I was diagnosed in Sept 2014 at age 29. I’ve been very well controlled from the beginning. I’ve been using a pump now for about 10 months and I love my pump.
On most days I get a feeling like I’m buzzed. I feel cloudy and I can’t seem to shake it. I get that way when I’m low or recovering from a low but I check and my numbers will be normal. I’ve talked to my endo and my internal med doctor. Checked thyroid, B12, and checked for anemia. All normal. They thought maybe I was too tightly controlled do they let me go a little higher for awhile. Didn’t help. My endo is convinced that it has nothing to do with my diabetes but I know it is. I never felt this way before my diagnosis.
Does anyone have any suggestions or know what I’m talking about? I just kind of gave up talking to my doctors about it because they don’t understand. I think I’ve just got better at coping with feeling like that which is sad. It inhibits me from enjoying things I used to. I can deal with the carb counting, finger pokes, and my insulin pump, but I just want to feel normal and not half drunk all the time!!
The only other time I get that feeling is when my BG is dropping really fast. Is it always happening at the same time of day, or after you eat certain foods?
Ye Ive been T1D now for 65 years and felt exactly the same as yourself. I woke up one morning back in 2008 with a scrambled brain, loss of memory and inability to concentrate and focus. I can assure you it is the Insulin and low BG’s specially at night. I found that my BG’s were dropping at 02h00 to around 2.7 (48.5) and then rising at 04h00 to normal. It was very difficult to deal with. I had to run my BG’s higher 6.5 or 117.65. After 9 years I now feel almost normal.
Best of luck and dont give up.
I can get that feeling, however with me, it’s largely due to either my sinus issues (seasonal allergy ESPECIALLY around tree pollen season) or dehydration.
For whatever reason I tend to be nominally dehydrated and it has the affect of a dizzy spell. When my allergies are active, it’s like being underwater.
At one point I convinced myself I had a mild stroke. My reflexes seemed slower, hard time concentrating and I felt “not as sharp” as I used to be. Turns out; with sleep issues (at the time un-diagnosed sleep apnea), stress at work issues, and stress at home issues, I was simply more exhausted than I was used to. This can seem like a punchy-buzzed symptom. On this issue, the more you are worried about it the worse it will get. For me this got better with Yoga, a Auto-Pap machine, and changing my work game plan.
One other thought is mild syncope. There is a nerve that is responsible for heartbeat and blood pressure control (vasovagel). With diabetes and potential nerve damage, this might be an issue worth checking with your docs. Or you can get a home blood pressure monitor (the auto-inflating type) and do some spot checking. A cgm can help with general blood sugar trending as well, might be worth a look. Good luck to you and please let us know how you are doing.
I have had a somewhat dizzy feeling and a headache since early 2008. I fell down some mornings. Reducing my blood pressure medication to half dosages helped, but I still have the dizziness somewhat, especially in the morning. My neurologist thinks I have autonomic neuropathy. That is a complication that affects the trunk of the body. My blood pressure drops when I stand up, and remains for several minutes.
I guess I could describe my dizziness and poor equilibrium as a ‘buzz’. It is somewhat like having low blood sugar at times.
I think having a workup done by a neurologist would be a good idea for you. Good luck with this!
I get that when I’m dropping as well. And if I don’t catch it before dropping too low, it is a feeling that lasts most of the day. I’ve been T1D for 27 years now and it’s not as bad as it used to be. But in the beginning, when I dropped low it always took me a full day, or most of it anyway, to recover.
I’d say a CGM would be helpful. It’s nice to see your trends for sure!
Hope you can figure it out. I’m with you…the carb counting and finger sticks are all manageable when things are under control ;). It’s when they get off it’s hard to deal with diabetes! Good luck!
Have they done any adrenaline testing on you? I was diagnosed in 1984 and I remember a year or two soon afterwards where I would get sweaty and wired for no reason. It wasn’t like I had increased my caffeine intake or anything, but sometimes Type 1 can be associated with other glandular issues like thyroid or adrenal gland. In my case it went away in time, but you might want to ask your doc about that.
Like a lot of other people on here, I too get this when my blood sugar is dropping and for some time after it comes back up. I think it may just be a symptom of our bodies recovering. Also, I can get that feeling with an abrupt fluctuation in sugar levels, regardless of the direction they are going.
Somebody (Joe, I think) also mentioned dehydration as being a cause and I would definitely agree with this. I’ve discovered that low blood sugar levels cause dehydration just as much as high glucose levels, though that is not something that doctors seem to be aware of. In fact, I feel more dehydrated after a mild low than I do at a mild high glucose level. I always just carry a water bottle around with me now because I can pretty much guarantee that I will feel lethargic and foggy-headed if I don’t drink.
I hope this helps, and good luck with continuing to learn the ins-and-outs of your diabetes.
Thanks for all the responses. I think I will try wearing my CGM and see how I’m doing especially overnight. Also being dehydrated is a very possible answer. I’m horrible at drinking as much as I should so it’s definitely something I need to work on.