Blood sugars goings really low

[Sugaraddict12]

I'm prediabetic according to the doctors. I'm not sure if it's right because I brought a monitor and my blood sugars are quite low. Before I got the monitor I cut sugar and white carbs out.
Last night I kept going really low whilst I was sleeping. I ate bit it didn't stay up for long.
I had wheetabix this morning with a small sprinkle of sugar and it went up but then spiked and dramatically dropped and I'm back to having low blood sugar again.
What's going on? Can anyone help?

Presumably the dr told you this, you then cut a load of stuff out and then got the monitor and it's gone down?

How long have you been tracking? Have you tried eating 'normally' for a week while using the monitor before you make changes? Did the dr say what your levels were when they tested?

Is that the Freestyle Libre sensor? If so, don't worry about those low readings at night. It's probably because you keep lying on the sensor. The pressure causes it to give low readings. I had the same issue. Make yourself sleep on one side tonight and see if it stops the "hypos".

You would feel it if it was that low. Where are you wearing the monitor?

No I haven't spoken to a doctor yet. My appointment is next Friday. I probably shouldn't have waited for advice but wanted to get a head start

Yes it's the freestyle libre. Thank you has put my mind at rest a bit. Although when I woke around 3am and ate it didn't go up that much tbh

Back of my arm

Talk about sledgehammer to crack a walnut...

Prediabetic and getting a Freestyle Libre is well over the top.

Chuck it in the bin and concentrate on your long-term diet changes.

The sensor could also be a dud. It does happen sometimes. Get yourself a finger prick blood glucose monitor to compare. If it is a faulty sensor, you can report it to Abbott and they should replace it.

One of mine lost connection when there was only 4 days left. They send me a new one for free, which I was very grateful for because they are bloody expensive!

If you have genuinely low blood sugar it is unlikely you are at risk if t2. Self diagnosis and monitoring causes more anxiety than it solves. You don't need to eat in the middle of the night!

OK thanks perhaps I'll raise it with Abbotts. Thanks

Not really if I wanted to track how to lower my blood sugar well.

I know people are telling you wearing a monitor is overkill, but actually it's a good way to work out which foods (carbs) dont spike your blood sugar, which is what you want to void when you're prediabetic. Potatoes are a big no-no for me, but I can actually tolerate a small amount of rice which was a nice surprise. But your monitor needs to be working properly first.

I'd guess there's,something wrong with the sensor. A finger prick kit is only about £20 and that's what I did when told pre diabetes. I can not eat for 14 plus hours,and I have never had a reading below 5.

This I'd exactly why I got it. I wanted to know which foods spiked my sugar. That's nice to know that I may still be able to have some white carbs. I'll call Abbotts when they open I think

I'm diabetic and I think it's a good idea to track your blood sugar while you are still pre-diabetic. The more you learn about your body the easier it is to adjust your diet.

I agree that freestyle libre is a dodgy one. Those are pretty extreme lows.

I only got this one because it was a 15 day free trial. Does anyone recommend a better sensor to try?

I am not sure, I think you need a script to get the other ones.

When they do that overnight it's cos you're lying on it. In your case you can ignore because you're not taking insulin so won't be having hypos.

If the sensor does that in the day it's died on you. It won't be displaying higher numbers correctly either.

When you're looking for which foods spike your blood sugar, bear in mind that there are a lot of variables affecting this. If you exercised more yesterday your bg will be lower today. Foods eaten on an empty stomach spike more. White bread on its own may be awful but if you add fat that might help. Being stressed or tired will affect things. The brain uses sugar too. Etc etc. I guess I'm saying don't cut food out because you see one spike.

There isn't a better type of sensor. They all rely on a tiny filament that has to stick in your arm. If it gets bent, it won't work. You get good at recognising when to pull a sensor. What there might be, is better or worse customer service - Dexcom are really good at replacing dud sensors but that might be because the NHS is paying for them!

As with those daft people doing the Zoe bollo%%s, wearing a CGM is totally unnecessary for healthy or pre-diabetic people
Can't people do anything unless told to by an app?

This. As well as the other problems people have mentioned, sensors can also be less accurate when you are dehydrated. Get a cheap finger prick test kit as suggested.

I am diabetic and think this level of monitoring isn't warranted (yet, and may never be). As PP says you'd be better to look at adjusting your diet.

Are you overweight? At the risk of stating the obvious, start there. I lost 1.5 stone and my HbA1c went from 56 to 46 (I've lost another stone since that blood test).

CGMs use interstitial fluid to predict your blood sugar so aren’t as accurate as finger prick tests. I used these throughout pregnancy and frequently got lows but they were fine when I finger pricked. Abbott always said it was within their tolerance levels (which were very wide!) If you aren’t on insulin there is no real need to treat low blood sugar. As others have said leaning on the monitor will often show lows.

My bmi states I'm slightly over weight. It also runs in my family so I guess my body is predisposed this way. My A1c was 42 so only just in the prediabetic window.
My readings are all bad now. Even when I eat it goes up a bit but then drops into the red zone. I think it's a dodgy sensor!
I got a monitor aswell because when I cut sugar and white carbs out I was getting extremely dizzy and having awful nightmares which I know now are signs of a hypo so I wanted to make sure I was ok