• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.

hypos

B

bev

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent
Hi all!

Last night Alex had a good hours exercise - gave him some snacks - but he was 3 this morning - then ok during the day - but he went to the park with his friend and was given 45 minutes to play and then come back for a check on his blood - but he turned up at the door looking awful after only 20 minutes and he was 2.1!
So, my question is , can the effects of exercise really take 24 hours to 'kick in' or do you think its because we have changed his ratios 1 week ago? We have changed it from 1:20 to 1:15.:)Thanks. Bev


p.s. just when we think we have it cracked - we realise we dont!! Grrrr:confused:
 
Hi Bev,

My guess would be due to the change in insulin ratio. Having said that I do notice the effects of runs a few hours after I have finished. For that reason I decrease my next dose of novorapid by two or three units. Maybe you want to decrease the bolus before the meal that preceedes exercise. The best way I find is on anyday to reduce my dosage even if my blood sugar is low, well, not low but if my blood sugar is say for example about 4 or 5 mmol/L prior to breakfast I'll reduce my novorapid by two units.

Hope this helps,

Tom H
 
Hi Bev
Just keep in mind that Alex is probably still in his honeymoon phase, so things will go haywire sometimes, no matter how careful you both are. The important thing is that he came home to test when he felt not right. Perhaps worth considering him having some jelly babies or similar in his pocket, so that he can take action sooner, rather than having to come home, potentially corssing roads etc?
Yes, exercise can have an effect on blood glucose for 24 hours or even longer, but it's much more difficult to keep levels stable in honeymoon phase.
 
Hi,

Thanks tom.


Copepod,

Alex did have a packet of jelly babies in his pocket - but he seems very reluctant to take anything before he has tested - this is because his consultant told him he must test - in case its not actually a hypo - i do see the reasons for saying this to him - but in this instance - it would have been better to just have the jelly babies first!
I am not really sure how to get round this as obviously i dont know how 'bad' a particular hypo is just by looking at him. Perhaps he will start to recognise the degree of hypos he is having in future and will be able to act accordingly. Bev
 
Hi Bev, in that case, then sounds like you and Alex need to explain this situation to Alex's consultant so that you can agree a course of action. Perhaps Alex could carry a meter in his jacket if he's going to the park - not sure that carrying a meter in trouser pockets is a good idea, as it's probably not resilient enough to cope with play.
 
Hi Copepod,

My meter is never really far from me. That said I can't for obvious reasons take it running with me. In that kind of situation I trust how I feel. But in normal lessons it just sits quietly in my jacket pocket.

Bev,

Alex will need to learn to trust his instincts, the machine is really only there to confirm how you feel. Despite his young age he will need to learn this and understand that quick action is needed in the case of hypos. It's good that you've got him carrying some jelly babies around with him. He needs to be able to judge when to use them without the help of a machine. Like I said, the machine is really only to confirm how you feel.

Tom H
 
Hi,

Alex had dinner and i gave him 1:20 rather than 1:15 after his hypos today.
Just tested him 1.5 hours after food and he is 5 - so have given him a snack and some milk and biscuits - do you think thats enough to get him through the night?
He has friends round for a sleepover - and is running round like a looney! Bev
 
Hi Bev,

You might want to test again prior to when he goes to bed. If he's a little low; i.e. round 4 or 5 mmol/L it would be wise to give him a small snack.

Tom H
 
carrying meter for running

It all depends how long I'm running - when doing a mountain marathon, I'm carrying a rucksack with sleeping bag, clothing, food, insulin (2 cartridges & 1 pen only) etc, plus a tent & stove between 2 of us, so a meter, lancet and a few strips isn't a huge extra, and is needed as we're out for around 36 hours. For a maximum of a couple of hours orienteering (and only that long if I have a very bad run!) I test before setting out, and then have a few jelly beans as I go round. For a long training run, I can carry a water bottle, mobile phone, wallet, sweets etc in a bumbag, if I choose. For just sitting somewhere (it's a while since I've been in education, but did MSc after diagnosis), meter is in rucksack. I reckon it is important to have bag within reach, in case of evacuation due to fire alarm etc, as this can mean you're out of office / lecture room etc for an hour or more. I know they say not to take bags in a fire alarm, but if it's small and truly to hand, there's no problem - what fire marshals don't want is people going against the flow of evacuation to collect a bag.
 
hi bev and say hi to alex for me.i had my first hypo about 40 minutes after coming of tread mill,and that was only fast walking for 8minutes.and my second one was when i took my dog out,and another dog attacked him and that was 3.5,so with me it might be exercise and being startled,i was like shakey stevens when i got home,and that was just going for a relaxing walk with my dog.so next night i took my son with me.
 
Hi Bev

I am three years in and still encounter good days, low days and high days. Today is a low day - little one has not gone above 4 all day and now at 2.1 after already giving her snacks (more than usual today as she is low). I have given her some fresh apple juice and sent her back to bed to read and relax for 20 minutes or so and I will go back and check her again - then give her a little somethig to stabilise her.

