I know this seems logical, and I know why it seems important (dangerous lows seem almost impossible without taking exogenous insulin or an insulin-promoter). I mean, the conversation in the “how low have you gone” thread kind of says it all: there are lots of Type 1s on insulin who have experienced BGs down in the teens and twenties, and they’re still here talking about it.
Having just gotten out of a two-hour conversation this morning with my doctors (two of them) very concerned about my regular, “mild” lows (in the 50s and 60s), I take a bit of umbrage at the idea that “it’s no big deal.” Not because I think I’m in danger of keeling over dead from a non-insulin induced low. I don’t think I’m in danger of that. However, there are some serious issues that people have with hypoglycemia that aren’t injecting insulin:
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chance of getting into a car (or bike) accident go up considerably when you dip into the 50s
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the “unknown” factor: my GP and metabolic specialist just insisted, less than an hour ago, that I start seeing a real endocrinologist as soon as we can get an appointment, largely because they don’t know what my blood sugars are doing and why they’re doing it
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even “mild” hypoglycemia is really uncomfortable, and sometimes scary: getting nauseous, lightheaded, blood pressure drops, sweats, waking up, untreatable hunger pangs, etc. on a regular basis is rather annoying at best, and can be debilitating at worst
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for someone like me, who has “regular” mild lows (50s and 60s) on the order of 4-5 times a week, without exogenous insulin, it’s more than a bit annoying: it seriously impacts my lifestyle
So yeah, I get it. I am not in danger of accidentally killing myself through an insulin reaction. I don’t envy those of you that have that to worry about. But minimizing what other people are going through isn’t the way to make that point. There are degrees to many things in life, and hypoglycemia happens to be one of them. Most of us of any type can remember the horrible feelings after diagnosis and treatment when we first felt “low” at normal BGs. I thought I was going to die. Well, here six months later, when my A1c was 4.8% as of this morning, I get to experience that “I’m going to die” feeling four to five times a week. It has my doctors concerned, it has my wife concerned, and it has me concerned (to an extent).
So hypoglycemia is certainly one of my worries, and it’s quite narrow minded and selfish of you to suggest that it shouldn’t or needn’t be. I know that’s not your intention, but that’s absolutely the way it’s coming across. OP is asking for experience, and you’re suggesting her experience is no big deal. Well, for some of us it’s a deal. I’m sure at some point I’ll look back on my days of mild hypoglycemia inconvenience and laugh at how ridiculous and stupid I was in the early days and years after diagnosis. But for now, it’s a legitimate problem for me. Not the same as your problem, but it’s a legitimate problem for me.