I'm wondering how many grams of carb y'all use to treat a low. I was told to use 15, wait 15 minutes, and test again, but I think that might be too much. I haven't tested a lot of times, but last night, after eating 3 glucose tabs (12 carbs), I went from 61 to 80 in 15 minutes and to 189 in 45 minutes.
Ah, rollercoaster sugars. Yeah, do any of you use more or less than 15 g to treat a low? Do you use more if it's a lower low? Do you use different amounts depending on what it is?
honestly, carbs have never and still never make a difference when i'm fixing a low.
i was taught from the geck-o to drink juice or coke with cookies or crackers. if that fails, pure sugar under the tongue. after eat glass, i have to wait a few minutes, test again and repeat as necessary. then followed by a glass of milk(if i am able too).
even when i was taught 14years after i was diganosed how to carb count, they didn't bother to tell me to do it differently. i couldnt imagine trying to figure out how many carbs i'm taking in while treating a low. i can barely think straight as it is most times. as long as i get the sugar in me and my level starts to rise to normal...that's all i've been taught to worry about.
sugar. wait. test. if it's not rising fast enough, a bit more sugar. wait. test. wait. test. if it's like 4.5 or something, then a glass of milk. wait. test. bam i'm done.
Sometimes I just eat out the refrigerator! LOL. Not really but close. My self control needs some work. I get pretty anxious when I am low and just want to feel normal instantly. I am getting better at it though.
It's always difficult to figure out how many carbs you'll need to raise your sugar back to normal. I never believed much in the 15 carb 15 minute rule mostly because I don't have the time to wait. Through the years I've learned to listen to my body and I can feel when my sugars are dropping and dropping fast. I usually don't waste too much time but in general I drink either one glass of oj (26 carbs) or if I'm very symptomatic I'll drink two (52 carbs). Everyone is different in their sensitivity level and your sensitivity level will change depending on what activity you're involved in. In this particular situation perhaps a glass of milk would have worked better. (I understand that you may not have had access to milk but perhaps something with a little more fat/protein). I think all of us at some point in time over treat our lows and have to deal with the highs later on.
Yeah I hear ya. Its funny how the same number (sugar) makes your body react differently at different times of the day. I woke up with a 66 around 2am and it hit me hard but yesterday on my way to lunch I was 66 and driving and felt fine! Had a sm. glass of OJ first thing at the restaurant. I bought some juice boxes for my closet yesterday to have close by for my middle of the night lows.
ajax,
after a while, I just ate a glucose tab and waited for 30 minutes to see how much my bs would go up. for me it's 20 points per tab.
overtreating a low, for me, sucks as bad as the low does, so I just figure out where I want to be - and eat the right amount of tabs.
if I screw up a bolus, and find myself low 45 minutes after a meal I just feed the low with more carbs, my pump tells me how much insulin is left over and I eat carbs for the difference.
Hey I'm ash (my nickname everyone calls me) and I have Type One Diabetes. I have lows usally if I don't eat in more then 5 hours. When I have a low I useally drink all the small things of Apple Juice. I usally wait 15 minutes then check it again. It always works.
-Ash