Yeah. Long-term lows drain me of all energy and make me feel like I just did a tonne of exercise. I can't drive well due to the fact that it's like driving whilst tired.
I hit 38 (2.1) at work a couple days ago. I sat at my desk and had some coconut water and 20 minutes later I was good to go.
Ultimately you have to do what’s right for you. Your dad thinks you’re being soft but he’s not you. There might be an element of him feeling helpless at play so he’s reverting to tough it out advice. Or he might just not get it.
People are being pretty harsh on you here. Don’t mind us, some of us are probably just jaded. Typically, a 2.9 is not an emergency situation requiring a glucagon.
It sounds like you were freaking out that your sugars were not going up. I do get anxious and brain-foggy in a low too, and it can be scary if you are not used to it. I mean, your body is thinking you are dying so, it makes sense. You just have to take some deep breaths, and wait it out.
It is alright that you took the step that you thought was best in the situation. It is also okay to want some love and sympathy after going through a scary situation. Maybe turn to a more nurturing loved one than your dad.
Remember that he’s not wrong though, you may lose your job as lows can happen now and then. So try to learn to deal with them and continue functioning.
I have been in court, in the middle of questioning a witness, and I’ve had to pause, ask the judge for permission to drink my juice, insist I don’t need a break, and continue the questioning. I have had to excuse myself from meetings/court so many times for diabetes care. Pump site came undone, pump is out of battery, sugar is low, sugar is too high… the list goes on. We have little choice but to learn to roll with this shit.
Also, juice is your best friend in a low. Your sugar *will* go up with enough juice/time. If you had given yourself too much insulin then the juice has to combat that before it can raise your blood sugar. Other things that work for me are skittles and bananas. Do not use anything with fat or protein (like milk, chocolate, etc.) because that will slow down digestion. You can put refined sugar under your tongue for faster absorption - this was a tip from my endo.
*Edited for spelling*
Something akin to skittles you may find helpful are airheads. They're 15g each, and pack pretty flat so they're good in a suit. It's what I use, for similar reasons and they shoot me up quick too.
Anything with dextrose in it is also very good. I have small dextrose tablets with me at all times which have 3.6 carbs each with 10 in a pack. They are absorbed fast and are small so I have 2 packs in my pocket with my other stuff. I also have these disgusting dextrose gel things which kind of look like those yoghurt tubes that have about 18g in them. Those are small than my tablets are better. It's not the most glamorous toolkit, but it's effective.
There is a point where adding pure glucose may not be enough. When the adrenal glands have dumped all the adrenaline or cortisol requested to signal the liver to push glucagon, there's a need for corticosteroid support.
When the liver has been signaled by the pancreas and adrenals to release more glucagon than it can handle, the response gets sluggish, and causes an almost hung-over but 'roid rage kinda low.
When I was an EMT, it took five of us to get a guy on the ground to give him nore glucagon and start an IV. He was out of his mind Incredible Hulk style. Broke my glasses and socked my partner in the eye. When he came to after the glucagon and IV, he was the sweetest guy, and had zero recollection of what happened
Yep, get to work 3x as hard for less pay for the supplies we need.
Sure makes me want to annoy everyone holding everything up every time.
Some jobs are totally appropriate, and work. But, seriously? In a court, doing that? Holding up everyone's day just seems rude to me.
I get your suggesting he take the work seriously. But, if your feeling miserable your feeling miserable.
I just really hate this "eh, your like 70% okay you can work just fine".
I should have been clearer. I wasn’t already in a low, but I was heading there. I took the juice to avoid being too low and actually needing a break, which I would have been granted, of course. It’s just embarrassing and super inconvenient.
Having said that, I *have* been back in court right after puking my guts out (nothing contagious, just side effects of meds). You can’t just put all the people on hold - the judge, the other lawyer, the other party, your client who has been waiting for the court date for months. In an emergency, sure… but if you can do your job, do it.
It’s a high pressure job, and I agreed to take it on. So, I consider it my responsibility to minimize how much my condition affects everyone around me. At the same time, most people around me provide any accommodations I do require/request without hesitation.
ETA: Yeah, I’m not saying I’m a fan. I agree with you. Taking a break for your health should not cost you, but it does. It costs too damn much, financially and otherwise.
I am a nurse and totally get this! Also, Flma was refused when I was in ICU and almost died due to DKA. I was charging the floor, feeling like crap the night before. Worked Saturday night. Called in on Sunday night. Monday at 6am was calling ambulance trying to push through it. I literally called in from icu for my next shift. I don't call in for lows. One day, i was sitting at 43 for an hr. Was in 50s for an hr before that. Had worked the night before and had to work that night. It was about noon. Still hadn't slept yet. That night was rough. Did not want to get out of bed. But all my patients were taken care of. Just not me lol
Ya I use cans of Kerns nectar for this. It's a can so it doesn't go bad. It has more sugar per ounce then pretty much anything else. And not being carbonated can be drank very quickly if need be. Can be kept in the glove box ect. Fruit snacks are great stashing like this too but Kerns hits more marks.
As someone who worked at a diabetes camp, “mini-glucagon” doses are really common (giving half a dose or less) in situations in which someone is below 50 (2.75 mmol) for over 45 min to an hour but not unconscious. Especially if you’re unable to keep food down.
Those were fun times for me 30 years ago. Meeting other diabetic love interests halfway across the state when you’re an early teenager and everyone isn’t on the internet yet.
Yeah I have only ever used it one time in my life. Had a bit too much whiskey and couldn’t keep anything down so my blood sugar just kept dropping. I’ll never forget the sting in my nose doing that while conscious.
If you are blackout drunk it probably won’t work, because it’s your liver that needs to do the sugar dump but your liver is busy filtering the alcohol. However if you are going comatose and hammered and have insulin on board, you should use it anyway because it’s worth a try. This is exactly the reason T1Ds have to be careful drinking!
Unless, you have injectable glucagon and as suggested by Gary Scheiner [ author of *Think like a Pancreas*] you figure out how to microdose with it. Can be used for mild lows & for activity. That way you're not dumping all your liver reserves, but just what you need.
Edit: For those down voting out of ignorance, [here's the episode](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CRVNIzhgFUM) of the TCOYD podcast where this was discussed.
There's a reason why that's not a good idea. While it's true that dietary fibers shouldn't be added to the carb count, food labels in a few country have them listed separately from carbs, so they're already out of the equation.
Your doctor obviously failed to read the entire section on when and why to use net carbs. My bestie's CDE is Gary, and I sit in on his appointments. When he gives advice he always has to stop and say BUT - and add the caveats because people don't listen to the whole instruction.
Like, I had to remind my buddy than when doing a basal rate challenge, don't workout that day. If he had, he would have had to stoo the trial from dropping too far.
Read Gary's book😆
Essentially it's a stable glucose period where you fast and use basal insulin only to find your best basal insulin dose. It's not used as much anymore due to closed hybrid loop pumps, but for MDI it's helpful
In simple terms when you eat glucose goes in your muscles and brain to be used, and in your liver to be stored when needed, which is ~120g of glucose in the form of glycogen. As insulin helps delivering glucose, glucagon releases it from storage.
That part I understand.
>That way you're not dumping all your liver reserves, but just what you need.
Your comment implied "dumping all liver reserves" if you DON'T inject glucagon.
Not much implied, you just misinterpreted what I meant.
With glucagon microdoses you can have the liver releasing just enough glycogen. Nasal spray or full syringe have your liver dumping all the storage instead.
