• 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.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

Night lows & hypod

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

Sugarcoated

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all.
Over the past few weeks, I've been struggling with nighttime lows & some hypos. Thankfully the libre 2 sensor wakes me up so i don't hypo as much now but i still can go very low at 4. I eat a jelly baby everytime my libre alarms but i go to 6, then drop straight down to 3-4 straight after.
Lastnight, i had to get up at 1am to eat cheese on toast which did stabilise me for about 2 hrs but i soon went low again.
I'm getting no sleep & i have a chest infection & on IV antibiotics so i need to rest. I eat something healthy & low GI before i go to bed & through day my sugars range between 5-9.
I also don't take insulin after my evening meal which is around 5.30pm. I'm on Novarapid & no long acting.
I'm seeing Diabetic Dr again in 2 mths. I saw him last week & he just said keep any eye on it. Which I'm doing but I'm soooo tired
Any advice will be gratefully recieved, thank you.
 
What’s your blood sugar when you go to bed and what time in the night do you usually hypo @Sugarcoated ? Also, have you checked your antibiotics aren’t affecting your sugars?
 
Thank you for replying. I'm often on these antibiotics & they've never caused a problem before.
My sugars before bed are 8mmol & my first hypo was at 10pm lastnight but it usually starts around 2am & lasts until i get out of bed at 6.30am & for some reason they just stop behaving badly.
I can literally eat what i want in the morning & they will rise above 7.
I think my pancrease is having misfires as it works now & again. I have cystic-fibrosis so my pancrease is blocked more than not working...according to my diabetic cf Dr.
 
Ah, perhaps the cystic fibrosis is connected in some way? Could you be making some of your own insulin erratically? All I can think to do is to maybe keep the Novorapid at a minimum with your evening meal (ie eat less carbs), eat a bedtime snack if lower than 10 (ie try to go to bed at 10mmol) and, if necessary, set an alarm to test around 1/1.30am so you can eat early to try to ward off the hypo.

As you’re not taking basal insulin, I’d think there’s something additional to the diabetes going on, unless you’re recently diagnosed?
 
If it continues, I’d speak to a doctor to rule out other causes because it must be exhausting for you and needs sorting.
 
I've been diabetic for 10yrs or so. Cfrd diabetes is really hard to cope with. Our infections don't help & I'm on long term steroids aswell.
Thank you for replying.
 
That sounds really hard @Sugarcoated I don’t know what else to suggest. I can’t remember if there are others here with CF.
 
I wonder if those with Type 3c diabetes could help?
 
It is exhausting. I still haven't managed to get dressed this morning as once I've done all my physio, IV'S & other meds on little to no sleep, I'm fatigued.
 
Hi @Sugarcoated Are you on any other diabetic meds as well as the Novorapid?
 
Hmmm I wonder what is causing these hypos then - unless it could be reactive hypoglycaemia which some people suffer from.
 
Sorry should have explained. Reactive hypoglycaemia is where your blood sugar goes high and your own insulin production kicks in to bring it down a little too enthusiatically.
 
Sugarcoated said:
I think my pancrease is having misfires as it works now & again. I have cystic-fibrosis so my pancrease is blocked more than not working...according to my diabetic cf Dr.
Click to expand...
This is just a suggestion, do you take Creon? I know a lot of people with CF do, so wondering if you don't if you are actually absorbing your meals correctly.
I have a cyst on my pancreas which was basically leaving me suffering from malnutrition, hence the low blood sugars and eating JB's day and night at times.
Once I started the Creon all these problems went, so wondering if you are using Creon and if you need to increase the dose or perhaps you need a scan to see if you need it?
 
Pumper_Sue said:
This is just a suggestion, do you take Creon? I know a lot of people with CF do, so wondering if you don't if you are actually absorbing your meals correctly.
I have a cyst on my pancreas which was basically leaving me suffering from malnutrition, hence the low blood sugars and eating JB's day and night at times.
Once I started the Creon all these problems went, so wondering if you are using Creon and if you need to increase the dose or perhaps you need a scan to see if you need it?
Click to expand...
 
Yes I'm on creon 25,000 & have been on enzymes since birth.
I'm already on maximum dose so upping it is not allowed.
 
Sugarcoated said:
I've been diabetic for 10yrs or so. Cfrd diabetes is really hard to cope with. Our infections don't help & I'm on long term steroids aswell.
Thank you for replying.
Click to expand...
Ah another avenue to enquire about is secondary Addison's disease. This is when your adrenal glands shut down due to prolonged use of steroids.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top