Yesterday Missy got a call from her mom saying that she is having heart surgery this afternoon. Since she talked to her mom she has been worrying and stressing out because her mom would not go into details with her on the phone and said she would explain everything when we got there last night. To add to this her blood glucose has been going low all day. She will have a low and then she corrects it, it goes up then back down again. So instead of leaving last night we are leaving today at 9:15 AM, she was in no shape to be on an airplane yesterday (lowest BG last night was 29).I know today will be more stressful than yesterday for her.
This got me thinking. Can stress make your BG drop? I guess in part what I want to know is does this happen to anyone else? What are some of the signs that I can look for to know that she is going low? Is there anything I can do to help her ( I already had to pack her insulin, pump and testing things for her because during her lows she gets spacey and she forgot to pack them)?
I welcome any comments. I have been up all night reading the discussions on here to see if I could find any insight, finally I must go to sleep or I will be no good or help to her in the morning.
I’m sorry to hear about Missy’s Mom. Missy must be Terrified that something Bad will happen to her Mom. I know, I would be.
Yes, there are some Members(including myself) who experience low blood sugars instead of the high blood sugars when we are stressed. Most Diabetics experience high’s when stressed. There are only a couple discussions that mention low blood sugars due to stress.
I haven’t asked the others of their exact stress symptoms and experiences. Theirs may be a little different than mine.
I do hope that Missy took her basal Insulin injection(bolus) this morning because she will need it for when she finds out that her Mom is doing okay for now(hopefully), if she dozes off(she probably didn’t get much sleep)while waiting for the surgery to be over, if she decides that she needs a nap, etc. These will release the stress and her sugars will start rising from the juice, etc. that she has been ingesting. She will also need a bolus when the stress is released (try less than the amount that she would usually take). Better to be a bit higher than having to worry about more lows. Make sure that she tests often. Or you can do it for her, to keep track of her sugar levels. I’d test every 1/2 hour but that may be too often for her liking. If she isn’t feeling nauseous then she could have something to eat to help keep her sugars up a bit moreso.
As far as low symptoms, they will probably be the same as some of her usual low symptoms. I don’t know what hers will be since there are many symptoms experienced at different times for different reasons.
Of course, when I am stressed if I’m angry, I really don’t show any signs of being low other than sweating, fast-moving and irritability. If I am stressed by something Sad happening, it may be one or more of these. I’m more in a daze, staring, sweaty, unaware of what’s happening, not speaking/not easily responding to someone speaking to me. I would also be tired.
Sorry, this message is probably too late. I do hope that Missy is okay and that her Mother will have a sussessful surgery. My thoughts, prayers and Good vibes go out to both of them. Good Luck to you. This is Very Nice of you. You obviously care a Great deal about her.
Terrie8 thanks for the message it is not too late I can use the information now and later. I was looking on the net to find out what the symptoms of a low BG was in general but I did not find any. I know for her if she gets low like in the 20 or 30’s she gets spacey. But I was looking for general symptoms of lows to look out for so she does not get that low. Any idea where I can find what the general symptoms are?
Here are a few. There are many other as i said depending on the situation.
Low Blood Sugar Emergencies (Hypoglycemia)
Hypoglycemia is sometimes called “insulin reaction” because it is more frequent in people with diabetes who take insulin. However, it can occur in either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and is also commonly caused by certain oral medications, missed meals, and exercise without proper precautions. The typical threshold for hypoglycemia is 70 mg/dl (3.9 mmol/l)1, although it may be higher or lower depending on a patient’s individual blood glucose target range. Symptoms include erratic heartbeat, sweating, dizziness, confusion, unexplained fatigue, shakiness, hunger, and potential loss ofconsciousness. Once a low is recognized, it should be treated immediately with a fast-acting carbohydrate such as glucose tablets or juice.
It’s a Good idea for her to carry Glucose Tabs purchased at a Pharmacy, if she doesn’t already. You could also carry some sugar packs with you, just in case. My Boyfriend(now Hubby) carried(carries) little sugar packs or sugar cubes in his car. I always carry a juice and some mini chocolate bars plus chewable candies in my purse also.
Well, you certainly are not alone Boedica. We are the minority but we do exist. I remember a Lady named Melissa being chased off of here because someone(I won’t mention any names) said People only get highs from stress when she mentioned about her lows from stress. I’ve lived with lows from stress all my Life. We’re all different.
I’m one that goes high with stress so I’m no help at all here. As for the sympotoms that my husband catches with me when I go low: I start making NO sense at all. Start sweating really bad around my stomach and then he knows to look out.
Mainly if someone makes me angry or if something is a shock to me like a death of someone close, etc. I get nauseous and my sugar starts dropping. I cannot eat anything but I can drink juices or milk. My younger Brother was the same. Thankfully, I don’t get stressed much.
Here it’s anything out of the “norm” for me. I have no warning system anymore so the ppl around me have to watch me lots of times. And your welcome. Your great to wonderabout it and want to help out! Tell her after she treats the low to be sure to eat something (like 1/2 a sandwich or crackers and peanutbutter high in carbs is that peanutbutter) to stop from going low again. Hopefully this will help her
If you are able to have her (remind her) to test every few hours while she is going through this stressful time, you are more likely to catch a downward trend in her BS…she woukd be able to eat some kind of snack or glucose tabs/skittles/jelly beans to raise her BS before she gets too low. What a wonderful boyfriend/person you are. I wish Missy and her mother all the best. She is lucky to have you in her life and that you care so much. Take care of you too. Have her TEST! and often.
Doris, I am such a compulsive tester, I guess because I am terrified of Lows…I just hate them and feel so very awful. Too many times crawling to the fridge and hoping I pull out of it with the phone in the other hand ready to dial 911.
I can testify that stress often brings on low BG. Happens to me all the time and as Terri says it happens to lots of us. I have to say that the end result for me, usually after the stress has passed, is near crippling highs for a cuple of days. I suspect, one extreme often leads to another.
I always carry a juice and some mini chocolate bars plus chewable candies in my purse also.