Re: Fwd: [LC-D] What to do for low BG?

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 00-12-20 13:09:26 EST, you write:

<< Oops, this is the one I meant to send. This one is the PRIMO important

one...tho the other one was important too. Vicki

>>

Guess I'll have to do it another way...V.

[Guest guest]

Oops, this is the one I meant to send. This one is the PRIMO important

one...tho the other one was important too. Vicki

> This afternoon I was feeling a bit shaky, really hungry and lightheaded.

I have never had a problem with low BG but I had a

> feeling that was what it was. I tested and sure enough my BG was 72 - the

lowest its ever been on my meter.

When I first started on insulin, I had several of these " hypos " that occured

when I got down to about the 80's. The reason this occured in the first

place was that before I started on insulin, my blood sugars were regularly

over 150, meaning I was way out of control, even taking the two oral meds I

was on, which were taken at their maximum doses. The " hypos " went away

after a short time of good control, with my goal of good control being blood

sugars at 80, at all times.

> I knew I had to get my glucose up and grabbed three hard candies from our

receptionist. I felt better within a few minutes

> and checked my blood about an hour later and it was 129.

> Question: What should I do in cases like this? Was it right to go for the

candy? Does low carb give way when there's a

> pending emergency or is there something else I should have done to avoid

the sugar?

I know that I have read several replies to your posting, that the repliers

stated that the candy was OK, I totally disagree. If you are a diabetic,

and are taking medications that will lower your blood sugars, then it is

your responsiblity to have with you AT ALL TIMES, glucose tablets. Each

glucose tablet contain exactly 4 grams of glucose, and for the average

diabetic, will raise the blood sugars by 20 points. These tablets are

cheap, and are available in a small tube of 10 that can be carried with you.

Taking anything else is not good control, it is a shot in the dark, because

you don't know exactly what is in the item you are consuming to help you

correct your low. It is so common for a diabetic to use a " hypo " as an

excuse to pig out on something that they have no business eating/drinking in

the first place. I know that I used to do this when I was low, eat cookies,

some ice cream, etc, then bam....the next pre-meal test was super high.

I carry a tube in my pants pocket, and it is jacket season, one in my jacket

pocket, one in my planner case, and a large bottle (that I use to re-fill

the small tubes) in all my vehicles, in my desk drawer, in my night stand,

etc. Basically I am never far from my glucose tablets. I utilize Dr.

Bernstein's methods of matching my protein and carb intake to my meal

insulin injection, and because there is no such thing as a perfect insulin

regime, sometimes the match is not exact.

Sometimes I don't measure or weigh the foods correctly, and I may need one

glucose tablet to correct a mild " hypo " I have been very lucky that I have

never had a bad " hypo " , like some of my diabetic friends have, whereas they

pass out, and have to be rushed to the hospital. I watch my blood sugars

very closely, and test at least 8 times a day, to know exactly what my blood

sugars are at all times. Unfortunatly some factors that are very difficult

to calculate are extra physical activity, such as walking in the mall,

mowing the grass, snow blowing the snow. For extra activity, glucose

tablets are a life saver.

I consume about 10 glucsose tablets a week, and this mostly occurs when I do

extra physical activity after I have eaten and injected my insulin to cover

the meal. We (in Michigan) have been hit hard by snow so far this winter,

and it take me about 2-1/2 hours just to blow the snow off my driveway and

sidewalk, plus any extra time for helping out the widower's snow next door.

I usally try to take 1 glucose tablet for every 30 minutes of extra physical

activity, which Dr. Bernstein also writes about. Sometimes I forget to do

this, and I will start to feel a hypo coming on, but always having my

glucose tablets in my pockets, I eat a few of them, and then are able to

keep working.

> LC is very new to me - its working great - my BG averages have gone from

high 200s to low 100s consistently now for

> about three weeks but this time I was really stumped.

Before I started LC'ing I was taking about 50-60 units of insulin per day,

but after LC'ing for over a year, I take about 15 units of insulin per day.

LC'ing will allow insulin usage to drop, because there are less carbs to

cover. Even if you are not on insulin, and are either on oral meds, or no

meds, LC'ing will cause a drop in your blood sugar readings. It is worth it

to continue LC'ing, but to understand that most likely any meds that you are

on, will need to be reduced/stopped, because of reducing carbs. Work with

your doctor, if your have a doctor that will support you LC'ing, to adjust

your medications, and if your doctor won't work with you, find one that

will.

Have you read Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution book yet? If not, why not?

It is one of the most educational books you will read on treating your

diabetes yourself, not being allowing a doctor to try to determine what is

good for you. You need to learn what works for you, and then to utilize

good control so that you can live a long life free of diabetic related

complications.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Hocking

</

[Guest guest]

Maybe the third time's the charm??

Robin G.

>From: whimsy2@...

>Reply-To: diabetes_integroups

>To: diabetes_integroups

>Subject: Fwd: [LC-D] What to do for low BG?

>Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2000 13:08:11 EST

>

>Oops, this is the one I meant to send. This one is the PRIMO important

>one...tho the other one was important too. Vicki

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Vicki, i think a fellow who uses 10 glucose tabs a week must be

using someone at the other end of a telephone to set his doses.

He needs to control his doses based on readings, or else he has

been given bad advice about dose changes. Sam

[Guest guest]

Sam, he explained that he sets his insulin matching dose to carb intake and

he sometimes goes low when he does strenuous exercise. This is completely

understandable and is a consequence of tight control. I use the same system

he does (as advocated by mentor Ron) and it is very efficient and works very

nicely. But it doesn't allow for strenuous exercise, which is what causes the

lows. Since he tests 8 times a day (as I do) we generally know exactly where

we are and take a glucose tab as soon as we hit 65 or below. Vicki

In a message dated 00-12-21 00:14:55 EST, you write:

<<

Vicki, i think a fellow who uses 10 glucose tabs a week must be

using someone at the other end of a telephone to set his doses.

He needs to control his doses based on readings, or else he has

been given bad advice about dose changes. Sam

>>

[Guest guest]

Vicki wrote:

<< ... Guess I'll have to do it another way. >>

Vicki gal, just run your mouse over the post with the button down to

highlight it, go up to Edit and hit Copy, then create a post to this group

and plink your cursor into the body of it and go back up to Edit and hit

Paste and it will appear in the body of your post. Our system is set up so

that we can't include attachments, etc. - to protect us from bugs.

Susie

[Guest guest]

Sam the Lion wrote:

<< Vicki, i think a fellow who uses 10 glucose tabs a week must be using

someone at the other end of a telephone to set his doses. He needs to

control his doses based on readings, or else he has

been given bad advice about dose changes. >>

Sam, I suspect he is just maintaining very tight glucose control - tweaking

it down a bit with injected insulin, and then tweaking it back up a bit via

glucose tabs. Ten glucose tabs is not excessive, as far as I know. Dr.

Bernstein reports that he keeps a supply on hand all the time. He exercises

vigorously. He stops periodically to test his glucose and - if he is low

(he's been a type 1 for over 50 years), he pops a glucose tab.

Have you actually compared the glucose spike caused by one glucose tab,

compared to all the fruit you eat? Sam darlin - I truly believe your heart

is in the right place, but you need to really study the numbers. You eat a

lot of fruit every day, without regard to the carbohydrate count or Glycemic

Index of what you are eating. You are losing your toes, you poor thing! The

doctor just lopped off another one in the office, without the need to knock

you out because your neuropathy is severe enough that you feel no pain, and

yet you don't see that your fruit intake is sugar intake. The post that

Vicki shared was from a gent who is very precise in his control.

Susie