Reversing Hypo unawareness
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Have you ever had hypo unawareness?
This is a PHENOMENON that occurs when people with diabetes, usually type 1 diabetes, are frequently unable to notice when they have low blood sugar. also known as hypoglycemia.
Hypoglycemia is very rare with type 2 diabetes, I honestly would tell you the last time, I had a low but it is till possible to have one.
Usually during hypoglycemia the body will release hormones that are responsible for the feelings someone has, such as shaking and sweating. However, those with hypoglycemia unawareness have reduced warning signals and do not recognize they are very low.
This could be due to some factors that include:
For a sever low, the best treatment is a Glucagon, a hormone made by the alpha cells in the pancreas, and it rapidly raises the blood sugar by triggering a release of glucose from glycogen stores in the liver.
Adapted from the book using insulin
Have you ever had a bout of hypo unawareness and how did you treat it? Please Comment below and share your story we will truly appreciate that.
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WELCOME!!
Yup, I have hypo unawareness from time to time – which I suppose is to be expected after 31 years with Type 1. The weird thing is that, like most aspects of diabetes, it just isn’t consistent. I could have a blood sugar of 38 with no symptoms as all. And the next day I could have a blood sugar of 65 that feels like the lowest low ever.
My absolute best defense against hypo unawareness it to wear my Continuous Glucose Monitor all of the time, and test test test when ever it gives me a “Low Predicted” alarm.
As a T2 I have never had one or remember had one so when I was writing this piece, I couldn’t help but wonder if I ever was that low, could I even feel it….
I’ve had type 1 diabetes since 1996, and for the last eight years I’ve had hypo unawareness, right after the birth of my first son. I’ve tried several times to regain awareness by letting my BGs run higher, including several months where my A1c crept up into the 9s, but nothing has worked. I’ve been told by my endo that it’s rare for awareness to be completely gone, but that seems to be where I’m at right now. The only that helps to keep me safe is rigid control and LOTS of testing. I test at least once an hour, watch what I eat, keep my carbs (and boluses) low to avoid mistakes, and watch trends like a hawk. Doing this is hard and time consuming, but I can go for months without seeing a low on my meter, which makes it all worth it.
O wow thanks for sharing this amber, it surely puts a lot into perspective. The D management rules do become more stringent as well if you are experiencing hypo unawareness regularly like you are but the rewards do make it worth while like you said, my hat to you..
Yep! Happens ALL THE TIME!!! I hate it! it can be really
scary. Sometimes by the time I do realize I am low, my BG is under
1 (18). I test 12 times a day on average now (the pharma companies
must love me…) bc it is the only way I have found to be safe and
sure. When I was first diagnosed 6.5 yrs ago with T1, I could feel
my low before I got too low. But one day that just stopped. Not
sure why. I worry about the near future bc I am hoping to get
pregnant and I know that lows are common in the first trimester – I
will just have to keep up my frequent testing regime :/
Thanks for sharing Krista it sounds like you are facing the hypo unawareness phenomenon head on which is the best and only way to do it and I wish you the best in your pregnancy journey, I have been told that getting pregnant with the D comes with its own set of challenges.
I’m a T2, and have lows all the time. I even had them 20+
years before I was dx. Until recently, I’ve known they were coming.
Last week, I started sweating (BAD)…and it so happened it was
2pm, time to test. I was at 45. No shakes, nothing. It’s a scary
feeling…especially when you don’t know it’s happening. Nothing
like a serious freakout at work, standing in the kitchen pouring a
can or mandarin oranges down my mouth…lol. If it keeps happening,
I’ll have to talk to the dr about it…
I just switched to novolin and am getting lows for the first time in a long time and I agree its scary especially when you are new to it I had an epidode last night that left me almost in tears, I was so weak. I never thought loes were this bad, symptom wise maybe am just new to it but its way worse than highs.