Yesterday I thought I would write something on Monday’s Blogging Week’s topic–“Life in the Day of a Diabetic.” However I started reading the day’s threads on TuD, and became transfixed by the problems of two of the members, spending all my spare time following them. I am so impressed by the quality of help that members of TuD offer.
Today’s topic is how to treat lows. I carry glucose pills in my pocket, but I really dislike them. I actually use Danactiv yogurt drinks and mini York Mint Patties, which are not as convenient but taste a lot better.
Orange Juice is the nectar of life. You’d think after 21 years of being saved by citrus, I’d get sick of it… but it is continuously DELICIOUS. If I had a way to carry OJ all the time, I would be eternally happy.
Agreed on the grossness of glucose pills… I’d prefer candy over those chalky things any day, and I hate candy 
I suggest that you experiment with different brands of glucose. My opinion is that DEX are the better tasting. Also baby food (fruit) are in essence fast acting sugar. Honey and maple syrup are also great. Granted, glucose tabs aren’t the best tasting. However, I do used them because unlike a lot of things. I don’t have to worry about glass breaking, containers bursting, candies sticking, flat sodas, or food getting spoiled or stale. When I use glucose tabs, I can stick a roll in my back pocket and i’m off!!
That’s funny because I hate OJ… HATE, HATE, HATE. I’ve been D for almost 19 years and I think I have hated it from day 1. I choose regular soda, even though it gives me a massive headache. All sugary things I dislike, even to treat a low. They give me big headache and I feel really crappy
At work, I have a stash of apples to counteract lows and at home I have similar snacks around should the need arise to use them. On the go, I will carry a snack with me currently Pop-Tarts are my pleasure of the moment but it used to be Rice Krispie squares. It is one of the few times where I will go for the junky foods that I would normally avoid. Regular pop is another option I’ll sometimes use so a bottle of Pepsi or Dr. Pepper will be near me just in case I need it.
It is worth noting that I seem to have 2 kinds of lows: The hypo where I test under the 4.0 mmol/L that is the lowest reading I should get and then there is the 5.0 mmol/L threshold that I have to have in order to drive which is a bit higher.
I personally think it’s a good thing that I don’t like glucose tablets. Otherwise I’d be tempted to munch on them, not because my bg was low, but because they taste good.
Having glucose that can live unrefrigerated and squashed is important for pockets. Yogurt and York Patties don’t deal well with heat or being squashed.
I think it’s important to kinda draw a line between “something to correct my bg” and “yummy treats”. If it’s a yummy treat and you eat it at 10AM because otherwise it’ll go bad on a hot day, that won’t help you correct your bg when you’re actually low at 3PM
I’m a jelly bean fan. They’re cheap & portable. I can’t stand glucose tabs. Each jelly bean has 1 gram glucose, so it’s easy to take only what I need. One gram glucose raises me 10 pts. & I don’t want to over correct with things that are higher in sugar. Skittles also work well or Lifesavers.
I use glucose tabs. They are very reliable and work well for me and protable (in the 10 tab portable tubes). If I am not that low -I will grab a glass of milk.
Glucose tablets, airheads and OJ are my top choices. I carry glucose tablets everywhere that I go.
I carry Glucose “shots”. It’s the same idea as the tabs, but in liquid form. Looks kinda like an energy shot and as far as I’m concerned, tastes like battery acid but it’s quick and pretty much uncrushable in my purse.
I haven’t had Frankenberries since I was a kid… LOL… I like Honeycomb, or Captain Crunch/Corn
Those HI-C orange lavaburst juice-boxes you had when you were a kid. Those help me out everytime
HATE OJ so a 8 oz glass of whole milk will bring me up everytime. When I get to low they use the gloagon shots to bring me back to earth. I have been known to drink water with a couple of spoonfulls of sugar in it. REALLY DON’T LIKE GLUAGON TABLETS!
I have a small refrigerator near my bed with Danactiv for night lows, along with my mini York patties in my nightstand. In hot weather, I carry Danactiv, insullin, and York patties in an insulated bag with ice. Food is in my purse always.
I think it is unethical to upsell stuff to diabetics, milking them for money. Did you know that the glucose tablets contain primarily glucose? Did you know that this is really D-glucose? Did you know that D-glucose is also called dextrose? Is it obvious why they are called “dex4” tablets?
Do you realize how much that stuff costs? Now I know that some people believe that these tablets are made to taste like cr*p on purpose, but gimmee a break! I am an adult. I’ll behave like an adult. If I have a low, I’ll eat “just enough” to correct.
My suggestion. Stop padding the wallets of companies that just want to make a buck of the diabetics in this world. Get yourself some “smarties”
INGREDIENTS: Dextrose, Citric Acid, Calcium Sterate, Artificial Flavors and Colors (FDC Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake)
Guess what? They contain only “GLUCOSE!” Available here (http://www.candyfavorites.com/Smarties-Candy-Roll-Wafers-Bulk-pr-16…) for $22.03 for 5 lbs (about 350 rolls), each roll contains 6g of dextrose. You apparently can also get a 42 lb box, but there are limits.
Fellow member Scott talk about his smartie adventures here (http://sstrumello.blogspot.com/2009/11/smarties-revisited.html and here http://sstrumello.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-2-making-low-go.html).
The other key advantage to smarties (besides flavor) is that if you have a mild low, you can use just a few smarties to do a mild correction.
I use Jelly Bellys or Skittles. I have them in my purse, by my bed and in the kitchen by my tester. They work fantastic! and taste good. I use regular Pespi for an extreme low. If I broke down in my truck, I could survive for many days out of my purse and what I carry in the many compartments of the truck…I get teased all the time from family and friends. I just tell them that they wont be laughing at me if they were stranded with me, they would be begging for food, drinks etc. LOL
Not to mention the neat names.
It sounds like you could even set up a roadside stand if you needed a little excitement.
I agree on the milk. When I was pregnanet (many moons ago) it is what I used to treat lows. I still use it. But, you can really only use it when you are home. It brings your low up nice and steady.
Now I have those little boxes of 15 grams of apple juice. It helps me not to over treat the low and follow the 15 minutes rule. I have them in my purse, locker at work, the car, my desk, night stand. Even my diabetic/angel friends know where they are if I really go low. They travel well. The only problems is trying to get that little straw to pop into the box when you are going low and your loosing hand/eye coordination. It does not want to go in. D&%$ it! A couple of times the straw fell off the box and I had to stick my car key in the hole and squeeze it out and chug it down. It worked! Glucose tablets? Yuck!
Yes! Good idea