Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Scott E on January 25, 2012 at 6:51am

Honestly, I find this advice (the PB&J sandwich) to be a bit "old-school". It worked when we used insulins like NPH and the low came about because of it starting to peak, but for being really low, the peanut butter (and perhaps bread, especially if high fiber i.e. healthy) will actually SLOW the aborption of the sugars. I can see eating the sandwich after the BG is confirmed to be rising if you're concerned with too much IOB that will cause a subsequent crash, but to treat the low with it immediately isn't something I would advise.

Permalink Reply by Ahmad on January 24, 2012 at 9:25pm

Did you try glucose drinks? Any juice or sugary candy (Skittles, chewable) should do the job. OR you could do like a hungry bear, grab and eat everything and then suffer the consequences (Which I do some times! :/)

Permalink Reply by Heather-E on January 24, 2012 at 9:32pm

my go to cure which i find easiest and quickest is juice boxes. the little boxes with a straw that kids drink. the ones i buy are 24 carbs which is slightly more than recommended but much better than me guesstimating with candy or anything else and because the boxes are pre-packaged you cant go too overboard.

Permalink Reply by Brunetta on January 24, 2012 at 10:11pm

Capri Sun juice bags,the ones marked "25% less sugar",have 17 gms carbs each and work well for me. Tasty, Work quickly, different flavors,low in price.

God Bless,
Brunetta

Permalink Reply by Doug H on January 24, 2012 at 9:47pm

If you don't like dex 4 glucose tabs (which comes in a bunch of flavors and are not too pricey), you can try dex 4 liquid glucose. They contain 15g of fast acting carb. They are expensive depending on where you buy them (Costco has best price about $10 for 6 Berry Blast flavor) but its easy to get down.

Just chugged one 5 min ago, and waiting to test at the 15-20 min mark. Suggest that you take off the cap external and internal seal so it's ready to go before you need them.

I sometimes take jelly beans, about 1 gram per bean, but they work a bit slower for me. Use these when i would go hypo if i didnt respond to downward trend. Easy to measure, pretty cheap and taste great.

If not crashing hard, can use Gatorade which works well but slower than liquid glucose for me.

Important to take something that is either pre measured so you don't over do it which is really easy when your BG is low. Fight the urge to over eat and trust you body to bounce back. Easier to say than do sometimes, but chasing a high BG after a low is no fun.

Permalink Reply by Niko on January 25, 2012 at 4:53am

I agree with Doug's suggestions, use Dex 4 or the liquid as it works quicker than everything else and helps you avoid over treating and subsequent yoyo-ing. Check after 15 min and then consider what to do about your downward trend.

The important thing is to know ahead of time how many carbs you need to raise your BG a set amount. Figure this when you are not already in a low BG situation.


Once I get the emergency low taken care of, I'll often consider a piece of fruit (such as clementine tangerines) to handle a possible downward trend. An apple can be good as well, but for anything you have to remember to check to make sure you don't over treat too much and realize you probably did, so be sure to check your BG in 30 min or so....

Permalink Reply by Mike S. on January 25, 2012 at 6:21am

Another vote here for Doug. Those little bottles of Dex4 really work fast. Expensive, but if you're crashing that fast that's the way to go. I don't like the "chalk" either!

Permalink Reply by lisa c on January 25, 2012 at 3:08am

John,

IMO, Juice takes too long to work. I always end up over doing it because that feeling of imending doom does not resolve until the juice kicks in. Juice has to be processed by the liver and that takes forever. Use Glucose Tablets! They are the quickest resolution. Good to eat 3, then a small snack for staying power. The Glucose Tabs do NOT have to go throught the liver...go right into Blood stream.

Permalink Reply by Rusty Plocheck on January 25, 2012 at 3:21am

I have found that whole milk does the trick for me. I was down to the mid 50's one time and my wife brought me a cup of milk with a teaspoon of sugar mixed into it. BAM! I could actually feel my sugar going back up.

Just because it works for me doesn't mean it will work for you though.

Permalink Reply by Joan on January 25, 2012 at 5:47am

I find that juice takes too long and then I go into a high. I hate the taste of the glucose tabs. The glucose tabs are hard so you have to chew them which takes time when you are dealing with a low. It's also embarrassing trying to chew some candy if you are in a yoga or exercise class.

I use Honey Stingers. They are made from organic natural ingredients and are soft and chewy. They actually melt in your mouth which is much better than trying to chew a hard candy. Ten chews are 38 carbs which means each chew is 3.8 carbs. They work fast. I can take 1 to 4 chews to bring my BG up depending how low I am, without going too high. You can get these in sporting goods stores as they are used by runners. They are also cheaper than glucose tabs and taste better!

Permalink Reply by Scott E on January 25, 2012 at 6:53am

Honestly, as much as you hate glucose tabs, they do work the best (or glucose gel, as others have suggested), and might be worth it considering the alternate.

For me, I almost always go over 15 carbs, and I check in 10 minutes just to make sure my BG is rising. Not to see if it's back to normal, just to see if it's stopped its downward fall. Just keep track of how much you go over, and then bolus for it. Even if it means taking insulin to cover 20 carbs when your BG is 90 (if you treated with 40 carbs), that's fine.... it'll soften the resultant spike.

Permalink Reply by Kristi Roth on January 25, 2012 at 7:29am

I take smarties. I like the taste of smarties better than glucose tablets and they are less bulky in a pocket. I also take kids juice boxes but smarties work quicker than juice for me though.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page