So far, my list includes: - insulin doses out of balance with carbohydrate intake - very low carb intake, skipped meals, fasts (with no dose) - increased activity in the absence of elevated adrenaline - ambient heat: hot weather, hot shower, sauna, extra-warm pool - ibuprofen at larger doses (mild decrease)
[edited to add: pulmonary test (mild decrease)]
... which other than the last seem to me pretty obvious. But what else?
I ask, because I'm prone to mild lows (mid to high 60s) and all the usual suspects have been addressed ... and either I drift around the low end as I've been doing - most of the time I'm comfortably between 70 and 90 - or I go high, into the 140s and above.
Personally, I think this is just how I am right now, and I'm not inclined to worry about it so long as I'm not going below the mid-60s. But my doctors are concerned and now my husband is nervous about it ... so. I'm wondering if there are not-so-obvious contributors no-one's considered so far that might, if addressed, bump me up a bit.
And yes, pumps have been mentioned as an option. However, I'd rather look into what can be done within the limitations of MDI first.
Well, for me the heat thing raises me. Cold drops me down. But the biggie for me, especially when I was younger, was my emotions. Very happy (4 years old and Santa was coming!!!) and I'd drop like a rock. Even as an adult, I dropped to 2.4 while waiting to clear customs to get on our flight to Disneyworld. So certain emotions made me go low. And some of the Disney rides too, so I suspect that adrenaline or something similar had something to do with it. Other, less productive emotions would raise my bg up.
One factor that drives BGs unexpectedly lower is increased activity or exercise during the peak action of rapid acting mealtime insulin. Mealtime insulin analogs (Apidra, Humalog, Novolog) peak at about one hour after injection. Peak insulin action varies from person to person and also from time to time in the same individual but one to two hours after injection is a reasonable planning time.
If you find yourself active (that includes things like cleaning house, doing yardwork, or washing the car) one to two hours after injecting, you may end up going low unexpectedly.
If I know I'll be more active than usual at the peak of rapid acting analog insulin action, I will often cut the meal dose by one third or eat an extra 15-20 grams of carbs without a corresponding insulin dose about one half hour before the active period.
By the way I personally don't consider a BG value as hypoglycemic until it drops below 65 mg/dl. I know that BG levels, for me, in the mid to upper 60's do not elicit an adrenaline and liver BG counter-regulatory response.
not pointing fingers or making assumptions here, but smoking marijuana lead to significant drops in my sugar levels. Granted this was over a decade ago. But I did a study on the effects marijuana had on a T1D. I didn't take any insulin for over 6 months and my A1C was better than it ever had been when i was using insulin to control my sugar level. So there is that aspect too. It may be environmental type, ie essential oils, different flora, this condition is a strange beast.
How interesting! My first time in a hot tub sent me low, and this explains it. Also, my first time swimming a lot in the ocean sent me low–which was great because I could eat Oreos with the grand kids afterwards. :-). I have read Think Like a Pancreas and Pumping Insulin, but does anyone have a good site/book for explaining the hormone/BG connection?
For me it is sometimes overlapping of insulins/plus too much activity, sometimes stress levels, sometimes the weather maybe? Alcohol also, so I drink my wine with my dessert usually and I don't prebolus at night for as long or at all mostly now. Constipation also which I get seems to stop the food from getting in to meet the insulin- either that or it's gp but it doesn't always happen. Sometimes though I have no clue what is causing it, there are so many variables.
I have wondered how people deal with BG values about or just under 80, since I thought that the home BG testers always test lower than a professional blood test. Is that true?
I've not heard that, Negg, but if they tested lower wouldn't that mean your BG was like 90 or something? Anyway, at or just under 80 to me is a perfect blood sugar and the only thing I do is smile!
Actually it isn't just the carb content of alcoholic drinks. It is the effect on the liver. You could say that the liver is distracted by its work to metabolize the alcohol, that the other job - releasing stored glucose gets forgotten by the liver. That's why people with D are strongly advised to eat while having alcohol.
Yes you’re right although a shot of whiskey mixed with a bunch of soda (etc) will raise bg while the shot of whiskey by itself would lower it so carb content of the drinks is a factor in that regard
