So, I have noticed lately that as my sugar change, my lower lip becomes numb, and typically a headache will follow.
I have mentioned it to my Endo who doesn’t seem to believe it’s diabetes related. I don’t have a CGM yet, but I think it’s when my sugar is going down that I get the numbness, then followed by the headache.
Anybody else experience something similar?
Also, every night I give myself my long lasting, it burns. Really.
I do not keep the insulin in the fridge ( it’s room temperature)
Its not a big dose and
-I give it slowly yet 9/10 it burns a lot after injection
( Short term hurts 1/5)
What am I missing?
Also, it has to be an acid because of the way it works, on neutralization in your body it re-forms so that it absorbs very slowly. until it neutralizes, it’ll burn.
regarding weird symptoms of low blood sugar, this is my short list and your experiences may vary.
numbness tingling of various body parts including but not limited to lips and tongue - I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been talking too much and my tongue went numb.
“glowing donuts” where I close my eyes and see green and glowing discs
Hi @Emet, I too am aware of some “different” symptoms as my BGL drops and I’ve gotten questioning looks from a few doctors over the years. A good doctor will listen and accept and then armed with what you report will use that information while interviewing/examining her/his other patients. A couple of “strange” bits I’ve reported over the past 50 or so years to intelligent doctors are now widely accepted and taught to other patients - this was especially true when my care was at the Joslin Diabetes research and treatment center.
I practically never have a headache - well not since I’ve “grown up” and don’t overindulge - but ion occasion I’d awaken in the night and feel a throbbing at the back of my skull and almost always my BG was low and needed treatment. You and I both have that symptom.
As to the “burning” you feel during / after an injection, I won’t get as colorful as @Joe but I will agree that at times at my pump infusion site I’ll have a burn or itch as my insulin rapid-acting trickles in - but not always. A solution for you may be, could be switching from one formulation to another similar insulin. The two most “popular” rapid acting insulins, aspart [Novolog] and lispro [Humalog], although similar in action have different formulations; one made from brewers yeast and the other from virus. Both have worked well for me and I’ve found very little difference in results.
@Dennis@joe
Thank you gentlemen for the input.
Sorry I didn’t respond sooner.
Joe I love the pH explanation. Thank you.
Dennis, you are a mine of information
My whole face goes numb sometimes when my blood sugar’s low. I only get headaches, though, when it’s been low for a long time or when I have roller coaster days (high, then low, then high, then low…). My symptoms have changed a lot over the years, too. I used to just get hungry and shakey. Now I tend to get nauseous, which is really annoying.
As for the burning, do you massage the injection site afterwards? (I’m assuming you’re using a vial and syringe; please correct me if I’m wrong.) Rubbing the site disperses the insulin faster and helps relieve the burning/stinging sensation.
