very scary, bg of 30.

[trailrunner]

So I was at work sunday night, and we are slammed. My manager orders pizza for us. It's in the med room( as no one has the time to take a break to sit and eat) I grab two slices take my bolus of 6 units . And all of a sudden I get two very critical patients in by ambulence in my room. Never mind the pizza for now . 30 mins later, I am sitting down and charting And( you guessed it) I feel funny, like I am floating. I totally awake and aware, not shaky, not sweaty, just floaty. so I check, and it's TA DA 30! So I grab an 8 ounce coke and down that , every thing is ok after that. But so scary.. I wonder just how low I have to be to black out?

[solox316]

Sorry to hear about that, it is so easy to get sidetracked, especially in a job like yours, it sounds like.

I have been awake and low at 24, I was like 9 years old, and my dumba$$ step dad (long since divorced) tried making me walk with him to get some juice...

Sleeping is different, I have had a seizure at a higher number, I think it was 38, but who know, that could have been after the liver kicked in.

Glad you are ok now. Did you ever get to have the pizza?

[Jan B]

Scary is right. 30 is dangerous. My lowest was 19 on my meter & I barely stayed conscious. Just barely. Thank God my husband was with me as I was hollering how I was about to go under.

[notme]

Eeeeesh! I hate that "floaty" feeling. I have also had that feeling and everything seems a bit slow motion. I have also noticed I do bizare things like ignoring food or telling my husband I won't eat what he has brought to me. I am really obstinant about food when I am low.

Sorry this happened to you. Funny how all the times we have gone low, I always .....wonder.....what is wrong with me when I feel funny.

The lowest I have ever been (that showed up on my meter) is 26.

[REDLAN]

I believe that most people will pass out at around 1.2mmol/l (22 mg/dl).

[morrisma]

Floating is a very apt description. And belligerent. After 2 high carb bars and 15 minutes had passed, I was 32. Not a fun time. Glad you are ok.
Mike

[Metermaid]

Everyone must have a different tolerance for 'how low can you go'....I get low quite often, my lowest being 18 and was still alert and talking, but I knew I had to hurry...my usual lows are about 20-40....yes, very scary, that is why I will always opt for high than low. That is also why, I wonder if such tight control is safe...I know we are losing brain cells every time we run low like that!

[solox316]

That is also why, I wonder if such tight control is safe...I know we are losing brain cells every time we run low like that!

I agree with this... IMO, it is too dangerous to run too tight. I can't imagine how often one must fight dangerous lows when running an a1c in the low 5s or less...

[gettingby]

I've been known to carry on coherent conversations in the low 40's, upper 30's. I passed out once and paramedics said my bg was 17. I checked with my meter once and got "LO" which I found out is below 20 but still did not have an actual number. I was conscious and able to treat myself.
Lows can be scary but after 20+ years of this, I don't get nearly as scared as I probably should.

[xMenace]

I've tested at 1.9 or 34.

I wish I would have tested at other times when I was unable to test.

[Alice]

Pizza is one of those "slow digesting" carbs for me...I usually break my bolus in two and split about 1-1/2 hours apart. I found this out much like you did...and I get a "gentle reminder" every now and then!

The Coke was the best thing...glucose tabs would have to get through all that pizza in your tummy. I like Coke when I have a low on a full stomach...which is the worst kind of low IMHO!

[Subby]

I know the feeling all too well, lovely aint it? I sympathise with the situation too. I take it you are in the health care industry with those kind of events happening... I am in a similar job (but with less time pressure, perhaps). I've learnt to keep a fast/mid carb always at hand for exactly those situations. In my case, if you go to my bag you will always find 3 or 4 small tetra juices. Take about 5 seconds to down one and it is great bolus cover for at leat 20 min for me. Need longer? I have another.

May not be as good as proper food, but much better than either failing in my duty of care, or going low on a client! And juice for me is mid range enough to ensure safety, yet in moderation not spike too much.

Good luck with it all.

