Just some thoughts to see if anyone else can relate…
The Dexcom goes off and I think, “Ugh, I must be high,” because I ate about two hours ago and was 7.7 138) when I’d checked about half an hour ago. Instead it’s the “Falling” alarm and I’m 4.7 (85), which is not good with a lot of IOB remaining.
It sort of bothers me how often I am totally surprised by an alarm. Shouldn’t my body have some indication that my blood sugar is changing? I’ve tried to note how my body feels when the alerts go off, but unless it’s extreme, I relu don’t notice any difference.
I’ve often felt before that I literally have no idea where my blood sugar might be when I test. I was hoping the Dexcom would show me that I actually am decent at predicting what’s going on. Instead it’s shown me that I really don’t seem to feel my blood sugar at all. I think this is one of the reasons I struggle for control - unless my blood sugar is extremely high or low, I just don’t feel it. The Dexcom alarms have already helped me tremendously over just two weeks by letting me know about highs or lows I would otherwise let drift until the next time I tested simply because I didn’t know about them.
I don’t know if this is just because I’ve had diabetes (and thus erratic blood sugar) since I was young, or if it’s something about my body. I had hypoglycemia unawareness pretty much as soon as I was diagnosed. According to my logbook my first low was a 2.4 (43) a few weeks after starting insulin that was only discovered when I tested for dinner, and within a month of diagnosis I had a 1.2 (21) where I felt fine - I remember my mom panicking and saying that I should be unconscious.
What about everyone else? Anyone else like me? Or do others feel small changes in blood sugar?
I can feel my lows coming on -- most of the time. Other BG levels I don't really feel very well. I, too, get surprised when I feel a vibrating alert and think it's my 150 high alarm and turns out it's the 70 low one or vice versa.
No, I don't feel the small changes in my blood sugar levels. Non-Ds experience blood glucose changes, too. I don't think most people are aware of their changes, either.
I've seen many people (maybe more Type 2s, not sure...) post saying that they can't function if they are over 180 or below 50, or similar. I've seen a CGM from a non-diabetic and their blood sugar fluctuates, but VERY little compared to us!
Hi Jen,
I usually feel almost every bg fluctuation a lot of the time which feels like a curse of some sort, but there are times I don't feel them and sometimes they feel different which is confusing. I sometimes miss the lows until they're bad if I'm concentrating on something. Unfortunately the dex is not always that accurate for me I just started a new sensor and it was terrible, I also did a new cartridge/set etc. and I was worrying about bg going high if something went wrong.
Dex had me low before dinner, which I was after a walk and cooking, so I started eating before bolus and then it had me dropping to the 50's from 60's but when I tested I was already coming up to the 90's. I get confused sometimes when I have been low and I can't tell for sure if I'm coming up, or maybe it is just dex confusing and scaring me? I'm not sure anymore.
I feel now that it's difficult to function most of the time outside of a narrow range, but I have always kind of been that way, I had lower bg overall before D too, sometimes testing in the 60's on blood tests. I don't have hypo unawareness fortunately but my endo was worried I was going to develop that due to too many lows which is in partly why I tried dex again and now the pump. I had a 26 too, after D, where I was fine, walking around etc. I often wonder if that was accurate now, I can't remember if I retested or not, I usually do now if symptoms don't match the number. On the other hand before D diagnosis I had hypo's in the 40's where I felt dizzy and weak which is why I did some testing then. I would eat some food and come back to normal and feel better.
I agree non d's have very small fluctuations for the most part, unless they eat a high carb meal and then spikes seem to come down more quickly and be less severe for them- that is the way it's supposed to be when things are functioning normally.
The Dexcom is delayed by 15-20 minutes, so I often find with lows I'm low by the time the Dexcom says I'm dropping and I'm coming back up long before it says I am. This is why I've continued testing before doing any sort of bolus or treatment. Sometimes I test and the result will be more than
I agree that having the Dexcom makes me confused as to what to do sometimes. I often used to just correct a high right away if I tested, whereas now with the Dexcom I often wait an hour or two to see if I'll start coming down on my own. Same with a low - sometimes it stays stable, so I sometimes wait a bit before treating it, which I'm not sure is good. Last night for the first time I slept through the Dexcom alarming for a low for almost an hour, which sort of freaks me out. It wasn't a severe low, but it's the first time I didn't wake up for the alarm. Maybe as I use the Dexcom more nad get my pump settings more accurate I'll take action more quickly, maybe being slower about making decisions is just getting used to the Dexcom.
I don't know that well if I feel things as I'm a ***TOTAL*** peeker and am always keeping on eye on what's up with my CGM. I generally see things developing before they have totally played out.
My friends and I play Diabetic Price is Right. We all make a BG guess and whoever is the closest, without going over, wins something. Sometimes they win because they can see something I can't (like beads of sweat) and sometimes I win because I can feel something that they can't. Its a pretty even split. Sometimes where all close, and sometimes were all really off.
At times in my life I can feel it better than others. Some years ago, I could ski pretty aggressively, and not notice anything was wrong, at BG = 22. Lately, I get strong symptoms at 70, but that's not been typical over the past 22 years. I consistently feel a sustained high of 250. I can taste it and feel dehydrated or faint. I can feel rapid decreases more intensely. I don't always feel it the same way, even day to day.
Do you think the people around you can tell?
Highs they can't, at all, even when I myself feel them. If I'm around 17 / 300 for a few hours I feel like you described - dehydrated, tired, thirsty. If I'm low for an extended period of time, occasionally people will tell me that they could tell I was low because I was cranky, but this tends to only be really close friends and family.
When my blood sugar is dropping I feel nauseous and then shaky. When my blood sugar is rising I typically have trouble thinking/foggy minded. LOVE MY DEXCOM!
Hahaha... acid, I look at that damn thing at least 2-3 times an hour, unless I'm totally engrossed in something!
I've gotten past the stage where I look at it every 15 minutes, but I still look at it pretty often, especially if I'm waiting for food or insulin to kick in. And sometimes I can go an hour without looking at it if I'm in a meeting, etc. (I can't look at it discreetly, otherwise I would!).
I used to know a woman who could tell, before I could, when I hit around 250. I found this to be amazing. She had a real keen sense of smell - her dad was a candle maker and she used to quality test for him as a kid. She used to say my breath smelled like booze, but that was pretty exceptional, I think.
How low do you have to be before you, for sure, can feel it? I've just started running low this week, at night, and I think my physiology is adapting awful quickly to that new trend. Last night I was 45 and couldn't feel it before bed. Haven't been wearing the Dex. Saving my last sensor for an upcoming Dr apt. I know I can still feel it, for certain, at 30, but symptoms are a little jumbled at 45. Last night I just felt hot, but my husband said it wasn't hot and told me to check. Also, I'm just getting this weird kind of general paranoia with the lows. That's no good because if somebody says, 'check,' I tend to get this reaction of, 'their out to get me, my BG isn't low,' which is really annoying to everyone I know.