Tag: Hypoglycemia

Swing Low, sweet chariot

Since my endocrinologist put me back on Novolog I have been exercising very tight control of my blood glucose. My goal was a pre meal value of under 100 and a two hour post meal "high" or 150. So far I had not experience any real lows and since I no longer get the sweats and shakes I test often. It had to happen sooner or later. I had a scary low.

I had hot flashes followed by rapid heart beat. I recognized the symptoms immediately and fetched my meter from the kitchen cupboard. My hand shook as I pricked my finger and squeezed a drop of blood onto the test strip. 63. Well...not too low. I called out to my wife and she got me a glass of orange juice. Within 15 minutes I was back to my old self. Shaken, not stirred.

Not sure what caused this one. Maybe too much Novolog. I had only three (3) units to go with the 46g of carb I had for dinner just a half hour before. I had mashed potatotos, Birds Eye Asian mixed vegetables, a grilled steak ( I fired up the grill just for that ) and some texas toast.

The Calorie King Exercise and Nutrition Manager shows that I had 48g or carbohydrate ( before the orange juice and BD Glucose tablet ). What caused a low so quickly after a meal? I am not sure, perhaps the fat (29g) in the meal slowed down the absorption of the carbohydrates or perhaps...who the hell knows. I hate this shit of not knowing what the heck is going to happen.

UPDATE: Checked my BG on two different meters around 8:15 PM. BG is 63 on both. WTF? So what's going on here? These meters must be failing.

UPDATE: Check BG again on different meter at 8:45. 85. It's climbing! Yeah. Now let's wait and see what happens at 10 PM.

UPDATE: 10 PM: BG is 116.

SimpleShot

David Pogue, a tech writer for the New York Times, reports on a new invention called the SimpleShot. The device provides an injection of glucagon, a hormone produced by the pancreas that stimulates an increase in blood sugar levels. Diabetics on insulin are often at risk for hypoglycemia, an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood. Normally administering the glucagon involves mixing a powder and a solution. The invention was a finalist in the Modern Marvels Invent NOW Challenge.

Danger Will Robinson

Amy Tenderich, author of the Diabetes Mine blog, writes about the difficulties that the law enforcement has in recognizing someone with diabetic hypoglycemia. I have been thinking about this for quite some time. While I have had only a few scary lows I often wonder about what could happen if I experience a low while driving and cause an accident. Will I be taken to a hospital for treatment or will I end up dying in some prison cell because the cops think I am drunk or on drugs? I have a medical ID alert bracelet that lets medical personnel know that I am both diabetic and allergic to penicillin. What is they don't see it?