First Low

[isis_rainbow]

Does anyone remember their first low?

It was hard for me to get used to having to eat at specific times after I was diagnosed, so I got these low-carb snack bar things. They only had 2 or 3 net carbs in them. One day I started feeling kind of crummy, and hungry, so I decided to eat one. When I was half done eating it I realized I felt even worse than I originally did, and then it dawned on me that my bs was probably low. I tested it, and sure enough! So after that I think I drank some juice or something. Strange feeling, though.

Oh, and I always have lows in the grocery store! It makes it super hard to think about what you need to get.

[Moonglo]

Does anyone remember their first low?

It was hard for me to get used to having to eat at specific times after I was diagnosed, so I got these low-carb snack bar things. They only had 2 or 3 net carbs in them. One day I started feeling kind of crummy, and hungry, so I decided to eat one. When I was half done eating it I realized I felt even worse than I originally did, and then it dawned on me that my bs was probably low. I tested it, and sure enough! So after that I think I drank some juice or something. Strange feeling, though.

Oh, and I always have lows in the grocery store! It makes it super hard to think about what you need to get.

Nope... I have never had a low that I know of. But I'm only 2 months in to my diagnosis too.

It sounds scary though! And maybe now would be a good time to start making a grocery list ahead of time. ;)

[poodlebone]

I had my first low the day I was released from the hospital. It was horrible! It was partly my own fault. Whe I was in the hospital the endo wanted me to get up and walk up & down the halls. She said that since I wouldn't be laying it bed all day for the rest of my life, it would be good to see how activity affected me. I refused to listen. I didn't want to walk the halls in that flimsy gown pushing an IV pole. So once I was released and was doing my daily activities it really got the insulin working and I crashed. I'm sure they must have told me what the symptoms of a low were, but there's really no way to prepare someone for how it really feels.

I also get lows in the supermarket!

[Tattoo azz]

haha lows while shopping!! me too.
When i was dx'd the Dr thought it would be usefull for me and my parents to experience a low, so they induced one, scared the pants off my parents, but they found out how i reacted and how long i take to come out.

[DeusXM]

My first was about 2 days after being dxed, when I was in hospital. It was about 10pm and I was watching TV from the bed when I started feeling hungry. Like, really hungry. Hungrier than I ever had before. I had a a pack of cheesestrings next to my bed so I ate one of them. And I was still very hungry.

Then I put 2 and 2 together and remembered all the pamphlets I'd got through in the last couple of days that had mentioned hypos. So I staggered out of the room (wow, this feels a bit different! Everything's all shaky) and then went up to the nurses station and said "Um, I think I'm having a hypo."

It was at that point I realised how quavering and weird my voice sounded. So I got escorted back to my room by one nurse while the other seemed to get a real wriggle on and dashed off - coming back about 15 seconds later with a pint of milk (Eugh! I HATE milk!) and some cookies. So I downed the pint of milk (Eugh! Did I mention I HATE milk!) and then ate the cookies to take the taste away.

Afterwards the nurses said I'd 'looked' quite badly hypo. My parents also asked the doctor the next day whether it was a policy or not to give patients a hypo while in hospital so they'd know, but she said although it seemed a sorta sensible idea, they didn't fancy dealing with the legal ramifications if it went a bit worse!

And that was my first hypo. And I've never drunk milk again - or eaten spaghetti hoops, which was the first thing they fed me when I was admitted.

[JJM335]

My first was about 2 days after being dxed, when I was in hospital.

I can trump that. I was admitted mid afternoon, and they gave me a shot of insulin about 6 pm. I woke up about 2 am feeling really strange and shaky. I hadn't had any information about hypos, diet or anything really, so I didn't really know what was going on. I walked to the nurses station, and after some discussion about what might be happening, one of the nurses decided to give me a glass of OJ into which she dumped a load of sugar.

Since that was in the days before Bg meters, nobody bothered to check what my Bg was, and nobody seemed particularly concerned. I guess the take-home message was "you are now diabetic, expect hypos".

