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Moods

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Maca44

Maca44

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Just wondered if anyone gets in a mood before your next meal.

I get up 8am ish do a BG test have breakfast then lunch at 12.30pm, I then start work at 2.30pm and i'm on the road delivering meds to care homes and often finish around 7 to 7.30pm. I do not have time to stop to snack as it's pretty full on so I find that when I get home and start preparing my healthy meal and begin to wind down I get rather snappy and feel abit light headed, often my BG is in the 3's before I eat.

I'm not aggressive at all in fact if I was a dog I would be the sort to roll on my back for a tickle and not be the snarling type looking to bite your leg. I am on meds for Anxiety/depression but that is well under control and is very different from the mood/anger I get at the end of my shift. Just wanted to know if you have the same feelings when BG's get low.
 
My gut feeling is that the amount of medication you are on for Diabetes is doing you more harm than good and you really need to discuss reduction with your HCPs sooner than later.
The best I can suggest is to have more fat and protein at lunchtime or take some nuts with you whilst you are at work and snack on those or a boiled egg or some salami sticks to keep your levels stable and provide slow release energy during that afternoon period.
 
@Maca44 if you are on blood sugar lowering drugs, it is not a good idea to have a reading in the 3s. As @rebrascora mentioned, it is a good idea to talk to your doc about lowering your meds. Low blood sugars can make us snappy.

The other thing I find which can make me less tolerant is hunger. My understanding of your message is that you are active and do not eat for 7 hours. Whilst some people can fast for days, others of us struggle with 6 hours or more (unless we are asleep). Is it possible to take a snack (not necessarily carby - could be a sausage or boiled egg) on your rounds.

Finally, your moods may have nothing to do with diabetes and food. Do you enjoy your work? You mood may be part of your brain winding down and letting lose after a stressful day or work. If this is the case, maybe some relaxation could help. It doesn't have to be an hour of meditation. It could be something as simple as listening to an audio book after your last drop off instead of, maybe, the news.
 
It sounds like you need a snack to me. Saving time by not snacking might be a false economy. If you’re hungry/snappy/whatever then you’re probably not performing as well as you could. So stopping for a quick snack would make sense. It could literally be a stop of two or three minutes.

When you say your pre-evening meal readings are in the 3s, how low are they? I know you’re not on insulin but I wouldn’t drive in the 3s (or 4s actually - I prefer the 6s). Feeling moody, lacking concentration maybe - not good for driving IMO.
 
Yes I love my work im always on the move but have some nice contact with people on the round, I like the buzz when its busy. The lowest reading was 3.4 so I will find a bar of something today that I will eat on the road around 5pm and see how that works out. I do often feel that I am over medicated but I can't get the diabetic nurse to contact me they just put me on the list for a dr to call then when they did she just said Metformin X 4 aday cant make your BG go low, the support is rubbish.
 
yep i got that when i was having my first hypo. a nurse was there and i didn't know and while she was talking i could feel weird anger attitude building up. was okay after she found out i was having an hypo and dealt with it.
 
Maca44 said:
Yes I love my work im always on the move but have some nice contact with people on the round, I like the buzz when its busy. The lowest reading was 3.4 so I will find a bar of something today that I will eat on the road around 5pm and see how that works out. I do often feel that I am over medicated but I can't get the diabetic nurse to contact me they just put me on the list for a dr to call then when they did she just said Metformin X 4 aday cant make your BG go low, the support is rubbish.
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If I know I'm going to be a looong time between eating, I'll throw something like a BabyBel is my bag, in a tiny clip box. In your shoes, I'd have that as you suggest around 5. It won't raise your bloods a lot, but it could just take the edge off the hunger and bolster the numbers a little before they go too low.

I would agree it would be a good idea to have a meds review.

When do you take your sitagliptin? Maybe discuss timings too, if you can get yourself a review.

(To be clear, I don't take meds, but just relating what I would do.)
 
The thing with hypo on Metformin that it should not happen but a number of people do report it happens to them. I also when first diagnosed and on Diet and Exercise alone I sometimes got the occasional hypo following strenuous exercise.
 
mikeydt1 said:
yep i got that when i was having my first hypo. a nurse was there and i didn't know and while she was talking i could feel weird anger attitude building up. was okay after she found out i was having an hypo and dealt with it.
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That's exactly how it is with me it is weird.
 
Maca44 said:
I then start work at 2.30pm and i'm on the road delivering meds to care homes and often finish around 7 to 7.30pm.
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Snack suggestion is good one.

Did similar work 25 years ago delivering to care homes, found it hard visiting some places & would think about things long after work was finished. Know you enjoy job but possible your subconsciously thinking about some things you see during work, as you only mention low mood before meal after work.
 
One of the ways Metformin works is to reduce glucose output by the liver. It may be that when your body is needing extra because it’s used up the glucose from your last meal, the liver is inhibited from putting out a boost to keep you going.
 
I agree with Robin - and the sitagliptin helps your pancreas chuck out extra insulin - but there is no way of knowing when it will do that or how much more, and it IS illegal to drive when that low, it is driving under the influence of drugs, not Oh what a shame, he's diabetic. So then any of us is tarred with the same brush as any other drug addict. And then how long before you get your licence back?
 
Maca44 said:
I am on meds for Anxiety/depression
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Have you looked at the patient information leaflet/s? I know some can interfere with diabetes but not sure if that would just be those on insulin or not but would be worth you checking xx
 
I have to agree with the girls, If I was you would treat it as taking insulin and test every two hours
whilst on the road, you can then head off any potential hypos.
 
I agree with some of the comments above, especially about driving for 7 hours without eating and with low blood sugars. It is really important to have a snack. I haven't got a clue what the different rules are for type 1 and 2 regarding driving but it is important that you know. I often get angry when BS is low. In my bag i always carry a cereal or naked type bar and i wouldn't drive for more than two hours without a break
 
Do who you work for not do tacho cards? I'm not sure whether it's standard of drivers or a choice by employer thing but there are rules on breaks for a tacho card xx
 
Maca44 said:
Yes I love my work im always on the move but have some nice contact with people on the round, I like the buzz when its busy. The lowest reading was 3.4
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You are not legal to drive at those levels so you need to sort things out before you cause an accident.
A word with your GP about lowering some of your meds might help for starters.
 
nonethewiser said:
Snack suggestion is good one.

Did similar work 25 years ago delivering to care homes, found it hard visiting some places & would think about things long after work was finished. Know you enjoy job but possible your subconsciously thinking about some things you see during work, as you only mention low mood before meal after work.
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No it's not that because I have no contact with the residents although most days I do deliver end of life packs but that doesn't bother me. I have a spare Nexus so will take a bar with me and take a reading just before I eat the bar.
Kaylz said:
Do who you work for not do tacho cards? I'm not sure whether it's standard of drivers or a choice by employer thing but there are rules on breaks for a tacho card xx
Click to expand...
No no taco cards I'm contracted to do 4hrs a day but we are so busy it always overruns.
 
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