How do you feel when you go low?

[oblivious 318]

I think I get the usuals, like tremors and cold sweats.. but I get something else to.

This doesn`t happen every time, but it happens a lot of the times.

I get the runs 

 

Sometimes when I get lows, I have to get to a bathroom really quick to empty both tanks.

Not sure if I react to something that skips some of the digestion process, or if my gut gets the willys when I get a low and evokes a quick exit strategy.

Seems to be the latter.

Do any of you get the same, or any other quirks?

I have never measured any lower than 3 mmol/l.

[NoraWI 4,809]

I don't get any shakes nor sweats but go directly into the neurological slowing down of mental processes. I feel as though I am walking through thigh high water. It's very hard to concentrate on what needs to be done. But, somehow, I get it done. I find that the standard recommendation of 15g of carbohydrates to be too much most of the time. It will get me to go too high, which then becomes a seesaw. I opt sometimes when I am only down into the 60s to just turn off the basal on my pump. That's not an option available to those who do MDI. Otherwise, I use Skittles, which have 1g of carbohydrate apiece. I begin with about 8 and then test 15 minutes later. I am usually into the safe area by then. If not, I'll eat another 3 or 4. Test again in 15 minutes.

[Uff Da 7,201]

About the only symptom of a low I get these days is a very slight feeling on tingling of my lips, tongue or cheeks. It is so very slight at times that I really have to test to see if I'm imagining things, as on one occasion I tested and found myself to still be in normal range, so it probably just was my imagination. I don't usually get a noticeable slowing down of mental processes until I'm in the 30s or occasionally low 40s.

 

Like Nora, I, too, am sensitive to carbs and 15 grams of carb for a low would be a major overkill. A week ago I awoke in the night to a low of 50. I took 6 ounces of 2% milk for 6.8 grams carb and went back to bed. I awoke to a 158 at 8:30, a 108 point increase. Now I do get DP, but the maximum amount of DP I'd expect by 8:30 would be 40 points. That would still leave 68 points of increase due to the milk, or 10 points per gram carb. My previous tests with glucose tabs or milk have also given me an increase of between 8 and 10 points per gram of carb.

[art 440]

Shakes and sweats.

An empty feeling in my tummy is the first warning

 

Art

[NoraWI 4,809]

Ahhh, I forgot about the tingling lips and mouth. Like Uff Da, I get those when I go down very fast sometimes. And those symptoms linger on way after my BG has risen. I think some of these symptoms come about when BG plummets quickly. Rate of descent counts as much as the lowest number reached.

[funkynassau 1,569]

It doesnt happen often, thankfully, but I feel jittery and my stomach feels so empty whether it is or not.  I know what's happening so I get some OJ or similar into me asap.  My thinking may get muddled if it goes on for a little while.  After some juice or whatever I am fine in about 10-15 mins.  

[Fraser 7,378]

When I go low, I disconnect with things. I feel like I am outside looking in. 

I just watch as the world goes by.  

 

[notme 2,910]

I also get the tingly tongue and lips sometimes.  For the most part, I get very little warning until my blood glucose is very low, like 30's and sometimes below.  When I do hit the 30's I also have a hard time processing my thoughts.  I think I know what I want to say but it just doesn't ever formulate correctly.  Sometimes I also do the blank stare and watch the world go by.  I do sometimes get the massive sweats!  I guess that is in place of the tank emptying. 😜  I usually end up very tired for the rest of the day.  I also get a bit obstinant.  My husband offers me food and I snap at him for suggesting the wrong thing.  Poor guy.  He is a saint.  

 

Hopefully, this new magic I am wearing will reduce these hideous lows.  

[davidtype1 0]

On 8/16/2017 at 9:24 AM, oblivious said:

I think I get the usuals, like tremors and cold sweats.. but I get something else to.

This doesn`t happen every time, but it happens a lot of the times.

I get the runs 

 

Sometimes when I get lows, I have to get to a bathroom really quick to empty both tanks.

Not sure if I react to something that skips some of the digestion process, or if my gut gets the willys when I get a low and evokes a quick exit strategy.

Seems to be the latter.

Do any of you get the same, or any other quirks?

I have never measured any lower than 3 mmol/l.

dizzy and depression.  

 

[meyery2k 21,501]

My lowest ever has been 68.  I get intensely hungry and mentally I am "hangry".

[don1942 224]

Two days ago I hit 49. Blurry vision and a bit disoriented. Especially enjoyed two Oreos and a glass of milk.

