I had a hypo last night

[Jodie]

This has probably the worse thing that has ever happened to me since being diabetic. I am 18 and have been diabetic since I was 5 but I dont think I have ever had a hypo as bad as this. Was about to go to bed and I tested my blood and I was quite high and I didnt want to go to bed high so I thought I would do abit of humalog so I was fine went to bed and I stayed awake to see how my blood would be and I started to have the symptoms of a low so gave it a few minutes and tested my blood and it read 2.2 and I just felt really bad I was accually really worried so I went down and got something really sweet came back up to bed and I was just laying there didnt know what to do I felt like I was going to pass out but I ate and then ate somemore eventually they went back up to normal. But I am so shocked this morning and i'm probably lucky to be here really cause if I did pass out they would have been no one around cause everyone was in bed in my house

[2high]

It's good to hear that you're ok, Jodie!

[ant hill]

Yes being low sucks Jodie. :( I have had this for 36+ years and having to understand to test regularly is essential for us unfortunately. Anyway it is good that you are well again to enjoy life. (((Hugs)))

[BriOnH]

Sorry to rad about your hypo :(, but I am prod of you for catching and treating it by yourself.

With todays modern insulin's I believe it give is a lot more room for treating lows then our previous insulin's, specially NPH imho and experience.

Does anyone else here have an internal alarm clock that wakes you when you are low? Everytime I hit 60mg/dl I wake not matter how passed out I am. I think this happens to me because I am so petrified of going low when no one is around.

Very glad you are better Jodie!!! Good catch.

[silverfrost]

Jodie, lows are so scary! It is so hard to deal with those feelings for the 10-15 minutes after you've eaten to correct. It feels like an eternity. I'm glad to hear you're okay, though.

Does anyone else here have an internal alarm clock that wakes you when you are low? Everytime I hit 60mg/dl I wake not matter how passed out I am. I think this happens to me because I am so petrified of going low when no one is around.

Actually, I am such a deep sleeper, I fear I might sleep through a terrible low someday. There was one night during which my cat woke me up by jumping on the bed and then on top of me. (This happens sometimes.) As soon as I sat up to pet him, I felt all the wobblyness and shakes of a low. I tested and I remember being 49 or so.

I mean, I think my body would wake me at a certain point, but that point is really too low for comfort!

[Cyborg]

Keep a bottle of glucose next to your bed within arms reach. If you are so low you can't get up, at least you have that to rely on...

[pjams]

Jodie:
Keep a log of all the events. That may help your claim for a pump. Looks like you are handling it quite well by yourself. You must be proud of it. I find that glucose tablets work pretty fast.
Keep some handy.
JayP

[xMenace]

A few things Jodie.

I find it hard to believe this is your first such hypo in thirteen years. By my thirteenth, I was a hypo pro. I nodded off all the time and I still do. I'm up to 10 such incidents in 2007, my lowest ever. Either you've had great control or you've always run high. I would bet a lot of money that your basals are pretty flat. I highly suspect your future experiences with hypos will be very good.

I take any need to correct as a sign of trouble. Too many times it's been a high GI sugar spike that didn't need to be treated or just laggy insulin that decides to kick in later. I now always set my alarm(s) to get me up through the nights.

You are lucky to be 18 and be at the height of hypo-awareness. The bad news is this will all but disappear. I got 911'd for the firt time at 34. I grew up feeling I had everything under control because I could recognise all my hypos and hypers. That was before the internet. I learned the 'old fashioned' way.

You were really not in any danger. Your liver most likely would have saved you. Did you go high later? Mine has brought me out of every hypo I've ever slept or convulsed through except for one. On that occaision I took my morning bolus and fell asleep on a chair. Ow! The real danger is the things you do while hypo such as driving, tree climbing, and wood working. Always test before such things regardless of how you feel.

[shiftzor]

well comparatively since the 30/08/2007 i have had 23 lows of between 2.8mmol/L and 3.6mmol/L, with 1 very low of 2.2mmol/L. I am still trying to improv my control, i think you have done very well to get this far without any very low sugar levels. I hate lows as much as the next person ;)

[Cyborg]

You were really not in any danger. Your liver most likely would have saved you.

I'd love to agree with you, but I've still not seen a shred of evidence that is the case. Personally, with all the people wearing a CGMS now, I'd think it would be easy to prove or disprove...

