Morning BS as low as 25

[ODAT]

Mom has been having a few really low morning BS readings. Once she drinks or eats it goes up. For example, yesterday it was 25 then she drank a carton of apple juice and it went up to 104. I worry about it going down so low during her sleep. She trys to eat before she goes to bed but some nights she is not hungry. I told her to drink a juice before she goes to bed she said ok. My concern is on how often this happens. It's happened twice in the last month. She keeps a journal.

They want her to go in every 2 weeks to get her blood levels checked. She was only 32 two weeks ago and yesterday had to get an aranesp shot because it went down to 28. I know these issues are both related to kidneys and diabetes. Is the losing blood oxygen levels due to the decreasing kidney function?
thanks

[Joe Paul]

If she cant eat a snack with her shot, she should adjust the insulin accordingly. I would bring this up to her Doctor and let him/her decide on what adjustments to make. Drinking anything with sugar is a short term fix, she needs something solid in her stomach to offset the effects of insulin 
And yeah, since her kidneys are failing - they cant produce enough of the hormone to make red blood cells, which as you know carry oxygen through the blood.

[Mimi]

Mom has been having a few really low morning BS readings. Once she drinks or eats it goes up. For example, yesterday it was 25 then she drank a carton of apple juice and it went up to 104. I worry about it going down so low during her sleep. She trys to eat before she goes to bed but some nights she is not hungry. I told her to drink a juice before she goes to bed she said ok. My concern is on how often this happens. It's happened twice in the last month. She keeps a journal.

They want her to go in every 2 weeks to get her blood levels checked. She was only 32 two weeks ago and yesterday had to get an arensp shot because it went down to 28. I know these issues are both related to kidneys and diabetes. Is the losing blood oxygen levels due to the decreasing kidney function?
thanks

Yes Odat it is the failing kidneys that cause this.  I went through a period about a year ago when my sugar was falling into the 40's and 50's.  My neph jerked me off of one of my diabetic meds and told me if it continued to drop the other one.  You should talk with her neph and let him know what is going on.  Many nights I force myself to eat a few bites just to be on the safe side.  At your Mom's and my age it wouldn't be that easy to bring us out of a diabetic coma.
She may need her meds adjusted or taken off of them completely.
It's a scary situation.  Let me know how things are going.

Love, Mimi

[Chicken Little]

She needs to get her dosage adjusted.   I had a lot of swings in BS before I started dialysis, even being on a insulin pump.    Everything gets out of whack and frequent testing is necessary.   I test obsessively (8-10 times a day) and will not take any sleeping or pain meds that will make me drowsy.  Insulin shock is nothing to play with. 

[Adam_W]

Geeze! 25? I'm hypoglycemic (but not diabetic) and I start having symptoms and have to eat something sweet or take a glucose tablet when mine gets below 100. The one time it dropped as low as 50 I ended up in the ER. If mine dropped to 25 I think I'd be dead. I have a very low tolerance to low blood sugar.

Adam

[Joe Paul]

Yes Odat it is the failing kidneys that cause this.  I went through a period about a year ago when my sugar was falling into the 40's and 50's.  My neph jerked me off of one of my diabetic meds and told me if it continued to drop the other one.  You should talk with her neph and let him know what is going on.  Many nights I force myself to eat a few bites just to be on the safe side.  At your Mom's and my age it wouldn't be that easy to bring us out of a diabetic coma.
She may need her meds adjusted or taken off of them completely.
It's a scary situation.  Let me know how things are going.

Love, Mimi

Mimi, your Neph adjusted your insulin?  I find that kind of scary

[boxman55]

Odat, with her BS getting that low does she wake up in a sweat. When I get low thats what happens to me along with being very disorientated please have someone help her with that it is not safe...Boxman

[Mimi]

Yes Odat it is the failing kidneys that cause this.  I went through a period about a year ago when my sugar was falling into the 40's and 50's.  My neph jerked me off of one of my diabetic meds and told me if it continued to drop the other one.  You should talk with her neph and let him know what is going on.  Many nights I force myself to eat a few bites just to be on the safe side.  At your Mom's and my age it wouldn't be that easy to bring us out of a diabetic coma.
She may need her meds adjusted or taken off of them completely.
It's a scary situation.  Let me know how things are going.

Love, Mimi

Mimi, your Neph adjusted your insulin? I find that kind of scary

Joe Paul I am on Lantus, at the time I was taking 30 units each night.  I was also on Actos and Glipizide XLThe neph had me to drop the Glipizide.  When I went into see my Diabetes Dr. the next week she cut my Lantus to 20 units
because I was still running some lows.  Since those cuts I don't go so low anymore, but overall my sugar doesn't go
very high anytime either.   I have heard that sometimes with kidney failure they have to take you off all meds.

Mimi






EDITED: Fixed quote error and removed color - Sluff/ Admin

[Joe Paul]

Thanks Mimi, for explaining.

[ODAT]

Odat, with her BS getting that low does she wake up in a sweat. When I get low thats what happens to me along with being very disorientated please have someone help her with that it is not safe...Boxman

Yes, she does wake up in sweats more often than not. She keeps her journal and will be seeing her pcp in about a week. He has adjusted it in the past. I appreciate you all being so helpful in helping me understand how serious this is. My sister and mom seem to be more relaxed about it because they say it doesn't happen too often. I will make sure it is addressed. I also see here that maybe she should be taken off insulin?

