The Highs' and The Lows'...

We all have them, it's a part of everyday Diabetic life. For that matter it isn't just a part of life for a Diabetic but it's part of everyones' daily life. People have different enjoyments and stresses in their life, it doesn't have to be linked to Diabetes at all.
In this post I want to tell you, my different symptoms of Hypo/Hyperglycemia because everyone is different. I would love to read how different diabetics react differently to the amount of sugar in their blood so I hope you enjoy.

So which one first, Hypoglycemia:

I doubt anyone other than Diabetics are reading my BLOG but I suppose it would only be polite to let the non-diabetics into what we know as a 'hypo'. Hypo's are where the glucose in your blood has dropped below the usual level. This can happen from many causes; not eating enough carbohydrate or not enough slow-releasing carbohydrate, injecting too much insulin, exercise, illness and sometimes your Diabetes just decides that you are having a hypo. My symptoms of having a Hypo is usually, my hands start to shake, I start to feel sick, I also get a headache, I loose the colour in my face basically I go pale, In some cases I get giggly and laugh at random things, I also tend to get a bit agitated. These symptoms are just the usual cause of a 'normal' (less serious) hypo. However, if I am having a serious hypo my symptoms are; shake excessively, I also start to cry and become an emotional wreck, I become confused and don't understand what is happening, language starts to get a bit jumbled, eyesight gets blurry and sometimes I pass out but they are very rare. Other symptoms that people may get are; hunger, nervousness, sweating, sleepiness, confusion etc.

So what I usually use to treat my hypos' are Lucozade, Glucose tablets, biscuits or chocolate. So after my blood sugar has returned to normal I have some slow-releasing carbohydrate like bread or crisps. If I do have a hypo where I pass out people who are with me usually use Glucogel which is basically pure glucose which is administered my squeezing it into my mouth near the gums and then massaging my cheeks.I do tend to feel ill after a hypo I usually have a really bad headache it feels like all the water has been drained from my brain (seriously bad hypos) and I feel sick for quite awhile.

People who aren't diabetic can also experience the feelings of hypo, if they haven't eaten properly and it can cause them to shake or in severe cases, pass out. It can be treated in the same way, sugary food and slow-releasing carb.

Now for Hyperglycemia:

Hyperglycemia is the opposite of hypoglycemia, it is where a person has too much sugar/glucose in their bloodstream. This is usually referred to as 'hyper' similar to children who have lots of sugar they get hyperactive however, for me I feel the complete opposite and become very tired. Hyperglycemia can be caused through, miscounting carbohydrates and inject the wrong amount of insulin (too little), exercise less than predicted, illness or stress. My symptoms of having a hyper in some ways can be similar to hypo, I shake due to the excessive sugar, I get very tired, confused, I get very thirsty so in turn I go the toilet alot more, difficulty concentrating and in extreme cases blurred vision.


Usually when I have high blood sugar, I treat it with a correctional dosage of Novorapid and a nice sleep. When I was younger my doctor told me to do some exercise however, since that I have been told that, that can actually increase blood sugar further due to the release of glucose for energy.

Persistent high blood sugars can leave diabetics at risk later in life. These risks can be severe; Diabetic Retinopathy,Kidney Damage,Nerve Damage- feet problems etc.

 

 

 

Obviously this information I have been told by my Doctors and Nurses, and may not be applicable to all diabetics. I find that if I try to balance out my blood sugars I tend to feel alot better in myself. So that's my aim :) I hope you have found this interesting :) x