Last night I started feeling weird so I took my blood sugar (i am diabetic 2) and it was 24! I freaked out. I ate a candy bar and it slowly went up to 80 but no more. This has never happen before.

Last night I started feeling weird so I took my blood sugar (i am diabetic 2) and it was 24! I freaked out. I ate a candy bar and it slowly went up to 80 but no more. This has never happen before.

How do you manage your diabetes? Are you on any medications, or insulin?

Ruth

Ruth has great questions. We need more input. Yes 24 is seriously low.

What are your normal numbers, A1C, eating habits, excercise, and many more lifestyle questions.

With what you listed, we (and all physicians) would have great trouble giving suggestions.

Most regards for good health,
~ Mark

Ruth has great questions. We need more input. Yes 24 is seriously low.

What are your normal numbers, A1C, eating habits, excercise, and many more lifestyle questions.

With what you listed, we (and all physicians) would have great trouble giving suggestions.

Most regards for good health,
~ Mark

I did skip dinner, I was very nervous and when I get anxious I don't eat. Usually my sugar never goes that low though and I have skipped meals a lot. No exercise lately. I have been under extreme stress with problems associated with my son and I have been eating less, I have lost 13 pounds in 2 weeks. Still I was eating less but making myself eat small meals, maybe a apple for breakfast, chicken and one or two vegetables. What I could manage to eat before I felt like I was going to throw up.
I feel I might have answered my own question to the low blood sugar but it still freaked me out to be that low. I have never gone that low. Could you die? Today it's been in the 70 to 90 range. Usually 120 to 190.

There is much to say here, and I can only hope Ruth and Cora bring up the rear here.

You need to eat good foods with regular meals, many times a day. I mean 5-6 times a day.

Then I would be curious to your numbers.

God's speed,
~ Mark

There is much to say here, and I can only hope Ruth and Cora bring up the rear here.

You need to eat good foods with regular meals, many times a day. I mean 5-6 times a day.

Then I would be curious to your numbers.

God's speed,
~ Mark

I take Metformin and glybuzide (sp incorrect). Also diet, which I find hard to follow.

Yes, the extremely low blood sugar can be dangerous. And if it happens too often, you can lose the resources of the liver to bring you back up again. The end result could be seizures.

Mark is right too. You need to eat small amounts, regularly. Try to balance your meals with a small amount of carb together with some fat or protein. This will help level you out. Also, beware of "sugar free" items because some people (like me) don't react well to the sugar alcohols often used. Talk to a dietitian and try to get yourself leveled. out. Part of the reason you felt so sick was probably the low glucose. I get nauseated too. If you have problems with low glucose, you will also need to test more often.

Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

Cora

Poplar,
Did you by any chance take your glyburide, even though you didn't eat?

The two medications, metformin and glyburide, work differently. Metformin helps to make your cells less insulin-resistant, but glyburide actually encourages your pancreas to produce more insulin. If you take glyburide and don't eat, you will have a reaction known as "insulin shock", which is when there is way too much insulin circulating, but no glucose for it to work on. This totally depletes your body's glucose levels, thus the low of 24.

Ruth

Poplar,
Did you by any chance take your glyburide, even though you didn't eat?

The two medications, metformin and glyburide, work differently. Metformin helps to make your cells less insulin-resistant, but glyburide actually encourages your pancreas to produce more insulin. If you take glyburide and don't eat, you will have a reaction known as "insulin shock", which is when there is way too much insulin circulating, but no glucose for it to work on. This totally depletes your body's glucose levels, thus the low of 24.

Ruth

Yes I did take it without eating. So that is it? I just checked my sugar and it is 64. I ate a banana to see if it helps. Thanks.

Poplar, it's great to get advice and it seems like knowledgeable help you are getting. But it seems like you also really need to get back to your doctor to get a better grasp on what may be going on and how your diet/medications work. There are times when we might struggle on without the doctor and then, there are times when we really need to get their help. This sounds like one of the latter.

Best of luck.

Poplar, it's great to get advice and it seems like knowledgeable help you are getting. But it seems like you also really need to get back to your doctor to get a better grasp on what may be going on and how your diet/medications work. There are times when we might struggle on without the doctor and then, there are times when we really need to get their help. This sounds like one of the latter.

Best of luck.

I have a appt. on the 28th of this month. He wants to run a TSH and free T4 level (and whatever else they do) on my thyroid. I was hyperthyroid last June and had a hot nodule and several cold. I took the pill (radiation) and my levels have been great until the last one. The TSH was on the high end even though the others were fine. So......I am wondering if my Thyroid could also be a factor in my low blood sugar. My doctor has a good reputation and is a very good hospital, St. Thomas in Nashville. I trust him but in the same note I have to take care of myself because hes not with me 24/7. After the banana my sugar went up to 80. Also its not glyburide I am taking its Glipizide ER. I just started it a month ago. It says one daily, no time and he told me no time. I have a daily container I keep my meds in so I changed the pill from morning to evening because I tend to skip breakfast (I know) but eat dinner. I hope that is alright and my BS doesn't go down when I sleep....has anyone ever died that way? Do you wake up if your BS starts dropping? I should know all this but I don't.

Hi poplar, good to hear you are working with the doc. I don't know much about the thyroid issues and I am a type 1 diabetic. So as such I can comment on low blood sugars and sleep. I have had to deal with that for many years.

I have always found for myself that low blood sugars always wake me up. In the normal course of things, even drifting a little low is enough to activate my body, or prevent my from getting to sleep. In fact, downward movement of sugars has been a very frustrating cause of insomnia for me!

