Could This Have Been "Going Low"?
Question:
Yep, that was a "low." You continued to go lower even after you ate; as most breads have a relatively low glycemic index. Forty-five minutes is about right to recover. Scarry isn’t it? Keep your machine with you at all times until you become more experienced, and then be sure it’s with you at all times! Ha! Such is the life of a diabetic. I’m insulin dependent and I could croak if I am unsure whether I’m having a hypo or a hyper. Good luck and share your knowledge!
Response:
My understanding was that most breads have a relatively HIGH glycemic index… where am I going wrong? Reedie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yep, that was a "low." You continued to go lower even after you ate; as most breads have a relatively low glycemic index. Forty-five minutes is about right to recover. Scarry isn’t it? Keep your machine with you at all times until you become more experienced, and then be sure it’s with you at all times! Ha! Such is the life of a diabetic. I’m insulin dependent and I could croak if I am unsure whether I’m having a hypo or a hyper. Good luck and share your knowledge!
Response:
See? Even that number (differentiating between high and low blood sugar) varies. I heard anything below 70 was low…e.g., at 65 you "slow down." (Oh yeah, and don’t ever drive if you are below 70). I was thinking the same thing when I read that 60 is the number people generally pass out at…geez I once had a 29. Was stuffing candy into my mouth like crazy (this is before I stocked my fridge full of regular Coke) to bring it up before it was too late. It was horrible because I was staring at the meter in disbelief and then EEEEEEEEEK where’s the candy? LOL Of course, I’ve read some threads that say the AccuCheck Instant reads higher than other meters, (maybe lower, can’t remember) so who knows what I really was at that point. I can function in the 60s, and at 45 I feel agitated inside and speak slowly…basically of no use to anyone, least of all myself. In the teens, I’d be unconscious. I have been hearing a lot about avoiding lows because eventually your body doesn’t display the same symptoms and you are unable to tell you are low by the physical signs (rapid heartbeat, shaky hands, etc.) and have to rely on the neuroglycopenic (?) signs. I like that word because if I can still say it and remember it, then I know my blood sugar is OK! :-) — ~ Mookie ~ T1 since 10/80, MDI – Humalog & NPH
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (Thaddeus L. Olczyk) writes: Concerning hypos, Thaddeus says: 60 is the number I’ve been told that people generally pass out at. I’ve been close but never below with my readings. Wow, if we passed out at 60 I’d be out cold at least 25% of the time. Who knows, maybe I am and I don’t know it <giggle It seems that people vary when they actually pass out. A few folks have mentioned that they have actually seen readings in the teens. Me, I’ve never seen anything below a 30, figure anything less and I’d be out. I’ve heard of people passing out in the 40s. I would imagine it has to do with the level of bg that your body is used to, how quickly you are dropping and how far you will eventually drop. But, 60 is not the general passout number. It is the number that many use to differentiate between normla and low bgs. — Marilyn T1 for 33 years, pumping for the last 11
Response:
deja.com writes – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Had a disconcerting experience yesterday, and am wondering if it can be chalked-up to going low. I’m T2, on orals. Had breakfast and meds about 8 a.m., skipped lunch, checked BGs at 3:45 p.m. before going out, and found the reading to be 81 (which is 15-40 points lower than I’m accustomed to so far). I was feeling especially good; still, I wanted something to tide me over from going too low for the next several hours, so I had some PB and (sugar-free) J on a slice of bread (no meds). Should have had real J can’t conquer lows with artificial sweetners. Hey look at it this way, it makes an excuse to have that sweet that you’ve been avoiding:) 60 is the number I’ve been told that people generally pass out at. I’ve been close but never below with my readings. I suspect that before the food kicked in I’ve dipped a couple of times. I’ve certainly passed out a couple of times after eating, only to wake up a few minutes later. Other people report lows much lower then that. Left the house about 15 minutes later. In less than 5 minutes, I started feeling light-headed, something like light- sensitive, trembly almost all over, kind of weak, was breathing harder than usual, and my pulse was a good 30% over its usual rate.(I didn’t have my testing equipment with me.) 1) You should mention this to your doctor. 2) I would not worry about it unless it happens again, I’m sure thats what your doctor will say ( but ask him). 