Hello !
I’m new here and I look how it works… I think I have hypo-phobia. I’m so afraid and my HBa1C is very bad : 9.5
I know is terrible. I wonder how I can stop being afraid. Every day is a fight between the dosage and my head…
I am the only one ? I want to conquer this fear. Really.
Thanks for your support and Im from Montreal so I practice my english with you…
Hi Riz, bonjour! I am also afraid of hypos, but my A1c is a bit lower than yours. Hypos are so painful! I do a lot of blood glucose testing, and I plan on getting a Dexcom continuous glucose monitor (CGM) soon. Is there any way you can do more testing to help you feel more secure? Is there any chance you can get a CGM? Welcome to TuD, you can get lots of support here!
Great advice, Alan.
Hello Alan
Im on Lantus since 3 years. NPH is terrible, yes ! The problem is : Lantus is ok on the day and to strong on the night. I take 11 units at 7hrs am. Exemple : yesterday I went to bed at 15 and I woke up at 7. My day is ok ! If I take 10 units, it does not work on the day.
Problem hein…
Thank you Kenx
Is true : the good news is I admit my problem. Its a good step… I’ve never had a serious diabetic hypo but my friend yes and I realized one side of the diabetes that I did not know. Before that I was very balanced… I am ashamed to see my endocrinologist.
I love this : Diabetes is a kick in the pants most days, no need to kick yourself any more.
Thank you Melitta
I dont know what is : CGM ?
A CGM is a continuous glucose monitor. It provides blood glucose levels every 5 minutes. It can be very useful for those who are hypo-unaware or who want to control post-meal spikes. There are two brands currently available in the United States, the Dexcom (http://www.dexcom.com) and the Medtronic (either the Medtronic Guardian or a combination insulin pump/CGM). I don’t know what is available in Canada, but TuD has lots of Canadian members so hopefully someone can help.
Hi Riz,
My son is in the so-called honeymoon period (using small doses still), and was diagnosed only 6 months ago. We had many mild hypos (only mild because we caught them quickly) and at first he was testing all the time (the doctor said, too much, but it was with good reason in our view). Maybe some of the more experienced people can comment on this, but our biggest problem was random hypos (not associated with novolog taken for meals). We ended up reducing the Lantus dose A LOT. My son mainly needs pre-meal insulin to keep from spiking too high, and his body seems able to provide the small amount to cover other times. On any significant dose of Lantus (more than 1-2 units per day), he has to under-dose the novolog to keep enough sugar in his system to counter the constant lowering effect of the Lantus. The CGM has been a great help to us too. Even though we have had some trouble with it (I recently posted about that), I find it worth every penny we have spent on it, and worth the trouble too. Just being able to see at all times approximately what your BG number is, and which direction it is moving (up, down or staying the same) makes my son and me both feel much happier and more relaxed.
Just wanted to add – don’t be ashamed to see your endo. Forgive me for saying it – and of course I don’t even know your endo-- but I am sure your endo is no saint! Nobody is.
I was just gonna post a new thread about being scared of lows! I am in the same boat! i never used to be scared of lows, in fact I welcomed them because it gave me a chance to eat more but lately for some reason i’ve been terrified of them. I had a couple scary incidents (all of which i took care of on my own) But i’m horrified about passing out or something.
Hello Tom !
You know what? Just to know I’m not alone, it calms me… Do you want the CGM ?
I just check for the CGM and its just for US… 
You are by no means alone. This is a research topic unto itself. Here is a review which looked at 28 different studies of this topic alone. It really looks like terrible experiences with hypos can leave with a sort of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are certainly suggestions on how you can learn to more tightly control your blood sugar, but until you can conquer your fear it is very hard. Some people suggest cognitive behavioral therapy. Another suggestion is blood glucose awareness training. At the very least, I am sure you are going to hear many people share the exact same feelings you have.
Welcome, Riz!
I was scared of hypos also. My first endo scared me witless that I was going to die in my sleep unless I went to bed with high BG., like that’s any kind of good advice. At the slightest change I was convinced I was going low even when I wasn’t.
To be honest, highs are more worrisome to me than lows. Neither are good, of course. Learning as much as I could & doing the best I could to keep BG level became my goal instead of being fearful. Knowledge & action helped me dispel the fears.
The first thing I did to get off the BG rollercoaster was lower carbs. Far easier to dose appropriately for fewer carbs being consistent day to day with how much I ate. There are still suprises & curve balls, but not as devastating & nothing I can’t handle.
The second best thing I did was ditch Lantus. That was a battle with my endo, who believed Lantus was a gift of the gods. More likely, it was the cute, young Lantus pharm reps. I had consistent afternoon lows with Lantus. I lowered my dose, took split doses, changed the timing. It didn’t help. Levemir has proved to be more stable & level for me.
Welcome Riz! This is a very common fear to have, so you are not alone. One of the best tricks for me has been to spread carbohydrates throughout the day so that I’m taking smaller doses of insulin at any one time. That significantly reduced the occurence of severe lows, though I do still have many milder lows in the low 60s but I am comfortable with them. This also goes for treating highs: I will typically spread the insulin out over 30-60 mins so that I won’t get a ‘big peak’ of insulin that brings me very low all at once by surprise. By spreading out the insulin a little bit I have more time to treat it before I’m in danger!
Good luck! I know you can do it!
Agreed that NPH is horrible.
I had similar issues with Lantus. I would always go into insulin shock comas while I was asleep when I was on Lantus. If I took Lantus in am, I would go too low at night. If I took Lantus in pm, I would STILL go too low at night.
I switched to Levemir. Then I split my dosages of Levemir into 2 shots per day. I’m pretty thin, but I need a lot of insulin to keep my A1c down to 6.0% I take 45 units of Levemir in am and 50 units of Levemir in pm.
I’ve been in 6 insulin shock comas in the past 2 months due to pregnancy and NPH. Thankfully, I am in second trimester of pregnancy and could safely switch back to Levemir 2 weeks ago. Things have been perfect since. My average glucose level has been 127 for the past 4 weeks.
Good luck!
Don’t be ashamed. Diabetes is difficult. That’s why TuDiabetes is here. So we can help each other get through the hard parts of this disease. I was at A1c 8.5% for YEARS. I was ashamed too. It’s a lot of work. At least you are asking the right questions and trying to overcome your problems. That’s a good first step.
I had the CGM Dexcom for 2 months. i learned a lot from it. But, honestly, it stressed me out too much. I had better control when I just test on my meter 10 times per day. My A1c has come down 2% since stopping using the CGM last year.
Same with the insulin pump. I used the pump for 3 years, but my A1c only came down after going back to 10 shots per day.
Hello Tom T
Thank you for your positive message ! Im gonna try your trick to spread carbo.