I believe this is the normal bodily response, to activate, mobilize, wake up, if the sugars drop. However with a really deep sleep and quick drop I have woken quite low and shaky, it can take a while. Not in 15 years did I feel close to passing out.

But that is just me and my insulin, some type 1 diabetics don't get much warning signs, and you are in slightly different situation, not using injected insulin. Perhaps someone taking your medicine will have something more to say.

But perhaps until/unless you get a better "feel" for how you wake up and activate when going low, try not to get too exhausted, stay well rested so your body has the best chances.

Coma is not unheard of with a hypo, usually again associated with type 1 and insulin use. Death can obviously start being a possibility from that point on. You should educate people around you about your condition and what to do if you get faint, while this uncertainty remains.

Hi poplar, good to hear you are working with the doc. I don't know much about the thyroid issues and I am a type 1 diabetic. So as such I can comment on low blood sugars and sleep. I have had to deal with that for many years.

I have always found for myself that low blood sugars always wake me up. In the normal course of things, even drifting a little low is enough to activate my body, or prevent my from getting to sleep. In fact, downward movement of sugars has been a very frustrating cause of insomnia for me!

I believe this is the normal bodily response, to activate, mobilize, wake up, if the sugars drop. However with a really deep sleep and quick drop I have woken quite low and shaky, it can take a while. Not in 15 years did I feel close to passing out.

But that is just me and my insulin, some type 1 diabetics don't get much warning signs, and you are in slightly different situation, not using injected insulin. Perhaps someone taking your medicine will have something more to say.

But perhaps until/unless you get a better "feel" for how you wake up and activate when going low, try not to get too exhausted, stay well rested so your body has the best chances.

Coma is not unheard of with a hypo, usually again associated with type 1 and insulin use. Death can obviously start being a possibility from that point on. You should educate people around you about your condition and what to do if you get faint, while this uncertainty remains.

you know, I think I am just going to stop that medicine until I go back to the doctor. I am scared to go to sleep now. No one will be here to try to wake me up and I will die. I think I will go eat a lot of sugar just so my sugar will stay up all night. OMG, I am totally freaked over this.

OK, don't be totally freaked out. As I said its "not unheard of" in type 1 diabetics. It has happened, yes. But I can't think of an actual case in the news in recent memory. Can you? And, you are not even injecting insulin. Chances are that if you act sensibly with this, you are at far more risk driving down to the milkbar, or a thunderstorm knocking the roof down on your head. Don't take my comments as some indication there is a danger of coma for you, as I've said, yes people have died of low blood sugar but not necessarily in your position. My words are not medical guidance. Get to a doctor or hospital right now or call a medical helpline right now if you are as concerned as you sound.

Regardless of that, just get to a doctor, even a GP, for some basic answers, real soon. Unexplained blood sugars just are not good news.

BTW, Loading up with "sugar" is probably not a good idea (if you mean simple sugar). Instead the answer for long lasting energy is to eat some decent complex carbohydrates - pasta, rice, porridge. These will stay in your system for many hours rather than spike you and cause further blood sugar problems.

OK, don't be totally freaked out. As I said its "not unheard of" in type 1 diabetics. It has happened, yes. But I can't think of an actual case in the news in recent memory. Can you? And, you are not even injecting insulin. Chances are that if you act sensibly with this, you are at far more risk driving down to the milkbar, or a thunderstorm knocking the roof down on your head. Don't take my comments as some indication there is a danger of coma for you, as I've said, yes people have died of low blood sugar but not necessarily in your position. My words are not medical guidance. Get to a doctor or hospital right now or call a medical helpline right now if you are as concerned as you sound.

Regardless of that, just get to a doctor, even a GP, for some basic answers, real soon. Unexplained blood sugars just are not good news.

BTW, Loading up with "sugar" is probably not a good idea (if you mean simple sugar). Instead the answer for long lasting energy is to eat some decent complex carbohydrates - pasta, rice, porridge. These will stay in your system for many hours rather than spike you and cause further blood sugar problems.

Hi.Your post did help me not freak out. I have an appt. still on the 28th and if I feel like I need to go sooner I am going to call. I stoped that medicine and found a diabetic exchange diet on the net and started it. My blood sugars have been in the normal range with only taking metformin now. I hope I won't fail with this diet like I have others. I need to lose 35 pounds.
Now I think I got some stomach virus that is going around or maybe not but I very sick feeling, like the flu or something but I know it is not that. I don't have a fever just general awful feeling and very tired. I hope this isnt related to diabetes.

... Also its not glyburide I am taking its Glipizide ER. ....
Both glyburide and glipizide make the pancreas make more insulin. The difference is that glipizide is long-acting and only needs to be taken once a day. But they both lower the blood sugar if you don't eat. Don't get too concerned about low blood sugar when you sleep. You either wake up and deal with it, or your liver will make the glucose you need. You won't die .... ;)

Both glyburide and glipizide make the pancreas make more insulin. The difference is that glipizide is long-acting and only needs to be taken once a day. But they both lower the blood sugar if you don't eat. Don't get too concerned about low blood sugar when you sleep. You either wake up and deal with it, or your liver will make the glucose you need. You won't die .... ;)
Thanks. I did quit taking it because it freaked me out so much. I am home alone a lot and if I passed out no one would know all day long. I am just taking the metformin and watching what I eat very carefully and I have been ok so far.