3) Were you climbing stairs, walking or exerting yourself in some way? Hey muscles burn sugar. If there wasn’t enough, then you could put a strain on your circulatory system resulting in faster heart rate, heavier breathing etc. I hadn’t been anxious or fearful before this occurred, and I’ve never had anxiety or panic attacks, so I don’t think it would have been that. The worst of it passed in about 10 minutes, and about 45 minutes later I felt completely normal. About how long might it take for what I ate to turn into glucose and bring my levels up from 81? First relief comes in fifteen minutes. Sometimes what happens though is that right after eating, the liver says "OK more glucose coming in so I can release part of my reserve now because it will be replensihed". So you might feel slightly better but don’t rely on it saving you. I’m thinking that maybe I went still lower for a bit after I ate, and that it was enough for me to have my body’s version of a hypo. If so, no more skipping meals or being too far from my monitor for me, that’s for darned sure. That was the pits. Thanks in advance for any knowledge or experiences that you might share. The thing to do is to monitor your bg next time you feel this way. The way lows feel vary from person to person ( you may even feel lows in two different ways yourself ). Once you’ve identified a set of feelings with a low, then you may ( quantifiedly ) assume certain feelings indicate a low. If it was a low look at it this way, when my fasting bg was 120-150 I never had a low. When my fasting bg fell to 100-120 occasionally in the 120-140 range ( once a week, one every two weeks ), I started getting them. If your average bgs are too high you can’t really go low, so increased lows are a sign of your average bg coming down. In other words, aside from the problems associated with the short-term, they are a good sign. Thank you, Thaddeus, very much. I never thought of "going low" as a good thing before, but I do take your point about that. Sort of, "Hot dang, I feel like crap, so I must be getting better!"<g You know, most of the close people in my life are reserved and very reluctant to offer opinions or advice on personal matters, including someone’s health, even within the family. And most of them really don’t know much about diabetes, including one of them who IS diabetic. So, for someone like me to have people like yourself and the others who respond to my periodic queries and help fill in my gaps, means especially much. (Sorry to get maudlin.)
E:, this "not knowing much" isn’t uncommon. Yesterday I spent the day with my son and a pal of his and the "pal" had a diabetic Dad. (T1) During the course of the day we didn’t get much chance to eat and we WERE working quite hard and almost continuously so I tested slightly more than I normally would. This was how I discovered the pals Dad was diabetic. He said I’d tested more in one morning than his Dad does in a month. I asked how long his Dad had been diabetic and it’s only 14 years, but already he’s having BIG problems. Neuropathy (although I don’t suppose he KNOWS it’s neuropathy) of the feet (2 toes gone) plus he has vision problems and recently lost his drivers license. This in a place where testing supplies don’t cost him an extra penny over and above his National Health contributions! Beav
Response:
deja.com writes Had a disconcerting experience yesterday, and am wondering if it can be chalked-up to going low. I’m T2, on orals. Had breakfast and meds about 8 a.m., skipped lunch, checked BGs at 3:45 p.m. before going out, and found the reading to be 81 (which is 15-40 points lower than I’m accustomed to so far). I was feeling especially good; still, I wanted something to tide me over from going too low for the next several hours, so I had some PB and (sugar-free) J on a slice of bread (no meds). Left the house about 15 minutes later. In less than 5 minutes, I started feeling light-headed, something like light- sensitive, trembly almost all over, kind of weak, was breathing harder than usual, and my pulse was a good 30% over its usual rate.(I didn’t have my testing equipment with me.) I hadn’t been anxious or fearful before this occurred, and I’ve never had anxiety or panic attacks, so I don’t think it would have been that. The worst of it passed in about 10 minutes, and about 45 minutes later I felt completely normal.
Sounds to me like the beginnings of a hypo (an "incoming" as some of us say) but it also seems like your counter-regulatory functions "worked as advertised" and stopped you dropping into a state of ridiculousness:-), although one thing perturbs me and that’s the "harder breathing". If you meant you were "puffing" or frequently "sighing" (my son HATES it when I do that, he thinks he’s done something to get up my nose) then it could well be a sign of a low, but if you really WERE have a hard time actually BREATHING, I think a trip to the quack is called for (quickly too) About how long might it take for what I ate to turn into glucose and bring my levels up from 81? I’m thinking that maybe I went still lower for a bit after I ate, and that it was enough for me to have my body’s version of a hypo.
Given that you’ve not had any heart problems, that’s exactly what I suspect too. The "timing" of food is notorious for it’s unreliability (wouldn’t set my alarm for it anyway:-) and what happens today won’t necessarily happen the same tomorrow even if EVERYTHING you do, eat, say or think is the same. If so, no more skipping meals or being too far from my monitor for me, that’s for darned sure. That was the pits.
