Recently experienced a problem that has never hit me before. A stomach virus had been making its way through our household and I thought it would be only a matter of time before it hit me as well.
Last Saturday night, I checked my BG 2 hours after supper and after a 20 minute walk, and found it was in mid-70s. Usually safe at that level, I bolused 4.5 units of Novolog and ate a correspondingly carb-counted dessert/snack. I found myself feeling very low after the snack, checked BG again and found it had dropped into the low 50s. I began to get a bit concerned about what was happening so I downed 6 ounces of fruit juice and ate 16 grams of glucose tabs. I then went to bed.
Two hours later, I thought I was having a dream that there were 5 paramedics surrounding my bed and discussing my situation. It gradually dawned on me that the dream was actually reality. They had been called by my alert wife and daughter as a reaction to my unresponsive state. While there recovering consciousness, it became apparent that the stomach virus had found me as well.
Having never experienced an ER trip due to low BG before, this was a huge surprise to me. I’m attributing the crash to the virus somehow inhibiting digestion in such a way that my 4.5 units of Novolog met no carbs entering my blood stream, and consequently sent me into an unconscious state.
Has anyone ever experienced such a reaction to stomach viruses or other stomach infections?
Thanks.
-Tom
Hey Tom,
Scary stuff. “Waking up like in a dream to paramedics” is a nightmare, I know. People seem to react to infections and viruses a bit different. I run a little high some days when I am having a “sick day”, despite not eating. Often times, though, people seem to need a much decreased ratio of insulin to carbs during sickness. It is thought this has to do with the body’s immune response to the attacking virus/pathogen, accelerating the reaction rate of insulin. As you said, maybe the stomach bug also gave some complications in terms of carb absorbtion.
Either way, you are doing the right thing to check your BG often and record these events for your Endo the next time you see them. I hope you are feeling better!
Emily-
Much better now. Thanks.
I think it also may be time to make sure there’s a Glucagon kit in the house.
-Tom
That sounds exactly like what happens to me before I get sick with a tummy bug. Usually the first sign is lows… and often it’s 12-18 hours before the vomiting begins, but it’s clear (sorry if TMI) that nothing has actually been digested…
Thanks Sarah-
The ER doc was making me crazy arguing about it. Good to hear that someone else has similar experience. I think only those of us who live inside these T1-affected bodies really understand the variables - if at all!
-Tom
It definitely happens 
I keep zofran odt (well, the generic) on hand… it usually works very well for those sorts of things.
For me when I get any kind of illness with vomiting, I end up very dehydrated, with ketones, which sets up more vomiting (but it’s not DKA)… it’s not a pretty cycle. Without help it takes me 4-5 days to get over a “24 hour bug” because of that.
A friend’s T1 daughter just had the stomach bug and ketones. She was going high, not low, though. Her mother told me that she raised her basal, which I’m sure is pretty low most of the time, 150% during the illness! Sounds scary!
I am dealing with stomach issues right now and low BG’s got to the hospital with a BG of 23 didn’t even know so I got a nice visit to the hospital and have been here for 3 days now. apperently I have gastroparesis and it causes vomiting and nausea and so causing me to go low. and then high when treated so i feel you i get out today with new basals and bolus instructions so i can be good to go again.
Yep, my waking up to paramedics was just like that too! I was sorta there but it was like a dream as they figured out what to do with me. I vaguely remember them trying to put that frosting-in-a-tube stuff in my mouth but I would have nothing to do with it. Then the glucagon, which got me conscious in a couple minutes.
Yes, being sick to the stomach and unable to process carbs but having insulin already in the system bringing bg down, is time for a ER trip or glucagon.