[Moreno 14]

I feel super out of it, but the problem I have with lows, it I get super hungry and would/will overeat. I am talking about 2 bowls of cereal, glass of apple juice, etc. and then wouldn't take insulin for it afraid of going low again.

[Fraser 7,378]

My work out buddies laugh with me when I get low, . We call it my stupid time. 

They know I am useless and just prop me up on the bench,.  They do get me home:-)

[Hammer 15,612]

For me, it depends on how low I go.  I am comfortable when I am in the 60's.  When I drop into the 50's, I can feel my feet get a tingling sensation, and my hands shake a little bit.  When I drop into the 40's, I begin to get hot and sweat and my lips feel a bit numb, my legs feel shaky, and I have a little trouble seeing.(there are faint white dots in my vision.)  When I drop into the 30's, I have all of the same symptoms as when I'm in the 40's, but they are more intense.  When I dropped into the 20's recently, it felt the same at the 30's felt.  Fortunately for me, I am perfectly coherent when I drop low.  I usually can feel the low coming on, so I'll get up and walk into the dining room where my resting supplies are.  I'll sit down, take a BG reading, see that I am low, then grab the bottle of glucose tablets sitting on the table, and slowly eat one after another until the low begins to go away. (I can feel myself cooling down.)

 

The reason that we get hot, sweat, and shaky, is because when you go low, even if it's a false low, your body releases adrenaline to alert you that something is wrong.  You are sitting there, relaxing, and when the adrenaline is released, your body goes from zero to a hundred miles an hour in a few minutes.  It's that fast acceleration of your body that makes you feel the low.  Once the low is over, the fact that your body's heart rate speeded up, you feel like you just ran a marathon, which is why you are usually tired for the rest of the day.

[Gladtobehere 429]

It varies depending on how low.  And it also varies from 1 time to the next when the symptoms appear.

 

First it is the hollow feeling.  Not quite hungry. Not quite empty.

Then the shakes, inabilty to concentrate, make a simple decision or think in general.  This is accompanied by ZERO patience and a snarly attitude for anyone asking silly questions.

Then tunnel vision.

And finally the cold sweats which only happened when I was asleep and not for many years.

 

My RULE for when I feel low........"FIRST HAVE 1 OF DEX4."

Then check BG and do what is required.

 

Never had tingly anything or GI issues.

[Kenton 299]

I occasionally have the lower GI dump when I go low but not often.

Usually for me the first hint is a bad feeling, sort of like jaws is closing in behind you.

Then depending on what I am doing, bicycle riding for instance I will notice I am having trouble staying in my lane.

If driving I sometimes notice my hands shaking and if walking or working in the yard a general tiredness like walking through water

If asleep I frequently will wake drenched in sweat. The lowest I have been per the meter was 28.

So I woke up covered with sweat and not sure what was going on.

Then my single cell brain slightly fired and I decided to get up and go check my blood sugar.

Before I made it to the kitchen I managed to pull the drapes down next to the bed.

Then I proceeded to mumble cuss my way out to the kitchen per my wife.

Where I dumped the container of test strips all over the floor

Once I had a successful test I then proceeded to have a bowl of life cereal, that is my treat that I only get if I go low.

What I suspect caused the low reading is something I have had 2 other times when I inject the basal and I suspect it went in or near a vein.

With pen needles you can't pull back and see if there is blood like I used to do with my father when we gave him his Insulin.

Within the hour I am diving down and the next day  notice the start of a nasty bruise on my belly.

But it is rare to have happen so I stick with the pens.

Edited March 9, 2018 by Kenton

[Bar&In 1,065]

Brain starts to go and get a tingle in my left shoulder blade (endo thinks I’m nuts when I told her but happens majority of time when I go low). If I got extremely low I get shakes, sweats, chills, etc. 

[preet 1]

Start felling cold and shaky.
I also start feeling hungry, feels like eating everything inside the refrigerator

[Kenton 299]

On 7/14/2018 at 1:02 PM, preet said:

Start felling cold and shaky.
I also start feeling hungry, feels like eating everything inside the refrigerator

I made myself premeasured sandwich bags of Life cereal.

If I wake up low or am going low those are my treat.

I love the stuff but it is not something I'd eat other than to combat a low.

The other low treat is Skor bars, those are so good.

Yeah I should eat the nasty glucotabs but I figure hey here's my chance to eat something that I like but normally avoid.

[davidtype1 0]

I get dizzy and depressed.