Skipping meals isn’t a good idea even if you’re NOT diabetic. When your body EXPECTS food, it rebels somewhat when none arrives. Thanks in advance for any knowledge or experiences that you might share.
Beav
Response:
deja.com writes I cannot thank you all enough for your quick and thorough responses. Honestly. Truly. I haven’t had a recurrence (yet?). I was scheduled to have a non- emergency electrocardiogram done in a couple of days, anyway, so I’ll mention that episode at my appointment and follow through on it. It’s not inconceivable that, since the EKG is discretionary, I may have put it off, and possibly had a very bad result as a consequence. Now I’m too scared NOT to keep my appointment. I appreciate your not pussy- footing around with this topic.
I don’t think the population on here are best known for pussy-footing E: 
but anyway, let us know how your EKG goes. Beav
Response:
(Thaddeus L. Olczyk) writes:
Concerning hypos, Thaddeus says: 60 is the number I’ve been told that people generally pass out at. I’ve been close but never below with my readings.
Wow, if we passed out at 60 I’d be out cold at least 25% of the time. Who knows, maybe I am and I don’t know it <giggle It seems that people vary when they actually pass out. A few folks have mentioned that they have actually seen readings in the teens. Me, I’ve never seen anything below a 30, figure anything less and I’d be out. I’ve heard of people passing out in the 40s. I would imagine it has to do with the level of bg that your body is used to, how quickly you are dropping and how far you will eventually drop. But, 60 is not the general passout number. It is the number that many use to differentiate between normla and low bgs. — Marilyn T1 for 33 years, pumping for the last 11
Response:
I’m glad you are covering all your bases! Most of your symptoms sound exactly like hypoglycemia to me. I don’t ever remember breathing harder, but when it’s very low my husband notices that. After a while you’ll know which symptoms collectively indicate low blood sugar for you. The tricky thing is knowing the early ones before you drop below 70 (that’s when most people think and act slower…can still think and act, but takes just a bit longer). Let us know how you make out. Best to you as well! — ~ Mookie ~ T1 since 10/80, MDI – Humalog & NPH
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I cannot thank you all enough for your quick and thorough responses. Honestly. Truly. I haven’t had a recurrence (yet?). I was scheduled to have a non- emergency electrocardiogram done in a couple of days, anyway, so I’ll mention that episode at my appointment and follow through on it. It’s not inconceivable that, since the EKG is discretionary, I may have put it off, and possibly had a very bad result as a consequence. Now I’m too scared NOT to keep my appointment. I appreciate your not pussy- footing around with this topic. The very best to you all — E. T2: Amaryl and Rezulin Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Response:
Had a disconcerting experience yesterday, and am wondering if it can be chalked-up to going low. I’m T2, on orals. Had breakfast and meds about 8 a.m., skipped lunch, checked BGs at 3:45 p.m. before going out, and found the reading to be 81 (which is 15-40 points lower than I’m accustomed to so far). I was feeling especially good; still, I wanted something to tide me over from going too low for the next several hours, so I had some PB and (sugar-free) J on a slice of bread (no meds).
Should have had real J can’t conquer lows with artificial sweetners. Hey look at it this way, it makes an excuse to have that sweet that you’ve been avoiding:) 60 is the number I’ve been told that people generally pass out at. I’ve been close but never below with my readings. I suspect that before the food kicked in I’ve dipped a couple of times. I’ve certainly passed out a couple of times after eating, only to wake up a few minutes later. Other people report lows much lower then that. Left the house about 15 minutes later. In less than 5 minutes, I started feeling light-headed, something like light- sensitive, trembly almost all over, kind of weak, was breathing harder than usual, and my pulse was a good 30% over its usual rate.(I didn’t have my testing equipment with me.)
1) You should mention this to your doctor. 2) I would not worry about it unless it happens again, I’m sure thats what your doctor will say ( but ask him). 3) Were you climbing stairs, walking or exerting yourself in some way? Hey muscles burn sugar. If there wasn’t enough, then you could put a strain on your circulatory system resulting in faster heart rate, heavier breathing etc. I hadn’t been anxious or fearful before this occurred, and I’ve never had anxiety or panic attacks, so I don’t think it would have been that. The worst of it passed in about 10 minutes, and about 45 minutes later I felt completely normal. About how long might it take for what I ate to turn into glucose and bring my levels up from 81?