[xMenace]

I'd love to agree with you, but I've still not seen a shred of evidence that is the case. Personally, with all the people wearing a CGMS now, I'd think it would be easy to prove or disprove...


I know it's contentious, but really, it does take a big mistake to take you out. You will come out of most if not all normal hypos. I agree a study or some stats on deaths from hypos are missing.

[deansreef]

Hypos are really scarry- I was getting some many while on shots of humulin 70/30 that I was not feeling the low's at all!! Now that I am on a pump the awarness of low blood sugar has returned.

Dean

[mark-TN]

I agree with John that deaths from hypo are rare when you are safely at home. Most deaths from hypo are the result of accidents that are the result of impaired cognitive function. That being said it is important to understand the biology of what is going on and how it is that the body can or can’t bring itself out of hypoglycemia. The liver for the most part will not kick in to start raising blood sugar until the level of circulating insulin drops to a certain point. Low blood sugars are the result of higher than needed circulating insulin levels. In this state the liver thinks that blood sugar is elevated (even though in an insulin dependant diabetic the blood sugar level could be dangerously low) so it starts storing circulating glucose either as glycogen in the lever, or when glycogen stores are full as fat in fat cells. Hormones released during hypoglycemia such as epinephrine, cortisal, norepinephrine and growth hormone will help produce glucose and lower the level of circulating insulin, but the “work horse” hormone for countering high insulin levels is glucagon and its release is greatly blunted by high circulating insulin levels. When circulating insulin drops to a point the liver determines to be lower than normal the liver will signal the pancreas to release glucagon and this will trigger the release of glucose through the processes of glycogenolysis. Also at lower insulin levels the liver will create new glucose from circulating amino acids by the process of gluconeogenesis. In an insulin dependant diabetic these glucose raising processes will continue until insulin levels are normalized regardless of how high blood glucose levels get (FYI: Glycogen stores are limited, so the body can run out of glycogen during long periods of low insulin levels, but the availability of amino acids (proteins) is endless and gluconeogenesis will continue until circulating insulin levels are normalized). So the reason there are a lot of stories of diabetics surviving night time hypoglycemic attacks is eventually the levels of circulating insulin gets to the point where the liver is capable of raising blood sugar levels without any outside help. However, the ride most certainly is one that no one wishes to repeat after the first experience.

Mark

[xMenace]

Management of diabetes-related hypoglycemia.(Review Article)(Disease/Disorder overview) Industry & Business Article - Research, News, Information, Contacts, Divisions, Subsidiaries, Business Associations (http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6304278/Management-of-diabetes-related-hypoglycemia.html)

Mortality and Morbidity of Severe Hypoglycemia
Although statistics on prevalence and incidence of mortality and morbidity from hypoglycemia are lacking, the likelihood of fatality appears low, (24) especially compared with deaths associated with diabetes. For example, the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study in T2DM (4) found that each 1% reduction in A1c reduced risk of death, myocardial infarction, and microvascular complications (primarily retinopathy) by 21%, 14%, and 37%, respectively. Death due to hypoglycemia appears to be rare. When reported, it is usually associated with the use of long-acting sulfonylureas by elderly patients, alcohol intake, unusual drug interactions, (25-27) or with the "dead-in-bed" syndrome, which has been anecdotally linked to nocturnal hypoglycemia. (28)

When hypoglycemia is severe, convulsions and coma can occur; autonomic stimulation resulting from hypoglycemia can also have negative cardiac implications such as changes in heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and myocardial contractility. (29) The neuroglycopenic symptoms of hypoglycemia may interfere with driving or other tasks requiring complex motor skills. Eye-hand coordination and decision-making can be compromised even with moderate hypoglycemia. (30,31) Blood glucose should be tested before driving and carbohydrates for self-treatment kept in vehicles. Because the effects of alcohol and hypoglycemia can be cumulative (32) and could combine with a loss of sensation from diabetes-related neuropathy, alcohol consumption represents a particular risk for individuals with diabetes who drive.

[HiImDan]

A nasty hypo can be the WORST pain only another diabetic can understand.http://bestsmileys.com/hugging/1.gif

[dodo]

Thank you Jodie for sharing your experience! I'm glad to see that you're OK! In fact, I've experienced an hypo myself last night and it was the worst one of my life!

