(Daibetes blog week day 2) MAKING THE LOW GO!

With D there is a phenomenon where the blood glucose level goes low causing hypoglycemia. A low is considered anything under 80. When that happens it is important to get the BG level back up in the 100s as quickly as possible. According to the Mayo clinic website:

Hypoglycemia occurs when:

* Your body's sugar (glucose) is used up too quickly
* Glucose is released into the bloodstream too slowly
* Too much insulin is released into the bloodstream

Insulin is a hormone that reduces blood sugar. It is produced by the pancreas in response to increased glucose levels in the blood.

Hypoglycemia is relatively common in persons with diabetes. It occurs when:

* You take too much insulin or diabetes medicine
* You don't eat enough food
* You suddenly increase your exercise without increasing the amount of food you eat

Symptoms include:

* Cold sweats
* Confusion
* Convulsions
* Coma
* Double vision or blurry vision
* Fatigue
* General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
* Headache
* Hunger
* Irritability (possible aggression)
* Nervousness
* Rapid heart rate
* Trembling

When I give Bekah her insulin I am making an educated guess as to how much she needs to compensate for the carbohydrates that she is eating, but the beautiful complexities of the human body can cause her body to process the carbohydrates differently because of hormones, excitement, extra activity, weather etc. So low BG levels are fairly common. So far the most Bekah has had in a week is 9 and she has gone one or two weeks with out any.

Bekah can usually identify a low by how she is feeling and the glucometer confirms it. She knows the numbers and I usually see a smile come across her face as the number pops up if she is low.

To treat a low you give 15 grams of fast acting carbs (juice, candy, glucose tabs etc). Bekah's favorite is Starburst or jelly beans. I just recently added a jar of smarties to mix it up a bit. Bekah also got brave and decided to try to glucose tabs for the first time over the weekend. Giant smarties is how she described them. I guess I'll be buying more of those to keep on hand.

We never know when a low is going to occur so we keep candy and juice with us everywhere we go. Juice is awesome for night time lows because she can drink it in her sleep. I don't have to worry about her choking and don't have to wake her completely (she sleeps like a rock).