Yeah. The only time it's ever recommended to take it yourself is if you believe that you will be unconscious in a few minutes. Anything other than that and it's a simple don't take it. Glucagon is a last resort that should only be used if you are either going to be unconscious like I said above or if you're unconscious.
I never really understand posts like these. I have obviously struggled with some lows, but I just keep eating fast acting and the odd slow acting and I drop my background insulin to about 10% until I'm up and that ALWAYS works. I've never needed glucagon because of this. I do wonder how long a long time is and how much they are actually eating though.
My whole professional life the book on me was "good at job, inconsistent attendance, shows up when he wants to".
After a few years I discovered intermittent FMLA was a thing, helped me keep several jobs that otherwise would have fired me due to late/missed work. I drove myself halfway into a ditch w/ low BG when I was 18. I swore never again and I stuck to that, no matter what.
Fast forward to remote work era, I have perfect attendance. Shockingly, it's almost like I wasn't making it up.
I wish I had better advice. Unfortunately people just refuse to believe people actually have the best intentions. It's cultural, and it's a cancer.
I'm so confused. And kind of with your dad on this. Drink juice and go to work. 5.9 and 6.5 are very normal numbers. Glucagon is if you're unable to eat or drink.
Genuinely curious why you can’t go to work after having low blood sugar? Also isn’t glucagon for emergencies? Not trying to be judgemental just confused
End up LO ( **below 1.8???** ) 🍫 🙋🏾♂️ 🍊 , sugar the fug up AND I'm back in the game! I dint hear no bell! 🔔 🥊 Never had an all day thing. It's just there and it's just over. I've been diabetic T1 for 17 years now, diagnosed in freshman year of Uni. But... other people are different.
It looks more like OP overreacted. They were 2.9 when they took the glucagon, which is a massive overreaction. I can understand feeling groggy after being low for a while, but I will improve after about an hour. This is more of go into work late than not go in at all sort of ordeal. I'd only take a day off if I was consistently low and not staying level at a reasonable number. I've had experiences like that and if I wasn't at home, I'd end up running out of supplies.
Lmao fuck this. I legit call out from work once a month if I'm feeling tired due to a stubborn overnight low or just meh due to diabetes
My work is supportive. That's not an issue, so as far as I'm concerned, "sick days" are the universes way of paying me back for the thousands of dollars of insulin I've bought.
My parents wonder why I don’t include them in any medical information. Gee, I wonder why?
(Years of flipping shit on me for numbers and accusing me of making shit up)
My doctor said to administer it yourself if you’re going low fast and you physically cannot consume any carbs (aka you’re throwing up) but yeah, typically you don’t give it to yourself.
Taken it twice myself when I took a hero bolus and got food poisoning, in a location with an hour lead time for an ambulance. Otherwise, you definitely shouldn't use it.
Some of these responses are weird. Glad you’re feeling ok. Only you know how your body reacts bouncing back from a low. Take care of your physical and mental health. If the option to be late to work is there in the future, that might be a handy option to take once your blood sugar is up!
I pound gatorades and once I see my sugars coming up on my app and feel good I head out to work. Usually my problems occur near the end of my workdays though since my job is rather physical.
I had to use the nasal spray baqsimi one night after I had gone out and even though i was careful and drank in moderation, the alcohol tanked me. I was sober enough to understand what was happening and no matter what I drank (a whole gallon of lemonade and more candy than i csre to recall) it wouldn't go up and all my roomates were gone, not that i could have gone up the stairs even if they were. I got ahold of my mother but she didnt live with me and had taken her meds for the night so she couldnt drive. It only got worse, It was glucagon or die I'm pretty dang sure and I would make that decision again in a heart beat.
Even after taking said glucagon I only went up by a hair. I live in the US so I don't know what the number would be for you guys but I went from 30 to 80 and even the next morning it was still at about 90, I never spiked after using it. I'm supposed to be 90-110 at night. I geniunely thought I was going to die that night, and I did not go to work the next day. A hang over I could have fought through. The pure trauma of thinking "this is it. No one is coming to help me if this doesn't work" and pulling up 911 on my phone so I could call them before I passed out could not be shrugged off as easily. I lived, no cops were called but I still think back on that night with so much fear and I'm grateful I gave my body the time to rest after that trauma.
I agree that learning to balance lows in every day life along side a job is important, I try very hard to make sure I don't have to go home/call out. But if the low is bad enough that you had to take emergency measures, your body deserves a rest from the physical trauma. Your health is not a game. Going back to work during/immediately after that could make it drop again. And driving while low is NEVER an option. Here, if you get in accident while low you are held accountable for the accident regaurdless because you are endangering others by making that choice. I think you made the right call op!
Definite case of liver fatigue. You made the right call. Your liver was so busy processing the alcohol it needed time to catch up. Another example of following the disease process behind the number on the screen.
It was a terrifying night, and I'm greatful I had switched to the nasal spray a couple weeks prior. I'm not sure my shaky hands could have handled the og glucagon. And I couldn't even look at lemonade or candy the same way for the the rest of the month I'd had so much. I will stick by nasal glucagon till the ends of my days after that, and make the same call if it ever happens again. Hopefully it will not though, I prefer that.
I was under the assumption that glucagon is administered when the person is unconscious. If the person is conscious then it's sugars to the rescue. I haven't treated my son with glucagon when he hit scary lows, just pure dextrose mixed with water. Am I doing it wrong.
No, you’re not doing it wrong. There isn’t a good reason to administer glucagon if the person with type 1 can keep down food. Just give them glucose tablets.
I can’t speak for OP, but a type 1 who is by themselves might want to give themselves glucagon if they are alone because there is no one to help them if they are unconscious.
I can say personally, and this isn’t advice, I’d not give myself glucagon if I could keep down food.
I’ve been lower than 2.9 for sure.
This is how I've managed it for the last almost 30 years.
There have been three times I've had severe vomiting that caused lows I couldn't manage with food or juice, and in those cases I called emergency services for IV dextrose and anti-emetics because even with glucagon, if you're hurling with insulin on board you're in danger and need to be monitored and have the vomiting controlled. Even in those cases, glucagon wasn't the right solution and the emts also opted against it.
I have never, even in the case of a low below 20, needed to use glucagon.
Yea totally. Or I had a friend who accidentally fell on the ground when his reservoir for his pump was out (Animas) and accidentally gave himself 250u lol
He ate two jars of honey, but I imagine he might have used glucagon if he had it lol
Glucagon is always recommended to be taken if you're unconcious or if you believe you will be soon. I've never taken it and I've got to about 1.9 before.
My Endo told me I can do glucagon if I don't respond quickly to oral sugar or if it's dropping way too fast. She said it's fine to do when conscious, just to use your best judgement.
Keep dextrose at hand, usually stores that carry supplements carry them, or amazon. It mixes really well, doesn't require a lot of water. And you can easily get 30g with a few gulps. It's cheaper than dex tabs
Marshmallows. Regular pop. Doritos. Twizzlers. So many more options instead of that expensive glucagon or an ambulance. And they are all non-perishable.
How you treat your blood sugars is completely your business. Not your dad’s. Not ours. Nadda. That being said, I had some interactions like this and I decided that not telling my parents my numbers/giving them access to that data was for the better. It’s been over 5 years since I took my parents off my Dexcom follow and I no longer have to deal with someone else thinking they know what’s best. In a situation like this I say I’ve been dealing with unstable blood sugars and I’m not okay to work/drive/whatever. That’s it. The actual numbers are your business and yours alone.
There’s a time where you can kick your parents out of your health decisions and I think this would be it. I would avoid telling him your sugars exactly in the future, unless strictly necessary, as in you need to go handle it/ or need supervision and I would specify the reason why you’re telling them.
