Deep crash this afternoon - still not fully recovered
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Jacquis59
Posts: 54
Scary stuff....I've been low before, and especially lately while adjusting insulin, but today I've been on the low side all day. My diary shows what I ate, I didn't skip a meal, I had a snack and I actually added a small salad to the lunch I had brought to work. A little before I left work I started feeling shaky. I tested and I was at about 65....that I can usually handle without a problem and I'm pretty sticky about staying in the double digits somewhere with my numbers. I grabbed a piece of candy from my desk just in case and left the office. I was about half way home when I got dizzy, cold sweats, spots in front of my eyes, the whole shebang. Classic crash, x 3, AND I was DRIVING!!! I pulled over, tested and I was at 37. I grabbed my one piece of candy and decided I should just get home so I got back on the road. The rest of the drive home was pretty shaky - dizzy, spots, and all. My sugar is still only at 57 and that's almost an hour and a half after the rescue candy AND 1/2 of a fast acting glucose drink when I got home. Don't get me wrong, I love being on the low side but when I'm driving and I drop that low, it's just plain scary. :sad:
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I've read a couple of your posts now. I am all for double-digit numbers and that's what I normally hit as well, but I'm not taking insulin or any insulin-stimulating drugs. . Those kind of lows can be dangerous, especially when you are driving. You may want to consider adding some carbs when your meter indicates it would be wise to, especially BEFORE you get behind the wheel. Since you haven't been on insulin for long, you may want to make a follow-up appt with your care team - to discuss your diet and your medications and make some appropriate changes0
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You need to add some protein and carb,like PB and crackers, to help keep your BS up so it doesn't plummet after the fast acting candy and sugar drink. Kinda scary. Glad you made it home safely.:flowerforyou:0
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I normally don't get that low . I think I would consider calling the doc for adjustment... I think I may have gotten down around 50 a few times when I was doing cardiac rehab( but I had nurses present) But the one thing I learned is that when I drive anywhere(especially distance by myself) I always have a regular coke or soda right beside me.. I don't drink on it unless I feel my sugar dropping.. Which has only happened a couple of times.. But you can easily become confused and crash your car.. My sugar dropped low once in the grocery store and when I realized it, I had an entire shopping cart full of food.. I was so confused.. Scared me...Scary stuff....I've been low before, and especially lately while adjusting insulin, but today I've been on the low side all day. My diary shows what I ate, I didn't skip a meal, I had a snack and I actually added a small salad to the lunch I had brought to work. A little before I left work I started feeling shaky. I tested and I was at about 65....that I can usually handle without a problem and I'm pretty sticky about staying in the double digits somewhere with my numbers. I grabbed a piece of candy from my desk just in case and left the office. I was about half way home when I got dizzy, cold sweats, spots in front of my eyes, the whole shebang. Classic crash, x 3, AND I was DRIVING!!! I pulled over, tested and I was at 37. I grabbed my one piece of candy and decided I should just get home so I got back on the road. The rest of the drive home was pretty shaky - dizzy, spots, and all. My sugar is still only at 57 and that's almost an hour and a half after the rescue candy AND 1/2 of a fast acting glucose drink when I got home. Don't get me wrong, I love being on the low side but when I'm driving and I drop that low, it's just plain scary. :sad:0 -
The lowest my sugar every got was 49....and that was scary enough.
