Hypo treatment time

[Jimmy2202]

Now normally if I get down to 4.5 or under I’ll treat as if a hypo. Doesn’t happen often I must admit.

This evening tho got me panicking mind:

5.30pm 4.2 (small carton orange juice)
5.45pm 4.1 (4 x jelly babies)
6pm 4.3 (jam into gums)
6.15pm 7.0
6.30pm 15.3

so took 3/4 of an hour to raise which is out of character?!
Any explanations?

 

[Kaylz]

Had you bolused and eaten? If so what had you eaten? xx

 

[Jimmy2202]

Had you bolused and eaten? If so what had you eaten? xx

No I hadn’t ate since lunchtime. Was going to start making tea but this happened

 

[Kaylz]

Had you been more active? A little extra stress? We all react to different situations differently so where 1 may end up high in certain circumstances the next may plummet, I've had my fair share of stubborn hypo's caused by different things, the worst being over an hour and a half but only able to use jelly babies due to being at the crematorium, sometimes we never work out what actually caused it xx

 

[rebrascora]

To me it looks like you over treated the low reading since you ended up at 15.3.
Was your 15 min reading a Libre reading or a finger prick. Libre usually takes 30 mins to show your hypo treatment has worked, because of the delay in the glucose reaching the interstitial fluid. That is why it is important to do finger pricks when Libre says you are hypo. Libre also often goes lower after a hypo treatment before it comes up whereas the finger prick will usually show that your levels have come up after 15 mins.
Apologies if these readings are all finger pricks but that is what it is looking like to me... ie this being an over reaction to the delay with Libre readings.

 

[Jimmy2202]

To me it looks like you over treated the low reading since you ended up at 15.3.
Was your 15 min reading a Libre reading or a finger prick. Libre usually takes 30 mins to show your hypo treatment has worked, because of the delay in the glucose reaching the interstitial fluid. That is why it is important to do finger pricks when Libre says you are hypo. Libre also often goes lower after a hypo treatment before it comes up whereas the finger prick will usually show that your levels have come up after 15 mins.
Apologies if these readings are all finger pricks but that is what it is looking like to me... ie this being an over reaction to the delay with Libre readings.

Sorry I forgot to mention these were finger pricks

 

[Inka]

Ditch the orange juice and have a 150ml can of regular Coke, 2 or 3 Dextro tablets, etc. Those work very quickly and will get your blood sugar up swiftly, thereby avoiding over-treating it as you panic waiting for your blood sugar to come up. I reckon if you’d started with that, you’d have got your blood sugar up faster. You did the right thing - better to be slightly high than risk a severe hypo. You’ll know to have slightly less treatments next time.

 

[Jimmy2202]

Ditch the orange juice and have a 150ml can of regular Coke, 2 or 3 Dextro tablets, etc. Those work very quickly and will get your blood sugar up swiftly, thereby avoiding over-treating it as you panic waiting for your blood sugar to come up. I reckon if you’d started with that, you’d have got your blood sugar up faster. You did the right thing - better to be slightly high than risk a severe hypo. You’ll know to have slightly less treatments next time.

Thank you inka I shall take this on board and see how I get on next time.

 

[Barbie1]

I personally always have trouble with hypos and the time it takes my blood sugar to rise. It is always at least 30 - 45 minutes before I see a difference in levels, sometimes up to an hour, or even two! But then I have learnt over the years that I digest quite slowly.

Panic usually sets in after 30 minutes and I then over treat. But low blood sugar makes my brain less rational anyway. So I do tend to over treat, and have to watch out later!

 

[mum2westiesGill]

Hi @Jimmy2202 I've had stubborn hypos too so you're not on your own. Another thing to ditch which I've learnt from forum members is to ditch the jelly babies and just have the things below which @Inka mentioned

have a 150ml can of regular Coke, 2 or 3 Dextro tablets, etc. Those work very quickly and will get your blood sugar up swiftly,

 

[Lucyr]

Now normally if I get down to 4.5 or under I’ll treat as if a hypo. Doesn’t happen often I must admit.

This evening tho got me panicking mind:

5.30pm 4.2 (small carton orange juice)
5.45pm 4.1 (4 x jelly babies)
6pm 4.3 (jam into gums)
6.15pm 7.0
6.30pm 15.3

so took 3/4 of an hour to raise which is out of character?!
Any explanations?

None of these were hypo so i wouldn't have treated with so many fast acting carbs, maybe once because of being close, but then i would have got on with making tea and ate and bolused for that. It looks like you had too many fast carbs hence the spike.