[tyrice]

How long does it normally take you all to get your strength back(walking, talking, reagaining balance) after a severe hypo?


This saturday morning I woke up. Barely able to breathe and could not move. My sense of time wasn't there and all I had were my thoughts, a blurry vision of my ceiling and panic. Trying to regulate my breathing was a task in itself. Having to calm myself was even harder. I was home alone. My kids were at my moms an I was stuck in a mental limbo. Not really knowing if I was still awake or if I was dreaming the whole thing. As I felt my breathe hit my teeth, I could feel and hear my heart beat as if I were wearing a stethascope. Fear had started to overcome me. Visions of being mentally handicapped and not having my kids anymore rushed through my head without prejudice. Noticing my breathing started to slow down, not in speed, but just in breaths in general. I finally managed to convince myself I was hypo and could possibly get out of this situation. After numerous attempts I was finally able to lift a shoulder. Still couldn't talk. Not even a simple mumble. After a few more tries I was able to get a single arm in the air. I still could not control it, but it was progress. Apparently my glucose was rising. Slowly but surely. A few minutes go by and I find myself on the floor with flailing arms. I made an attempt to find my Nextel phone(my mom has nextel also). But to no success was it with in eye sight, nor did I have the patience. Crawling on all fours I made it to my front door, but couldn't balance myself long enough to open it. I have a patio door right next to it with blinds. I reached over to grab the strings used to open the blinds, and used that to hold me up. With that in hand I was able to open my door. My neighbor's apartment is about 4 or 5 feet to the right of mine. Still unable to balance myself I managed to crawl to their front door, leaving a small bllod trail behind from my knees. After a couple of bangs on the door someone finally answered. I'm sure it had to be a bit awkward seeing your neighbor on the ground in his boxers in front of your door, but hey, what was I gonna do? I was able to get out "Call 911". It took a couple tries in between breaths, but I noticed my speech was coming back. I was also able to get out my moms phone number so they could call her as well. I managed to flop back into my own apartment doorway until the paramedics arrived. My speech was started to come back and I was coherent. I couldn't stand up and had no control of my bodily muscles. When they tested my blood it was 77! They then gave me a bottle dextrose I think it was. Tested me again about 10 minutes later and I was up to 94. I was just then able to stand. Still off balance though. By this time my mom had already shown up and spoke with them. The paramedics waited till I was able to stabalize myself and then left. However, I do have to say this has been the scariest moment of my life. I didn't go to bed till 4am sunday morning because I was afraid of what may happen. I tested aroudn midnight saturday/sunday and my blood was around 200. When I didn't take anything to correct it, wanting to see how sunday morning would end up. I tested sunday and was 122.

So back to my question...How long does it normaly take your strength to come back after a hypo?

[xMenace]

Been thru that or worse 5 times.

I usually take a half an hour or so to pull fully out. They hauled me in once cause i was too slow. I needed a foot xray anyway as i kicked the bedpost pretty ****ed hard while convulsing.

4 of the times I was coming out as they entered the house.

[duck]

Can I ask you a question first? Do you take N (aka "NPH")? If not, what kind of insulin do you take, and how long before all this happened was your last shot?

[tyrice]

I'm on Novolog and Lantus. I took my Lantus around 11pm. I've only been on this setup for about 2 months now.

[belyro]

I guess I'm lucky. I get tired and shaky and weak, but have never lost consciousness or coherence or anything, even at 50 or lower. It can take me hours to truly feel better, though. It often leaves me really tired with a headache. It's about 1/2 an hour usually, though, before I feel OK walking around again. I can if I have to, but I just have no energy to do it (i.e. walk around) for a while.

[Emm]

I'm with Bethany - also never had any serious lows, but still takes me hours to feel like I'm back to normal. Sometimes there are lasting affects, can still feel odd when I wake up the next morning!

[TenderVittleS]

Wow sorry to hear what you went through. A BS reading of 77 shouldn't cause those symptoms though, It must have been alot lower than that. But to answer it usually takes anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes in my case. I would have other tests done though seriously because 77 should not have done that to you, maybe a 20 or 30 reading.

[duck]

Originally Posted by tyrice

I'm on Novolog and Lantus. I took my Lantus around 11pm. I've only been on this setup for about 2 months now.

Hmmmm...Lantus at 11PM, and you "woke" up like this. Let me think about this, Lantus is "peakless" in theory, and if it gives you a hypo, you should be able to "blast" out of it with 15 - 20 grams of carb, since it is not meant to overcome ingested carbs...interesting.

[Funnygrl]

So your glucose got up to 77 with no carbs? I think I would have crowlled to the fridge, not my neighbors house. I keep glucose tabs and candy in my room.

[xMenace]

Tyrice and Belyro, how old are you? At some age you should lose some of your major hypo symptoms. I no longer get shaky.

[duck]

Originally Posted by xMenace

Tyrice and Belyro, how old are you? At some age you should lose some of your major hypo symptoms. I no longer get shaky.

The symptoms may come back...A lot of us have noticed our symptoms seem to "cycle" or change.

[Funnygrl]

I lost my symptoms for awhile. And now they are back some, but not as much as they were. It's more a matter of how often you are going low and for how long if you will lose your symptoms.

Are you sure your symptoms were hypoglycemia? 77 is barely low, much less severe, and it would take a lot for your body to get up that high from a severe low, especially without sugar consumed.

[tyrice]

I've never had any other sicknesses(not counting colds)..Especially anything tied to paralisys. s my glucose rose, my condition bettered..I can't think of anything else to tie to that. Flopping into my kitchen wth uncertainty wasn't really on my mind at the time. Especially since I had no muscle control. My only concern was getting help at the time.

Originally Posted by Funnygrl

So your glucose got up to 77 with no carbs? I think I would have crowlled to the fridge, not my neighbors house. I keep glucose tabs and candy in my room.

That was after the paramedics had arrived. I couldn't test my own blood if I wanted to. I was barely able to make outside.

[belyro]

Originally Posted by xMenace

Tyrice and Belyro, how old are you? At some age you should lose some of your major hypo symptoms. I no longer get shaky.

I'm 28. T1 since I ws 3.

[tyrice]

I'm 30..T1 since I was 12.