Last night, I went really low. I think it was the lowest I’ve ever been. I didn’t test until after my BF treated my low and it was 32, 10 minutes later. Anyways, my issue is do you guys apologize for your actions when low? We were in bed and I got very combative when he tried to touch me, kiss me, or anything. I yelled and hit at him and I know it’s not really my fault, but just a simple miscalulation, but today, I feel bad and this morning, he really wasn’t too talkative with me. I asked him if he was upset with me and he said no, but I feel like he thinks it’s my fault and that I could/can prevent it from happening. I know it’s one of those the longer you’ve had it the better control you have things, but it’s been kinda bugging me all day.
Yes, you should apologize…I do always. Soon he will come to understand it better and maybe even be able to help you know when you’re going low before you get to 32. We can get very snappy and hurtful so we should apologize when this happens. Put yourself in his shoes and ask how you would feel if he treated you that way and then didn’t apologize later. You need to let him know how the lows make you feel and how long it can take to recover even after your BG comes up. I feel like crap for hours!
Yeah you should totally apologize. He was just trying to be loving toward you. I get ill to when mine drops or gets to high and I should probably apologize more than I do. But thankfully I have not had that situation. I usually get to shaky and try to eat every thing in site to worry about swatting away someone. LOL
I apologized, but he said it more scared him than anything as that’s not my personality at all. He said I was acting completely irrational and when he asked me if I needed any sugar I told him no. It’s got to be the hardest thing so far since my diagnosis. I can take the shots and everything else that comes with this disease, but I can’t take hurting people that I love. I’ve been trying to get really good control, I’ve been in the 80’s fasting, but it’s been giving me lows. Maybe I should talk to my endo and see about decreasing my basal to prevent going too low.
oh my gosh I get that way seldomly, but when I do it’s horrible. I always say im sorry. it’s rough.
Maybe you’re trying to be too perfect regarding your sugars. Maybe
you should raise your target rate a little higher. You can’t expect perfection
regarding your sugars because you are no longer perfect, you are Diabetic.
All you can do is the best you can in a safe way toward yourself. Trying to
get your sugars really good or near perfect isn’t the safest way, especially
with injections. You should give yourself a break and raise your Target rate
a little higher, you might find yourself and your boyfriend, being a little more
happier. It’s better than always being on the edge of another low.
You can no longer try to achieve what is no longer possible, without affecting
your Quality of life, and of all those around you.
Did you have a particularly active day or didn’t eat as well as normal? I had an issue similar to that last year, just before Christmas, the problem being that I’d been slightly busier, and not had chance to eat as well as normal. I ended up laid on my living room floor, unconsious while the paramedics tried to bring me back round, it was a close one, the weren’t expecting me to come round.
Do you normally check your sugars before you go to bed? It’s always a good idea to, then you can reduce the risk of going low or high during the night.
Hypoglycemia unawareness makes it urgent you decrease your basal or figure out what you did with your meal carbs/insulin.
Do contact your CDE or Endo. If you can’t reach them on a weekend, decrease by one unit basal daily if you’re taking less than 10 basal units. Decrease by two units if taking more than 10 basal units. Then talk with them to ensure you’re giving the right ratio of insulin for the number of carbs for meals as well.
I remember I was covering some of my meal needs with my basal, and I was obviously getting into trouble with lows.
While working your way out of hypoglycemia awareness, It is better to give too little insulin for awhile than too much. Let your body settle slowly slowly to a fasting of 100 mg/dl, and don’t try for less until you’ve been with your dose for a couple months.
This is a good time to remember Dr. Bernstein’s rule of small numbers. Then you can get your awareness back.
And - cheers - take heart - I’ve been combative, shocked at the test afterwards. You can get your fasting up higher and live without those lows!
Let your BF know what to give you when he sees you stare or be somewhat unresponsive to him. And tell him if you don’t really give a good answer to a question, you need the gel squirted into your mouth.
My understanding with others is that if I only say “No” when someone asks if I need juice, if I don’t get up out of that chair or wherever I am and do something meaningful, I need glucose NOW.
Best wishes!