[lexismom]

this is so weird, i was wondering if its happene to anyone here, my daughter lexi was seizing at 7 am i checked her sugar it was 84. it has happened 3 times like that. she has been tested for epilepsy, and they say there is no othe reason but diabetes, because they cant find anything. is it maybe because she is so used to being high? who knows, i would love to here what some of you think

[Gembo]

So I was at work sunday night, and we are slammed. My manager orders pizza for us. It's in the med room( as no one has the time to take a break to sit and eat) I grab two slices take my bolus of 6 units . And all of a sudden I get two very critical patients in by ambulence in my room. Never mind the pizza for now . 30 mins later, I am sitting down and charting And( you guessed it) I feel funny, like I am floating. I totally awake and aware, not shaky, not sweaty, just floaty. so I check, and it's TA DA 30! So I grab an 8 ounce coke and down that , every thing is ok after that. But so scary.. I wonder just how low I have to be to black out?

I've been coherent and aware when my meter read 'LO' and at other times I've been almost delirious at much higher levels. I'm convinced that there must be other factors that determine the severity of a reaction to a low BG. I'm not sure whether it's the rate of the fall in BG or stress or something else. My worst hypos seem to be the ones that occur gradually. I tend to sit there in a stupor for 3/4 of an hour and then start flinging things around. Not something that would go down to well if I worked in your profession; the worst I can do in my line of work is break a computer.

[Lizzie G]

Reading this thread really scares me. The lowest I have been is 3 (or 54 US units). As soon as Im under about 4 (72), I feel dreadful. When Im not sick (which I was recently and high as a kite despite gallons of insulin!) I tend to stay at around 6, push it up for exercise, and aim to finish exercising no lower than 5 (and normally its 6). Im a little worried how these really massive lows that are discussed happen, obviously the first guy took his bolus and didnt eat the food which makes sense, but how do people get so frighteningly low, does that just happen now and again, or have you eaten too little/worked out too much? this is all a bit scary...

[Gembo]

Reading this thread really scares me. The lowest I have been is 3 (or 54 US units). As soon as Im under about 4 (72), I feel dreadful. When Im not sick (which I was recently and high as a kite despite gallons of insulin!) I tend to stay at around 6, push it up for exercise, and aim to finish exercising no lower than 5 (and normally its 6). Im a little worried how these really massive lows that are discussed happen, obviously the first guy took his bolus and didnt eat the food which makes sense, but how do people get so frighteningly low, does that just happen now and again, or have you eaten too little/worked out too much? this is all a bit scary...

The best thing you can do to avoid all this is to maintain your hypo-awareness. The fact that you feel dreadful under 4 is a good thing. It's when you don't recognize that you're under 4 (or 3 or 2) that you have to start worrying.

[KCP]

The lowest recorded test i have had 1.1.. And i was still coherant and knew i needed sugar! that was when i was 12.
When i was originally in hosp at age 7 i was fitting and in a hypo glyceimic coma for three weeks so im pretty sure i was lower at that point! (ps i wasnt actually diagnosed with D. it was something else..)

[Metermaid]

Lizzie,Yes, it scares me too....there are all kinds of reasons that I have my lows...forgot to eat...walked too much at the mall...on the computer too long...but most of the time 'I have NO idea'...and that is why I am going to have to try the pump. My most confusing lows are at 3 to 4am...I go to bed with a high bg of say...250...I don't dare treat it and I wake up low??? I am on Lantus and if I lower my dose then I am too high in the daytime.
This whole insulin thing isn't an exact science...too many variables...emotions, hormones, absorbtion of insulin etc.
I just take it one day at a time...and pray a lot!!

[Eddy]

I've been off-the-meter low (below 20 mg/dL) twice. Once when I was already awake... the other time I awakened when I was already hypo.

So far in 2008, I've had three sub-40 excursions: 34 (on New Years!), 39, and 39. I've had two above-200 readings: 228 (a month ago) and 231 (yesterday).

I still usually have at least one sub-50 per week. :( Most days, my low is 55 to 65.

A1c results to date were 12.9% at DX (Apr 2007), 5.3% (Aug 2007), and 5.3% (Dec 2007). My next A1c is scheduled for Mar 25.

[Eddy]

How do people get so frighteningly low, does that just happen now and again, or have you eaten too little/worked out too much? this is all a bit scary...