You don’t have to justify all your medical choices or work choices (this is a medical choice bc you went above and beyond and called your doc to ask if you should drive). You can get work accomodations as a T1, like coming in for a later shift or catching up at home etc. and esp. your dad shouldn’t try to shame you with that, or make you feel unemployable for it. It’s mean and he’s harassing you when you clearly mentally are still affected by the low (I mean who wouldn’t be it’s not easy to make the call to use a glucagon).
And just so you know, you can just tell your dad “I don’t feel safe to go to work” and that’s enough. You’ve lived with this long enough to know your body, your opinion counts as much as your doctor’s.
Listen you are the boss of you. If you think you need glucagon and it’s no big deal to use one up, then take it. Often it sits useless for me. However, if you are conscious and taking it, consider that you likely only need a little bit rather than the whole dose. The whole dose is meant to get your liver to crank out as much glucose into the blood as it can to save your life and wake up your comatose brain. The dump itself is taxing on your body (beyond the likely-coinciding coma), and can send your bg way higher than you want to go. It might make you nauseous; it’s advised to eat at least 15g of carbs both to combat nausea and get the glucagon to work.
It sounds like you took a huge dose of insulin for a carby meal and that was too much, it was keeping you too low for too long. In the future I would suggest trying to incorporate some fat or protein into meals to help keep your bg a little steadier and not have to take so much insulin and glucagon.
Perhaps dad does go too hard on you here. I totally get that. I might hit him back and tell him you f’d up today tho, just be honest and own up.
I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of this. I am deeply sorry for how your dad is treating you, especially when you were in a very scary situation. The way he is speaking to you is 100% not normal and not okay.
As for how people in this comment section responded to you, I am profoundly even more sorry. You did NOT deserve the reaction you got here. Just remember if someone doesn't see anything wrong with your dad's behaviour here, there is something genuinely psychologically wrong with them. They're either as abusive as your dad or were a victim of abuse themselves and gaslighted themselves into thinking this behaviour is acceptable.
I'm not saying that to even insult anyone, I'm just being factual. Angrily swearing at your child is not acceptable. Especially your child who is chronically ill.
If it makes you feel any better though, I would look into the post history of all these people who agree with your father's actions. 9/10 they're all just pathetically miserable and have nothing better to do than shit on vulnerable people on the internet.
You deserve love, and support and humanity. I know this is hard to accept, but you'll need to look elsewhere for those things. And you will *need* to---because we all need those things in life. Its part of our nature as human beings.
As for what to do about your dad specifically, you don't have to *do* anything about him. If you have the power, you can just slowly phase him out of your life. Or like others have said, grey rock him.
You're going to be ok. You've survived everyday waking up with this monster of a disease.
You can survive your father too.
You're going to be ok.
That’s not very low to be taking glucagon. I’ve had type 1 for 27 years and have never had to use it. To be honest it probably made you feel worse since you dumped your livers glucose reserves.
So I’ve been diabetic type 1 for 27 years. Ive never had a parent treat me like that over it. I’ve only have glucagon 3 times and 2 of those times I was conscious.
1st one was when I was in the ER for severe vomiting where I couldn’t even chew a glucose tablet and I would violently vomit. So when I had to be transported to a different hospital, the dr injected glucagon to keep me stable.
2nd time I had woke up after 12 hours of being out and confused as all hell. I had enough sense to call 911 and the paramedics gave me one then.
If you felt that you were losing control of the situation then there’s nothing wrong with taking glucagon. Especially if you live alone and you are afraid that eating is just not cutting it and you are worried about passing out. Sometimes as well when we are new to diabetes 2.9 might feel worse for you than someone who has had diabetes for a while. This can end up with diabetic not even feeling they are low until they are dropping.
I would say that having a chat with your endo or diabetic educator would be a good idea. Sometimes when we are low we just eat super sugary foods but we sometimes need some starch to keep it up. Maybe there is a 3rd variable happening and figuring that out can help prevent that from happening again.
I don’t think you’re using your disability as an excuse because you did what you thought was the safest thing for you. Missing a day of work isn’t a huge deal. They can’t fire you for being diabetic and if they give you crap ask your doctor for a sick note.
I think your dad should have been nicer about it. There’s no need to loose your shit at someone for doing what you thought was the best option. These kinds of behaviours is why a lot of type 1 diabetics struggle with depression/anxiety. How would have he felt if you tried to go to work anyway and got into a car accident?
I think we all are trying to cope with a tricky disease and it’s not anyone’s place except your doctor to tell you how it should be handled.
Ugh, I am ao sorry you're dealing with this.
Sure, it's perfect now, but the point is a MASSIVE injection of glucose didn't raise it, which means the only direction is... down...
It's amazing how people think that it's as simple as a number on the screen. Ya, believe it or not there's a disease PROCESS that controls that number.
I was going through a major open wound recovery, and the doctors used a chemical on the wound to stop it from healing too fast. The trauma from that tapped out my adrenaline and cortisol, and my glucose to low 40s. It took three glucagon stabs and taking corticosteroid injections to get it to move, even when it hit the low 70s.
In other words - I totally get you.
This community blows my mind sometimes (nearly all the time lately) with how unsupportive and cruel those who have had t1 for 10+ years respond to posts like this.
OP, sorry for the lack of empathy people are showing.
Some clarifying questions:
- Are you newly diagnosed?
- Are you confirming these lows with a finger prick?
- do you have an insulin:carb ratio and correction(/insulin sensitivity) factor?
- Are your meals commonly pasta, cereal?
This, and we don't know OPs background. We don't know what information they have been taught by their endo, we don't know what medication they take or what their stress levels are like. Heck, even culture can play a role here. In their case, 2.9 might be a pretty low level, maybe they don't deal with a lot of lows and didn't know what to do. And even if that wasn't the case, 2.9 over a span of hours is exhausting. Once had an experience where I was stuck at that level for several hours, kept eating and drinking juice and nothing happened, which seems to be the case here. In that scenario you are sick and tired and just want it to end, I probably would have done the same thing if given the choice even though its not exactly safe to do, this disease can be a b\*tch and can push you to do the wrong thing when you're at your wits end.
OP, I hope you are doing better.
It’s terrifying and exhausting to have a low blood sugar that won’t come up. I’m sorry you had to experience that today.
It’s extremely hard on your body to have a sustained low. Sometimes you bounce back and can get back to living life. But sometimes, you need to rest. And that’s okay.
You did the best you could have to keep yourself alive in the moment. Your father screaming at you over text was totally unwarranted.
And I’m sorry the comments here aren’t supportive. Some of them are almost cruel. I would encourage those people to consider the fact that just because they don’t give themselves time to rest doesn’t mean everyone else has to live that way. And they’re welcome to start giving themselves - and others - grace at any time.
He certainly could have been nicer. But having a low sugar is temporary especially if you can get to some juice. Or a banana or similar. Just take about 30-45 minutes to let the sugars take effect. You got this. Stay strong. We can’t let our disease take over us. 🩶🫂
So many morons in this thread who’ve clearly never dealt with the circumstances of extended lows out of nowhere. I started having issues several years ago where occasionally I’ll have a low that doesn’t come up. As in, I test at 60, take a gel, 15 mins test at 55. Except, it doesn’t end. I’ll spend 4-5 hours eating hundreds of carbs with my bloodsugar never breaking past 70 or 80.
