Is it normal for a diabetic to have a hypoglycemia episode every day?
Posted by admin on Nov 11, 2009
My grandma recently began taking insulin shots for diabetes. Every day between breakfast and lunch, however, she’s been having a hypoglycemia episode with shakiness, sweating, and weakness. This doesn’t seem right. Today she even had 2 breakfasts, but still had an attack at lunchtime. She is the first one in our family to have diabetes and be on insulin, so we’re all new at this. Is this normal?
Thank you so, so much for your answers!!!
It’s not right… diabetics WILL have hypos – sometimes it’s unpredictable and catches us out. But if a diabetic is having too many hypos, or a hypo at the same time every day, it means it’s time to adjust the insulin.
Has the doctor put her on set amounts of insulin, or is she matching it to what she eats? Set doses are trouble, because every meal has a different carb load which needs to be calculated before you inject.
Perhaps your Gran needs a little less insulin with breakfast? Or perhaps her background insulin is too strong, but that would probably lead to hypos at other times of the day too.
How many times does Gran test her blood sugar a day? It’s a good idea to do lots of extra tests when you’re having a problem like this. Then you can see the trend and catch the low BEFORE it happens 
It’s actually a good idea to test lots *any* day, even if there’s no trouble. Then you know you’re safe and able to make minor adjustments.
Time to talk to the doctor! A hypo can leave us feeling pretty icky for a time afterwards and often makes the rest of the day feel grotty, so it’s worth working this out.
Ah! One last thing! Is Gran on NPH? (Otherwise known as Protophane, lovingly nick-named ‘Not Particularly Helpful’). NPH is known to peak a few hours after taking it – usually between 4 and 5 hours after injecting. This could be what’s catching her out. NPH is famous for being a pain in the butt. If she’s on this, see if she can change to one of the 24 hour insulins which give a much better flat line and offer so much more freedom.
Lastly, organs aren’t damaged by lows as bonsyler said – only highs. Lows are a pain, and can be dangerous if left, but there’s no long term damage involved.
Good luck!
If you get gestational diabetes do you have to take insulin or can it be monitored with pills and diet?
Posted by admin on Nov 6, 2009
Are women always required to take insulin for gestational diabetes?
Your practitioner will monitor you closely and you’ll most likely be able to keep your blood sugar levels under control with diet and exercise, and by getting insulin shots if you need them.
If you’re unable to keep your blood sugar under control or it’s high enough that you need insulin, or if you have any other risk factors, you’ll probably begin to have fetal heart monitoring (nonstress tests) or periodic ultrasounds around 32 weeks to check on your baby’s well-being. (This kind of ultrasound is called a biophysical profile.) If you can keep your diabetes well under control without insulin and you have no other problems, you might not begin these tests until your last few weeks or until your due date.
Your practitioner may also order an ultrasound around 29 to 33 weeks to measure your baby and estimate his weight. At that point, if your baby is already getting too big, you might be started on insulin. She may order another one closer to labor if she suspects your baby is large, but ultrasound is not usually very accurate at determining a baby’s size late in pregnancy. Depending on your circumstances, you might be induced before your due date, or your practitioner may recommend delivering by c-section.
What is an appropriate meal plan for someone who has hypoglycemia and insulin resistance?
Posted by admin on Oct 21, 2009
What is an appropriate meal plan for a 15yr old boy who weighs 200lbs. and has hypoglycemia and insulin resistance?
Hypoglycemia Symptoms
Because epinephrine, one of the hormones that is activated by hypoglycemia, comes from the central nervous system, the majority of early symptoms of hypoglycemia are related to the nervous system.
Common symptoms of hypoglycemia include the following:
Trembling
Clamminess
Palpitations
Anxiety
Sweating
Hunger
Because the brain is deprived of glucose, a second set of symptoms follows:
Difficulty in thinking
Confusion
Headache
Seizures
Coma
Ultimately, death
Eating every 4-6 hours is important to prevent hypoglycemia.
Be adventurous and try something new to liven up your snacks between meals!
Each of the following counts as one starch:
One small apple, orange, peach, pear, nectarine, or tangerine
Eight animal crackers
Four medium fresh apricots or seven dried halves
1/2 of a banana rolled with 2-tablespoons Grape Nuts cereal
1 cup cubed cantaloupe
Twelve Bing cherries
Two chocolate mousse bars (Weight Watchers)
1/2 cup chow mein noodles
Two sugar-free fudgesicles
Three gingersnaps
36 Goldfish (adds 1 fat serving)
Three graham crackers (2 1/2-inch square)
1/2 low-fat granola bar
15 grapes
½ cup fruit juice
Five slices melba toast
1 cup skim milk
Three peanut butter sandwich crackers (adds 1 fat serving)
Two small plums
24 oyster crackers
3 cups popcorn (popped by hot air, or low-fat microwave)
1 slice of angel food cake
1 sugar-free pudding snack cup
Three dried pitted prunes
15 fat-free potato or tortilla chips
3/4 ounce pretzels
2 tablespoons raisins
Two rice cakes (4" diameter)
1 regular Jell-o snack cup
Seven Ritz crackers (adds 1 fat serving)
Six saltine crackers
½ cup canned fruit
15 Teddy Grahams (adds 1 fat serving)
Five reduced-fat Triscuits
Six Vanilla Wafers (adds 1 fat serving)
Six Waverly Wafers (adds 1 fat serving)
12 Original Wheat Thins (adds 1 fat serving)
13 Reduced-fat Wheat Thins (adds 1/2 fat serving)
1 cup nonfat fruit-flavored yogurt (sweetened with sugar substitute)
1/2 cup of sherbet or I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt or TCBY frozen yogurt
And probably Metformin for the insulin resistance>
Type 2 Diabetes during pregnancy.?
