First nighttime low =(

[viranth]

So last night I had my first ever nighttime low, and it was horrible.

Overall was yesterday pretty bad for me, I had a total of three lows (4.0, 4.1 and 4.0 at night) all of which I could have prevented!

When I look back on yesterday, I can see that it all started when I had a low before leaving work. I drank a little juice, so it wouldn't go down further. Got home, and it was still low.

I then made dinner and ate too much bread on the side, had a salad, and being low it was the best tasting salad I've ever had!

Then three hours later my BG was 12.4, it's was because of the bread.

So I ate one slice of bread and some salad again, then took 3 IE novorapid. By the time I was going to bed, my BG was 6.1.

This is where I should have been smarter, because usually I eat a little when my BG is below 7 before going to bed. Unless I know my BG is on it's way up.

So I woke up at 0153, was sweating pretty bad and felt super super bad. Went into the kitchen and checked my BG, I wasn't sure if it was high or low at the time, but when I woke up a little more I could feel it was low.

So I ate three slices and took 2 IE, went to bed, woke up at 0630 and my BG was 10.5. Then I took 2 IE again and went back to sleep.

At 0800 my BG was 5.7 and it was time for breakfast.

I've learned lots from this experience, and I really really don't want to experience it again. It was my own mistakes that lead to it, and I basically just took too much insulin.

[Lizzie G]

sounds like a pretty rough day for you....hope you're ok though....a couple of observations from your post though. firstly i wouldnt consider 4.0 or 4.1 to be low; they are good readings. yes, close to the low side, but you shouldnt be worried about these unless you still have active rapid acting insulin in your body.

The second thing is your basals. you say that you need to snack if you go to bed below 7, and also when you are having juice and still having the same BG after. this suggests to me that your basal is set too high....if your basal is correct you a)shouldnt need to be snacking during the day to maintain your levels and b)your blood sugar should hold steady overnight. i think it is far more common to go higher over night if your basal is correct for your day time needs (dawn phenomenon) so if you are going down overnight i would be doing some basal testing. you might well find yourself in the situation of realising your basal requirement differs during the night and during the day and having to cover one or other with a medium acting insulin (this is what i do at night, so now my basal need is correctly covered at all times and the only snacks i need are the ones through choice!)

Liz x

[IrishJoe]

I've never had any mid-might hypos but i can only imagine that they'd be scary :(

[DanG]

I've never had any mid-might hypos but i can only imagine that they'd be scary :(

Yes - really scary - especially when you realize, as you are approaching coherency, that all the commotion in the bedroom is from someone that your family does not know, but is in the room with your wife and older son trying to tell them that you will be okay, but the paramedics have their duty, once they are called out, so they continue to pack you off to the hospital. Well, that is what they wanted to do, but they could have had a fight on their hands if they had tried - none of us wanted me at the hospital.

Scary, for sure. Be a bit high at night to avoid that. The curse of high bs at night is a blessing compared to a low that comes at night.

[xMenace]

Pfft. Noobs ;)

I had a nasty last evening too. A late afternoon nap turned into a 4hr power snooze and I woke in a daze. I was pacing the house in a stupor and DW was making sure I didn't run into anything. She somehow made me test and I tested at 2.2 and she started shoving glucose tabs into me. I made her stop at 5 because I still had 3 in my craw.

They really are scary. Been there too many times.

[Kendall]

I know how aweful it feels to wake up low. I woke up a few months ago from a nap at 34 (or 1.8 for you non-US folk). I stuffed a few glucose tabs in my mouth and waited a few minutes before calling my husband in tears. It took about 40 minutes to feel human agian even though my BG actually only took 20 to come up to normal.

I would have to agree with Lizzie G though that 4.0 isn't a low number. Anything above 3.5 should be acceptable as long as it isn't bedtime or the middle of the night. A 7.0 is actually just at the top of the acceptable range for most.

I see you joined this forum in January. I know some doctors have more lenient standards for a few months after diagnosis. What numbers has your doctor set for your target? I would also agree that you shouldn't need to eat often to keep you blood sugar up.

I would talk to your doctor about your target range and your insulin regimen. You might need to use different insulins and maybe at different times. I know how it can be very tempting to allow my BGs to be high because I'm afraid of the lows (especially after a scarry one). But the truth is that in the long run the highs will catch up to your health too.

[viranth]

Haven't really gotten any numbers from my doctor, but that my morning numbers should stay between 4.5 and 6. I manage that most of the time.

I've noticed that after I got sick, I spike a bit higher than usual right after meals. But I tend to stay between 4.5-6 right before my next meal.

My last A1C was 5.3% so I know I'm doing something right.

My doctor also said I was doing everything right, so she didn't have any advice for me.

I woke up again last night at 3.30am, my BG was 4.8. I think it was just me being nervous for getting low that woke me up, since I thought about it all day before going to bed.

I also noticed that now that I've started working out again (was sick) I need less basal than before. So now I have to figure out my requirements again.

[DCaplinger]

but the paramedics have their duty, once they are called out, so they continue to pack you off to the hospital. Well, that is what they wanted to do, but they could have had a fight on their hands if they had tried - none of us wanted me at the hospital.

Where are you from? Here, if I were to force you off to the hospital without your consent, I'd not only be fired, but you could sue the hospital/ambulance company. I can tell you as an EMT, that when we respond to hypo patient calls, we treat in the field with glucose, and the ambulance gives a bolus of glucose via IV push (forced through the tubing, instead of allowed to drip through). Once the sugars are above 70, we stop treatment, and typically, the patient signs a refusal of transport slip. No charge is billed for our treatment, since no transport was provided.

Now, if you are in DKA, that's a different story. That's a true medical emergency which is beyond what we treat in the field, so rapid medical transport to a treating hospital is the correct procedure.

Regards,