I woke up around midnight feeling dizzy, managed to go downstairs, tested BSL and it read 2.0. Then I managed to get to the fridge and had a "black out". I had to lay on the kitchen floor until I had the courage to get the OJ carton and drink some. I stayed there until I was feeling better.

It is really scary when it happens especially when you're all by yourself. My husband wasn't home, but it freaked him out when I told him.

[TenderVittleS]

When I was in about 5th grade I had a low so bad I lost all my memory. I forgot even my mom's name and what city I was in. All I remember was my own name. My family found me in the fetal position, almost retarded early morning moaning and rushed me to the hospital. I thought I was dead! The insulin these days is 1000x times better than 20 years ago, I think you'll do just fne. Anyway its always better to stay higher especially near bedtime.

[Jodie]

It took me a few days to accually get over it. I have had hypos but nothing that bad the hypos I have had before have been around 3 but I just didnt test my blood this night because I couldnt wait any longer otherwise I would have been flat out I just wanted to get something inside me. God knows what my blood was i'm guessing maybe around 1 or 2 :eek: was really bad

[KEVIN88GT]

this thread really strikes home... I've been on a pump for a year with good control and continually dropping A1c levels until I had a hypoglycemic seizure..... it was after a straining day while participating in a soap box derby (lots of adrenaline) and It was a horrible event for me, my wife and my friends to experience.... this was in Oct and I've had MAJOR paranoia about going to sleep lately... always high lately before I go to bed.. just plain scared about that happening again.... sometimes I have to wait till 3am after bolusing (novolog takes like 3 hours to work) and feel like **** in the AM.

[xMenace]

Fun stuff isn't it?

Mostly from mdi days:
- 9 911's
- 3 ambulance rides
- 1 badly bruised foot from kicking the bedpost while convulsing
- 1 broken lamp
- I stopped the ceiling from caving in on us once, in the nude
- Had time stop on me once
- Drove 30km/20mi on a major highway with almost no recollection
- Driven a few other times in a partial daze
- Nearly knocked myself out collapsing chin first into the bathroom vanity
- Have needed assistance from my wife many times and my teenage son and daughter

You may now start to understand why I believe in testing and pumping!

[SueM]

Fun stuff isn't it?

Mostly from mdi days:
- 9 911's
- 3 ambulance rides
- 1 badly bruised foot from kicking the bedpost while convulsing
- 1 broken lamp
- I stopped the ceiling from caving in on us once, in the nude
- Had time stop on me once
- Drove 30km/20mi on a major highway with almost no recollection
- Driven a few other times in a partial daze
- Nearly knocked myself out collapsing chin first into the bathroom vanity
- Have needed assistance from my wife many times and my teenage son and daughter

You may now start to understand why I believe in testing and pumping!

:eek: :eek: :eek:
In 43 yrs of using insulin I have never been unable to treat my hypo's. Never blacked out never had DKA

[xMenace]

:eek: :eek: :eek:
In 43 yrs of using insulin I have never been unable to treat my hypo's. Never blacked out never had DKA

I was never DKA, and I did work at it.

IMO I have very roller-coaster basals and I:C ratios. MDI just didn't work for me. I think I could do it after what I've learned here and from pumping, but in my previous life it was near impossible. I'm not that unique either. My conversations with medical and drug company people indicate somewhere around 35% of us have these up and down patterns. You flatliners (my assumption) have it much easier.

Thanks to the pump and the work I've done, I feel almost 100% confident that I can skip any meal and stay flat. I also feel confident that if I count my carbs correctly and my site is working well, that I can stay in target close to 100% of the time too.

The hypo incidents are way way down. I feel very good about my control. I also don't have the luxury of staying high to avoid hypos. Another round of neo-vascularization or severe edema and my eye(s) is(are) toast. They're pretty burnt already. We're set on getting to sub-6 A1C's regardless of the hypo risk.

[DeusXM]

As a point, has anyone here actually ever heard of anyone with diabetes dying from a hypo? Seriously, the only people I've ever known of dying from hypos were both on no-carb diets and bodybuilding. I'm not saying that having a nighttime hypo is all perfectly safe - just that in a normal individual it's very, very unlikely that a nighttime hypo will result in a fatality.

If this really were the case, then I have cheated death plenty of times, when I wake up the next morning with a bad head, high blood sugar and a memory of very vivid dreams. Nighttime hypos are frightening because they seem to cause a greater adrenaline rush, but they're not a massive problem in the grand scheme of things.

