Was it a real hypo?

[pippaandben]

Woke at 3am feeling I needed the loo - but then came over really hot and perspiring to the point where it was dripping off me. My signal of a low (for me) hypo = usually very low 4s. Tested at 5.5!! Took 3 jelly babies and after about 15 minutes the sweats had gone and felt normal so settled down to sleep, This morning 8.30 felt fine tested at 4.1!!! NO SYMPTOMS. Certainly serves me right for not doing another test after 15 minutes. Bit horrifying to think how low I must have gone

What is going on? I usually have very good awareness - feeling hot then a bit sweaty before the waterworks really start. Soon followed by tingly fingers which can make doing a test a bit difficult and then palpitations. So far have caught it for the past few months now at the very hot stage but this is the second night hypo where I have woken up hot in the last couple of weeks.
The only thing I did differently last evening (about 6pm) was to spend about 3/4 hour strimming round the garden which did wear me out to the point of breathlessness and certainly did my back no favours so another task hubby will have to take on board.

Somewhere on here I read that several members have experienced "funny" hypos

 

[Northerner]

The only thing I did differently last evening (about 6pm) was to spend about 3/4 hour strimming round the garden which did wear me out to the point of breathlessness and certainly did my back no favours so another task hubby will have to take on board.

Somewhere on here I read that several members have experienced "funny" hypos

Yes, I've had a few like those 😱 What was your level before bed? Gardening, in particular, can have a prolonged BG-lowering effect on me, particularly if I haven't done any for a while. I think it's partly due to the body using different muscles more vigourously than what I am used to. This not only enhances insulin sensitivity, but also depletes the muscles of glycogen, which the body then seeks to restore over the ensuing hours, so it's a 'double-whammy' of levels dropping. I think that, especially if you were particularly tired before bed, then sleep can decrease hypo symptoms. It sounds like your levels may have been dropping quickly when you woke, you topped things up when the symptoms came on, but over the following hours until waking they slipped back down again. Also, your body clock might be changing with the increased length of day and new season? Well, this is my guess - obviously I don't know, but it is a possibility! 🙂

Perhaps worthwhile having a slow-releasing snack before bed after future exertions (my current favourite is a slice of cheese on toast), just to give you a bit more to work with overnight 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Changes in levels of other hormones can cause sweating eg going through menopause, prostate or thyroid glands playing up etc. So, sweating doesn't always mean hypoglycaemia.

 

[pippaandben]

Northerner - thanks for pulling all the different threads together. That certainly makes sense on thyroxin.
Copepod - in order too old, wrong sex and already on throxin!!

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

It is pretty unusual for people to get to clinical hypoglycaemia (3.0 or 3.5mmol/L depending on which research you read) on Metformin, though I believe there have been *some* documented cases.

What is more common seems to be a slightly elevated 'switch' level in the brain which can trigger full-on counterregulatory hormone response (adrenaline/sweats/irresistible hunger etc) at a higher level if the body has been running at higher BGs for a while. Doesn't seem to apply in your case though as you test enough to know that your symptoms kick in at around 4 or just below (which is perfect).

If it isn't the gardening as Northie suggests, I put my money on a dodgy strip - unless you rechecked/confirmed the 5.5 overnight. Easy enough, and perfectly within legal BG meter accuracy criteria, to get one that reads 1.5 higher once in every few pots of 50 and if you hadn't had such strong warning symptoms (say it had read 6.5 when you were 5.0 but without the sweats etc) then you'd not have thought twice about it.

 

[KookyCat]

I get those types of symptoms when I've rebounded during the night, so the infamous low five but with hypo symptoms is quite common for me. It could be that, of course I had to do lots of hourly tests through the night to work that one out which wasn't the best of fun 😱

 

[Northerner]

It is pretty unusual for people to get to clinical hypoglycaemia (3.0 or 3.5mmol/L depending on which research you read) on Metformin, though I believe there have been *some* documented cases....

pippaandben is on (I believe) humalog and levemir Mike, so not just metformin 🙂

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

pippaandben is on (I believe) humalog and levemir Mike, so not just metformin 🙂

Ahhh! I forget who is on what and just read the signature, but managed to miss 'MDI'. Ooops! As you were 🙂

 

[trophywench]

So - time for an overnight basal test !!!

 

[pippaandben]

Really late dinner 8.30-9 and due to this forgot bolus and metformin!!! First time for everything. However should have been 3u for potato, 1u apple and 1.5u small orange. So bedtime reading 3 hours later 14.1. Just when I had had really good results these past few weeks and was hoping for a much improved blood result in 2 weeks time. Did 1.5 correction at midnight plus basal (10u) and this morning 4.3.
Will do properly timed test tonight - I promise!!!