Hi all, just wondering what is a really low blood sugar? Mine last night or should I say early this morning was 35 and I could hardly function.I am on a insulin pump. My boyfriend was no help wouldn’t get up to help me. What should I do?
I’ve only been in the 30s 2 or 3 times in 18 years. Honey, that’s LOW. Does this happen often? You need to call your endocrinologist or your educator, ASAP. Are your basals set right during the night?
Do you keep glucagon in your home in case you were to go unconscious? It’s a pre-filled syringe that you can use in instances like that.
And either have a serious talk with that boyfriend or dump him. Absolutely not okay. When my sugar drops during the night, I have a basket of treats on my nightstand, two bottles of glucose tabs, and my husband is on his feet running for juice and watching me until I am up. Even if he’s hard to wake, it’s a life or death situation.
Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the advice. It happens a couple times a couple my pump is set for a low dose but it still happens. I scares the crap out of me but I try to stay calm and not panic. Going to make a appointment to see the doctor and get glucagon. thanks, Judy
Whoa, 35 is very low! Glad you were still conscious. I treat anything under 65. I’d be passed out cold at 35. What did you do to raise it? Like Melissa mentioned, have to ask how often do you go low & about your basal settings. Also like Melissa, I keep glucose tablets on the nightstand & an extra meter. I have the tablets on a little plate because I’ve been in low fogs where I couldn’t get the bottle open.
My husband knows if I go low, I’ll be sweaty & shaking (not to mention really crabby, if awake). Tim isn’t a heavy sleeper so he wakes me if I’m fitful during the night because this could be a sign.
Other than contacting your doctor immediately, set the alarm & test yourself during the night to catch the lows. Yea, it’s not much fun, but better than the alternative.
Can’t believe your boyfriend wouldn’t help you! Does he understand that you could pass out & die? Get rid of him & find a nice man who cares about you.
I totally agree with Melissa… You need to have a talk with your boyfriend…He is your lifeline! If he can’t take this seriously you may as well be one your own…
My husband doesn’t always do as much as I would like on the domestic front, but when I have a really bad low (for me is mid 40’s so I can’t even fathom 35!) he’s right there with the glucose tabs or juice etc. he knows how serious it is. I had a bad low last night and he was mad because I DIDN’T wake him! We have a code word…for me it’s simply HELP because at times if I’m low that’s about all I can get out lol… My kids have also been a great help when I need them~ they’re always so calm and patient and take such great care of me when I’m low.
Please keep us posted and updated.
Hey Judy!
Have you considered a continuous glucose monitor? I have a Dexcom and love it. It tests my bloodsugar every 5 minutes. I have my alarm set to go off when I go under 80. It wakes me up before I go too low. I hate severe lows, especially at night. I wake up in a pool of sweat, if I go to the kitchen I eat everything in sight, I have to change the sheets and my body temperature drops so I’m too cold to sleep again. Then I have to take a hot shower to warm up. No wonder I’m exhausted in the morning. I keep a squeeze bottle of honey on my nightstand. One tablespoon is 17 carbs.
Anyway, hope you and your endo get this figured out. 35 is way too low. I hate to think what would happen if you went even lower.
Take care!
Dena
I know for me when i have lows it is really not uncommon for me to get in the 30’s. I have heard that it really depends on your body what level you will pass out at. Some people its in the 30’s others in the 40"s for example. If this happens on a regular basis i would defiantly go see your endocrinologist. I always have food or glucose tablets for insulin reactions that our on my nightstand.
Your boyfriend needs to understand how dangerous the situation is. I have friends who are more helpful than he is. I would defiantly talk with him about things. Good Luck.
I agree with what others have said. Have a talk with your boyfriend. Your diabetes is not going to go away, so if he is unwilling to accept it now (and help!), then he probably won’t do it later either. My husband is better at guessing my blood sugar than I am and can tell when I’m asleep and low. Although I wish he didn’t have to be there to help (ie: no diabetes), I am glad that he is.