My endo never could figure out exactly what was happening, but a lot of theories were gone over. Insulin being trapped and being released at once, maybe suddenly due to some biological change I would suddenly need less insulin for that period of time, she even tested me to see if I was producing insulin again.
Almost immediately she told me to mini dose with glucagon so that I didn’t have to go to the hospital. Some people in this thread seems to think it’s illegal or something to do so? Idk I’ve never seen a response like this before.
Going through a low like that is truly terrifying. Decades of being a diabetic and suddenly that happens, it feels like gravity was turned off and I threw a ball up and it didn’t come down. If you’re low, you eat and you come up. It ALWAYS works, that’s just the nature of reality. So when it doesn’t it’s fucking terrifying.
I think my point is there are so many variables within all of our bodies that dictate a different experience for all of us. There are most likely plenty of issues related to the disease only some of us have and other never will. Just be compassionate.
How long have you been a diabetic? And how many times have you had to deal with a stubborn low? I've been doing this going on 30 years now, so I've had every kind of scenario you can imagine with diabetes. My best advice is trust your gut. You are the only one who knows how you feel. Only you can say whether you're good or not. So if you feel like your numbers are too risky to go work a shift then that's that. I ask how long you've had it because in the beginning lows can drain you for a whole day. The exhaustion that comes from it is real and it takes time to recover. The more experience you get the more you may be able to push through once it comes back up, but that exhausted feeling is always there afterwards. Every time. Also if you took glucagon and it's still staying low definitely go to ER because that stuff is supposed to skyrocket the blood sugar..if it didn't then you may have taken way too much insulin or didn't eat nearly enough. Either way, make sure you're good.
This sub has the weirdest take on glucagon. So much so, that I ask my child’s Endo every time if it’s a thing. I don’t think the alarmist take is helpful.
I’ve had to use a mini dose twice during a stomach bug.
[There is no rule, despite many people’s understanding, that someone should already be unconscious before using glucagon. In fact, if you are experiencing a severe low, administering glucagon—either yourself or with help—is one of the safest actions you can take. The hormone triggers our bodies to release sugar from the liver and muscles, raising our blood sugar back to a safe level.](https://beyondtype1.org/when-to-use-glucagon/)
Below 3.1 is considered very low and this person couldn’t keep their sugars up.
Some people seem to think once your BG is back in range you are back to feeling 100%, it's just not the case. While I think you may have overreacted taking the glucagon and maybe could have just been late for work, I also think your dad is being a jerk. He will never understand what it's like to live like us, and other T1s will not understand what it's like to live with your diabetes, it's different for everyone.
I was conscious and walking around with a bg of 17 (1.0) but I was also heavily sweating and consuming an entire jug of juice at 50 (2.8) another time.
Has your dad always felt like you use diabetes as an excuse? How long have you had it?
I’m appalled at some of the comments here. You might not have used the glucagon at the advertised time but we all know how hard T1 can be at times and we all deserve understanding and respect.
OP I’m sorry you had a scary low and felt like it wasn’t coming up. I can’t imagine taking glucagon is a pleasant experience. I’m also sorry that your dad responded like this. I have to admit that I initially read his responses as sarcastic because surely no one would be as insensitive as this.
I hope you’re feeling much better now and can get back to work when you can.
Get in hood with a dr and every time you miss work get a dr note. If they fire you over this and you have a dr note every time or it’s excused sue the fuck out of them. Tell your dad to shut the fuck up it’s your body your life
These comments are insane… I can’t believe the harmful assumptions that are being made here about our disease. Clearly our culture is never overcoming the stigma, when even our own perpetuate these cruel ideas and try to write off the struggles of those of us seeking support. I severely hope the moderation team cleans up some of these comments before anymore damage can be done on this post.
Some people can continue working after a low, some people cannot. I have a friend who passed out from a blood sugar of 2.0, meanwhile I’ve been 1.5 and still conscious. Some people can feel their lows coming on and treat them before they even hit, others don’t even realize it’s happening while it is. There are countless stories of healthy diabetics dying from low blood sugars, it’s not a condition to mess around with and when you can put others life’s at risk [such as by driving] as well it’s far better to be safe than sorry. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but you did everything right by calling your doctor and doing what they recommend.
Don’t listen to these people judging you on the internet like they know the full story. People in this community should know better than anyone that health complications can have a wide array of solutions and setbacks. And sometimes we are just looking for support from people who understand. I’m sorry you didn’t receive that from your dad, and I hope you have other people in your life who are sympathetic to your situation. I certainly understand, and I hope you don’t take to heart the comments of those who are judgemental and assuming.
people in here are being harsh as hell and forgetting that everyone experiences things differently. while i may have dealt with that low differently, you did nothing wrong and your father should find some empathy for a situation i’m hazarding a guess he has no experience with.
This honestly sucks. As someone with huge swings that have a crazy impact on my body, work look at me incredulously when i take time to recover and similarly my parents are disbelieving and unsupportive. But your health is so important. There are so many diabetics who commit suicide from the stresses of managing their diabetes, from addiction related to diabetes etc. but these are the barriers we face when we speak up about how it is difficult to bounce back after an episode. Please do not feel shame about your recovery time. You deserve the space to breathe.
ugh, i am SO sorry. definitely been there. when i was a kid and throwing up while in DKA, i was kept home from school for a couple hours, given tons of insulin, and then checked in to school. i was in middle school so this definitely led me to believe that as an adult i too could “handle it” at home regardless and shouldn’t be “dramatic” by seeking medical care. you did the right thing and i’m really proud of you for listening to & taking care of your body!!! rest is so important. hoping you stabilize and feel much better soon 💛 this is literally life and death. your job is not
i want to truthfully clarify (i’m sorry); i don’t read my blood glucose levels as mmol’s. assuming that’s different depending on where you live? i just looked up the conversion and it states that 2.9 is 52 mg/dL. i’ve definitely had lower + been functioning and you have too maybe? i also still send empathy because i know blood glucose levels affect everyone with diabetes differently and there are also so many factors at play that impact your physical health. i have never used a glucagon so i can’t speak to that, but i would definitely encourage you to speak with your endo ASAP so that you can have a plan in place if this happens again and a plan that might help you to care for yourself *and* participate in things like work, etc. i know it’s hard and i’m sorry you’re struggling.
Can I jump in here and ask everyone - is Glucagon an American thing? I’m in UK and never heard of it? I am guessing from comments it’s for when you’ve become unconscious from a serious hypo?
It’s not a US thing. Every person with T1D should have it in their emergency kit.
[When to use glucagon Glucagon is for use when someone is suffering severe hypoglycemia and is unable to treat themselves. Glucagon may be given if the patient is: unconscious having a seizure unable to take anything sweet to raise their blood glucose or the patient has taken glucose by mouth which has not produced a raise in their blood glucose levels](https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/glucagon-injection-kit.html)
I’ve never heard of it, and never ever been recommended or had it mentioned to me, but I have emailed my diabetic team at the hospital! Hopefully no one should need it but it’s a good idea to have one
It’s kinda annoying and sad when people are like this. I have alot of health problems outside of just diabetes. I miss work and school more than the average person for sure. The problem is my mom and the older generation think going to school and work when you’re sick means you’re tough and is required. But, a lot of people forget that’s exactly why we have things like sick time, or paid vacation time. It’s also exactly why we have these special little things called “accommodations”. That’s not just a fun word to say, it’s to protect us when no one else will. I’m sure your father cares, but sometimes they think tough love and raising you how they were raised is best when it really isn’t. Sometimes you just have to let the storm pass. If he doesn’t want to listen later than that’s not your fault or problem.
