted after missing your usual snack, that's good - you know what to do to not plummet another time! I find snacks work well for me too - if I don't snack I tend to hypo, I just have to time it right so that I snack when my blood sugar's on the way down, but before it gets too low.

I think erratic readings during a period is normal, I used to get that too (now get erratic readings when I have hot flushes!).
 
Yes usually it drops gradually, it's not plummeting like that, I was just too scared to have my usual snack yesterday, which is usually a small bite and see how it goes, sometimes I need more but it depends on what I'm doing really.

It's been Better today, managed to weigh out my breakfast though I had it late again as I'm really struggling to sleep at all and so it was high, probably because it had begun to go up anyway.

It's definitely period related as I had constipation this morning and that only happens before a period and I'm craving chocolate. I bought (but didn't eat) a protein chocolate bar just in case the craving gets to me, which sometimes it does, it's not ideal but has a lot less sugar in it than the standard one does and given I've not a proper boost bar for years I don't really see the difference to be honest.
 
I've taken up eating chocolate since developing diabetes, to stop me snacking on raisins! But I get plain dark 85% cocoa chocolate, which is much lower carb than the milky/sugary stuff, and I only eat a couple of squares at a time, which means it's a great low carb snack for me.
 
Today's experiment made no difference at all. Logically it should have - I removed juice with breakfast so it should have been lower but wasn't.

However, I have found out that the autonomic system also effects insulin. It's entirely possible this is another side effect of my autonomic system getting more out of control. It might also explain why low carbing is such a disaster for me - constant very low BG if I low carb.

I've definitely noticed an increase in hypos when the weather is colder as well.
 
That sounds very familiar - I can't low carb either, and I've tried fasting a couple of times and it was a disaster, hypo after hypo after hypo.

I also have to put all my insulin doses down when the weather gets colder and up again when it gets warmer. Sometimes I need twice as much insulin in the summer as I do in the winter.
 
Tonight I was feeling jittery an hour after food and my BG was 4. It's now (hour and a half later) and after some more food at 5.7. My meal was veg with pork and a protein yogurt for dessert, I feel like I might as well not have bothered.

I know I have some sort of virus which is going around and my BG has been lower the last few days but even so. I thought it must be high and was going to go for a walk. I'm glad I checked.

GP mentioned low carbing to me (which doesn't work for me at all) and eating every two hours, which I'm trying to do. I've found low sugar alpen bars to be helpful. Been trying to sleep more, which is easier said than done as I've been going to bed at gone 12 for a very long time, got as early as 11:30!

I'm sick of feeling like this and not knowing if it's anxiety or BG. I can't seem to be able to judge it at all anymore.
 
After eating various things to get myself stable around 6 it then dropped again, had some fruit (small portion of peaches, no syrup and washed and skinned) about 8:30 and now it's 9.1. Desperately need an early night but need to have something to eat before I can have my night time meds and I know if it's not something substantial I'll be up middle of the night having a hypo again and with stomach ache from not eating enough.

I'm at a loss as to why this is happening. Though I have wondered having looked at my diary if that meal just isn't enough for me hence feeling so unwell as I've felt unwell after having it before but thought it was something else entirely.
 
Well you didn't apparently have any carbohydrate to speak of, and although the body can make glucose out of either protein or fat if it has to, the little bit of carb you probably had would have been slowed down by any fat you ate. If you were deliberately trying to hike your BG up - why on earth did you wash or skin the peaches?

Low carb doesn't mean packing em in completely just cut down to how much your body can tolerate.
 
The veg included mashed potato, so that was my carbs. The peaches were tinned and in syrup, they were also the 4th thing I ate and I was worried about causing a massive spike as has happened before.

I've cut out as many carbs as I can, but I've been told by Drs to remove even more but my bed day can't handle that.
 
When I tested after posting my BG was over 10 so I had to wait to have my night time meds and very late to bed, again.
 
Why do the night time meds depend on or have anything to do, with your BG?
 
Sorry should have explained better - I must eat when I have the meds (I take seven tablets at night) so I like my BG to be ok before I do that as eating then raises it again it's just so I don't end up pushing it too high before bed as I've had a hypo in sleep before and it terrified me so much I couldn't sleep for a long time after. I worked out an acceptable level with my GP to stop that from happening.
 
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