hypo

[charks]

I'm Charlotte and I think I have LADA.

Last Tuesday I had a major hypoglycemia episode. The less said the better. I didn't go to the toilet for next 7 days.

I think they treated me very badly.

They just diagnosed me and sent me home without giving me any management plans or glucose. They didn't even give me a mask until I had been over an hour in A&E. I understand that it is normal policy to get blood tests carried out first then make the patient comfortable. Not in my case. I spent 7 hours smelling like a farmyard. All the staff kept pulling funny faces when they had to treat me. I think they were punishing me for being so stupid and not taking the NHS advise on health. Like parents used to make children who wet the bed sleep in wet sheets. They obviously didn't know much about hypoglycemia. That's it's like starting a PC. Essential things first, everything else later. I couldn't smell a thing. Or talk properly. It was so embarrassing. Luckily I was the only patient in the ward. Lucky for the other patients! When they discharged me they didn't bother to tell me what was wrong or give me anything to help me. I may be 61 but I'm not stupid. I was shaking and could hardly walk. I didn't have any money because my partner, bless him,was panicking so much that he made some really bad decisions about what he packed for me. No bra. Not that I would have been able to put it on. The nurse told me I had to wait for the taxi in the waiting room. Then I got paranoid about Coronavirus and decided to wait outside. I left them a present to thank them for all their kind care. A wet bed and a sick bay swimming with p***.

Anyway, I digress. My main point is that I haven't still been diagnosed. The diabetic nurse think I have type 2 diabetes but I think I mislead her telling her I haven't lost weight as I have a very bloated stomach. But when I weighed myself I found had lost weight.

I was so worried that I bought a blood monitor and the book think like a Pancreas and am working my way through it. It is extremely frightening but, at the same time, fascinating. I've used over a 100 strips already. My partner says it's like giving a hand job to a tribe of pygmies.

I laughed so much that I wet myself - literally. But the situation isn't humorous. I've been following the recommended diet for type 2. It's been a disaster. I've had 2 very frightening hypos My partner has a theory that it's true that your body knows best. I used to drink over a bottle of wine a day and really unhealthy diet - for a normal person. But maybe it was just right for a person with uncontrolled diabetes. Your body doesn't have perfectly healthy diet in mind - it's hungry and needs energy now. And alcohol is a perfect quick fix for lack of energy.

So I have to force myself to have a drink. I'm not trying to be funny - I have no craving for alcohol now.

Yesterday I got my first metformin tabs. And another Hypo last night. I've been trying to contact the 24hr Diabetic helpline for advice but they're lying. It isn't manned 24hr.

I need some advice. To prevent another hypo can I take more than the recommend dose. Or would it be better to have a great big ribeye with all the trimmings? I know I sound too cheerful but I think I'm euphoric. I'm not so happy at 2am.

I'm just wondering if heavy drinking is another warning that you may have LADA. My father was ashamed of his dad because he was always drunk and lying in the gutter - literally.

Hope you can help.

 

[brisr949]

Although alcohol has a lot of sugar in it, it can cause a hypo on the way back down and i certainly wouldn't use it as an energy fix, i don't know a lot about type2 but there are some real experts on here who will give you all the advice you need and help with your questions.
Adam

 

[Docb]

Hi charks. Can I suggest you take a little time to look at the main site and get yourself aquainted on what diabetes is all about because you do not normally get hypos (low blood sugar) unless you are taking insulin or some other insulin promoting medication. I'm not a medic but what you have described does not sound like diabetes to me.

 

[charks]

Hi Adam,

Many thanks for your reply and trying to help.

I'm all over the place.

I read on this forum that cheese was a great fix for hypos and I think I OD'd on it. I had a reading of 21.2. but it went down to 18 in 10 mins. So the information was right.

Can't remember the op but thanks

Charlotte

 

[rebrascora]

Hi.
I wonder if you are confusing hypoglycaemia with hyperglycaemia. They are opposite ends of the spectrum. A hyper (high blood glucose) causes you to wee a lot and consequent thirst as your body tries to remove surplus glucose from your blood via the kidneys and bladder. Hypos (low blood glucose) tend to make you act a bit drunk with wobbly legs and a lack of awareness but I certainly haven't lost control of my bladder due to a hypo, I just feel shaky and lose my vision and heart pounds etc. If you are not on Hypo inducing medication like Gliclazide or insulin then it is very unlikely you are having a hypo.
Drinking alcohol is certainly not a good idea in either event..... the steak sounds like a much better option but minus any chips. If your BG is low ie. below 4 then 3 glucose tablets or jelly babies will bring it up... cheese is most certainly not a hypo treatment and I am confident that if anyone suggested it on this site then others would have contradicted it.

Most of us have to buy our own Dextrose tablets or jelly babies to deal with hypos and if you can afford to buy alcohol then you can afford to buy jelly babies/dextroase tablets or whatever other hypo treatment you prefer, so I think you are being unreasonable in expecting the hospital staff to give you some glucose and by the sound of it, your Blood Glucose is already too high, so it would be the wrong thing to give you anyway.

