I have struggled with this all of my 56 years of Type 1. Before we had meters for testing, we had to rely on symptoms. My symptoms I think have become so severe - the shaking, sweating, confusion, loss of concentration, even blurry vision it is very, very hard to not over-eat. In fact I always over-eat. I do not seem to be able to stop until the symptoms have gone. I find Orange Juice to be the best. It is so hard to drink just 15 carbs and wait 15 minutes. I usually have peanut butter on wheat crackers until the symptoms subside. I still believe that its the rate you fall, rather than the numbers. As you said if you are 400 and drop very quickly to 100 you get the "hypo" symptoms. All I can say is it is very difficult to control and you can only do what is best for you - not what the "numbers" dictate.
Another vote for GLUCOSE TABLETS and the 15/15 rule.
I carry at least one tube of 10 Dex4 (or equivalent from Wal-Mart/Target, etc) with me at all times. The tube is slipped into a pocket along with car keys, change, wallet etc. No pocket? Put 'em in a purse, bag, computer case, etc.
When I go to bed at night, I place the tube on the bedside table along with my meter. I regularly wake up around 3AM and test.
When I am going to hike/bike I frequently take 2 tubes (try saying "2 tubes" 5 times fast!).
To refill the tubes, I buy bottles of 50 tablets (several) and keep them in a cupboard.
Once you have more experience with lows and treating them using the 15/15 rule, you will get a better understanding of how to modify the rule for yourself, as others have noted. For me, when I am @ 64mg/dl, I use the 12/15 rule.
I do overindulge sometimes - the thoughts of "FOOD! NOW!", intermingled with the multi-colored spots in my vision, followed by "WHAT ARE YOU DUMB? FOOD! NOW!" are sometimes to hard to overcome. I remain far from perfect.
This was the biggest challenge for me to overcome. When I feel 'low,' every instinct tells me to eat eat eat until I go up. But the logical part of my brain tells me that I only need 1, 2, or maybe 3 glucose tablets (I personally think the 15/15 rule is overkill for minor lows if you don't have a lot of insulin on board) and any more will send my soaring. I'm a slightly freak-outish person by nature, which hasn't helped matters.
I got over it (for the most part) by forcing myself to consume only the required # of glucose tablets to get me to 80-100 and waiting it out with willpower. After a few times of seeing a positive outcome, it got easier. Or maybe it's just that I have fewer symptoms nowadays, I'm not sure. But I know exactly what you're talking about. Make a plan and stick to it, I think you can beat this thing.
wanting to add to the chorus for glucose tabs but also any kind of pure sugar candy if you can't stand glucose tabs or the cost is a bit much (I use smarties which to me taste and work the same as glucose tabs).
One suggestion is to have things premeasured... like little packets of three tabs or X many skittles that you keep with you all the time. Then you'll always know you have something with you and you won't have too much.
If you're so inclined and have the insurance/money you might also consider a CGM. It may help to hit off trends earlier (like you might see yourself at 80 w/ no symptoms but dropping and just eat one tab to head it) It can also help one feel more in control of the situation cause you see where you're trending.
Good luck in smoothing out the roller coaster ride because it's hard once you start swinging back and forther to get off
I see right under you Mike said something about glucose tabs. me, myself, and I don't like them so I just get 1/2 of a coke (HATE OJ) just my way sorry..........................
Even after years I dont have an answer to your question,Its hard when your low to even think let alone be counting carbs when I am in the kitchen everything and anything would go in my mouth and till now it does.
These days after doing the course I have noticed the more I panick the lower I will go so take it one step at a time check if your low take a deep breath and head for something sweet I always carry it in my bag and its always by my side not matter where I am or what I am doing,then follow it with a carb wait a little then check.
Its all about having a routine thats what I find helps,its hard to stick to it but life is not easy esp with diabetes.
During my first few months I had a lot of lows too (though not dangerous, ranged down to 40-ish). Do you know what your bg is at when you first start to feel symptoms? How low you can go before things start getting bad (for me, my vision blurs, I get very shaky, have a hard time thinking straight)? Try to find out at what point you *do* start feeling symptoms. That way, you will know in future whether you really need to stress right away about it or hopefully know that as long as you fix it within the next few minutes you won't run into a bad low bg situation.
I work in a hospital setting and it's a pain to make sure I snack sometimes. I always keep the glucose tablets in my purse. If I need something to pick me up, I can easily and quickly get to it without it being on my person or in the way all the time. Definitely get the tablets or gel, or a candy like skittles. You want something that will act quickly. Chocolate candies, cheetos, chips, those sort of things take longer.
I would also try to make it a habit to check your bg 15 minutes after you eat to correct a low. If you overdid the carbs, you can fix it. If you still are low, you can take more sugar/tablets/etc right then and not have to worry so much.
Edit: Just was thinking, do you have a CGMS? If not, maybe it would be a good option for you. Of course, getting coverage for it is a pain from what I hear!