My doctor took me totally off the glucophage because he said I didn't need it if I was able to control my sugar through diet. And today, without the meds, my fasting sugar was 95. If I was taking the meds, it would have been much lower. Sounds like you either need to eat a little more or have your insulin adjusted lower.0 -
Hi Jaquis, I've noticed that people stateside tend to use 'candy' as a quick fix. In the UK the recommendation is to carry dextrose tablets or even dextrose gel for use when it's not safe to crunch tablets/lozenges. Tennis players often use dextrose for a quick energy boost, not the same I agree but using dextrose has the advantage of giving a controlled dose. Just thought I would throw this in for consideration.0
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OK.....so I just woke up to an all time low of 21. Rather than candy, I'm sitting down to 2 teaspoons of peanut butter and some soda crackers. The cold sweats and shaking are slowly starting to subside and my BG is slowly starting to rise. I adjusted my insulin earlier to a much lower number of units than usual and I guess it was still too much. I'm guessing that the food choices I made today were right on, and that I could have passed on the insulin tonight altogether. Guessing that if I keep making the food choices I made today that I may be on way to getting off of insulin which is my goal. I can see now that I've been making not the best food choices until this week when I joined MFP and started seeing other people's food choices and realizing that I can actually have stuff that tastes good but keeps my numbers on the lower side. Thanks to everyone for the advice and snack suggestions. MUCH better than candy and much more satisfying as well. Call is into my Dr for tomorrow and I'll discuss meal options with him. Realizing that I don't necessarily have to eat breakfast for breakfast, but can actually eat whatever I have a taste for that's diabetic healthy and keeps my numbers in the double digit range I've been shooting for. Tomorrow, I'm eating REALLY low carb and healthy carb choices and skipping my Symlin mealtime insulin. Will still use my morning and bedtime insulin but in much lower doses if I'm going to be making the better meal choices. I think I'm realizing where I have been screwing up and realizing how I can get myself truly on track and get off the insulin altogether. Ugh...this huge mess all started with the evil PREDNISONE episode a year and a half ago and I've been a train wreck ever since. Thanks to all of you here on MFP I think I can t it sorted out now. OMG I've been such an idiot.0
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Looking at your diary I see that you are not eating enough food or calories. You cannot control diabetes by starving yourself. Your calorie goal needs to be at least 1200. I wouldn't go lower than 1500. And, you need to meet that goal. You need a real diet plan not just a "let's see if this works" plan. Talk to your doctor about wanting to eat low carb and get a diet recommendation from him.
You are playing Russian Roulette with your diet and insulin. Your blood sugar dropping that low can be fatal and you are extremely fortunate that with a BG of 21 that you ever woke up again. Driving with a blood sugar level so low indicates how impaired your thinking was. You could have killed others.0 -
Thanks, Laura. You're right. I was dizzy, I had spots in front of my eyes. It was so wrong on so many levels. I've never been able to lose weight on more than 1000 calories a day, even when I was working out 4-5 times a week when I was in my 20s. My body just doesn't cooperate. Not sure what to do there, but I'll talk to my Dr. I have a call into him for today and I'm going to try to get in and see him, though I could just wait for my appt that's already scheduled for the 19th.
I've been handling this all wrong, and using insulin as a crutch. I need to wean myself off the insulin (I KNOW I can do it!!!!) and choose the right foods, realize that I do need a balance of some carbs, just not too many, and eat at the right times of day (also the right foods at the right time of day) and that should be the ticket.
I'm stating yoga and I walk. I take the stairs at work when I can and I'm going to start a lunchtime walk around the campus at work with one of my coworkers who takes a walk almost every day.
I woke up with a whole new attitude today, and I'm ready to kick diabete's butt instead of it kicking mine.
Thanks again for the wake up call on how I endangered everyone around me yesterday in my car. It really hit me to read it, and not just dismiss a fleeting thought from my mind.
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I have to agree with other, get to see your Dr ASAP and from your last post it sounds like that is what you are going to do. As for driving during the low - I think you got the message from others. I am sure you wouldn't drink and drive.
My thoughts are: you are taking too much insulin for the amount of food you are eating. Lows of 20s are down right dangerous. The brain needs glucose to function.
I would prioratise getting your insulin levels right over trying to loose any weight.
Good Luck0 -
Thanks, Big. Yep, I got the wake up call. Will be talking to my Dr today.0
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Good Luck at the doctors today! I am not an expert by any means but looking at your foods, you are eating to little calories, carbs and protein. Ask your doc today on how many you should be eating. When I get low, which doesn't happen much anymore since getting off insulin, I use 90 cal fiber one bars. They taste good, do the trick and they also take care of my sweet tooth. I usually have one prior to working out with my trainer so my bs doesn't drop. Looks like you have doing well on your exercise plan.0
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At this point stop focusing on getting off of insulin and focus on eating right and getting you blood glucose levels stable. You need to eat a balanced meal of carbs, protein and fat every meal and don't skip meals. You probably need to eat 35-40 grams of carbs every meal as long as you are on insulin.
Regarding not being able to lose weight: Check out the "In Place of a Road Map" group. Lots of great information about how and why eating extremely low calorie will prevent weight loss. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8017-in-place-of-a-road-map Start with this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-120
