When you start to go low what signs do you see or feel to let you know that you are close to crashing?
For me its the typical T1 feeling of trembles or shakes. Thats the sign that I am within range but getting low. If i keep working or postpone the feeling the next feeling i get is what i call a wave or body sweep. Its when im standing there on the job or working at that moment....i feel a cool rush sweep over my body or i get the feeling of chills/goosebumps and a slight lightheaded feeling out of no where. I almost feel like im going into a dream or dreaming. Reality starts to seem almost fake right then and there. At that point im almost positive that im at a b/s of 85 or below. And i immediately get to my meter and test.
I get the shakes, I get sweaty, I buzz (my skin feels like it is buzzing or electric), my tongue starts to go numb, I hear things as if I am under water, my head becomes very heavy, and I get sleepy.
By the title of your post I was going to answer "ARIES."
But I'm with Brady on this, I don't feel low until I'm in the 60's and can actually function ok in the high 50's. I start to get shaky and very weak when below the mid-50's. I had a 35 the other day and had to sit down because I felt like I was about to collapse. Mentally I became dizzy and disoriented, but fortunately not so much as to be unable to take a quite a few glucose tablets.
Incidentally, the average blood sugar for a normal non-diabetic person is 83. For MD's like Richard Bernstein the target blood sugar for tight control is in the 85-90 range. What "funny" about this is that if you try to set a MiniMed 722 Pardigm pump to a blood sugar target of 85, it will warn you that this is outside the "normal" range of 90-140. Having been forewarned, it will let you set it to 85 however.
Anywho, for me I have lost most of the signs to going low. I am definitely a hypo-unaware. If anything, I may get a headache, If I realize I am being stubborn about eating something, I can hazard a guess that I am low. Usually if I get confused I can guess I am low, but than I am just being stubborn and we go back to the not treating the low. I am happily sitting here at 51 with no "signs" of being low other than my CGM telling me so.
I'm with your Brian ... pretty unaware, at least until the 50's. Then, I feel disoriented or anxious, and shaky. When I used to feel hypos, my tongue would get numb too.
Commenting on what Brian said, I find there is definitely an advantage to being somewhat hypo unaware. In my case I've been able to shoot for a truly "normal" non-diabetic target of 85-90 and still have about 25 points of margin for error on the low side. While I have yet to achieve an 85-90 average which would achieve an A1c in the 4.7% range, I have gotten my 30-day pump average down to around 115 which should translate into an A1c of around 5.6%. I'll gladly accept that.
I had a recent a1c of 4.9 and my endo freaked out, saying I must be running too low. I agreed and am now aiming for more like a 5.5. I just worry I'll overshoot, ha, ha.
My target is also 5.5. It's a 115 average blood sugar which is definitely achievable with healthy diet and exercise. I'm not so concerned about the lows, but I don't think you should ever have a blood sugar above 175 unless you're sick, or have a pump malfunction, or some other good acceptable reason. Overeating especially high sugar-carb foods, incorrect bolusing, over compensating for lows or high, not knowing how to properly adjust for exercise, etc. are NOT acceptable reasons. Could you just imagine what I'd be like as an endo?
My target is also 5.5. It's a 115 average blood sugar which is definitely achievable with healthy diet and exercise. I'm not so concerned about the lows, but I don't think you should ever have a blood sugar above 175 unless you're sick, or have a pump malfunction, or some other good acceptable reason. Overeating especially high sugar-carb foods, incorrect bolusing, over compensating for lows or high, not knowing how to properly adjust for exercise, etc. are NOT acceptable reasons. Could you just imagine what I'd be like as an endo?
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Yup ... I'm glad your not my endo. lol (:
I guess I just try to be realistic that some highs may be a part of life and don't get too stressed if they're under 240 and I get them down quickly. (Stress raises my BS's!) But, I really admire your self-control!
My signs of low start out as a simple lightheaded feeling. Then I get a spot in my vision like when you look at something really bright. And I start talking kind of fast.
If it's really low, I'll get confused, shaky, tingly-to-numb tongue, hungry, and sleepy. Sometimes a bit sweaty.
But hardly any of that applies if it's a low after exercise. Lately I'll be 35 after a class at the gym and not really feel anything.
i mostly notice this if im in the skating rink, but everything gets this wierd glow to it. i get a headache most of the time and once my mind went blank and i could not think at all. i couldnt remember anything
One thing that you all mention is that you get is a headache. I never ever get these. Not low or high. I dont think i get headaches period. Im happy i dont. but its a warning sign that can be helpful at the same time.
i sweat really bad, i shake, i space out, get confused easily, get frustrated or angry if i cant do something, i feel like im drunk cause i cant walk a straight line or talk. i usually dont feel low until im at about 60 or 50 sometimes. which sucks!!!!!! and to get my bs up, it takes about 30 carbs.
Well here is a new one for you...the past week I have been getting a new sign; it use to be my tongue would go numb, now my tongue, lips, and nose...which in turn cause drooling. Gross.