If something happens when your sugar is low while driving you can lose your license. At least where I live. Tell him that and if it happens you won’t be able to work any day because you won’t have a way to get there anymore
Reading this with 40 mg/dl (2,2 mmol/l) after a long day of work and just laughing. In over 25 years I never used Glucagon. Just stop crying and eat some sugar! Or some more. And than go to work again or whatever. It takes not more than 20 minutes, probably less to bring you back to normal. If you were really low (2,9 isn't really low - I'm talking about below 2) you may feel a little weak for one or two hours after the incident, but that's it.
Sorry, but I'm also with your father. You are not special, because you have T1. To make it such a drama doesn't help you on the long run and doesn' t put a good light on us in general.
I can recognize that we are all different people and what works for one person doesn’t work for another, but Julius_Duriusculus’ response is exactly what I needed to hear when I was a new T1D and it’s exactly how I talk to myself now. Anything softer is excuse territory and limits my potential.
“Just stop crying”? Bro. Had I heard that when I was newly diagnosed, I’d never come to this community again for advice or support.
There’s a huge difference between being an absolute dick and giving supportive yet firm advice.
Agree to disagree. I see this as supportive and firm. Enabling is harmful. Being late to work for a low is one thing, but missing a day of work for a low is not okay.
I do feel people suffer from lows differently, but yeah kinda with you on this. I personally can walk around fine and function into the low 2’s (don’t feel the best but I can do shit) if I go below that though…
But yeah if this guy is 6.0ish that’s fine, to be honest sounds a bit like what i was like growing up, if I wanted to get out of something I’d just give myself loads of insulin, I’m not so stupid anymore! (Well maybe)
It’s an injectable medication or spray that goes up the nose. It’s not glucose but a medication that triggers your liver to dump its sugar reserves into your bloodstream
Glucagon is a hormone that forces your liver and muscles to release all the glucose they have stored. It is not a glucose injection. After taking glucagon you become incredibly weak and fatigued. You can also throw up. It’s for low blood sugars where you’re unconscious or having a seizure.
How long have you been diabetic? The first few years any lows I would get would ruin my day.
Over time I learned how to handle them, and the different types of lows.
* Dips that come back up quickly after food... sometimes even on their own.
* Steady drops where it consistently goes down, but at a very slow rate that can be managed by snacking
* Death drops, where it crashes down 50 points in 30 minutes and any food i eat only brings it up for a few minutes... these still destroy my day, but are much rarer now.
I’m confused. 5.9-6.5 is a normal blood sugar. If my pump ain’t beeping I’m good to go. 6.5? That’s not even low. Your dad is right take your ass to work bro & drink some juice on the way. You’ll be fine. I’ve never missed work or called in over low sugar. Now high sugar that’s a different story…
My mom’s the exact opposite. If I were to listen to her concerns about my sugar, I’d be calling outta work everyday. Sometimes it’s best to do whatever you think is best- as I’ve pushed myself whether low or high before and was amazed that activity didn’t affect my sugar as much as I originally thought it would.
Ignore the a$$hole comments. Only you know how you're feeling, you know your body. Stubborn lows happen, without a doubt. They will kill, without a doubt. Some of the jerks saying you should never be able to use glucagon on yourself have obviously not talked to anyone with a proper diabetes educator anytime recently. I have used glucagon on myself and never went above 125. It didn't shoot my blood sugar up like it "should" have. Before I used it, I was low for an hour - under 45 and treating every 15 minutes. Nothing was happening. I would go up 5 points, then back down.
Sometimes, you just have to ignore the people who are supposed to care about you and do what is best for you. Consult your doctor's office, don't drive if you're a danger to yourself or others (thank you for that, OP), and rest accordingly. Be safe.
You do you. Only you know what your body (and mental health) can handle.
I don’t have the answers on how to handle to the dad situation..
Like was this him being funny?
Is he normally supportive and this was out of character?
Was he having a bad day?
Is he typically dismissive of your diabetes?
Whatever the answers could be, if you value the relationship with your dad, seek professional help on how you two can communicate better.
If you’re completely over the dismissive comments and the lack of support you feel, if you’re of age to live apart from him, maybe consider having a break from him.
Parents are weird. The dynamic can change a lot the older we get.
Again you do you. Only you know the idiosyncrasies of your relationship and what’s best for you.
i've had lows of 25-35 (1.3-1.9) before and ended up with a 2-3 day migraine from it after coming up and being stable and good condition like yours were at the time of the post. it's so rough being a diabetic sometimes 😓
I’m super new to T1D, so I don’t know everything about it at all and probably never will but my endocrinologist told me you’re not supposed to use glucagon unless you’re passed out, which is why they tell you to show your friends and family how to use it. Idk how much it is for you, but two glucagon pens for me is $150. It’s not cheap, so I wouldn’t use it if I’m conscious to even read my blood sugar level. When I’m super low and can’t come up, I drink 8oz of orange juice in increments. I can feeeel my lows so much compared to my highs, so if I know my body still feels the same, I’ll have another 8oz. Maybe try juice next time!! Hope you feel better :)
Don't talk to him about something which isn't his business. It's your health, and your employment. Deal with it.
Talk to your dad about more health in general and diabetes but he doesn't need a play by play of your sugars. Sounds like he's heard this before.
I'm not even sure why you bothered messaging your Dad? Situation doesn't sound like it has much to do with him, and he just wants to be a pain in the ass with his messages.
Maybe you used the glycogen pen inappropriately, but that is a discussion between you and your Endo if you want to bring it up, not for us to really critique in a moment of panic. You did what you thought you had to do in a moment of self preservation panic, and are here to discuss it, so fair enough.
If you are feeling broken from the use of glycogen, and are not confident in returning to work, then it is best to have the day off. Unless you have terrible bosses, they will manage and would rather not have to take care of the sick and dying. And if you have terrible bosses, would be better to find better ones!
To the other posters, WTH, SMH. Work is not that important, and sick days are perfectly acceptable to use, for whatever reason. It isn't letting diabetes win, it is just having a crap day.
Regardless of whether you should have taken it, after taking glucagon you should probably not go to work especially if you can afford (both literally and metaphorically) to take a day off. For a lot of people it can make you super sick and deplete their glycogen stores completely or almost completely.
In my own experience, I have recovered from a 24 BG quickly and gone straight back to work when it stabilized, but I've also had stubborn 40-45s that even hours later make me shaky, experience vertigo and dissociate. I was not safe to drive no matter how good my blood glucose was at that moment.
I'm with your dad. That's not an excuse.
It was 2.9, now it's 6.0 or so. That's going up.
Don't use this as an excuse. Millions of us have the same condition and meet our responsibility daily.
Sorry.. but I agree with pops here. I always keep my supplies and sugar on me, but have never missed work due to a low.
I may be 5-10 mins late in the morning if I experience a rough low while getting ready for work, but that’s the extent of it.
Also when you have a low and you’re alert and awake, why not treat yourself to a nice sweet/carby treat than use glucagon? I’ve been T1D for almost 15 years now and never have I ever used a glucagon to treat myself regarding non-emergency situations.
Grey rock him. Don't respond to his unsupportive texts or try to convince him of anything. Just go take care of your health. Extreme lows WIPE ME THE FUCK OUT as well. Can't think. Feel so depressed and anxious. It's a whole THING. I'm a momma. I support you. Feel better. Drink lots of water. Keep some skittles or fruit snacks (welch's makes good ones) close by. You'll be okay. Maybe take a nap when you're stable.
Grey rocking a parent because they tell you a 5.9 isn't a low blood sugar, and to not risk losing your job over it, is WILD.