[xMenace]

My endo in his 20 some years of practice has lost two patients, and he claims they were self inficted overdoses.

I know of a high profile local case, but I suspect suicide. These things don't get published in the obits.

[SueM]

As a point, has anyone here actually ever heard of anyone with diabetes dying from a hypo? Seriously, the only people I've ever known of dying from hypos were both on no-carb diets and bodybuilding. I'm not saying that having a nighttime hypo is all perfectly safe - just that in a normal individual it's very, very unlikely that a nighttime hypo will result in a fatality.

If this really were the case, then I have cheated death plenty of times, when I wake up the next morning with a bad head, high blood sugar and a memory of very vivid dreams. Nighttime hypos are frightening because they seem to cause a greater adrenaline rush, but they're not a massive problem in the grand scheme of things.

There was a 22 yr old who died from DIB syndrome(Dead in bed) she lived about 7 miles away from me. She was my friends sister. This happened about 12 years ago. A well controlled diabetic went to bed with normal blood sugars and died. Death certificate was death due to hypogly.

[nono87]

awww at least you ok Jodie, try not to think too much of it i know it can be scary i know there was a time when i slept through one and i must have been mumbling in my sleep and my mom heard me and came in too check and i was fast asleep!!

its tough going i had a hypo whilst driving from work today and lucky enough i had not yet got onto the motorway to drive home!!!

[ant hill]

Gee, I seem to be the only one who is lucky. I still have some hypos from time to time. :(
The all day low was so scary as I thought I have taken my Basel twice!! so I ate what I could and so two pizzas later and tested at least 10 times within 5 hours and still under 4.5 / 81 and I was scared if I had stopped eating I would go under.
Chocolate is good for this as it can keep you high for ages but you will soon get sick of that. So I cannot say which one is worse the bolus hypos or the Basel's. :confused:
The confusion is interesting as you go to do stupid things like have the oven on and nothing in it and just be a zombie. :eek:

[christie]

i've always had the roller coaster and unawareness recently, but last sun i had a really bad one, i got up and tested and i was ok 90,took my lantus, so i turned my coffeepot on and gave my son his adhd meds, so my daughter was still asleep so i layed in bed with her because it was cold and i figured i'd wake her up in about a half an hour. that was 10am and i did'nt come out until 1:30,my son gave me glucagon,i still could'nt talk,i knew and heard everything around me at that point but could'nt move or talk. so then my son gave me son glucose gel and i slowly got better, even when better i still had a hard time walking, and i felt like cr*p for 2 days. I have'nt had one that bad in quite a while.

[Funnygrl]

As a point, has anyone here actually ever heard of anyone with diabetes dying from a hypo?

Yeah, 2 people. But both had other issues going on. And I can think of hundreds of people via message boards and real life I know who have diabetes.

I've also "cheated death" plenty of times. My CGMS has shown I regularly go into the 40s and 50s at night, but I rebound to the 70s within an hour or so.

[TrueWorship]

When I was on injections I had 2 incidents when my bg dropped while I was sleeping and I didn't wake up. They had to call the paramedics both times. One time I vaguely remember not letting the paramedic put an iv in the back of my hand. I kept pulling my hand back and saying "oww that hurts, quit it!" (That was also the time I didn't understand why it went low, because I had eaten brownies and milk before I went to bed. My bg should have sky rocketed, not dropped). However, since I've been on the pump, I've always woken up when my bg dropped at night. I don't know if it has something to do with the pump, or it likely may have something to do with the fact that before I started the pump I was on NPH with that nasty peak.

Jenn

[Eddy]

Does anyone else here have an internal alarm clock that wakes you when you are low? Everytime I hit 60mg/dl I wake not matter how passed out I am.


Usually, but not always. I almost always awaken before hitting 2.7(50)... but one of my two off-the-meter hypos-- below 1.1(20) -- was upon awakening.

[KCP]

I havnt had a bad 'i need glucogen' hypo since i was 12! but before that i used to have them alot.
Quite a few ambulance rides, and quite a few glucogen shots..
Granted my diabetes was not brought on by lack of insulin, but by far too much..!!! rather i developed another condition which my pancreas had to be completely removed along with half of my spleen but thats another story~!