This learning curve just does not seem to end - it's Saturday - I've had a tough week and really want to sleep !! aggghhhh - the joys of parenting! :confused:
 
Hi Bev,

I 100% agree with what Tom said. I really don't think it's necessary to test everytime you feel hypo. I only test when i'm not sure whether i'm feeling funny because of a hypo or because im hyper/ill/tired etc. Obviously this might be different for Alex because of his age, but I think if he is out without his meter and starts to feel funny he should be encouraged to look after himself by eating some jelly babies. It is better that he goes a bit high, rather than ending up having a bad hypo.
 
Hi Bev
As a spare I have the lifescan ultra easy small meter complete with carrypouch which slides on my belt.
Only caveat at this time of year is the operating temperature range. 6 - 30 degreesC

I was caught out with this recently. Even out the wind in the garage it was well below zero and there was ice forming on my cold coffee
 
Hi Bev,
I carry my meter everywhere with me but as I always have a handbag its alot easier. I too am in the honeymoon phase and things can be so unpredictable. I had a perfect week last week, all levels were between 4-7 before meals and 7-9 before bed. However, this week its gone crazy,hypos everyday some days twices. Have had 2 hypos at 5 am, and at random times, with exercise and without. Although it gets me down I understand its just something thats going to happen at this moment in time.

They have changed my lantus from 13 to 10 and touch wood past 2 days/nights have been ok. 2 and half months now since I was diagnosed and I just want to feel normal again. I cant believe how much my life has changed. But Alex will get there and so will I.

Hop hes havin fun playin out in the sunshine. x
 
I carry my meter everywhere and feel lost on the occasions I have forgotton it. If I didn't have it I would treat if I felt hypo. if I was wrong then I could correct later. Alex did well in treating the other day at school when he felt low.
 
Thanks all!

Just wondering now - does a night time hypo wake you up - he has never woken up with one - and we only tested through the night for the first 2 weeks! Would he know if he had had one?
Another site i have joined has said that there is no evidence to suggest that the 'phenomenon' (?) that is supposed to happen (where the liver dumps glucose if you get really low) doesnt actually happen! :confused:Bev
 
bev said:
Thanks all!

Just wondering now - does a night time hypo wake you up - he has never woken up with one - and we only tested through the night for the first 2 weeks! Would he know if he had had one?
Another site i have joined has said that there is no evidence to suggest that the 'phenomenon' (?) that is supposed to happen (where the liver dumps glucose if you get really low) doesnt actually happen! :confused:Bev
Click to expand...

Well I have woken up before with a hypo, so yes some people sometimes wake up if they have a hypo.

But also I have gone to bed with a normal BG reading and woken up to a reading of 16 etc so I reduced my Lantus assuming that I went low and my liver sent out some glucose.

I don't think people always wake up if they have a night time hypo, but i suspect most people do.
 
bev said:
Thanks all!

Just wondering now - does a night time hypo wake you up - he has never woken up with one - and we only tested through the night for the first 2 weeks! Would he know if he had had one?
Another site i have joined has said that there is no evidence to suggest that the 'phenomenon' (?) that is supposed to happen (where the liver dumps glucose if you get really low) doesnt actually happen! :confused:Bev
Click to expand...

Hard to say. I don't think I've actually been woken with a hypo, but I do tend to wake most nights needing the loo (probably my age!). I usually test to see what my levels are, and sometimes they are OK - 5 to 8, and sometimes low - 2.5 - 3.5. I don't usually feel any symptoms when I am low as I'm still half asleep. I've never got up in the morning to a level above 7, although I have once or twice been below 3.5.

I'm guessing that my levels don't actually fall low enough for the 'rebound' effect, which is caused when stress hormones trigger the 'liver dump'.

I guess it's another illustration of how much people can differ!
 
Heya,

Sometimes I go low during the night. This does wake me up if it's below 3mmol/L. If above that but below 4 mmol/L it doesn't wake me up. I sleep like a dead man so maybe hat explains it. Normally I have trouble just being able to get my morning bloods down below 10 mmol/L for more than two days at a time. I don't think that I'm hypo but it could well be a possibility. Maybe a reduction in my night time levemir would be an appropriate mesure.

Tom H
 
I sometimes wake up (during the night)feeling a bit low, and usually do test before eating anything, as I need to check if I'm just tired. Usually go for a pee while I'm awake, but I don't think it's a full bladder that wakes me. A couple of times, long before I changed to a more suitable insulin regime, I woke my bed mate by thrashing around - he tried to get some Hypostop down me and couldn't understand why I wasn't co-operating (he knew that people could be unco-operative when hypoglycaemic), so he tasted it and agredd it tasted horrible, so went to the kitchen for some jam instead. When he's away, which happens for at leats 6 weeks each (northern) winter, plus some other weeks through the year, I occasionally wake up with a "thick head" feeling and a high blood glucose level, so probably had a hypo that didn't wake me up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top