Night time horror hypo!!!

[Therese]

Hi Guys
I'm what they apparently call a very typical LADA. Unfortunately I am coming to the end of my honeymoon phase as my beta cells slowly die out to my total dismay. I am quite lucky i guess in that my problems started seven years ago during a pregnancy so my honeymoon period has been really stretched out.
Last night i suffered my first horror hypo during the night. I was woken sweating profusely and the room was spinning. I kinda staggered to the lounge and gobbled jellybeans and gel then went for the weet bix for some longer term carbohydrates. I kept passing out in my bowl and felt like vomiting which is really horrid when you have to eat sugar. Anyway i lived to tell the tale but it was very scary and has made the whole Diabetes thing very real.Until now i haven't taken it too seriously as i am healthy. Has anyone else had this happen and can it get worse?
Also when everyone talks about low carbs what exactly is low?
30gms per meal? My dietitian says i need at least 120gms per day for basic health.
Many thanks for everyones help this site is great.
Therese:)

[TommyC1]

Ouch!
Did you test while you were low? Any idea what your numbers were?
I always try to put a number on anything out of the ordinary but yeah when you're low sometimes you just gotta EAT!

Dieticians are notorious for trying to fill you up with carbs. Generaly they are just repeating what they have been told.
Some folks do quite well on 20 to 30 grams per day.
I have found that to be difficult simply because there are many things that I want to eat and drink that have carbs.
I'm currently averaging 150 grams per day which is less than half of what I was doing before I started carb counting.
I do find it easier to hold a steady BS on days when my carb intake is below 100 grams.

I'd suggest that you should count your carb intake and look for ways to cut it back until you find a level that suits you.

Tommy

[Therese]

Hey
Thanks for the reply. I did test after i stuffed in a few jelly beans and it was 3.0. I have been lower and didnt feel it as much. Lows are strange, they can come on fast or slow, I can feel them at 5 or not until i am under 3. Go figure. I have stopped trying to work it out, diabetes has a mind of its own!! im sure.

[Subby]

Hi Therese. Glad you're Ok. Are you on insulin or other meds? What types? If you are it could be a good idea to reassess your approach at this time, if things seem to be changing.

30g for a meal is around what gets called a "lower carb" approach around here, the "low carbers" as a dietary movement generally roughly being around the 10 - 50g a day, so there can definitely be confusion at the term. I tend to have either lowish carb meals and no carb meals, so I might vary from 5 - 35g a meal, occasionally having more. For me it very much helps to limit the amount of carbs at any one time (say within every few hours), as there is a theshold at which carbs seem to "clog" my system and an insulin bolus runs a chance of not working effectively.

If you are considering this kind of "lower carb" approach (which can end up being about 100 - 160g a day), just as important as the amount of carbs, might be a number of other things about your food and dietary habits. I suppose I'd ask you at this point, what are your potential reasons for considering reducing your carb intake? Weight issues? Less insulin usage? Less spiking? Avoiding cravings? There can be a number of reasons to consider exploring it, and the best place to start is.... why, for you?

[zoelula]

I'm sorry this happened to you, Therese. I had a similar experience 3 weeks ago. In my case I had just been started on fast-acting insulin and I think it was way too much for me. I had experienced lows before (down to 38) but was well able to manage them. This one hit me over the head. I was fine one minute and the next I "found myself" sitting on my bed drenched in sweat and totally disoriented. I had glucose tablets by the bed and I doubt if I could have made it downstairs. I was unable to count the tablets or make sense of watching the clock. My glucose was 39. It took all my will to treat it. Very scary. For me, I think changes need to happen in my treatment and have an appointment with an endo next week. I'm glad you are ok!

[TommyC1]

Hey
diabetes has a mind of its own!! im sure.


LOL!:D
It sure seems that way some times.
You can still look for patterns in how you respond to foods, exercise and meds. Keeping a detailed logbook has helped me an awful lot with that.

You do have to stay flexible though and be ready to roll with the punches.
For me the trick seems to be keeping after it without getting too wrapped up in perfection.

Tommy

[Therese]

Hi
I am on lantus 12 units in the am and humalog if i have anything over 30gms of carbs. My main reason for wanting to drop the carbs is i figure if i dont eat the problem i dont have to treat it! My educator who is great said it sort of makes sense but you still need carbs for daily health. I was on 80 gms a day and my levels were excellent. But the dietition told me off. I have kept detailed records before and am trying again but a busy life tends to get in the way. I am too busy for diabetes but i reckon that probably goes for most people. I find myself grabbing enough food to combat any chance of hypos and continuing on with the day as best i can. I also live in a very hot climate and have to keep my insulin in the fridge at all times, forgetting to get it out before i eat for it to warm. Hence i then go without. excuses, excuses!!! Also i need to drop 5 kilos which i realise isnt much compared to some of the type 2 guys but i find since i am on insulin i eat more. Hence my original thoughts of not eating the carbs to start with is more credible. The dietician says it will eventually lead to osteoperosis as it causes calcium to slowly leach out of the bones. Any thoughts?

[TommyC1]

The dietician says it will eventually lead to osteoperosis as it causes calcium to slowly leach out of the bones. Any thoughts?


My thought is that your dietician is a whacko. Why would your carb consumption affect your bone density?
But I'm predudiced since all of the dieticians I ever went to were certifiably insane.

Maybe you could eat lots of cheese? Plenty of calcium and no carbs there.

Tommy

[Cormac_Doyle]

I love cheese.

I also find that if I eat some cheese (or fried bacon/rashers) before bed, I'm less likely to experience DP in the morning.

Isn't it lovely when you can eat 6 slices of fried bacon or slices of cheese (NO bread/crackers/chips/bread or other carb) before bed ... and stick two fingers up at all the moronic dieticians who promptly have a fit at all the "terrible fat" you just ate :)

[Ranjeeta Raniga]

hi yes i also had the same thngs as i was given over dose of meds and plus was gonig to teh gym which made it worst every day at wrok i was shivering and shaking till i went for another test and thn my medicines intake was reduced.