Diabetic hypoglycaemia episodes minus the diabetes.... what is going on?!

[Alambil]

I've been checked for diabetes and am clear but whenever I'm ill (ie being sick ill - not just colds etc) I have hypo episodes and occasionally it just happens with no illness to account for it.

If I am sick, this hypo turns in to proper unconscious episode (I usually get enough time to get in bed etc...) and have to literally sleep it off - I cannot stay awake.

Sometimes, when I start to get the warnings, I can fend it off if I have something sweet...

Is this normal??!

Do you think I should carry non-perishable sweets with me at all times incase it "just happens"? (usually it comes on when I'm at home or something but I guess it could happen anywhere - especially when I start long hours at uni)

Is there anything I can do to stop myself collapsing after puking? I am quite worried that if it happened in a daytime, I'd be too incapacitated to be able to see to DS - so far, it's luckily only happened at night when he's in bed.

To my mind, this doesn't sound particularly normal, and even if you've been found to be clear of diabetes, would be useful for you to have some proper expert advice on how to keep your blood sugar levels as stable as possible.

you need to get this checked out, hypoglycaemia can be dangerous. i would certainly have sugary sweets with you - dextrose tablets are quite good as you're not tempted to eat them otherwise! fruit juice or coke is quick acting too. those small cartons of fruit juice are the perfect size.

I've had it all my life; mum said it was quite scary when I was a baby.

Doctors just say "you'll be fine; you haven't got diabetes"

oops I forgot to add; fruit juice cartons are a great idea. They are cheap too - thanks for that idea

they are v. convenient. after you've had the quick acting sugar make sure you eat something with longer acting carbs so you don't drop down again -- a piece of fruit, a couple of biscuits, a slice of toast, that kind of thing.

Yes, I will do.

I've recently moved over to a low Gi diet too (to lose weight) which is claimed to help diabetics so perhaps that'll stabilise things too.

TBH it is very rare but it can just happen ( or as I say, when I puke (TMI sorry!)

i have diabetes, hence knowing too much about hypos. i made some spelt bread yesterday which has a GI of 54 or something - that's good isn't it?

Hi, i get hypoglycaemic episodes from time to time too. I have found that increasing my intake of protein and cutting back on carbs, especially refined carbs, has been very beneficial in stabilising my blood sugar.

Is it 'genuine' hypo? Presumably it is possible to test sugar levels during one to check?

Because if it isn't, is it possible that it is psychological? A sort of extreme reaction to the distress of vomiting?

It is a proper hypo complete with the "warnings" of sweats, shakes, severe fluctuations in temperature - hot to cold etc, followed by puking, followed by lack of co-ordination/collapse - which usually lasts a good 2 or more hours (totally unconscious - deeper than just sleep it feels).

It's been this way since I was born - my parents took me to A&E when I was tiny because of it and the doctors said there was nothing they can do... just "one of those things"

I've recently asked my GP about it too - apparently there's nothing they can do still (25yrs on); no point in testing apparently as it's so sporadic.

I guess I just wanted to know if anyone else gets like this without being diabetic... and what I can carry (or if I should bother) incase it happens when out/alone with DS.

lthough if it was a 'proper' hypo. and you did slip into unconsciousness - without treatment you would then die. not just wake up a few hours later.
don't get me wrong though - i know when my blood sugar is lowish because i'm much grumpier than usual.
I also know that after extreme shocks i have to go to bed and sleep very very deeply for hours.
after a car accident - not hurt but went to sleep for a couple of days.
after shutting my hand in the car door - after puking, fainting and screeming - i had to sleep for hours.
After giving birth - slept for hours (!)

i think what i mean is - if you have had diabetes type tests - like an early morning fasting blood glucose test (HBA1C) and that is clear - then you aren't diabetic. If you can feel when you need to eat something sweet and you are better afterwards either you are very in tune with your body or it has some psychological type of effect (think cup of sweet tea for shock).
If it makes you more secure knowing you have something with you that will help when you do feel like this some glucose tablets from the chemist will do the trick. chew a couple then eat something with carbs in - sorted

i think that's because in a person with diabetes the hypo is caused by excess insulin from the injection. the body has no control over its production so can't counteract the exogenous insulin fast enough. hence unconsciousness/coma/death etc if left untreated. as lewisfan doesn't have diabetes her glucagon (?) & insulin production eventually balance themselves out & she comes out of the hypo episode herself.

does that make any sense at all...?!

