Sarah Howard
Sarah Howard has worked in the diabetes research field ever since she was diagnosed with T1D while in college in May 2013. Since then, she has worked for various diabetes organizations, focusing on research, advocacy, and community-building efforts for people with T1D and their loved ones. Sarah is currently the Senior Marketing Manager at T1D Exchange.
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On a scale of 1-5, how much does experiencing a low BG below 55 disrupt your day? (1 = the least disruptive, 5 = the most disruptive) Cancel reply
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I think it depends on other factors such as whether blood glucose is dropping fast or holding at a steady low, how low it drops, and how long the low persists. I recently had an unexpected rapid drop during CGM warm-up and was shaking and sweating by the time I treated. That left me feeling washed out for several hours. 🙁
It’s not a hard #. Sometimes I can have a harder recovery when I’m 70 than when I’m 40 or above. The older I’ve gotten and the more longevity with T1D, the bounce back takes longer. One thing is for sure, never the same thing twice
I answered 4, but is can be 5 depending on life in the moment circumstances and environment where & when it happens. A BG less than 55 is inconvenient and a PITA but I do recover.
In general a low doesn’t disrupt my day off unless it occurs overnight between 3-5 AM. Then it wreaks havoc on my day because I have to start my day exhausted from treating the hypo.
As many of the comments mention, the older I get, the harder it is to rebound from a rapid/significant low. “Washed Out” is a great way to describe how I feel for a few hours following a low like this.
I answered a very uncertain #3. There are times when I’m on 70, and I am dizzy, sweaty and weak. Over the years, I’ve hit as low as the teens, 30’s 40’s and 50’s and never felt a thing. I can’t go by a number to determine how I will feel. But when I do feel the lows, it often takes 1/2 the day for me to feel like I’m back to myself. Many years ago, before blood test and CGM’s, I went to several days at a time in a fog from back to back lows.
I answered 3, since it really depends on the time of day and what I am doing. And no two lows are the same; sometimes I can function great at 50 but feel devastated at 80.
If I am home, I am close to everything I need to treat a low number. If I am out and about, I carry candy and sugary treats in a ziplock inside my purse. I keep close watch now that I wear the Abbott
Freestyle Libre and pay attention to the arrows.
It disrupts my work day A LOT. I’m on my feet for most of the day and also lifting patients, which I can’t do if I’m too low. I usually work as part of a team and it bothers me to tell coworkers “I can’t help you at the moment due to a low blood sugar.” For me, lows are really inconvenient.
As KCR said, it depends on as whether blood glucose is dropping fast, how low it drops, and how long I’m low. If I’m below 50 I’ll feel tired and have a headache for hours after the low.
If it’s not evident, I HATE lows!
I put 3 as an average. As others have said experience varies on circumstances of each low. A low that creeps up slowly during the day and resolves cooperatively with a snack is minimally disruptive. More disruptive are the fast crashing &: overnight lows. These often come with a hypo headache that can last for several hrs. Plus there’s the disruption of the BG rollercoaster that follows overcorrecting with carbs.
Sometimes I wonder how we old timers survived in the 60’s and early 70’s never knowing we were low or high. I don’t remember having an episode of any kind during that time period. I was very involved with sports and always active. Must have been Devine intervention. Now, many years later, I feel uncomfortable without my CGM. LOL
I totally agree!! The old days were much simpler but am lucky to have survived that!
It depends on the circumstances: time of day, severity of the low, what I’m doing at the time and what I expect to be doing, etc.
I spend a lot of time sitting in parking lots waiting for my blood sugar to rise high enough for me to drive home.
The level of disruption depends on whether I have something to treat the low. We all plan for these occasions but life does get in the way sometimes and your low comes when you don’t have your usual goto glucose bump.
It depends on how long it takes me to “get back.”If it takes a long to get back from 68, that is very disruptive, too.
For me if I fall below 65 I have seizures so I am pretty much stuck in bed with headaches and muscle pain.
Since going on Control IQ the answer is 0 (zero) as my Time under 70 is at 0.1% and under 55 is 0.0%
It depends on the rate of drop. A fast rate of drop is a killer.
Yes it is, takes a long while to respond at all.
