Hellow everbody! I hope everyone is doing great! T1D for almost 7 years now, i have doing great for all these years but recently! I found myself having hypoglycaemia without getting any symptoms! Luckly i was with my friend who is also a doctor and he was not even aware i have diabetes, he gave me glucose fews minutes later i was prety fine, it is fourth episode now and it has affected my quality of life because i have had diabetes 7 years around i never tell anybody apart from my some family members, i graduated college without being open to anybody am getting difficult in disclosure and it has been a difficult time for me nowđ, the bad the is that i dont have CGM or any other technologies which will help me track my BG, is there anyone who who has been through this??
You have what just about every diabetic has who lives without a pump and CGM. GET BOTH if you can, by the way! You will have revealed to you that you likely are low after every meal. Scary low. Even if you just get a CGM for a few months and have to pay for it, it will change your situation. Use an endocrinologist instead of a Primary Care Physician. The more you are low, the more your body says âhey this is normal. I donât need to warn him.â As you reduce those habitual lows, your body will start warning you again. MOST IMPORTANT, you are a normal diabetic. I get the feelin you feel quilty and ashamed. Share it, live it, be it because it is who you are!! Feel free to reach out to me privately if you need to talk!!
Thanks @808IUFan perhaps am not sure if these technologies are available in most developing countries and its not easy to find endocronologist! Most DM clinics are managed by medical doctors we are our own doctors! I was just thinking of risking going too high for a while my last A1c was 5.9
Iâve got a CGM and tandem insulin pump, T1D for 3 years, and I donât usually feel my BG until Iâm 50. My CGM doesnât catch my sudden drops very well. Iâll be 35 and only a slight case of spaciness.
My endo had me run high (like 100-250) for a week or two and that helped me regain some feeling when Iâm low. Im also kinda paranoid with bgs, had a 5.8 A1c in January. It took a bit to convince myself that raising my bgs for a few weeks and getting a 7-9 A1C once wouldnât hurt me. I still donât notice until Iâm low 60âs, and I only notice them because my CGM is reading 70-80 and Iâm aware that its a possibility. I often do a fingerstick to double check.
I know it isnât ideal, but if you arenât able to get a CGM, maybe you can do a fingerstick more often? Dexcom and libre have some programs that allow you to get lower cost/discounted cgms, and with the dexcom G5/6 itâs possible to jack the system and get more than 10 days out of one sensor.
Hi @Ibrah . May I ask where youâre located?
Severe lows are obviously scary, not to mention dangerous, and Iâm glad you were with someone who knew what to do.
Your A1c of 5.9 is impressive - Iâm assuming it translates to the same average where you are as it does here which would put your average somewhere between about 100-130, depending on which conversion chart you use. That said - and please know that I am not a medical professional - in the interest of keeping tight control some people do let their numbers run lower than is sustainable for them: an average of 90 might be fine for one person but someone else may need to be a bit higher to function.
When the concept of âtight controlâ first came into the picture there were reports of people being hospitalized with low blood sugars who had always been able to manage them on their own before. So consider adjusting your numbers upwards a bit so you can be safe. You might find you regain some awareness as well.
I highly recommend you check out the book Think Like a Pancreas by Gary Scheiner. He has diabetes and works in the field so has a unique personal perspective that is particularly helpful.
Hellow @wadawabbit, thanks for response you have always been there for međ, am from Tanzania{ East africa}. Its so annoying not having an endo to talk too. I had another idea that maybe this lows are related to being active because i workout too much ( 6 times a week) one day rest and recover i appreciate that am in greater shape of my life even non-diabetics cant compare with me!, it has been had for me to reduce the frequency of training because its like am addicted
You may need to adjust your insulin - your basal insulin, your carb ratio, or both. Since you have had Type1 for 7 years now you may be comfortable doing this on your own. If not, and you do not have a doctor to consult, I can only suggest you make small changes to see how they work, as small changes can make a big difference - for me just 1/10 of a unit matters. It can take a few days (allow 3 or 4) to see how a change is working.
Itâs fortunate that you were with a friend who could provide you with glucose to help you recover. Itâs really important to have support.
Hi Ibrah,
It sounds like you might need to adjust your insulin. I would suggest that you keep track of when these low blood sugars are happening. If it is at the same time each day, then you would lower your previous dose so that it doesnât drop so low. Exercise is important, not just for people with diabetes. So, donât stop!!
I wonder, how often do you check your blood glucose levels? You might want to test more often right now while you figure this out. Once you know which dose(s) need adjusting and are sure the doses are correctly fixing the issue with hypoglycemia, you can then test as you have been doing, but it is important to get this figured out now. So, if you can, I would recommend testing before, during and after you exercise to see if the exercise is what is affecting your BGL. Also, check for 1 - 4 hours after exercise to see how quickly you are dropping. Keep in mind, your blood glucose can drop for up to 24 hours after exercise. So, if you donât see a drop in the first 1 - 4 hours, check later on the next time until you see when the drop is occurring.
Keep in mind, I am not a medical professional, but this is what I would do.
~Pam K.
Hi again @Ibrah . Regarding technology, Dexcom is perhaps the best known CGM but thereâs another one cakes Freestyle Libre. It doesnât interface with pumps the way Dexcom does, but if you manage with injections thatâs not an issue. Iâve used Freestyle as a backup of Iâve had issues getting my Dexcom sensors, and personally find it just as accurate as Dexcom when compared with fingersticks. If itâs available where you are out could be a good alternative to fingersticks, and a good way to help you track your bodyâs response to changes to your insulin (as well as general tracking).
@wadawabbit, perhaps i never heard of these technologies in my area, let me find out what is available! Thanks for caring!
@pamcklein how many times do i chek my BG?? honestly it depends, when am having bad days like when am sick i will have to track my BG regularly! The others days i will go for 2-3 times a day!