Type 1 Diabetic Journey

Trying To Get To a Yoga Class After a Hypo

This was the day of my Yoga class that I had been looking forward to all week, and my friend was to pick me up to go to the 6pm class. Progress through the day had been unsteady with my blood glucose levels (BGL) ranging from 8 to 12 BGL and then dropping back to 4 BGL by 3pm, leaving two and a half hours to recover before my friend arrived.

Having few outings or social contact, I was looking forward to this evening's class. It was lesson four of the six classes given to me as a gift by my friend. I thoroughly enjoyed the first lesson and missed the second lesson due to a 'sick day' when I had chest pain, breathlessness and blood pressure readings over 135. Whereas I take Karvea 300mg and Veracaps 240mg to control my  blood pressure, it has become noticeable to me that the pressure rises when I am experiencing low blood glucose levels.

The previous week at the third lesson I suffered a hypoglycaemic attack of 3 BGL and had to leave the room to have fruit juice and a biscuit.  Twenty minutes later I was able to rejoin the class and managed some of the remaining exercises. By the end of the lesson my legs were cramping, I felt fatigued and was still feeling the effects of being low. I knew I would have to have another small meal when I arrived home. By bedtime the reading was 6.1 BGL after one and half units of Humolog, and later at 9pm the reading dropped to 4.0 BGL. I then woke at 1am feeling very ill and low, although my reading was 9.4 BGL!

I was keen to attend this fourth lesson and not miss out. During the day my blood pressure (BP) hovered around 135 with a mid-morning reading of 144/57. As the pressure went up it made me dizzy, incoherent and fatigued. I developed chest pains and breathlessness, which was frightening, and this continued through the day. I counteracted with carbohydrate based meals for both breakfast and lunch, and had 1½ and 2½ units of fast-acting Humolog, respectively. I thought that was the right approach as these usually work.

However by 3pm, my level had dropped to 4.4 BGL and I was starting to feel ill and started shaking and sweating. My body went cold and I could not think properly, however I knew I had to do something substantial to be able to go to class. By 4.30pm I was totally fatigued, had blurred vision and my legs felt heavy. With one hour before my friend would arrive, I had to call her and tell her I could not go to the class.  see Log book scan Week43-2010

This type of incident is not a first for me. I have had countless episodes where I have been unable to attend private engagements since diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I have been invited out and then had to let people down at very short notice. I have sometimes missed out on movie outings, lunch and dinner dates, concerts, parties - even my own mother's 80th birthday party, and also a close friend's funeral. I did everything possible to try and pick myself up so I could attend these events, and felt dreadful at having to let these people down. I almost missed my son's wedding after I was hospitalised in a Cardiac unit with a suspected heart-attack five days before the wedding, and my husband/Carer had to ring an Ambulance and I was rushed to the hospital. Although extremely grateful that I was actually able to attend the wedding, how I felt five days later is duly shown in the group wedding photos!

For more information on Hypoglycaemia go to these sites -

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_control_tips/hypoglycaemia_prevention

http:www.diabetesnet.com diabetes_control_tips/hypoglycaemia_unawareness

 

---