I checked other. I have different reactions to Low BG. Also as other have pointed out, it depends on how quick and what I take to bet back up to 70+.
I chose “Other” because there are too many variables to assign a specific number. I no longer experience symptoms of either highs or lows, so am dependent upon my CGM to alert me before I’m unable to function from a low.
It just disrupt the 15 minutes or whatever time takes to get it back to normal and it’s more the annoyance. I don’t physically feel sick in any way just frustrated.
It depends on how much below 55 it is. If I am below 45 it disrupts my day a 5. If it is 46-54 it doesn’t disrupt my day it is a 1.
I had a Duzer last night. dropped into the low 50s and could not pull myself out of it. I ate and ate and ate. Maple syrup, cashews, PB&J sandwich. After an hour it slowly began to come back. Went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night @190. i’ve only had this happen twice before in my life. It is scary as hell. Took too much insulin for my meal and paid the price dearly. thank God my wife was there.
This happens to me too much, not responding to any type carb is very scary.
55 is a tipping point. If at home all day, I simply adjust my basal rate for 30 minutes or glucose type treat and move on. I would delay driving anywhere. If exercising, I’d have to stop and treat. My sensor alarms me to evaluate. I check my BG to verify what my sensor is saying. Arriving at 40 always disrupts in feeling woozy or slow of mind. Lower and I might stare at my pump, my sensor, and not know how to do corrective math or even which buttons to push! Then over correct with carbs. I should have chosen a higher number in hindsight!
I chose a two. My BG often drops, but it differs incredibly on the quickness of rising or if it continues to fall. Either way, I live with just my husband and it does not usually interfere with anything that cannot be put on hold.
Being that low I tend to not be functioning that well, although I have been a lot lower and did okay sometimes. It also usually sends me into a panic mode and I have to be careful of how many carbs i consumed and how to correct for that issue. It tends to really throw me off mentally all day.
Not at all.
I’ve been having blood glucose levels lower than 3.1 mmol/l [55 mg/dL] for many years now. I have hypoglycaemia [hypoglycemia] unawareness and lower blood glucose levels rarely give me any physical indication that my blood glucose level is falling. This was one of the reasons that my diabetes support team ‘put my name forward’ to receive pump technology.
Even though I have my pump set to alarm when my blood glucose level is 5.5 mmol/l [99 mg/dL], because the readings are taken from interstitial fluid, hence giving a delayed time of alarm, I’ve lost consciousness on many many occasions over the years, and have needed to be admitted to hospital for emergency medical attention.
Even after receiving a glucagon injection … and sometimes two glucagon injections … my ability to fully recover is somewhat diminished. Sometimes, if I’m in a hospital setting, intravenous glucose is also used.
Mick, REDUCE YOUR INSULIN. CONSULT WITH YOUR ENDOCRINOLOGIST. I used to have severe hypoglycemic events every month. Hypoglycemia, like hyperglycemia will fu*k up your brain, man. Have you been tested for seizure disorder (formerly called “epilepsy”)? If so, you could try Dilantin (processed by your liver) or even better levetricetam (no stress on your liver). Take a Luna bar before you put 40’ on the elliptical, rowing machine, or stationary bike. Or before you lift weights. Even a regular yoga class or
Pilates requires lower insulin and/or extra carbs, fats, and/or extra protein. You can reach me thru this website. TAKE ACTION NOW.
Like with all things Diabetes, it depends.
I don’t experience real symptoms of a low until I reach 40-45, and am not adversely affected until it’s much lower. At that point I’d say it disrupts my day at a 5 until it begins to climb and I’m able to take a shower. Once those are done, my day returns to normal.
I chose “2” because a BG of 50 doesn’t really disrupt my day, but a BG of 30 does. Below 55 just doesn’t “fit” everyone, in my opinion. We all have different thresholds. I wish the medical community would stop trying to put us all into the same mold!
For the most part, I do not worry about a BG of 55 is going to turn into a hypoglycemic event, it is still disruptive to the flow of my day and the constant reminder that T1 impacts (does not control) my daily life……
Lows are easy and not very disruptive. Pump alarms, I eat, record the carbs taken and bolus as necessary. The persistent highs are the disruption….. arghhh.
I don’t feel my lows or highs anymore even with the cgm nothing