[WiseWords]

Originally posted by zookeeper671
Hello everyone~
I'm pretty new to diabetes,
(haven't attended any support groups due to my hectic schedule),
and don't really get a chance to talk about it, so
here I am.

And, if you want to be able to say, "there you are",
you better arrange your hectic schedule to
allow time for some classes.
I have never understood how any
newly diagnosed diabetic, especially those on insulin,
could go about their business without proper and
complete instruction.
I was always in a situation where that was the norm,
and was amazed to find out that it is just
not so for everyone, as it should be.

Hate to sound redundant, but you are not going
to have a hectic schedule, or any schedule,
if you don't know what you are doing, or
keep getting severely low.
What if that happened while you were driving???

Originally posted by zookeeper671
Last night and this afternoon I experienced some severe hypos.
I've been hypo in the past, but never like this,
and it scared me. The hypo I experienced last night
rendered me unconscious/unresponsive.
Thanks to my dog for having to go to the bathroom at 2am
and waking up my boyfriend, he noticed my condition and
took care of the matter via glucagon injection....

So, is your dog diabetic also?
Most dogs sleep through the night !

Possible reason why it happened:
Don't know if this was the case,
but if not, it will be in the future.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
Sex = exercise that can make you low.
It has only recently been talked about,
but most diabetics learn it from experience.
(The sex part & getting low!)
In your case, if you were taking an amount of
insulin that worked for a typical day/night
activity/sleep schedule, and you got some
extra activity with your boyfriend,
that was why you got low !
Don't stop the activity. Just have a small
glass of OJ or other fruit drink, preferably
before, rather than after. Usually, about 4 oz.
will be sufficient if your BG is in a normal range.
Same for the sex. You know what you've got planned !

Instead of fruit juice, you might want to try
whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I'm sure
your boyfriend won't complain, but I'll let you
figure out what to do with it !
Just remember, it's all for your good health.


Other varied activity during the day,
from a hectic schedule, or not enough food,
or food with a different glycemic index
than what you are use to,
could be contributing factors to an unexpected low BG.

Originally posted by zookeeper671
Surprisingly, that 2am hypo (which I have little memory of)
didn't scare me as bad as the one I had the following afternoon.
I was sitting in class, became suddenly very hot, then began to sweat so profusely that I became soaked. It happened so fast and I became so disconnected with my surroundings that I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. All I could do was just sit there and stare into space. Thankfully my instructor, who is also a paramedic, realized I was in trouble. He poured glucose gel into my mouth and shortly later tested my bg level (was 51mg/dl).
Is 51 on a reading really that low to cause such symptoms?

In a word, No.

But, the 51 was after you had the glucose.
51 is low, more than just a little bit.
Your BG, (Blood Glucose), came up to 51.
It didn't start there.
It was at least in the 40's, possibly in the mid-30's.
That is enough to cause the symptoms you described,
in some people.
I have hypoglycemic unawareness, meaning I get
no warning symptoms when I get low.
By the time I realize that I am not acting normally,
if I realize it, I may need help from others.
To avoid that, there is only one thing to do:
Test, test, test, and then, test some more !

You knew you were low, but it appeared to
come on so quickly that you were unable to help
yourself. Chances are, there were earlier
warning symptoms that you were unaware of,
or ignored because they did not seem obvious.
These could be such things as
feeling unusually stressed out, agitated,
or making a big-deal out of things that
you know are not really a big-deal.
Before those symptoms, most people will have
a distinct feeling of weakness, fatigue,
dizziness, confusion, disorientation, and then,
perspiration, shakiness, passing out,
often in that order. Not everyone gets all of
the possible warning symptoms.

Before or after sweating, the skin
may feel cold & clammy to others,
but you may not know it.

Some people have dilated pupils.
If you have a mirror with you, take a look,
when you are low, or ask someone else.

Because not everyone has every symptom,
you need to know all the symptoms, and then,
learn which ones you get.
If you had attended classes, you would have
learned this basic stuff, and received
booklets or pamphlets about recognizing the
symptoms of being low.

You can find this info on most of the
general websites about Diabetes.
You can do a search on Google for
thousands of results on just about any topic
related to diabetes. The most recent and
relevant results will be first.
When using Google, be very careful about
winding up on some of the weird-advice websites
about diabetes. This includes a multitude of
message boards.(Not this one.)
To get started use this link--->Diabetes
For general searches on anything, bookmark
or add this link to your Favorites--->Google

Originally posted by zookeeper671
I've read that stress can cause a rise in bg level, but my main question is whether it can do the reverse?

YES !

Originally posted by zookeeper671
I've been under an incredible amount of stress lately,
an exhausing work load (yet have been able to maintain decent levels), and throughout have been following doctors orders faithfully.

Testing before class would probably avoid
future embarrassment. I know that people
will say there is no reason to be embarrassed,
but try telling that to someone who went
through what you did.
Remember, that even if your BG is normal,
there is no point in going into class if it
is 70 or 75. Chances are, it will get lower
while you are sitting there.
Because you are not moving, you may not
realize when it is only slightly low.
By the time you are aware of it,
you either can't move, have great difficulty moving,
or are moving involuntarily.

I am personally against relieving stress with pills,
in spite of the popular TV ads.
You are better off to deal with the issues
from within, and be in total control of your own self.
Of course, that is sometimes easier said than done,
and there is nothing wrong with talking to a
professional counselor. Try to find one,
if necessary, who is willing to actually
listen & talk, without the pills.
As a new diabetic, you may be under more stress
than you realize, from this life changing condition.
Now, add that to your daily schedule !

Originally posted by zookeeper671
I'm so embarrassed about what happened this afternoon in class. I feel I should have been able to prevent the situation from getting that bad, yet when it happened I seemed to have lost control of my mind and body.

(See comments in above paragraphs.)

When you get real low, you can lose control.
It is not permanent, nor related to any mental illness.
The brain needs, among other things, two primary
ingredients in the blood, in order to function.
Sugar, in the form of glucose, and oxygen.
Just as a reduction in oxygen would cause you to
lose co-ordination and control, so will a
reduction in the blood sugar.
This was a common experience among test-pilots
in the early 1950's, regarding a loss of O2.
As soon as the oxygen level was restored,
they were okay. Most people can understand that,
but have trouble understanding that it is
much the same with the blood sugar.
Solution: Don't let it get that low.
(Classes might have helped in giving you
the needed tips. You do need to make time for them.)


The rest of this message is continued in PART 2