What to do when Sugar crashes

[Starwulf]

So, I've been on Insulin since March. My diabetes has been fairly well controlled, at one point nearly off of it. Recently I started having major supper time spikes, so my doctor switched me to a different type of insulin that I take twice a day(morning and night) instead of once a day. That was working fine for a while, but recently I've implemented a better exercise regimen, and it seems to have knocked my sugar down considerably(yay!). However, for the last week, I've been having serious morning-time sugar crashes. I have a doc appt on Monday, but I figured I'd ask on here for any advice until then. This morning, my sugar crashed to 27, which in most people, would mean I'd be in a diabetic coma and in the hospital. I'm pretty sure I was damn close to that, I could barely move my body, my vision was blurry and tunnel-like, and my heart was racing faster then a drag car. I ate two granola bars, which worked, after about half an hour, but is there anything I can do for a quicker fix? A sugar that's 27 is damn scary, and if it happens again, I'd prefer to not linger in that state for longer then is necessary. So, any advice from fellow diabetics, or people who live with a diabetic?

[Tebryn]

Go talk to your doctor. We're not allowed to give medical advice on this forum.

[Giggling Ghast]

There's no specific prohibition against giving medical advice (though legal advice is a big no-no). But really, do you want to trust input from a bunch of complete strangers when it comes to your personal health? I have no medical training. I have no experience with diabetes. And yet you have no way of confirming either fact if I decide to lie through my teeth. Why would I do that? Maybe I have some bias you're not aware of ("Don't use that insulin! That's how the drug companies slip you their mind control serum") or maybe I'm a jerk who just feels like doing others harm. Since the Internet shields me with total anonymity, I will never face any consequences as a result of giving you potentially harmful advice.

To sum up, the problem here, Starwulf, is that you have an excess of gretahiboflavourin in your blood. The answer is to get rid of some of your blood, and you do that through the application of leeches. Acquire some at a bait shop and then place a few dozen of them on your face and groin.

[Starwulf]

There's no specific prohibition against giving medical advice (though legal advice is a big no-no). But really, do you want to trust input from a bunch of complete strangers when it comes to your personal health? I have no medical training. I have no experience with diabetes. And yet you have no way of confirming either fact if I decide to lie through my teeth and give you false advice. Since the Internet shields me with total anonymity, I can even give you potentially harmful advice and never face any consequences as a result.

To sum up, the problem here, Starwulf, is that you have an excess of gretahiboflavourin in your blood. The answer is to get rid of some of your blood, and you do that through the application of leeches. Acquire some at a bait shop and then place a few dozen of them on your face and groin.

lmao, awesome! I"ll go get some leeches immediately and let ya know how that goes :)

On a more serious note, I just figured there might be some fellow diabetics on the forum, and it's not exactly medical advice to tell someone the best(but healthier) way to raise their blood sugar when it crashes down as low as mine did. I feel confident enough that I'd be able to weed out the terrible advice from the good :)

[bluewind95]

I don't THINK it gets faster than glucose, but you'd still need time to absorb the sugar...

Have you tried things that are specifically made with glucose or other such simple sugars?

[arguskos]

There's no specific prohibition against giving medical advice (though legal advice is a big no-no).
Actually, as a matter of fact, there is.


Professional Advice: Please do not give any form of professional advice to other posters, whether it is solicited or not, even if you are a licensed professional in that field (and especially if you are not). This includes (but is not limited to) legal, financial planning, psychological, and medical advice. As a rule of thumb, if you need a license to practice such a profession, you can't practice it here. You may suggest that someone seek out such a professional away from these message boards, but you may not actually dispense any other guidance. This rule is to protect those who need such advice from the possibility of being misled with faulty or even dangerous suggestions - however well intentioned - and to protect both you and us from unforeseen liability.

Don't want to be a **** about it, but we REALLY cannot talk about this here. Starwulf, good that you're seeing your doctor soon. Talk to others in your life who are able to speak with authority on this topic. I'd also suggest keeping to what you've been doing and being very vigilant about your sugar levels. More than that, I cannot say.

[Lady Moreta]

Have you tried things that are specifically made with glucose or other such simple sugars?

That's probably the fastest way. I remember when I was in high school, we did the World Vision 40 Hour Famine (don't eat for 40 hours and raise money for famine-stricken areas). We were always allowed (and specifically told) to eat barley sugar lollies during it to make sure we kept our blood sugar levels up where they should be. The barley sugars I used were essentially glucose lollies. I also know that all pharmacies over here have glucose jelly beans at the counter, specifically designed for people who may need an urgent sugar dose, like yourself.

See if you can find something like that and have a packet or two handy for emergencies. For that matter, while you wait for your doctor's appointment, go and talk to a pharmacist... they should be able to at least give you advice on how to get your blood sugar back up as fast as possible if you need to. And they should be able to tell you how to do it safely. You can do that much sooner than getting to see your doctor - though seeing if you can get an earlier appointment wouldn't hurt either :smallsmile:

[Karoht]

Since I'm not entirely certain if we should be discussing this publically, I'll PM you Starwulf.

[SDF]

Either talk to your doctor about lowering your bedtime insulin dosage, have a complex carb at dinner, or both. Oatmeal is pretty awesome if you are diabetic. That should stop the crashes.

[Dr.Epic]

Go talk to your doctor. We're not allowed to give medical advice on this forum.

Second. This sort of thing really seems better suited for a medical professional. You could seriously harm yourself just listening to people over the internet.

[SDF]

Well if you are worried about what to do for a low you are going to hear the same thing from pretty much everyone. Glucose tabs work the fastest as they don't need to be digested to start raising your bs. White bread raises your bs faster than anything else I've found. Really the only thing that is going to work faster than white bread or those gross glucose products is a glucogon shot, and you don't give those to yourself. Half an hour does seem like a long time, but you were REALLY low so for a more common low it shouldn't take as long. Really, the best thing to do is to make sure you don't go low while sleeping because that is the most dangerous time you can go low. Especially if you don't live with someone else.

[Katana_Geldar]

You could consider having your doctor refer you to a dietician, they could have some suggestions to help your diet.