Stacking lispro when I thought it had cleared my system. (Didn't know that it delayed when my BG was substantially higher than normal.) This was exacerbated by walking around the grocery. Sub-20.
First post-DX exposure to cold weather when walking. 24.
Not knowing that cold weather also increased my insulin sensitivity, thus making a corrective bolus much too large. Awakened sub-20.
Excess physical activity, particularly with IOB. As low as low 30s.
"I can't possibly be lower than the 50s... I don't need to check now." 32.
Not knowing that showering and niacin amplified the effects of insulin. High 30s.


I've had two sub-20 episodes since DX (late Apr 2007), one 20s episode, several 30s, plenty of 40s, and tons of 50s.

The lowest of my lows have been during "firsts". I still need to figure out exercise, although I usually catch those hypos in the low 40s to low 50s.

[morrisma]

this is so weird, i was wondering if its happene to anyone here, my daughter lexi was seizing at 7 am i checked her sugar it was 84. it has happened 3 times like that. she has been tested for epilepsy, and they say there is no othe reason but diabetes, because they cant find anything. is it maybe because she is so used to being high? who knows, i would love to here what some of you think

Could be the rate of drop adding to the reaction. Shame you don't have a cgms to know what was going on before the seizure.
Mike

[HelenM]

Reading this thread really scares me. The lowest I have been is 3 (or 54 US units). As soon as Im under about 4 (72), I feel dreadful. When Im not sick (which I was recently and high as a kite despite gallons of insulin!) I tend to stay at around 6, push it up for exercise, and aim to finish exercising no lower than 5 (and normally its 6). Im a little worried how these really massive lows that are discussed happen, obviously the first guy took his bolus and didnt eat the food which makes sense, but how do people get so frighteningly low, does that just happen now and again, or have you eaten too little/worked out too much? this is all a bit scary...
From everything I read you are right to be scared of low BS since they affect many people very severely.
I often have BS readings in the 45-55 rqnge and I occasionally go down to very low numbers (including lo) but am lucky enough to have never found it frightening as I've always been able to cope by myself and have found that small amounts of carbs work very quickly. I'm not advocating this to anyone.My doctor certainly doesn't aprove and she would prefer that I was not so 'bien controle' .

I feel well with BS at aroung 75-80 ( my normal fasting BS is about 76). I am scared and hate having any BS over about 140. Any exercise from running to hoovering and my BS lowers very quickly. I know its going to happen -it happens even if I raise my BS before exercise so now I don't bother. It only becomes a problem (but more of a nuisance) when it occurs frequently as for instance on a long multi-day walk
Yesterdays 12km walk was fairly typical . Before the walk I cut my insulin with lunch by half, nevertheless during the walk my BS went down to 45 ( I knew it was happening so not hypo unaware) . A tiny piece of pepermint aero and it was 85 very quickly.I didn't need to stop walking and I was certainly fully compos mentis. In the 50s again before dinner but a few 'nibbles' whilst cooking and normal BS for rest of evening.
Maybe I've been lucky so far and it be may that I am stupidly over confident that I'll be OK.
( It might also be something to do with having LADA rather than classic type 1 but thats for a different thread !)

[Eddy]

this is so weird, i was wondering if its happene to anyone here, my daughter lexi was seizing at 7 am i checked her sugar it was 84. it has happened 3 times like that. she has been tested for epilepsy, and they say there is no othe reason but diabetes, because they cant find anything. is it maybe because she is so used to being high? who knows, i would love to here what some of you think

Disclaimer: I'm no authority on this...

It sounds plausible. Or perhaps she'd dropped too low, then her liver dumped glucose in before you had a chance to read?

Like others have suggested, perhaps a CGMS would be handy. (No, I don't have one. Might be interesting, but uncomfortable... and a bit expensive for the uninsured.)

[Lizzie G]

iv not really gone low at the time of exerciseexercise as swimming is my great joy so i have been very careful to optimise my snackage/glucose intake to make sure i dont get low and scare myself off, i think the times im vulnerable are when i swim at say 7pm, then eat and bolus around 8....i reduce my bolus quite considerably at this time as i know the effects of exercise a)are quite delayed and b)last all night. anyhow, at these times i peak quite high and then rapidly fall off. for example yesterday i peaked 9.0 (162) after food (porridge with nuts and a tiny amount of dried fruit...really dont get why this low GI meal makes me peak so high and fast.....weird!) but by 11pm i was at 5.3 (95). my morning reading was 4.3 (77). i know from a lot of basal testing that im pretty much spot on usually (and when i exercise lunchtime rather than evening), but im thinking when im doing my exercise during the evening i should bring down by evening lantus from 12 to 10 to keep me safe at night? this is all such a pain!

