totly ot blood sugar

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

should you start taking a hypo at 4.7 ? ....

[Paul]

Is this person conscious or unconscious ?

"Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)

A low blood sugar, also called hypoglycaemia or a "hypo", is where the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood drops too low.

It mainly affects people with diabetes, especially if you take insulin. "

Is that what's happening ?

My father was a diabetic, and while most of the time he carried candy as a boost for situations like this, sometimes he'd forget and put you into a bind. Then his legs go, and he "ain't goin nowhere". You couldn't even have him lean on you, because he was too far gone.

Yes, life with a diabetic can be fun. A family member usually ends up becoming a "professor" about the stuff, and has to be ready for just about anything. You have to track how many starches and meats they've had that day. How many free vegetables. And so on. And even with that care, you can't always keep them balanced. And they go wobbly on you. It's good if they can feel it, and announce what's going on so you can respond faster.

Paul

[Chris Hogg]

It's not that simple. There are at least two types of diabetes: T1 and T2. T1 is an auto-immune disease, where the pancreas is knocked out and no longer produces insulin, so T1 sufferers have to inject insulin, and the amount injected can be roughly estimated from the amounts of carbohydrate recently or about to be ingested. T1 diabetes often appears in childhood and lasts a lifetime, although there is also a late-onset version.

T2 diabetes usually starts later in life, often as a result of poor lifestyle, too much carbohydrate-rich food and too little exercise, with consequent obesity. The pancreas can no longer keep up with the amount of insulin needed to cope with the high level of carbohydrate being ingested, and blood-sugar levels rise, with resulting damage to arteries and blood capillaries, limb amputation and blindness. In its early stages, T2 diabetes can be dealt with by a strict change in diet and taking plenty of exercise and losing weight. If this doesn't check it, tablets are usually prescribed, which in effect reduce the amount of carbohydrate being absorbed. Eventually, it may be necessary for T2 diabetics to start injecting insulin, when the regime becomes very similar to that for T1 diabetics.

If too much insulin is injected, or blood-sugar falls too low for other reasons, then situations arise such as you've described, a hypoglycemic attack, aka a 'hypo'. This can initially be treated by eating something high in glucose - sweets, a glucose drink, whatever, such as you've described. In extreme cases, emergency hospital care is required.

I make these points, because by no means all diabetics are as you describe. Many cope simply on a regime of strict diet control and plenty of exercise. Others manage very well on tablets.

[Tricky Dicky]

should you start taking a hypo at 4.7 ? ....

No 3.9 or below is considered a hypo. I usually get a few warning symptoms in the low 4?s that I am getting close to a hypo, fortunetly I have never completely hypo?d and gone unconscious, two of those and bang goes your driving licence.

Richard

[GB]

4.7 is not at all low.

Diabetes.co.uk says: For the majority of healthy individuals, normal blood sugar levels are as follows: Between 4.0 to 5.4 mmol/L (72 to 99 mg/dL) when fasting

So, 4.7 is righrt in the middle of the range. Maybe it was something else?

Diet control won't be easy with all that white bread and biscuits in the box they send you. :)

[Andrew]

But not much fun when they become gluten-intolerant which happens to a proportion of people with Type 1, taking insulation daily. Happened to a cousin. Really makes it difficult eating out. Luckily the chippie near where she lives is run by someone who understands the problem so he does gluten-free batter.

[GB]

If you can keep your diabetes under control without tablets, that's great. Personally, I take Metformin, and I don't have any problems with hypos. Maybe, you could discuss a change in your meds with your GP?

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

can't take that due to the liver transplant and anti rejection pills ...

[David]

You could start talking "false hypo" at 4.7. If you usually run your BG much higher than that you can experience hypo symptoms when your BG comes down into the normal range.

Allegedly that should pass once your body adapts.

I know an endocrinologist who has BG down as far as 3.5 on a regular basis. Not diabetic. So numbers are only guidelines; everyone is different.

Cheers

Dave R

[Tim+]

Given that you?ve had a transplant you really ought to speak to your doctor if your problems persist. Low blood sugar can be related to liver problems.

Tim

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

livers fine thanks was tested the other week...I just don't need the pills if I am trying to lose weight...which I was

[Jeff Layman]

That's because Metformin on its own *never* lowers blood sugar below normal. You could give it to a non-diabetic and it would appear to have no effect. Other antidiabetic agents would all lower blood sugar and eventually induce a hypo.

[Jeff Layman]

Hospitals sometimes make it very difficult. A relative with long-term T2 diabetes, but stabilised on metformin and glicazide, had to have an operation. It seems that hospitals do not use the patient's own medication, but instead use insulin infusion to keep blood sugar steady. I guess it helps the post-operative recovery. The operation went well, and after a week in hospital she was discharged with no instructions about her antidiabetic medication. She took it as normal in the evening. Early in the morning we got a very worried phone call from her husband to say she was falling all over the place and was incoherent. I suspected a hypo, and told him to measure her blood sugar. AFAIR it was under 2! I told him to give her sugar, honey, jam, or anything with sugar in it. We got there 15 minutes later to find she was recovering well. It seems she needed a time to adjust to the antidiabetic drugs, and probably should have been started at a half-dose for a few days.

I wanted to bring this up with the hospital and ask what their policy was about stabilised T2 diabetics, and was this an unusual event, but it never happened as I didn't have my relative's permission to discuss their case.

[Jim GM4DHJ ...]

makes you lose weight so I am told....mad dieters take it...