Hypos

[Goldrun]

I've read several of the posts about hypos, and have talked with friends who've experienced co-workers or friends who have gone so low that they could not function on their own, and had to have medical help.

Granted, I've only been diagnosed about 10 months, but I can feel my hypos coming on, and am able to treat without significant problems. The only time I've felt really nervous was waking up in a cold sweat...the lowest reading I've had is 36. The idea of going low during the night is what I fear most (but the 3 or 4 times this has happened I was able to treat on my own).

But, like I said...I've heard enough accounts of people going too low during the "awake" hours to not take the idea seriously. My question is, are some of these hypos not recognized by the body....how quickly do you go from self-sufficient to barely functioning to danger zone?

(and I know it's not an exact science from person to person...just interested in your experiences!)
thanks!

[Fred&CharlesFan]

Goldrun,

It is early in your diabetic adventure so you have MUCH to experience!! :beer:
A condition exists as you age called "Hypoglycemia Unawareness" -it basically means that all those 'normal' hypo symptoms (hunger; feeling light headed or foggy; sweating, palpitations, etc.) start to disappear due to appropriate hormones not being available or working.

The symptoms do change, in some cases vanish; but there are still indicators. You need to be able to recognize the 'new symptoms'. (One of my new symptoms is feeling dead-dog tired). In ALL cases, my "fall-down-lose-conciousness" hypos were NOT due to a lack of symptom, but due to a failure to acknoledge this 'odd feeling' AND CHECK MY BG with my METER.
Your BG never lies! Your meter rarely lies. Always check.

Timeframe from self-sufficient to barely functioning to danger zone? Depends; as hypo-unawareness progresses, I am sure that time frame is expanded. I usually have 120 minutes to take action, and still be "self-sufficient"

[psilocybin]

you can develope hypo unawareness they call it
within a 24 hour period if u go low more then once, then the second time you may not feel it commin....you wont get the symptoms the same.

this also applies if you have to many lows during your diagnosis, over along peiod of time u may be unaware of hypos

lol fred u beat me to it!

[Tokyo Cate]

I can sense some lows coming, but not others. I don't feel the traditional symptoms of low blood sugar, but have to look for my own experiences (at night, laying awake in bed obsessing about work is a sign that I should test--maybe my body wakes me up?; getting frustrated and growling during the day; not being able to keep track of time). I don't usually feel shaky, sweaty, hungry or dizzy.

[Stumpkins]

HI, and welcome to diabetes - ha ha ha!! Well, my body seems to change the way it reacts to lows..

The first few years, I could always tell by holding out my hand..and seeing it was shaky...

For a few years, I really couldnt' tell at all, because I'd gotten so used to being so low - not good.

Now a days, I feel like I am almost fighting with myself, and becoming angry. I have to tell myself to check!

Going from hero to zero can happen so quick - literally within 10 minutes of feeling normal, to being on the ground.:mad: In time...you will know the feeling..

[Erin]

Well, yeah, as everybody has said, if you've been on this wild ride long enough you start to get a little hypo unaware. With me it's not so much unaware as differently aware, i used to feel the *physical* (shakiness, dizziness, hunger) symptoms, now i feel the *cognitive* (slow reading / thinking, inability to concentrate, short temper, just general stoooopidity)

I can go from I'm fine my bg is 100, oh **** if I don't eat something *NOW* I'm going to pass out, my bg is 30, within an hour. Sometimes faster. BUT I can feel the low coming at 100, and so always have sweets ready when I get low. I've yet to have a hypo, in my *adult* life, that I've not been able to treat myself.

[sbuff28@charter]

But, like I said...I've heard enough accounts of people going too low during the "awake" hours to not take the idea seriously. My question is, are some of these hypos not recognized by the body....how quickly do you go from self-sufficient to barely functioning to danger zone?
thanks!

In My opinion, It depends mostly on our basals. Before i was on a pump i was taking 10 units of lantus, then not bolusing because i was honeymooning. which would slide me down about 10 mg/dl per hour so i had to make sure i was ontop of it. I knew that if i went 7+ hours with little food i would go hypo.

everyone has there own prefrence on basals/bolus combinations. Most people I'd say strive for a non sliding basal so it is kept contant. Some people like it to slide up and some people like it to slide down so they can snack a lot. It's their prefrence. Nothing wrong with it. It's how people make diabetes work for them. I'd say if your really worried about going hypo and can't test often so with a basal sliding upward. If you like to snak and check you bg all the time go with a sliding down.