 

GO GREEN BAY! (ummm...maybe next year?!)

[Mimi]

Odat, with her BS getting that low does she wake up in a sweat. When I get low thats what happens to me along with being very disorientated please have someone help her with that it is not safe...Boxman

Yes, she does wake up in sweats more often than not. She keeps her journal and will be seeing her pcp in about a week. He has adjusted it in the past. I appreciate you all being so helpful in helping me understand how serious this is. My sister and mom seem to be more relaxed about it because they say it doesn't happen too often. I will make sure it is addressed. I also see here that maybe she should be taken off insulin?

 

GO GREEN BAY! (ummm...maybe next year?!)

Not necesarily taken off, Odat, but adjusted.  She most likely needs a lower dose.

Mimi

[jonn r]

if they feel that she is running low in the night because of lack of food.....have her try and drimk 4oz apple jucie that should keep het at the 80 or so range.......just my 2c

[ODAT]

The last couple of days mom is ranging between 125 and 140 for her morning BS. She has been eating graham crackers with peanut butter and milk before she goes to bed. Thanks for all your help! Steady as she goes.

[livecam]

Something sounds seriously wrong here.  BG of 25 would generally put a person in a diabetic coma or worse. 

Have you checked the calibration of your meter lately and are you changing the control number on the meter with each differently numbered vial of test strips? 

[Joe Paul]

Something sounds seriously wrong here.  BG of 25 would generally put a person in a diabetic coma or worse. 

Have you checked the calibration of your meter lately and are you changing the control number on the meter with each differently numbered vial of test strips? 

Mine have been that low and I have never been in a coma. On the flip side, mine have been so high, all my meter would say is "HI", I thought the thing was broken, so I called one step, they told me my sugar was so high it would register on the meter(600+). Oh the joys of being a  "brittle" diabetic.

[livecam]

Joe Paul..a one word response here..yikes!

[Joe Paul]

Joe Paul..a one word response here..yikes!

No doubts - but friend, after 35 years of the ups and downs I am still kicking. It took 33 years of type 1 diabetes for the kidneys to shut down - all in all not bad - 10 toes, 10 fingers normal eyesite for my age.
 OK done, back to the topic at hand.

[ODAT]

Something sounds seriously wrong here.  BG of 25 would generally put a person in a diabetic coma or worse. 

Have you checked the calibration of your meter lately and are you changing the control number on the meter with each differently numbered vial of test strips? 

I'll get in touch with mom asap and ask her about this. She has had readings in the past in the 30's as well. I ask her how she feels and she says shaky and light-headed, but she knows enough to eat right away. If she has a morning like that, she usually goes back to sleep for a couple hours.

[livecam]

As an example the lowest I've ever been was the low 50's and it was awful.  I felt like I had only minutes to fix it or else.  If I hadn't had someone literally at my side pushing sugary drinks and food into me the result might have been very bad.  On the positive side we've always self-managed it.  I've never been carted off to a hospital or needed the services of an ER.

[Ohio Buckeye]

A friend os mine whose father is a diabetic had been running ows between 40-70 in the morning.
When she went to visit him last Sun he was nearly in a come state and they had to rush him
to the hospital by ambulance to stabilize him.  So be very careful and kep a watchful eye.
Not to scare you but it is so serious when lows go really low.

[livecam]

No kidding and you really can't feel anything until you are just about there.

[paddbear0000]

I know this is a little late, but better later than never. My doctor gives me an Rx for glucagon for when my BS goes super low. It's supposed to be used once you pass out or are part way there. It helps eliminate those trips to the ER. Once, when my husband wasn't home and I awoke to find my BS was 35, I just injected myself with it before I passed out with no one to help. Juice wouldn't have worked fast enough for me at that point. For anyone who doesn't have any, you should definitely ask your doctor for an RX.

[ODAT]

Mom's doctor adjusted her insulin and her sugar had been fine for a week or so after that, BUT for the last three days her bs has been 38, 39, and today read "LO." She is going to get her arensp shot and possibly an iron infusion. She is going to tell this doctor and my sister is calling mom's pcp. What is scary is like livecam says, she does not feel any different. I just wanna scream! 

I just talked to the nurse where my mom gets her arensp shots to see how she was doing. Called mom's cell phone and 'yay' it was on! Mom said she was getting just the shot today - no iron, BUT they were faxing a report to PCP due to her low heart rate of 48. Pulse was only showing 45 bpm, but they called over the doctor who got 48 with the stethescope. Mom said she took her bs after she ate and it was 59. So I told them that I was concerned because of her low heart rate and bs. Mom said she felt fine. Wasn't dizzy. Heart rate should be between 60 and 80. All these procedures coming up scare me because she has to stop plavix on 5/2 for her colonoscopy on 5/9. Then she has to go through knee surgery 7/7. Hope they get her under control before then.

[Run8]

Hey odat, i have been a type 1 diabetic for 26 yrs. and have been on dialysis for only the last 11 months. When i was first told but my renal failure i thought i could maintain the 16% function i had left be not eating alot and eating vegeatables and fruit. well that didnt work, because i wasnt eating all that i should my bs levels started to be very low. my wife had to call the ambulance twice in one month. The renal diet is hard to follow now add a diabetic diet to that and ...well you know. A good snack before bedtime is somthing high in protein, the protein last a lot longer than the carbs in fruit or fruit  juice.