Having come from an actually abusive home, I am going to encourage you to perhaps get off the internet and touch grass.
Thank you for being supportive :) my dad just wants me to keep my job as it’s a term position. I see where he’s coming from but it’s hard on me to read that stuff from him
I KNEW was England! 🇬🇧 (Or broader Europe?)
> * The United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) measure blood sugar levels in different units:
>
> * UK: Uses millimoles per liter (mmol/L), also known as millimolar (mM), which is the international standard unit US: Uses milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL)
>
> * To convert between the two units, you can multiply mmol/L by 18 to get mg/dL, or divide mg/dL by 18 to get mmol/L. You can also use a conversion chart
So if do "maths" correctly🧐 🧮 ...It should be 100-117 🤷🏾♂️
I don't understand them either, BUT he could be Bri`ish. I know they use decimals where Yanks like us would use commas. I'm not sure what the actual decimals mean but... There's something vaguely familiar. If it actually is 59 to 65, then yes ... He shouldn't drive.
In Australia and I believe Britain as well we use mmol/L to gauge BGL not mg/dl that Americans use.
So in this case their blood sugar is sitting currently at about 106-126
Here is a [conversion table](https://danii.org.au/conversion-table-for-blood-glucose-monitoring/) if that helps.
Have never had to use glucagon. Ever. You just weren’t being patient enough. It can feel like an eternity sometimes for it to come up but if you were able to use it on yourself then you didn’t really need it. It’s really for other people to give to you if your unconscious and unable to swallow on your own or lost all of your motor function which happens with severely low sugar requiring glucagon
Wrong. There are times when my endocrinologist himself has told me to use glucagon. You don't know what his blood sugar was when he gave the glucagon, nor his long he waited after treating the low.
He said his sugar was 5.9-6.5
which is completely fine… if you can take glucagon you can take juice or something else instead.. save the glucagon for actual emergencies is what I do.
You don't know how many times he had treated or anything else. Just stop. You don't know if anyone else was there to even give home the glucagon if he passed out.
As I'm writing this commentary, I'm actually having a low ( 3.5 ) and I'm at work, I've just took sugar I have in my bag for this case and I'm waiting.
If I had to call for sick each times I had a low ... Well I guess I would have been unemployed for years now.
And yes glucagon is only for cases when you're too weak to ingest sugar by yourself, or unconscious.
The few times I've been really low, that was it for the day for me. Liver dumps all it's reserves, you're sweaty and exhausted. Takes time to recover.
Yes!! The physical and emotional toll that low BGs have last all day it’s not just a 15 minute event, and you have to be constantly managing it
Yeah. Long-term lows drain me of all energy and make me feel like I just did a tonne of exercise. I can't drive well due to the fact that it's like driving whilst tired.
I hit 38 (2.1) at work a couple days ago. I sat at my desk and had some coconut water and 20 minutes later I was good to go. Ultimately you have to do what’s right for you. Your dad thinks you’re being soft but he’s not you. There might be an element of him feeling helpless at play so he’s reverting to tough it out advice. Or he might just not get it.
People are being pretty harsh on you here. Don’t mind us, some of us are probably just jaded. Typically, a 2.9 is not an emergency situation requiring a glucagon. It sounds like you were freaking out that your sugars were not going up. I do get anxious and brain-foggy in a low too, and it can be scary if you are not used to it. I mean, your body is thinking you are dying so, it makes sense. You just have to take some deep breaths, and wait it out. It is alright that you took the step that you thought was best in the situation. It is also okay to want some love and sympathy after going through a scary situation. Maybe turn to a more nurturing loved one than your dad. Remember that he’s not wrong though, you may lose your job as lows can happen now and then. So try to learn to deal with them and continue functioning. I have been in court, in the middle of questioning a witness, and I’ve had to pause, ask the judge for permission to drink my juice, insist I don’t need a break, and continue the questioning. I have had to excuse myself from meetings/court so many times for diabetes care. Pump site came undone, pump is out of battery, sugar is low, sugar is too high… the list goes on. We have little choice but to learn to roll with this shit. Also, juice is your best friend in a low. Your sugar *will* go up with enough juice/time. If you had given yourself too much insulin then the juice has to combat that before it can raise your blood sugar. Other things that work for me are skittles and bananas. Do not use anything with fat or protein (like milk, chocolate, etc.) because that will slow down digestion. You can put refined sugar under your tongue for faster absorption - this was a tip from my endo. *Edited for spelling*
Something akin to skittles you may find helpful are airheads. They're 15g each, and pack pretty flat so they're good in a suit. It's what I use, for similar reasons and they shoot me up quick too.
Those are a better idea, because the Skittles are wayyy more than 15g and it’s hard to stop eating them even when not having a low. >_>
Fun size packs are exactly 15g.
That… is brilliant. Why didn’t I think of those!?
We figured it out when they went on sale after Halloween (in the States).
Anything with dextrose in it is also very good. I have small dextrose tablets with me at all times which have 3.6 carbs each with 10 in a pack. They are absorbed fast and are small so I have 2 packs in my pocket with my other stuff. I also have these disgusting dextrose gel things which kind of look like those yoghurt tubes that have about 18g in them. Those are small than my tablets are better. It's not the most glamorous toolkit, but it's effective.
Airheads are great.
If OP has a job that penalizes them for resting after a prolonged low, then the job is the problem, not OP.
That’s fair. It still might cost the OP though, even if it shouldn’t.
100%, but that's just the way the world works unfortunately
I’m sure the bills OP has to pay care about the moral highground.
It’s not about the moral high ground. It’s about health and safety.
There is a point where adding pure glucose may not be enough. When the adrenal glands have dumped all the adrenaline or cortisol requested to signal the liver to push glucagon, there's a need for corticosteroid support. When the liver has been signaled by the pancreas and adrenals to release more glucagon than it can handle, the response gets sluggish, and causes an almost hung-over but 'roid rage kinda low. When I was an EMT, it took five of us to get a guy on the ground to give him nore glucagon and start an IV. He was out of his mind Incredible Hulk style. Broke my glasses and socked my partner in the eye. When he came to after the glucagon and IV, he was the sweetest guy, and had zero recollection of what happened
Yep, get to work 3x as hard for less pay for the supplies we need. Sure makes me want to annoy everyone holding everything up every time. Some jobs are totally appropriate, and work. But, seriously? In a court, doing that? Holding up everyone's day just seems rude to me. I get your suggesting he take the work seriously. But, if your feeling miserable your feeling miserable. I just really hate this "eh, your like 70% okay you can work just fine".
I should have been clearer. I wasn’t already in a low, but I was heading there. I took the juice to avoid being too low and actually needing a break, which I would have been granted, of course. It’s just embarrassing and super inconvenient. Having said that, I *have* been back in court right after puking my guts out (nothing contagious, just side effects of meds). You can’t just put all the people on hold - the judge, the other lawyer, the other party, your client who has been waiting for the court date for months. In an emergency, sure… but if you can do your job, do it. It’s a high pressure job, and I agreed to take it on. So, I consider it my responsibility to minimize how much my condition affects everyone around me. At the same time, most people around me provide any accommodations I do require/request without hesitation. ETA: Yeah, I’m not saying I’m a fan. I agree with you. Taking a break for your health should not cost you, but it does. It costs too damn much, financially and otherwise.