MY POINT: Just be careful if you have it sliding down. If hypos really bother you have it slide up and just correct when you bolus.

[Goldrun]

Thanks for the replies, everyone.....I really appreciate your experiences (and I feel like I know most of you from lurking around the board these last months). I keep looking for that silver bullet that says, "aha...hear are all your answers, wrapped up and tied with a bow.".....but I'm finding it's an experiment in motion!

The good news is when I asked my endo about participating in an islet cell clinical study he laughed and said, "you're way too healthy!"

[Gangrel]

Interesting. I've had diabetes for 23 years, and still experience pretty much the same sympmtoms as when I started. *knocks on wood*

I still get the physical stuff (tingly, sweats, lethargy) as well as the mental.......

I wonder why some lose it and others don't?

[Beenthere]

Goldrun - Do you live alone? If so make sure you test before bedtime. It is important that those around you, family, co-workers, etc are aware of the warning signs - especially if you become hypo unaware. My girlfriend will notice my clamy skin long before I lose the ability to hold a conversation. Although I can drop from that point to incoherent in a matter of minutes.

The first brain function we lose in the abscence of ample sugar is the ability to make a decision - that's one of my tip offs. Arguing with myself if I should test or not, when the obvious answer should be "if in doubt, check it out". The brain basically needs only two things to function; sugar and oxygen.

Those that take Beta Blockers (typically heart patients) also can have hypo symptoms blocked as a side effect of the med.

Hypo's (especially if you are conscious) are easily treated by others if they know what to do. You should always have a glucagon kit available in the event you go unconscious. The time for others to learn how to use it is right now, and not during the heat of the moment when emotions can cloud their judgement. Education for you and your friends elimanates fear.

[SueM]

I think some of the problems when people just go under/blackout with no warning is due to the speed of the blood sugar drop, very quick drop and no alarm bells ring.
I have different hypo warnings for day and night.
At night I wake up feeling thirsty and very hot and sticky.
Day time I just go into slow motion mode and become grumpy.
I still have full hypo awareness even after 41 years on insulin.

[rzrbks]

Goldrun,

There are about a Bazillion articles on the internet talking about how you lose and regain your awareness to lows

Results 1 - 10 of about 320,000 for Hypoglycemic awareness

[poodlebone]

I had symptoms for the first 11-12 years of diagnosis. I also wasn't testing my BG (very rarely) during that time and was still only only 2 shots a day (NPH+R AM; NPH PM). So, my BG was probably high a LOT of the time (never watched what I ate, either) and when I did go low, I felt it. Thinking back, many of my "lows" probably weren't actual hypos but were just lower than what my body was used to.

When I switched to MDI (only 8 years ago, and still using NPH for background) and tried to get tighter control I gradually lost the awareness because I had a lot more lows. I knew they were lows, because I was testing my BG by that time. Eventually I could get lower & lower before I realized anything was wrong. Then I started having seizures & passing out from lows, because my body gave no indication my BG was falling. I live alone, and waking up in bed with no control over my body was very, very scary. Waking up at work with EMT's standing over me - not fun. Waking up in an ambulance - definitely not
fun.

Over the last couple of years I did realize that when my BG dropped to the 30's my vision would sometimes get blurry or I'd have double vision. Even then, I guess my brain was already very fuzzy and I didn't always think to treat. I'd just continue to squint at the book, the TV, the computer monitor trying to make out what I was looking at. Eventually I'd realize I should get some juice or food.

Two weeks ago, after seeing my CDE, I changed the targets on my pump from 80-120 to 100-140. I'm trying not to freak out over the readings of 167, 158 etc but when I hit 200 I get very frustrated. The thing is I'm still having lows sometimes but they're random, not at the same time or after the same foods or activities. It's frustrating, but I'm trying to catch them and I'll have some carbs if I'm in the 70's - 80's, especially if I have IOB.

I guess the best way to avoid hypo unawareness is to test a LOT and have some carbs if you're approaching your own set hypo range.