Hypoglycemia

[Pasty]

Quite familiar with this as my mum was diabetic from the age of 21 (type 1) so as kids we had to learn pretty quickly how to deal with that and explain to other grown ups that mum wasn't a nutter, just needed a Mars bar.

Anyway, I've always been prone to bouts of weakness / dizziness if I don't eat well since I was a child. I figured everyone had that but obviously not to the same extent. Lately it's got a little worse although if I do eat well, all is fine. Miss a meal or 2 and I'm a mess. A sweaty one at that and nobody wants to see that.

I've just been in for a blood test for diabetes but I don't think I am. Guess I will find out. The thing is I gave up the booze a few months back. I've always been a wine drinker but decided to change my life. Taken up Kung Fu, lost a few stone and feeling pretty much 1000 times better. But when I use my mate's breath test machine, it comes out positive now and again. I know I haven't had a drink since March. Apparently this can be caused by 'Ketosis' which is your body burning fat instead of carbs if you haven't eaten well or are diabetic.

Dunno really. I'm confused at the moment. Feel OK and hoping the diabetic test comes back clear but does anyone suffer from severe Hypoglycemia without being diabetic as I gather it is possible?

 

[milkloss]

I'm type 1 and my trouble is I don't have enough hypos! Well you know what I mean I think.

Perhaps what carbs you want to be eating is long acting stuff like spuds, bread and pasta. Loads of sugar in grog so perhaps that used to keep the sugars up and you never noticed it.

You could borrow a blood meter from the docs perhaps and check your sugars. Could always buy a blood meter the same as a diabetic you know and snaffle a few strips and finger prickers (they're quite pricey)

 

[milkloss]

As an after thought: highly unlikely you're diabetic if your sugars are low. You obv go into ketoacidosis really easy and is only really good under a controlled situation such as the Atkins diet.

If I speak as a responsible diabetic: breakfast, mid morning snack (coupe biscuits), lunch, mid afternoon snack, dinner.

Me: snack at lunch (biscuit/cake) ----- dinner. Not good.

 

[Pasty]

Yeah, I think I need a meter to record it as it's not consistent although some days if I don't eat a proper breakfast and have a little lunch, I can go down hill fast. If mum was still around I could probably have snaffled some stuff off her. Still, she made it to 80 and it wasn't the diabetes that got her in the end.

I used to get serious night sweats but for one reason or another I am getting to bed much later these days and often eating late and those have stopped. So I guess there is something going on.

 

[milkloss]

Yeah, I think I need a meter to record it as it's not consistent although some days if I don't eat a proper breakfast and have a little lunch, I can go down hill fast. If mum was still around I could probably have snaffled some stuff off her. Still, she made it to 80 and it wasn't the diabetes that got her in the end.

I used to get serious night sweats but for one reason or another I am getting to bed much later these days and often eating late and those have stopped. So I guess there is something going on.

Liked your post mainly for the confidence inspiring fact that your mum made it to 80 and the db didn't do it.

I have suffered from night sweats and after consultation with a diabetic nurse it turned out I was having too higher dose of long acting insulin at night before bed. It would have peaked at about 3am when I would wake up swimming in the bed sheets. I literally would have to wrap up in a towel to get back in bed. Reduced dose cured it instantly.

Don't know if that helps.

 

[Pasty]

Liked your post mainly for the confidence inspiring fact that your mum made it to 80 and the db didn't do it.

I have suffered from night sweats and after consultation with a diabetic nurse it turned out I was having too higher dose of long acting insulin at night before bed. It would have peaked at about 3am when I would wake up swimming in the bed sheets. I literally would have to wrap up in a towel to get back in bed. Reduced dose cured it instantly.

Don't know if that helps.

Yeah, been there. Not nice when it's just pouring out of you and you can feel it running down your skin! Swimming is the word.

Mum had other issues as well including a bang on the head which caused a tumor (benign) but resulted in a brain op which left here not quite the same again. As I'm sure you know, back then, it was much harder to control so god knows where her levels were most of the time. It was done by feel I guess. I remember the glass syringe holder in the fridge swimming in surgical spirit and the little bottles of pig insulin. As boys we soon got to know the early signs of a hypo and often had to be 'in charge' as mum suffered the affects. Pretty major when I think back but we coped, often sacrificing the sweeties we had just bought so mum could drive us home!