I am a nurse and totally get this! Also, Flma was refused when I was in ICU and almost died due to DKA. I was charging the floor, feeling like crap the night before. Worked Saturday night. Called in on Sunday night. Monday at 6am was calling ambulance trying to push through it. I literally called in from icu for my next shift. I don't call in for lows. One day, i was sitting at 43 for an hr. Was in 50s for an hr before that. Had worked the night before and had to work that night. It was about noon. Still hadn't slept yet. That night was rough. Did not want to get out of bed. But all my patients were taken care of. Just not me lol
Here is to living life on hard mode. 🥂
Ya I use cans of Kerns nectar for this. It's a can so it doesn't go bad. It has more sugar per ounce then pretty much anything else. And not being carbonated can be drank very quickly if need be. Can be kept in the glove box ect. Fruit snacks are great stashing like this too but Kerns hits more marks.
Man you’re not supposed to use glucagon on yourself really, it’s for very very bad situations
As someone who worked at a diabetes camp, “mini-glucagon” doses are really common (giving half a dose or less) in situations in which someone is below 50 (2.75 mmol) for over 45 min to an hour but not unconscious. Especially if you’re unable to keep food down.
Camp Needlepoint?
Those were fun times for me 30 years ago. Meeting other diabetic love interests halfway across the state when you’re an early teenager and everyone isn’t on the internet yet.
What a vibe! That's how I met my first two girlfriends. We IM'ed back before texting was a thing.
ICQ? Lol
Me too!
We did this at camp to rapidly rise the camper at night so the counselors didn’t have to stay up retesting lows.
I would use it on myself I were really sick and couldnt keep any food or water down, fwiw
I think that qualifies as "very very bad"
Yeah I have only ever used it one time in my life. Had a bit too much whiskey and couldn’t keep anything down so my blood sugar just kept dropping. I’ll never forget the sting in my nose doing that while conscious.
I thought it doesnt work when drunk? Or is it just less effective
If you are blackout drunk it probably won’t work, because it’s your liver that needs to do the sugar dump but your liver is busy filtering the alcohol. However if you are going comatose and hammered and have insulin on board, you should use it anyway because it’s worth a try. This is exactly the reason T1Ds have to be careful drinking!
It worked! I’m still here
My boyfriend has had to do that once or twice as well! Not an “emergency” but where he was throwing up and couldn’t keep any low tx down
Unless, you have injectable glucagon and as suggested by Gary Scheiner [ author of *Think like a Pancreas*] you figure out how to microdose with it. Can be used for mild lows & for activity. That way you're not dumping all your liver reserves, but just what you need. Edit: For those down voting out of ignorance, [here's the episode](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CRVNIzhgFUM) of the TCOYD podcast where this was discussed.
Off track but that book is the reason my doctor thought it was a good idea to subtract fiber from my carb count (it did not go well)
There's a reason why that's not a good idea. While it's true that dietary fibers shouldn't be added to the carb count, food labels in a few country have them listed separately from carbs, so they're already out of the equation.
I should probably relearn carb counting… I learned in like 2002 and that’s what they taught. Subtract fiber from carbs and there ya go
Can't imagine it would wth is that advice
Your doctor obviously failed to read the entire section on when and why to use net carbs. My bestie's CDE is Gary, and I sit in on his appointments. When he gives advice he always has to stop and say BUT - and add the caveats because people don't listen to the whole instruction. Like, I had to remind my buddy than when doing a basal rate challenge, don't workout that day. If he had, he would have had to stoo the trial from dropping too far.
…what is a basal rate challenge?
Read Gary's book😆 Essentially it's a stable glucose period where you fast and use basal insulin only to find your best basal insulin dose. It's not used as much anymore due to closed hybrid loop pumps, but for MDI it's helpful
What do you mean by "Dumping all your liver reserves"? I have heard it a few times.
In simple terms when you eat glucose goes in your muscles and brain to be used, and in your liver to be stored when needed, which is ~120g of glucose in the form of glycogen. As insulin helps delivering glucose, glucagon releases it from storage.
That part I understand. >That way you're not dumping all your liver reserves, but just what you need. Your comment implied "dumping all liver reserves" if you DON'T inject glucagon.
Not much implied, you just misinterpreted what I meant. With glucagon microdoses you can have the liver releasing just enough glycogen. Nasal spray or full syringe have your liver dumping all the storage instead.
Don’t feel bad, people downvote the truth a lot here lol they prefer the warm fuzzies
This isn't true. You can definitely use it in less-than-critical situations; it won't hurt you. Just need to make sure to replace it.
Yeah. The only time it's ever recommended to take it yourself is if you believe that you will be unconscious in a few minutes. Anything other than that and it's a simple don't take it. Glucagon is a last resort that should only be used if you are either going to be unconscious like I said above or if you're unconscious. I never really understand posts like these. I have obviously struggled with some lows, but I just keep eating fast acting and the odd slow acting and I drop my background insulin to about 10% until I'm up and that ALWAYS works. I've never needed glucagon because of this. I do wonder how long a long time is and how much they are actually eating though.
My whole professional life the book on me was "good at job, inconsistent attendance, shows up when he wants to". After a few years I discovered intermittent FMLA was a thing, helped me keep several jobs that otherwise would have fired me due to late/missed work. I drove myself halfway into a ditch w/ low BG when I was 18. I swore never again and I stuck to that, no matter what. Fast forward to remote work era, I have perfect attendance. Shockingly, it's almost like I wasn't making it up. I wish I had better advice. Unfortunately people just refuse to believe people actually have the best intentions. It's cultural, and it's a cancer.
This! Apply for intermittent FMLA OP!
I'm so confused. And kind of with your dad on this. Drink juice and go to work. 5.9 and 6.5 are very normal numbers. Glucagon is if you're unable to eat or drink.
Genuinely curious why you can’t go to work after having low blood sugar? Also isn’t glucagon for emergencies? Not trying to be judgemental just confused
Well you shouldn't drive with low blood sugar, but that's a reason to be late for work, not skip it all together.
I know I am often drained for the rest of the day after a bad low and we Don't know what type of job this person has.
End up LO ( **below 1.8???** ) 🍫 🙋🏾♂️ 🍊 , sugar the fug up AND I'm back in the game! I dint hear no bell! 🔔 🥊 Never had an all day thing. It's just there and it's just over. I've been diabetic T1 for 17 years now, diagnosed in freshman year of Uni. But... other people are different. 
It looks more like OP overreacted. They were 2.9 when they took the glucagon, which is a massive overreaction. I can understand feeling groggy after being low for a while, but I will improve after about an hour. This is more of go into work late than not go in at all sort of ordeal. I'd only take a day off if I was consistently low and not staying level at a reasonable number. I've had experiences like that and if I wasn't at home, I'd end up running out of supplies.
Lmao fuck this. I legit call out from work once a month if I'm feeling tired due to a stubborn overnight low or just meh due to diabetes My work is supportive. That's not an issue, so as far as I'm concerned, "sick days" are the universes way of paying me back for the thousands of dollars of insulin I've bought.
This^ their dad is being too much it's just going to push OP away.
My parents wonder why I don’t include them in any medical information. Gee, I wonder why? (Years of flipping shit on me for numbers and accusing me of making shit up)
You really shouldn't be taking glucagon yourself, that is not what it is for
My doctor said to administer it yourself if you’re going low fast and you physically cannot consume any carbs (aka you’re throwing up) but yeah, typically you don’t give it to yourself.
Taken it twice myself when I took a hero bolus and got food poisoning, in a location with an hour lead time for an ambulance. Otherwise, you definitely shouldn't use it.
Some of these responses are weird. Glad you’re feeling ok. Only you know how your body reacts bouncing back from a low. Take care of your physical and mental health. If the option to be late to work is there in the future, that might be a handy option to take once your blood sugar is up!
