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type 2, possible hypo

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Derek Stubbs

Derek Stubbs

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Hi all

I think I am having a hypo but I am meant to be type 2 but only diagnosed in April.

Today, had a reading of 5.3 at 8.30am this morning
Then had 10am had quite a large bowl of porridge with a few strawberries
& coffee & a drop of double cream.

Tested two hours later at 12 noon...10.9

Had another coffee at 12.30 with 30g of cheddar cheese & 20g of cooked ham

Then walked about half a mile to a kids fair & stayed about 30 mins, then went to a relatives for an hour or so & sat in the sun in their back garden. Was feeling ok at this point.

Just got home, hung some washing out, & it's still nice a sunny.

I then started to get very wobbly on my legs, my arms felt very weak, & slight dizziness & headache.

So, I took a reading......3.9

So I have just had half a glass of full fat / sugar coke & see how I feel shortly.

Could this be a sign of type 1 does anybody think ?

Any comments greatly appreciated.
 
Sorry I can't remember, what if any diabetic meds are you on. They do sound like hypo symptoms to me and your meter said 3.9.
No it's not a sign of T1.certain D meds for T2 can cause hypo's , that's why I asked.
Actually anyone can go hypo back in my distant youth , a non D boyfriend used to go hypo if he Missed a meal , which was a bit of a problem at the time being poor students lol.
 
Sorry meant to ask, how are you now.
 
I am on 2 x 500mg of metformin but I am now underweight since losing 1 & half stone in less than three months.

I've had half glass of coke, 9 cherries, a mouthful of cooked ham, & a lump of cheddar cheese.

My arms still feel pretty weak, the right arm seems weaker than the left for some reason but legs seem ok now.
 
You probably felt like that as you dropped from a higher figure but no it's not a sign of T1. T1 hypos are because of either taking too much insulin or exercising causing blood sugar to drop. The key component here being injected insulin. In a working pancreas insulin is released to cover carbs eaten and reduced when exercising. In T1 once injected it's there for its duration whether you want it or not. So if you miscalculate then that can lead to hypo. As yout bg drops below 4 it can carry on dropping because it has already been injected.

The definition of hypo in diabetes (when taking hypo causing meds) is 4 or less but the whole population whether diabetic or not will have been 'hypo' at one point or another as everyone will drop below 4 mmol/l.
 
Thanks Matt.

Yes, the sudden drop from the higher figure , a drop of 7.0 in the space of less than two hours , I was only wandering slowly around the kids fair & then sat for an hour in a garden, did a few bits back home, then suddenly went very weak. I have been getting these quite a bit recently but I wasn't able to test my levels, but now I can, & will keep a record & let the doctors know the scores & how I feel.
I am going to test again shortly to see what my levels are.
 
Ah now I see why you're concerned about being T1, the unexpected? weight loss.
If you've gone low carb , itoften causes us to lose weight. Also Metformin was originally developed to help people lose weight.
Are you taking in enough calories everyday .
Have you spoken to your gp about being tested for T1.
 
back up to 9.7 now, but I still feel very weak , especially the arms.

That reading was on my left hand.

I have a lump on my upper spine aswell, but the doctor said it was normal, so what's going on, I need to know.

I have just taken another reading, on my right hand & it's 6.6

so it seems I am getting very different readings depending which hand I test on.

It's the right arm that feels weakest aswell.

Next time I get hypo, I am going to test on right hand, as it seems to be lower than the left, whereas my 3.9 earlier was tested on my left hand, I would bet it would have been even lower had I tested the right hand.
 
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It can take a while to fully recover from a hypo, even when your BGs have gone back up.

Did your gp suggest what the lump was, if not it would be best to ask him her or even another gp.
I understand you are worried , please don't take this the wrong way, because it's not meant unkindly,
it would be very wrong of us to attempt to diagnose what may be wrong.
If your not getting the care you need and deserve from your gp then perhaps it's time to think about changing to another one.
 
Thanks Lin.

We have been thinking of changing GP's anyway, all I know is, this lump wasn't there a couple of months ago & I am certain it's pressing on nerves, more so to the right arm as that get's weakest , quicker. Either that or I have some blood flow issue towards the right arm, my blood pressure is very low.
102/60
 
when I had my hypo today, I immediately know I was not right, so tested straight away & got a glass of coke down.
It was 3.9, but I reckon I could have let it drop a bit lower before taking the coke to see what level I could get down to, but that's obviously a big risk.
I wasn't alone, so help was very close if needed.

I guess you learn as you go on, & learn to understand what's happening to your own body.
 
Derek Stubbs said:
when I had my hypo today, I immediately know I was not right, so tested straight away & got a glass of coke down.
It was 3.9, but I reckon I could have let it drop a bit lower before taking the coke to see what level I could get down to, but that's obviously a big risk.
I wasn't alone, so help was very close if needed.

I guess you learn as you go on, & learn to understand what's happening to your own body.
Click to expand...
@Derek Stubbs , Please for your own sake don't experiment like that. Hypo's kill off brain cells. Our brain can only run in glucose. It sends us panic (hypo) symptoms when it's being starved.
 
I think I need to start carrying emergency supplies with me from now on just in case this happens when I am out & about.

I never thought I would need to do this being Type 2 & on metformin as I thought the metformin stopped you getting too low.

When I dropped to 4.2 a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine as I had just come back from doing exercise, it's weird how a 3.9 can differ so much although
the weather was much warmer today than when I hit 4.2
 
Derek Stubbs said:
I think I need to start carrying emergency supplies with me from now on just in case this happens when I am out & about.

I never thought I would need to do this being Type 2 & on metformin as I thought the metformin stopped you getting too low.

When I dropped to 4.2 a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine as I had just come back from doing exercise, it's weird how a 3.9 can differ so much although
the weather was much warmer today than when I hit 4.2
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong, glucose meters are fantastic devises, but dead accurate they are not, because they are not being used in tightly controlled conditions., so it's quite possible to be higher or lower than the meter says.
They all have to work within certain parameters.

It's likely the exersize dropped your BGs. Cheese and ham hardly have any carbs in them.
Metfartin doesn't prevent hypo's, it's supposed not to cause them, but I know a couple of people on here who get hypo's on it.
It won't do any harm to have a pack of dextrose tablets or a few jelly babies on you whilst exercising/walking. Hopefully you will never need them.
 
Thanks Liin

I plan to take some food & drink when I go out, as you say, something that will get into the system quickly.

I also have a fungal infection on my toes & I get a lot of spots on my skin especially above where the main nerves run, I have started some anti fungal tablets last week.
I think the fungal infection has spread from my toes, but hopefully the tablet will kill them off.
 
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Derek Stubbs said:
I think I need to start carrying emergency supplies with me from now on just in case this happens when I am out & about.

I never thought I would need to do this being Type 2 & on metformin as I thought the metformin stopped you getting too low.

When I dropped to 4.2 a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine as I had just come back from doing exercise, it's weird how a 3.9 can differ so much although
the weather was much warmer today than when I hit 4.2
Click to expand...

Hi Derek,

My doctor asked me if I'd had any hypos at my diabetes review which surprised me as the diabetic nurse has said previously that you can't have hypos on metformin. I told the doctor this who said yes you can have hypos on metformin but it's less likely than on insulin or some other medications but not unheard of.
 
Thanks for the info Jangles.

I will be letting the doctor or nurse know I have had hypos see what they say.
 
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