Alcohol is certainly not a hypo treatment. I am not against a glass or two of whatever you fancy but it needs to be at the right time and place.
If you have a BG meter then you will be able to see where your BG reading is and know whether it is high or low at any given time and make decisions accordingly. At a BG of 18, it is way too high and you need to drink plenty of water and avoid any carbohydrates... ie bread pasta rice, potatoes, breakfast cereals, fruit, sweet stuff like cakes biscuits and sweets and definitely alcohol. That rib eye steak with salad and coleslaw but no chips would be a good idea though.

 

[Deleted member 27171]

Hi @charks,
it seems like you may have your hypos and hypers mixed up. A hypo is a very low blood sugar whereas the high levels you describe are a hyper and do come with the need to urinate more often. If you’re not on insulin then they can be tricky to treat very quickly but staying hydrated is important. Cheese is not likely to reduce your bgl so that was probably just coincidence.
although you may need to pee more often, hypers don’t usually cause incontinence, so it may be helpful to discuss the extent of your symptoms with your GP, to see if anything else is going on.

 

[trophywench]

If your blood glucose measurement on the meter is lower than 4 - you are hypoglycaemic and your body urgently needs fast acting carbohydrate. If it reads higher than approx. 13 - you are hyperglycaemic and need to get rid of the excess glucose in your body by the use of both appropriate drugs and diet.

The excess wee-ing indicates to me that you were Hyperglycaemic, not hypo. Hyper = too high and Hypo = too low. Sounding, looking and acting as hissed as a newt can be signs of either once you get near to being clinically comatose with either.

Think Like a Pancreas is still in my bookcase BUT there's a far more modern volume that I believe would offer you far more current and day to day help right now - but you'll hoot when I tell you the title. It's
Type 1 Diabetes in Children, Adolescents and Young Adults by Ragnar Hanas (et al)

Honest truth it's totally useful whatever age you happen to be when fist diagnosed, because LADA stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes of Adults - ie late onset Type 1, or you may have Classic Type 1 - difference is usually true LADA initially presents like Type 2 and very often, also responds initially to treatment with Type 2 drugs. When it just descends like a ton of bricks out of the blue, whether you happen to be aged 8 or 80, it's more likely to be Type 1.

Did anyone mention the word 'ketones' at all? (pronounced 'key-tones')

Did they also take blood out of your arm for further tests and if so any clues as to what tests?

 

[charks]

Sorry about all this, I'm really new to all this. I sound flippant because I'm in a state of euphoria.

Just been on the bike to calm me down.

The problem is that I haven't been actually diagnosed yet, The blood tests went off 7 days ago and I haven't had any results yet. Or diet or insulin.

I was just asking for advice.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @charks

Gove yourself some time to adjust and adapt. Be kind to yourself and take things slowly. A diagnosis with diabetes (if that is what you end up getting) is a big thing, and it can take a while to get your head around things.

You’ll need to be thinking clearly and have the patience to take things slowly and one step at a time too - so cutting back on your alcohol intake will be doubly helpful... One because alcohol makes blood glucose outcomes more erratic and unpredictable, and Two because the effect of alcohol on the brain is to make that unpredictability harder to cope with.

Hope you begin to get a little clarity once your results are in, but in the mean time take things easy and keep asking questions.

 

[Steve66]

Many thanks for all your help. I think you have saved Charlotte's life.

The general information on the forum has given us ideas on how to control her frightening spikes( 13.5 dropping to 2.3 in 60 mins, 16.2 to 1.9 in 90 mins). Luckily her body helped - when she lost control over her bladder it was time for some dextrose.

I kept telling Charlotte that she should have regular blood tests. But she's very scared of needles and wouldn't follow my advice. She now realizes that she's been very stupid. But shouldn't a doctor be able to diagnose and treat a patient without them? Why was she was sent home from A&E when her blood sugar was 2.6?

Once again

Many thanks

P.S. The nurse is recommending a thyroid test. Any views on this course of action?

 

[Inka]

Hi again @Steve66 A thyroid test sounds sensible to me, and, as Charlotte is nervous of needles, I’d make sure they did as many tests as they could in one go rather than her having to go back again too often.

You didn’t comment any further on her seizure in your other thread, but, of course, if these continue when her blood sugar is normal, that would need more investigation.

Do let us know how she is. I hope she’s feeling better now.

 

[rebrascora]

A doctor really cannot diagnose something like diabetes without a blood test and GPs are generally not very clued up on diabetes anyway. Many don't even realise that adults can develop Type 1 diabetes let alone have heard of the term LADA and almost certainly not know about Reactive Hypoglycaemia. Also if a patient is uncooperative for whatever reason, Health Care Professionals (HCPs) will be less inclined to go out on a limb themselves.
Us diabetics learn to accept becoming a pincushion when it comes to needles, be that fingers for blood glucose tests or regular check ups on our HbA1c, liver and kidney function cholesterol etc. and if necessary, injecting insulin 5 times a day. If she can control her condition via diet then that is by far the best option particularly for someone with a needle phobia but she definitely needs further tests and Thyroid function is one of those important checks, so definitely encourage her to get it done along with a full range of other tests including an HbA1c although if she has Reactive Hypoglycaemia her HbA1c result may come back near normal as the highs and lows can cancel each other out.

 

[trophywench]

At what exact point was Charlotte's BG 2.6 when tested from a fingerprick sample?