[ant hill]

So I was at work sunday night, and we are slammed. My manager orders pizza for us. It's in the med room( as no one has the time to take a break to sit and eat) I grab two slices take my bolus of 6 units . And all of a sudden I get two very critical patients in by ambulence in my room. Never mind the pizza for now.
At this point I would take some jelly beans or of something that will prop you up from a dangerous low!!!
30 mins later, I am sitting down and charting And( you guessed it) I feel funny, like I am floating. I totally awake and aware, not shaky, not sweaty, just floaty. so I check, and it's TA DA 30!
Yep!, You know that I am amazed to find that in the job that you have is that you have to be ready at anytime!! and in the situation that you are under I would have a slice, Just the one slice but then you were not to know that you were to go on a job!
So I grab an 8 ounce coke and down that , every thing is ok after that. But so scary.. I wonder just how low I have to be to black out?

Heh, I don't want to know that and I think that you should have a stash of jelly beans with you as you do not know Ware you may be in the next minute. ;)

[Eddy]

really dont get why this low GI meal makes me peak so high and fast


Different people, different glycemic responses. Some so-called "low-GI" foods are far from it in me. You might have something similar going on.

A T1 diabetic is the ultimate GI-measuring device. ;)

[Raisin]

this is so weird, i was wondering if its happene to anyone here, my daughter lexi was seizing at 7 am i checked her sugar it was 84. it has happened 3 times like that. she has been tested for epilepsy, and they say there is no othe reason but diabetes, because they cant find anything. is it maybe because she is so used to being high? who knows, i would love to here what some of you think

In addition to the other advices given, you may also want to consider a different glucose meter. I was having frequent lows, but my meter would show that I was in the 70 or 80s range. The last time it happened, EMS' machine showed I was 29, but my meter showed 74. I called my endo the next day, and he gave me another brand. I have not had another bad low since getting the current meter and that was almost 1 1/2 yrs ago.

[UpNorth]

I've had a "LO" on my meter, and still been functioning... And once i woke up on the kitchenfloor with empty glucagon set and an open syrup bottle, and i still don't know how i got there, and i don't know how low i was :s:

[shiftzor]

I've had a "LO" on my meter, and still been functioning... And once i woke up on the kitchenfloor with empty glucagon set and an open syrup bottle, and i still don't know how i got there, and i don't know how low i was :s:

I have had that "LO" on my meter before but usually I have retested and discovered that i had no reason to panic. It sounds like you were really lucky there.

I have always told myself that my body can recover from most lows. I think I have been down as far as 1.5 but nothing further. I have only used my GlucoGel in a tube once before and I can tell you that the stuff doesn’t taste nice. :(

[Eddy]

The last time it happened, EMS' machine showed I was 29, but my meter showed 74. I called my endo the next day, and he gave me another brand. I have not had another bad low since getting the current meter and that was almost 1 1/2 yrs ago.


I know that YMMV, things change, yadda yadda... but do you mind sharing the make/model of the screwball meter? And what you're using now?

[Sleuther]

My husband had his first seizure last night (since being diagnosed 11 years ago). It scared me near to death. :eek:

He woke me up at 3:30 am thrashing around on the bed, drenched in sweat and spitting blood. He'd severely bitten his tongue. I just wanted to thank your forum for helping look up what I can do as his wife next time as this time I simply freaked out, grab a wet wash cloth to clean him up, tried to wake him, tried to turn him on his side, called 911 the ran around the room a little losing my head feeling like there was more I should be doing until the paramedics arrived. His BG was 31 and they did not leave til we had him up to 80, he woke up at 320.

Thanks to your notes we'll be requesting glucagon from his doctor and keeping emergency non diet soda, icing or chocolate syrup on hand.

Much appreciated.

[Harold]

Sometimes when people go low they loose the ability to swallow. The Decorative icing in the squeeze tubes works good at these times because the membranes in the mouth will absorb the sugar. It can be messy though so keep a wash cloth handy.