Weird false hypos? When your sick?

Type 1 and LADA
1

Gang, 'been having a strange thing going on this week.

I've been working nonstop for over two weeks -- not a day off, 12-13 hour days. Big project that's late.

So, this has of course run me down. I got a mild cold, started monday.

BG has been running higher, and I've been correcting best I can. Biggest issue has been with mornings... brushed 200 yesterday and today after heading out to work, and didn't get it back down to 80's until 11 or so.

Here's the thing: I've been feeling mildly hypo below 120 the last 2-3 days. I test, and find I'm just fine. I feel the same (little bit 'o hypo) all the way down to 70-75, and then the symptoms start to build on my way down to 60 if it comes to that. Of course I treat.

Anyone else experience this while under the weather? Am I possibly just mistaking the symptoms of the illness for hypo symptoms? Thing is, I don't ever remember feeling like this when sick when I wasn't a tight control monster. Ever since I decided to stop killing myself and get on the control bandwagon, I've noticed this when I'm sick, or sometimes when I'm really -- I mean totally -- exhausted and sleep-deprived.

I'm thinking I'm just misdiagnosing what I'm feeling, and attributing it to a hypo-like reaction, because it feels similar, but the cause is really in fact the cold bug I'm fighting.

Love to hear experiences/advice from the rest of you.

Good news is, my immune system seems much stronger after 4 months of tight control. Any cold when I was chronically running in the 300s would take me out. Other than a few sniffles, headache, and a little scratchy throat, I'm totally 100% functional walking wounded, with plenty of energy. I count that as a win!

2

Hypos can be hard to recognize no matter how well you're feeling. I think it is definitely harder to guess your BG level when sick which I always attribute this to the illness screwing with your mental and physical state. After all, detecting hypo requires testing our mental and physical state ("do I feel normal?"), so when sick it makes sense it is harder. My advice - just test more and relax.

3

Hello Dave:

Couple things come to mind. Hopefully I can articulate em...

Given your current state, hyper stressed/busy you are actually picking-up, perceiving a lot more signals because of the pace you are moving. Doing things at a slower pace, less stress, perhaps they would simply be background noise? Exhausted, stressed, your body getting less sleep, etc. you are picking up what typically would be weak "AM" signals type of deal? Slower pace... less awareness? Current pace, hyper-awareness of tiny details

Depending on when/how you eating patterns are effected by your heightened schedule, perhaps the combinations, quantities of food are not your norms. Perhaps not getting enough food in general, you are experiencing much faster free-falls, because your body has nothing to counter act your coverage/dosages with?

Not having the normal schedule, foods, you are dropping in free fall, which the test does not show you. You are fine, BUT dropped like a lead balloon before you took the test and got the perfect result. Meters aren't CGM's (yet)

Entirely possible as well, being in tighter control, your perception, awareness (hyper awareness?) of how you feel may be heightened more? Any little sensation, seems bigger, is perceived as being bigger... being a serious channel right on the surface not merely playing in the background? A bit of adrenaline is a funny thing...

Many symptoms of any sickness parallel the signals of being low: tired, confusion, fatigue, shaky, sweaty, hot, cold, etc.

Nothing scary in your description (save the 12-13 hour days). Keep an eye on it, mention it to the white-coats, likely someone will run some BP tests, just to make certain you're not having blood-pressure problems... causing such sensation(s)?