All three of my siblings had this as children. As you say, very scary. They mostly grew out of it, though, although I think my sister still gets very occasional episodes.

Based on experience with my siblings, a hypo would cause them to slip into unconsciousness if not treated quickly (first they'd turn very pale and clammy, lips would turn blue and they'd start to become unresponsive). I'm not entirely certain what would have happened next as (after the first time it happened to brother #1) we always got sugar into them, but I had the impression that doctors' advice had been that they wouldn't have died and would have come out of it on their own, because their blood sugar regulation wasn't actually broken, just slow to respond (so after a couple of hours body would have sorted out levels for itself).

They used to have terrible touble explaining to schools, etc., about being prone to hypoglycaemic episodes but not diabetic -- hardly anyone seems aware that you can have one condition without the other.

cross-post with hoxtonchick, who said what I was trying to say.

LewisFan -- I'd suggest having glucose/dextrose sweets with you and letting one or more dissolve in your mouth after puking.

i think you said it much better than me port&lemon .

"first they'd turn very pale and clammy, lips would turn blue and they'd start to become unresponsive"

That is exactly what happens with me - my parents knew never to just ask "do you feel ill?" when I got travel sick for example; I wasn't able to respond... they'd turn round in the car (well, mum would!) and see me paling and going weak.

Very odd feeling really... I think I'll just do the sweets in bag thing and see what happens next time (like a mini experiment lol)

Doesn't actually sound like a hypo if you can sleep it off. you say you have to sleep it off, have you (or your docs) considered it might be a sleep disorder? i'd push to get that angle checked out and I'd also get myself a blood glucose monitor and start checking as soon as you feel an 'episode' coming on, you can get them from the chemist now

Actually it does sound like a hypo, if you can sleep it off.
How good are your warning signs Lewis ?

how's your pregnancy going oblomov? good luck with the really hard work that is pregnancy with diabetes .

Thank you Hoxton.
The diabetes is going really well, mind you with about 15 tests a day, including pre bed, midnight, 3am and 5 am, its not having much chance to go amiss.
My fear of another mmc, and my very bad shooting pains, which every health professional is dismissive of, semms to have stollen all my joie de vive. I hate that . Want to change it, but don't know how.

respect . are you getting any sleep at all?! i used to wake up hypo every single night, have a midnight feast & my bm would still be 4 in the morning.... i guess you have to be even more on the case with a pump. hope they're looking after you at kings. i had lots of stretching periody type pains early in my 2nd pregnancy which was scary & unpleasant. fingers crossed for you.

I am sleeping for england. No change there Kings have been fab. They did say it wasn't streching pains, but they don't know what they are.

They are good Oblomov - had one recently at my mum's house; standing in the kitchen, strength went out of legs (didn't collapse - just felt weak) and started shaking and sweating, ate a bit of choc that she had in the fridge and it went quite quickly.

TBH I think it's when I miss meals (being busy at uni or something) then it happens so if I make sure I eat properly and regularly, it seems to level out unless I'm ill.

I'm rather used to it after 25yrs!

Hope your pregnancy goes smoothly oblomov... must be a royal pain having to wake up all those times in the night!

Hi,

just seen this thread, my toddler, is exactly like you when he is ill,(I posted a thread yesterday). His Dr is sending him for metabolic tests as he says that repeated episodes of unrecordable or very low blood sugar if not treated can cause developmental problems.

Am reassured on the one hand that so many people get on with it and work out their own way of dealing with it. On the other hand, I was hoping that it might be something he would grow out of.