Posted by admin on Oct 12, 2009
I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes with my previous pregnancy and it never went away so I now have type 2 diabetes. I am 11 weeks pregnant now and am a little worried about what effect this is going to have on this baby. A midwife I spoke to said that type 2 can turn into type 1 during pregnancy, it sounds a bit unreal but if anyone has got type 2 diabetes and pregnant, please let me know what you are doing to control your sugars etc. Thanks
Type two diabetes does not turn into type one diabetes. Perhaps she means that you will need insulin. Just because you need insulin doesn’t mean you are a type one diabetic. Type one diabetes and type two diabetes are entirely different diseases with entirely different causes and mechanisms. Ask your endocrinologist for more information and education.
Is there are difference between hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia?
Posted by admin on Oct 12, 2009
I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia a few months ago, but is it the same as hyperinsulinemia?
hyperinsulinemia leads to hypoglycemia, but hypoglycemia may mean you’re simply just not eating enough or often enough. hyperinsulinemia is producing too much insulin, resulting in high blood insulin levels. hypoglycemia means not enough sugar in the blood, or low blood sugar.
Diet gestational diabetes
Posted by admin on Sep 22, 2009
Diet gestational diabetes from Diabetes Care Club. We offer information about Diet gestational diabetes including Diabetes testing supplies take a step forward to Diabetes Self Management. Visit http://www.DiabetesCareClub.com today or call 800-840-7711 for more information about Diet gestational diabetes. gestational diabetes, diabetes, glucose level, insulin, dietitian, high-fiber foods, carbohydrates
Duration : 0:1:4
What are the damaging effects of hypoglycemia?
Posted by admin on Sep 21, 2009
Is there any permanent damage? If you have hypoglycemia does that mean you have diabetes?
The damaging effects of hypoglycaemia=too low blood sugar depend on how low. If very, very low, it can kill you, if very low and you go unconscious, it can cause permanent brain damage, if only a little low, you just feel tired, exhausted and don’t suffer permanent damage.Brain needs sugar always, so that is why hypoglycaemia affects brain most.Other organs can get along with other substrates for metabolism.
Diabetes (type 1) is a disease of deficiency of insulin which is needed for sugar to go from blood to cells.So, if the sugar just goes around and not into cells where it is needed, it piles up and we end up with high blood sugar while cells starve and eventually we die if we are not getting insulin. Diabetics are prone also to hypoglycaemia, if they get too much insulin and too little food.
If there is nothing basicly wrong in the insulin secretion and control, hypoglycaemia usually never goes so low that it causes permanent damage. The really serious hypoglycaemias are ususally in diabetics or overdose of insulin in some other condition or insulin producing tumor.
In summary:serious hypoglycaemia is very serious but usually only in diabetics. for the rest of us sugar goes only a little low at times -and that is a different story.
balanced sugars wishes
mary a
What is a good diet to PREVENT gestational diabetes?
Posted by admin on Sep 12, 2009
It runs in my family. I have insulin resistence and want to prevent gestational diabetes. I’m still early in the pregnancy so I want to take charge of this now.
The thing to remember is this- it’s not exclusively lifestyle based. I mean, a lot of women who do eat healthy and don’t gain too much weight end up with it anyway. You might not be able to prevent it, and if you can’t don’t feel bad about yourself. It’s not your fault!
However, everyone else has really great suggestions for keeping your blood sugar in check. Drinking the sugary sodas and things like that doesn’t necessarily cause GD – but it makes the symptoms worse. That’s why often the focus is on controlling it, not necessarily preventing it.
I would focus on exercise, because that alone will help your body become more sensitive to insulin. Additionally, you really want to increase your fiber intake. Studies have shown this to help reduce the risk. Best wishes!
What Women Want & Need to Know #13: Gestational Diabetes
Posted by admin on Sep 12, 2009
Neeta Shah, MD, Vice President of Women’s Health at the North Shore-LIJ Health System discusses critical topics on the health of women.
In episode #13 Dr. Shah talks about gestational diabetes, the causes and risk factors and how to manage the condition for both mother and baby. Her guest is Marie Frazzitta, MSN, manager of the Center for Diabetes in Pregnancy at the Department of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at North Shore-LIJ.
Duration : 0:9:57
Hypoglycemia
Posted by admin on Sep 7, 2009
hypoglycemia and mental illness
Duration : 0:4:1