Dena has a great suggestion with the CGMS. Some insurers will pay for them… bring that up at your appointment.
35 is very, very low. Maybe your night time basals are set too high. Maybe your insulin needs have changed. Maybe you are eating differently at night…
Good luck!
Hello! my lowest reading was LO as low as meter goes so i am not really sure wahat that number was. But it was scary! and that was when on mdis. Hopefully i never see that again. Keep glucose tabs and meter by your bed also My dad and brother give me some GU GEL comes in different flavors may not be the best taste but it helps in a EMERGENCY! you can get them in boxes online or your local bike shop. Take care. Been in those unhelpful stuitions many times! diabeticidol94
Judy -
35 is definately a low number but different people react differently when they get low. I am much like Tarra. When I got on my pump, my doctor was tweaking a bunch of things and I was having a string of lows. 30s and 40s were common. some people can barely function at 50s while people like myself, while I know I am low, have little difficulty until getting into the low 30s. Everyone is diufferent but if you can’t account for why you hit a low (like miscalculating carbs or unexpected exercise) then adjustments need to be made. You don’t want to hit 30s and 40s while driving because that is a deathwish.
On the boyfriend front, you need to get him in check. If he loves you, he should be there for you, especially in times like these, without a second guess. If he can’t hack it, other issues are bound to arise.
Good luck with the pump and the adjustments and the boyfriend.
different people react differently to lows. my aunt can get in the 40s and she feels like she’s about to pass out. i’ve been below 20 a couple times and i don’t feel too bad.
Judy,
I have been there many times. I have gone as low as 24… For a second I thought that my meter was having issues… THe interesting thing is that for some reason when ever I have a low blood sugar episode during nighttime, i start obessing over any dream I might be having… Obsessing to the point that I will wake up only to realize that I am low! Let me tell you that I have had some wierd dreams because of this.
30’s is low… and as for that boyfriend of yours… I think it is time to get a new one!
I read several replies, and I’m wondering…How can you even handle the test strips when that low? I lose all co-ordination, etc. I don’t even waste precious time testing,-just get some glucose in my system and worry about the consequences later…
I have witnessed one of my friends who had a low of 36mg/dl (2 mmol/L) and was unable to eat and required assistance (I gave him a glucagon injection and we called the paramedics).
I have been functional at 36 mg/dl and able to treat my own low. (My hands do feel shakier, but i am able to do what I need to do.)
So I think that it also depends on some other factors. For example, if you are low and dropping quickly, your body will have a much harder time coping. This can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, etc.
I get awareness of lows at under 65, but iIhave been upright and talking at 26 ( felt awful and could not think, but I was not unconsious or in a seizure,. I have only had three of those in 42 years as an insulin dependent diabetic.
Yet I agree with Kristin, it depends on the person. I have had a string of lows recently in the mid 40’s and one 35 yesterday: Was doing heavy housework and cleaning, moving furniture and running up and down the stairs to the basement storage areas I forgot to lower the basal rate. I had been feeling a little low about an hour before, but I do not drop fast, so I knew I had more time. But the 35 was a surprise to me, usually I get wet with persiration at that low a number. I will always sweat and have very vivid dreams if I am asleep while hypoglycemic,and that low, my body wakes me up.
I generally can treat all lows in my own. I get a little silly and my friends and family will remind me to treat NOW, as I get loud and loquacious when I am spiralling low. I can plan and take the treatment on my own :I do not get the physical shakes, just the emotional sillies.
If I start getting sleepy, then I am really low, say below 35. That is Danger time.Anything in the 30’s is danger time, and what is Danger time for me may be higher for you.
Please as I amdoing now, readjust your basals with the help of your diabetes team,
Read “Pumping Insulin” by John Walsh, I think he is the author. He has several tips that are great. You just have to remember to use them and not try to do everything at once.,
Get your boyfriend to understand that you need help when you are that low… If he cannot help you, then he may not deserve the title of “boyfriend” anymore: You deserve better …
God Bless,
Brunetta