My son does a dose w/ a fake bg then only partially doses what he is eating. He does this cuz the 15 rule.. makes him panic...he wants more. For example....the other day he was 40... yep freaked so he told his PDM (Omnipod meter) that he was 80 (so it would let him dose) and he ate 45carbs and dosed only 20 carbs. He felt better...and his next reading was 101. I was very concerned about him doing this but the endonurse( who is also diabetic) said she also dose that sometimes...it prevents the big high. So.. maybe you can find a way to do something like that? ASK YOU DOCTOR FIRST....but this works for him.
Thank you guys for all of your replies and advice. The ironic thing is we give our clients glucose tablets every day because their bloodsugar drops when getting tattooed....ha. I had never even thought about it. I wish I could afford something like a CGM but unfortunately I cannot at this time as I don't have insurance. As for the ups and downs, my doctor has put me on Levemir and Novolog,I really hope it makes a difference....I was also reading about some 6-12-12 diet? Bernstein? I was reading about it on the forums...I guess it's just one day at a time with diabetes just like everything else. Thank you again for your personal stories and help.
I second this method. My body wants to eat everything in sight when I'm low, and continue to eat until I feel better, not just until my blood sugar is in range. I've tricked it into thinking I'm still eating using sugar free drinks like diet coke or crystal light. I've also done stuff like eating celery or cheese or something that has a minimal blood sugar impact on me along with my fast acting sugar.
I know test strips aren't cheap but how often a day are you testing? You aren't going to be able to fine tune your Levemir and Novolog without testing at least 8-10 times per day especially since you are subject to big swings.
After 50+ years of it, here is my plan. I carry Wuther's candy. 5 carbs each with the 15 carbs/15 minutes that works fine for me.
When I am really low, like below 45 or so I mess up and over eat (its like the fight or flight thing for survival I guess), then I end up in the 300-400 range. No biggie that is just part of life, we can never be perfect. I just try to level out as often as possible.
I do this too, Danny. I think the body's normal physiological reponse to a hypo is hunger and wanting to eat. It is so hard to supress that natural inclination. I will drink crystal light while waiting, or hot tea with stevia or spenda. It sometimes takes much longer than 15 minutes for me to pull an extremely low glucose ( say in the 30's) up. And to wait, fighting the panic., wanting the blood sugar raise up NOW. Now, that IS hard to do if you find you are low when you know you have tons of other things to do: Waiting out a low has impeded ( yes, I am going to be late again ) my schedule of daily activities.
It really helps to get off the roller coaster in the first place. Solution ? You have to test and test and test .It is part of the type one life...grrr the reality of "control"
How I have missed this practice for so many years?
My lows are less frequent than they used to be, and I don't always experience the crazy, anxious hunger, but when I do look out. I usually end up at 300. Anyway, the other day, when between sensors I got low and had the sensation of really wanting to eat eat eat. I ate 16 carbs and wanted to eat more so I went for cheese (long enough after so hopefully it did not make me slower to go up) and sugar free jello.
It worked! I spiked only to 140 and then quickly went down to 120. Yay!
After 30 years with diabetes I still "freak" out when I feel low, usually in the early morning hours and it wakes me up, sweating and shaking and not understanding what is going on...I have practically od'd on bowls of cereal, eating 2 or 3 bowls in 10 minutes trying to feel better. I always over eat and end up paying the price with a horrible headache and high bs..we can't help how we feel or being scared and you're right it does feel like a panic attack.
That's always been a tough one for me. When you're mind is swooning from lack of glucose it seems like your body physically craves the sugar. And when your glucose levels comes up, but the symptoms haven't abated, its really difficult to stop eating. It feels good to eat sweets, even better when you know its giving your body what it needs.
I usually pre-measure out candy and have it on hand for the type of low that it is. Sounds more intense than it is: I use my test strip canisters as carrying cases for Nerds candy. Nerds are pretty potent and I measured it out so that one test-strip canister is a 14 gram of carb serving. So when my sugar is 50-60 I'll go for one canister. Below 50 I will go for two. If it is above 60 I will usually try to correct with something gentle. Skittles do well, because they are about 1 gram of carb per skittle and those things get hard to chew after awhile. But it is always hard to stop eating the sweets once you start. The pain is when your liver kicks in and the glucagon.
By the way, nice username. I've been reminiscing with a lot of Danzig lately.
I had a Medtronic trainer call low blood sugar "eat everything in the fridge low"
That's how I feel when I am very low.. I am so hungry I feel like I haven't eaten in weeks. I'll drink some juice, eat a banana, eat a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and then 2 hours later my BS is 300!
It's that feeling that you are going to pass out that makes your brain think it has to eat right away.
Interesting thread -- my little guy is only 3 1/2 but yesterday he got home and was saying "juice Mommy, juice" and was so insistent and panicked-sounding that I tested him AFTER handing him the juicebox... he was at 49. He sucked the juice down fast and asked for another, and I gave it to him. Then gave him his full dinner in the hopes of maybe slowing down the absorption and the potential high. He got insulin for the dinner once I was sure the juice had taken effect and while he did go up to about 249 later in the evening, by the time I did my midnight check he was back down into reasonable territory. I've never heard that panic accompanies lows before, but it sounds like that's not unusual. I'll keep that in mind.