At that time, the debate was on amongst the medical profession between the tight-control and the free-diet advocates. I know that one of the former stated in print "I don't believe that my patients' control is good enough unless they are having at least one hypo per day".

Joel

[jer.lawrence]

I've never had one myself (and hopefully won't for a good, long time since all I'm taking now is Metformin).

I do strongly recall, however, that a friend of mine dropped down to 27 while we were hanging out. I was driving and he was in the car with me. He sort of stopped making sense and within just a couple of minutes became completely unresponsive.

I figured at the time that he was really low (although, I wasn't diabetic at the time, so I didn't know nearly what I do now) so I actually called 911. An ambulance came, they got him into the back, tested his sugar, and gave him some glucose to stabalize him. They told me afterwards that his sugar was 27 when they tested it.

THAT was my first experience with a low, it was scary as ****, and it wasn't even mine. :P

[genie86333]

I've had a couple of "shaky" lows (57 & 60's) but only one scary one - and I'm not sure what my BG was that time as I'd forgotten my meter. (If I'd been thinking straight I would have walked into Safeway & gotten one for $10 since I was in their parking lot.)

I woke up late & took my meds as I was running out the door, planning on eating when I got into town. I got to town, pulled up to the same gas pump at the same gas station where I always get gas...then couldn't figure out where to go to pay for the gas.

Luckily, I kept calm, carefully examined each building around me, (nope, that's Starbucks...nope, that's Round Table Pizza...nope, that's AAA...maybe they'd have a map...wait, no, I know it's here somewhere, I'm in front of the gas pump after all & I come here all the time & it's not far...etc.) turning in a circle, until I finally recognized the right building. (No wonder I couldn't find it, darn building was hiding directly behind me!) Luckily, I realized I was low, so I got gas & went straight across the parking lot to have some pizza.

Now I know...eat something, at least a snack, before I drive anywhere in the morning, because otherwise the glipizide will make me go low, even if the dose is so small it's half of the smallest pill available.

[Eri's mom]

I remember Eri's first low was 3 months after she was dx'd and my dh and I were in NY visiting his brother who was being treated for liver cancer(he was dx'd w/ that same day Eri was dx'd w/ diabetes).
Anyway, she had a seizure in the middle of the night, my mom and stepdad called the paramedics.
Weird thing was her bgl was 67...
I felt horrible bc I wasn't there to be there for her(and my mom, who freaked out). After that one, she seemed to go hypo for quite a few months...the lowest being a "LO".(I believe they said it was 19mg/dL).

[e||ement]

my first scary low was maybe two months after diagnoses. i had experienced minor lows...shakes, tingly tongue, wobbly legs, hunger...but this particular night i woke from my sleep around midnight.

i remember feeling very sweaty and confused and scared when i realized my husband wasn't in bed beside me. i somehow managed to get up and walk downstairs but every step felt like i would topple onto myself.

when i got to the kitchen my legs finally did give out and i just sat on the floor...my husband rushed over (he was in the family room down another level) and asked if i was ok.

i couldn't even speak...i was terrified. i just shook my head "no". he was more scared that i was, i think, because he wasn't sure what to do...or if he was doing it right. eventually he brought me juice and i was able to drink it. when i was starting to come around i was STARVING and felt sick and must have wolfed down about 4 pieces of bread.

when i finally tested i was 2.7, but that was some time after feeling better so i'm not sure what i was at during the worst of it. it was scary though. but a good lesson for both of us.

[mortis505]

I hit a 42md/dl while shopping at Wal-mart. Didn't even realize it until I sat down in the truck for the drive home. Fortunately my wife was driving, so I stuffed myself with regular coke and french fries. Climbed to 120 with no problems and just kept an eye on it.

[KimberlyType1]

I never really have lows anymore. But when I did I always used gluclose tabs. I never just tried eating a snack, I felt like tabs gave me better control.

[Timmy Mac]

to be honest, i cant remember, i probably had one when i was in the hospital for a week when i was diagnosed. i hate fuzzy early childhood memories :(