Well said Ray… I had this exact problem when I was diagnosed. Trying to keep it too perfect. My doctor told me yes a 100 everytime I took a reading would be great it’s just not realistic.
I did the same thing when my BF (now husband) tried to wake me up from a nap when we fist started dating. I think guys get really scared when their girl gets sick. they feel like they can’t really help. The more practical steps you can give them to do and then give them the permission to just act on it, they feel more in control and it helps. guys like to fix things so give them the handbook to do that. I’ve also gone the other way, a bit too silly when i get low. i have been about 4 seconds from dumping a whole box of rice krispies over my head just because i thought it would feel nice. luckily my desire to pour them in a bowl under about a pound of sugar won out. Sugar in and a whole lot less embarrassment. The more your BF learns about you the better the relationship. so just chalk this up to growing together and put it behind you. im sure there will be a lot more to come if you stay together.
I did check before going to bed as I do every night. We had just had dessert and coffee about an hour before, I used 12 units of novolog to cover it in addition to 14 units to cover dinner. It was pasta and alfredo. I have a really hard time with anything dairy, it really messes with my sugar bad. Anyways, so I planned for the craziness of that and took a little more than normal. We went home and I took my Lantus, tested and was at 132, good enough for me and went to bed. Well, I guess that my 132 was still coming down and the dairy didn’t have the same effect on me… Either that or I put either my Lantus or Novolog in a vein, who knows.
Leona, I’ve only been diagnosed for three months, it’s too soon for me to have hypoglycemia unawareness I thought. As far as what I take 30 units of Lantus and anywhere from 30-50 units of Novolog a day. My lantus is split 13 in the morning and 17 at night to help with morning highs that I was getting.
I guess that I know what happens with this disease first hand if it’s not under control. My birth mother died from complications of diabetes when she was young. I guess though, too tight of control can be just as deadly.
Yeah sounds like you got some wishy washy blood sugars going on. It is hard to know what your pattern is going to be when you have only been tracking it for just a short period of time. I definitely would talk to you endo about your happenings. And I imagine it did scare him. My husband gets really scared about this stuff. The thing is, he needs to be educated just as much as you. That way he knows what to do in a emergency. Not that he still won’t be scared. I have had my sugar drop in the 30’s when I was pregnant and I cried cause I was so confused. My husband had to tend to me. Make sure you talk to your Dr. and get your husband educated, and good luck.
no i’m not married. I have a long term boyfriend.
I’ve tried to telling him hypothetically what to expect, but i think it was just a matter of holy st it really happened that scared the st out of him. I’ve had so lows before where I’m sitting in my bathroom floor crying and not knowing how to get up or fix what was wrong, but I’ve never had one where I become aggressive towards him. Well, now he knows and I’m going to have to get my prescription for the glycogen (?) shot filled and teach him what to do just in case.
Yeah at this point, I’m sure he doesn’t want to marry me! LOL!!!
Thanks that’s what I meant!
I’d apologize, but then again, if you’ve been together for a while, he should realize whats going on and you’re not “all there” when you’re low. You can’t help what happens to your body when you go low, its part of the beast. He can be a bit more sympathetic and understanding. Tell him what you need him to do when you go low.
Yes, apologise. IMO, it is my responsibility to make sure I measure and take insulin, check my bgls and treat lows or correct highs.
Your basal will probably reduce slowly over time if you’ve been going for tight control and your average BGs have been lower. So, it’ll be an ever moving scene you’re working with. Even the 1 unit insulin per so many grams will change. Do read Bernstein. He’s very good on how to work with this. We’re all remembering times it happened to us and what we had to do to keep our blood sugar a bit higher. Let us know how it goes! We’re all rooting for you. No, it’s not too soon.
when sugar goes down and I get snappy with my family I do try to apologize. I feel bad but I have to remind myself sometimes its not me that says the things that I say. Well its me but the not sugar normal me. It takes time to recognize the triggers and how to react to them. When i start feeling like I am getting mad I check blood sugars. I have almost programmed myself to check. If I forget my equipment then I go for the food and then check later. Don’t let it eat you up inside. Those around us do start to understand after a while. It gets better with time and patience. take care