question

[colinw]

Hi
been doing this for 5 weeks now and I still having problems when I go to low,as I have just done I have changed were I inject from tummy to leg,I dont know if that changes anything.
I use gluco tabs and lucazade and first take two tablets then depending how I feel a drink then I just eat anything fruit bread crackers etc etc untill i feel quilty.
Does anyone know on a test of 3.8 what is the correct thing to do to make you say 6.because when I test two hours later im 9.5 and frightened to have a snack b4 bed then I wake up sweating.
I know everyones differant but any help will be appreated
thanks in antisapation spellings c**p sorry
colinw

 

[diagonall]

Hi
been doing this for 5 weeks now and I still having problems when I go to low,as I have just done I have changed were I inject from tummy to leg,I dont know if that changes anything.
I use gluco tabs and lucazade and first take two tablets then depending how I feel a drink then I just eat anything fruit bread crackers etc etc untill i feel quilty.
Does anyone know on a test of 3.8 what is the correct thing to do to make you say 6.because when I test two hours later im 9.5 and frightened to have a snack b4 bed then I wake up sweating.
I know everyones differant but any help will be appreated
thanks in antisapation spellings c**p sorry
colinw

Hi Colin,
Have you heard of the 15min rule?
hypo = 15 quick acting carbs wait 15 mins retest if still to low repeat. If more than 1 hr from a meal time then have some slow carbs and protien. (don't over do it)
As you are going low like that give your diabetes nurse a ring and ask about reducing your insulin. It sounds as if you are honeymooning (Pancreas is having a final fling before it packs up)

 

[colinw]

hi thanks
What is 15 quick acting carbs does that include glutabs where do i get that information what do you do if you hypo say
colin

 

[WorzelGummidge]

There is no rule that will let you control what your sugar rises to after a hypo. 150ml of lucozade, non-diet coca cola or another sugary drink is enough to correct a hypo. If you're going to be eating a meal within the next hour, just have the drink. If you aren't going to be eating for a while, follow it up with some slower-acting carbs like a few biscuits or a banana. If you like using glucose tablets, 2 tablets is unlikely to be enough. I don't use them but if I recall correctly, 5 or 6 is a better number.

When you have a hypo, your pancreas releases a hormone that is kind of the opposite of insulin. This hormone tells your liver to convert glycogen into glucose (sugar) and release it into your bloodstream. This process takes a little while to kick in and it takes a while to switch off, and by that time it has released a LOT of sugar into your blood. This is why your blood glucose can go very high after a hypo - it's called a rebound. You can't control this and even if you could, you wouldn't want to stop it because it's what helps you recover from hypos.

When you get these rebound high levels, don't give yourself a lot of extra insulin to counter them - you will be at high risk to go into another hypo. You just have to put up with it unfortunately.

When I have a hypo I drink half a glass of fruit juice, then usually have a piece of fruit even if I am going to be eating soon. Mostly because I get terribly hungry when I have a hypo. Try to limit yourself to 150 - 200ml of sugary liquid and perhaps a small amount of extra carbs. If you eat lots and lots your sugar will rebound even higher.

Moving from your stomach to your leg can have an effect. Insulin is absorbed fastest when you inject into your stomach, more slowly from your legs. It's a good idea to rotate your sites anyway. 🙂

 

[diagonall]

hi thanks
What is 15 quick acting carbs does that include glutabs where do i get that information what do you do if you hypo say
colin

Hi Colin, quick/fast carbs is glucose either tabs or some lucazade or even none diet coke. But you must be controlled when drinking the liquid as there is a lot of carbs in a can or bottle.
You should not need any more than 4 glucose tablets to cure a hypo.

Please do ring your DSN so you can have your insulin adjusted.

If I hypo I only need 1 or 2 glucose tabs as I am on a pump so am very finely tuned.

 

[Rachy]

Hi
I have had diabetes for 11 yrs and used to be confused on how much i shud have 2 treat a hypo. I used to eat and eat until i didn't feel low anymore and then my BS were 9 or above. i usually take 2=4 gluco tabs, if u do have lucozade u only need 100ml to bring ur BS up or a mini can of coke 150ml does the trick too.

 

[aymes]

Hi
been doing this for 5 weeks now and I still having problems when I go to low,as I have just done I have changed were I inject from tummy to leg,I dont know if that changes anything.
I use gluco tabs and lucazade and first take two tablets then depending how I feel a drink then I just eat anything fruit bread crackers etc etc untill i feel quilty.
Does anyone know on a test of 3.8 what is the correct thing to do to make you say 6.because when I test two hours later im 9.5 and frightened to have a snack b4 bed then I wake up sweating.
I know everyones differant but any help will be appreated
thanks in antisapation spellings c**p sorry
colinw

Changing from you stomach to your leg could potentially have an impact, depending on when you are going low as insulin is absorbed more quickly from your stomach than elsewhere.

If you're hypo you should have some quick acting carbs straight away, as you say everyone is different but for me it's 20g which is the equivalent of a 200ml juice carton. If after 15 minutes you are still hypo (under 4) you should repeat. Once you're no longer hypo if you're not due for a meal in less than 2 hours or so you'd probably want to have 10-20g of slower acting carbs such as bread.

It's quite common to to go a little higher than you'd expect to from the carbs you take to treat a hypo as you liver will usually 'kick out' some sugar as a reaction to low sugars.

Are you on a basal bolus regime or on mixed insulin?

Of course all this should be discussed with your medical team as everyone is different.

 

[sofaraway]

i like the glucotabs and use betreen 1-4 tabs depending on the hypo.
There is a difference for if the hypo is off basal or bolus insulin. If it's basal then I can usually just have some glucose tabs and not need any snack. if it's off bolus insulin then I need to have a snack as I'm going to likely keep dropping.

 

[Lizzie]

WorzelGummidge said "When you get these rebound high levels, don't give yourself a lot of extra insulin to counter them - you will be at high risk to go into another hypo. You just have to put up with it unfortunately."

This is one of the things I did not understand from my DAFNE course. What do you do in this situation? Should your blood sugar automatically come down again?

For example, a few nights ago I had a bad night hypo, legs wouldnt work properly, BG 1.9 plus I was sleepy. I ate some jelly babies and since I still felt rough had some lucozade too which I now know was a mistake but at the time was really groggy and just wanted to feel better. I went back to sleep, four hours later I was 21.6. I injected to correct this and it worked out ok in the end.

But what I am curious about is the fact that on DAFNE I was told not to correct these BGs as Worzelgummidge says. What would have happened if I had left it? Wouldn't I have gone hyper? I was already feeling thirsty and needing to wee a lot, although since it was the middle of the night and I couldn't find my ketone strips I did not test for them.