First relief comes in fifteen minutes. Sometimes what happens though is that right after eating, the liver says "OK more glucose coming in so I can release part of my reserve now because it will be replensihed". So you might feel slightly better but don’t rely on it saving you. I’m thinking that maybe I went still lower for a bit after I ate, and that it was enough for me to have my body’s version of a hypo. If so, no more skipping meals or being too far from my monitor for me, that’s for darned sure. That was the pits. Thanks in advance for any knowledge or experiences that you might share.
The thing to do is to monitor your bg next time you feel this way. The way lows feel vary from person to person ( you may even feel lows in two different ways yourself ). Once you’ve identified a set of feelings with a low, then you may ( quantifiedly ) assume certain feelings indicate a low. If it was a low look at it this way, when my fasting bg was 120-150 I never had a low. When my fasting bg fell to 100-120 occasionally in the 120-140 range ( once a week, one every two weeks ), I started getting them. If your average bgs are too high you can’t really go low, so increased lows are a sign of your average bg coming down. In other words, aside from the problems associated with the short-term, they are a good sign.
Response:
writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Had a disconcerting experience yesterday, and am wondering if it can be chalked-up to going low. I’m T2, on orals. Had breakfast and meds about 8 a.m., skipped lunch, checked BGs at 3:45 p.m. before going out, and found the reading to be 81 (which is 15-40 points lower than I’m accustomed to so far). I was feeling especially good; still, I wanted something to tide me over from going too low for the next several hours, so I had some PB and (sugar-free) J on a slice of bread (no meds). Left the house about 15 minutes later. In less than 5 minutes, I started feeling light-headed, something like light- sensitive, trembly almost all over, kind of weak, was breathing harder than usual, and my pulse was a good 30% over its usual rate.(I didn’t have my testing equipment with me.) I hadn’t been anxious or fearful before this occurred, and I’ve never had anxiety or panic attacks, so I don’t think it would have been that. The worst of it passed in about 10 minutes, and about 45 minutes later I felt completely normal. About how long might it take for what I ate to turn into glucose and bring my levels up from 81? I’m thinking that maybe I went still lower for a bit after I ate, and that it was enough for me to have my body’s version of a hypo. If so, no more skipping meals or being too far from my monitor for me, that’s for darned sure. That was the pits.
I’m with Kate and Wendy, please go see a doc about this. You mentioned breathing harder and an increased pulse, not typical symptoms of a low but definately heart problem symptoms. Please do have this checked out. Then, if it wasn’t the heart, perhaps it was a low. You’re assumption of a low does fit with the tests, the timing, etc. but this is where we get into trouble about cause and effect conclusions, it may have been something else. Take care, Marilyn T1 for 33 years, pumping for the last 11
Response:
this is exactly how i felt before the pulse rate continued upward, and i ended up in ER just a week ago…… hopefully you don’t have a heart problem, but do follow up on it.. the one i had felt like a panic attack that just kept getting worse, and apparently most times this condition is misdiagnosed as panic attacks (until you end up in ER) — k t1 12 yrs now sending as Tiger Lily
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Had a disconcerting experience yesterday, and am wondering if it can be chalked-up to going low. I’m T2, on orals. Had breakfast and meds about 8 a.m., skipped lunch, checked BGs at 3:45 p.m. before going out, and found the reading to be 81 (which is 15-40 points lower than I’m accustomed to so far). I was feeling especially good; still, I wanted something to tide me over from going too low for the next several hours, so I had some PB and (sugar-free) J on a slice of bread (no meds). Left the house about 15 minutes later. In less than 5 minutes, I started feeling light-headed, something like light- sensitive, trembly almost all over, kind of weak, was breathing harder than usual, and my pulse was a good 30% over its usual rate.(I didn’t have my testing equipment with me.) I hadn’t been anxious or fearful before this occurred, and I’ve never had anxiety or panic attacks, so I don’t think it would have been that. The worst of it passed in about 10 minutes, and about 45 minutes later I felt completely normal. About how long might it take for what I ate to turn into glucose and bring my levels up from 81? I’m thinking that maybe I went still lower for a bit after I ate, and that it was enough for me to have my body’s version of a hypo. If so, no more skipping meals or being too far from my monitor for me, that’s for darned sure. That was the pits. Thanks in advance for any knowledge or experiences that you might share. E. Type 2: Amaryl and Rezulin Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