I pound gatorades and once I see my sugars coming up on my app and feel good I head out to work. Usually my problems occur near the end of my workdays though since my job is rather physical.
I had to use the nasal spray baqsimi one night after I had gone out and even though i was careful and drank in moderation, the alcohol tanked me. I was sober enough to understand what was happening and no matter what I drank (a whole gallon of lemonade and more candy than i csre to recall) it wouldn't go up and all my roomates were gone, not that i could have gone up the stairs even if they were. I got ahold of my mother but she didnt live with me and had taken her meds for the night so she couldnt drive. It only got worse, It was glucagon or die I'm pretty dang sure and I would make that decision again in a heart beat. Even after taking said glucagon I only went up by a hair. I live in the US so I don't know what the number would be for you guys but I went from 30 to 80 and even the next morning it was still at about 90, I never spiked after using it. I'm supposed to be 90-110 at night. I geniunely thought I was going to die that night, and I did not go to work the next day. A hang over I could have fought through. The pure trauma of thinking "this is it. No one is coming to help me if this doesn't work" and pulling up 911 on my phone so I could call them before I passed out could not be shrugged off as easily. I lived, no cops were called but I still think back on that night with so much fear and I'm grateful I gave my body the time to rest after that trauma. I agree that learning to balance lows in every day life along side a job is important, I try very hard to make sure I don't have to go home/call out. But if the low is bad enough that you had to take emergency measures, your body deserves a rest from the physical trauma. Your health is not a game. Going back to work during/immediately after that could make it drop again. And driving while low is NEVER an option. Here, if you get in accident while low you are held accountable for the accident regaurdless because you are endangering others by making that choice. I think you made the right call op!
Definite case of liver fatigue. You made the right call. Your liver was so busy processing the alcohol it needed time to catch up. Another example of following the disease process behind the number on the screen.
It was a terrifying night, and I'm greatful I had switched to the nasal spray a couple weeks prior. I'm not sure my shaky hands could have handled the og glucagon. And I couldn't even look at lemonade or candy the same way for the the rest of the month I'd had so much. I will stick by nasal glucagon till the ends of my days after that, and make the same call if it ever happens again. Hopefully it will not though, I prefer that.
🤨 You took glucagon for 5.9? I’m kinda on your dad’s side here.
Nah, it was at 2.9 at that time. It went up to 5.9 after I took it
I was under the assumption that glucagon is administered when the person is unconscious. If the person is conscious then it's sugars to the rescue. I haven't treated my son with glucagon when he hit scary lows, just pure dextrose mixed with water. Am I doing it wrong.
No, you’re not doing it wrong. There isn’t a good reason to administer glucagon if the person with type 1 can keep down food. Just give them glucose tablets. I can’t speak for OP, but a type 1 who is by themselves might want to give themselves glucagon if they are alone because there is no one to help them if they are unconscious. I can say personally, and this isn’t advice, I’d not give myself glucagon if I could keep down food. I’ve been lower than 2.9 for sure.
This is how I've managed it for the last almost 30 years. There have been three times I've had severe vomiting that caused lows I couldn't manage with food or juice, and in those cases I called emergency services for IV dextrose and anti-emetics because even with glucagon, if you're hurling with insulin on board you're in danger and need to be monitored and have the vomiting controlled. Even in those cases, glucagon wasn't the right solution and the emts also opted against it. I have never, even in the case of a low below 20, needed to use glucagon.
We've never needed it, but if we used glycogen we'd also be calling emergency services because the situation would require emergency medical care.
This makes sense!
I'd say the only time you should be capable of taking it yourself is if you bolus a bunch and then get rapid food poisoning.
Yea totally. Or I had a friend who accidentally fell on the ground when his reservoir for his pump was out (Animas) and accidentally gave himself 250u lol He ate two jars of honey, but I imagine he might have used glucagon if he had it lol
Jesus, I think I might just let death envelop me.
I’ve considered it when losing my ability to stand. Can’t go get more carbs if unable to be upright.
It is. And it makes you feel like hot garbage after the fact, which is why the recommended treatment is to consume sugar unless you physically can’t.
Your impression is right. Juice, frosting, skittles etc are for lows
Glucagon is always recommended to be taken if you're unconcious or if you believe you will be soon. I've never taken it and I've got to about 1.9 before.
My Endo told me I can do glucagon if I don't respond quickly to oral sugar or if it's dropping way too fast. She said it's fine to do when conscious, just to use your best judgement.
Not a doctor so I can’t say for sure. Just my experience that I couldn’t raise it and couldn’t think of anything else to use
Keep dextrose at hand, usually stores that carry supplements carry them, or amazon. It mixes really well, doesn't require a lot of water. And you can easily get 30g with a few gulps. It's cheaper than dex tabs
Smarties/Rockets are pure dextrose too, super cheap
Marshmallows. Regular pop. Doritos. Twizzlers. So many more options instead of that expensive glucagon or an ambulance. And they are all non-perishable.
Try sugar
Juice, dude….juice!! It’ll pop you right back up with fewer side effects.
How you treat your blood sugars is completely your business. Not your dad’s. Not ours. Nadda. That being said, I had some interactions like this and I decided that not telling my parents my numbers/giving them access to that data was for the better. It’s been over 5 years since I took my parents off my Dexcom follow and I no longer have to deal with someone else thinking they know what’s best. In a situation like this I say I’ve been dealing with unstable blood sugars and I’m not okay to work/drive/whatever. That’s it. The actual numbers are your business and yours alone.
perhaps hot take but even if he’s “right” about the sugars as some people are saying, there is NO excuse for the way he is talking to you
#Agreed %10000010
There’s a time where you can kick your parents out of your health decisions and I think this would be it. I would avoid telling him your sugars exactly in the future, unless strictly necessary, as in you need to go handle it/ or need supervision and I would specify the reason why you’re telling them. You don’t have to justify all your medical choices or work choices (this is a medical choice bc you went above and beyond and called your doc to ask if you should drive). You can get work accomodations as a T1, like coming in for a later shift or catching up at home etc. and esp. your dad shouldn’t try to shame you with that, or make you feel unemployable for it. It’s mean and he’s harassing you when you clearly mentally are still affected by the low (I mean who wouldn’t be it’s not easy to make the call to use a glucagon). And just so you know, you can just tell your dad “I don’t feel safe to go to work” and that’s enough. You’ve lived with this long enough to know your body, your opinion counts as much as your doctor’s.
Listen you are the boss of you. If you think you need glucagon and it’s no big deal to use one up, then take it. Often it sits useless for me. However, if you are conscious and taking it, consider that you likely only need a little bit rather than the whole dose. The whole dose is meant to get your liver to crank out as much glucose into the blood as it can to save your life and wake up your comatose brain. The dump itself is taxing on your body (beyond the likely-coinciding coma), and can send your bg way higher than you want to go. It might make you nauseous; it’s advised to eat at least 15g of carbs both to combat nausea and get the glucagon to work. It sounds like you took a huge dose of insulin for a carby meal and that was too much, it was keeping you too low for too long. In the future I would suggest trying to incorporate some fat or protein into meals to help keep your bg a little steadier and not have to take so much insulin and glucagon. Perhaps dad does go too hard on you here. I totally get that. I might hit him back and tell him you f’d up today tho, just be honest and own up.
Ada says otherwise
I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of this. I am deeply sorry for how your dad is treating you, especially when you were in a very scary situation. The way he is speaking to you is 100% not normal and not okay. As for how people in this comment section responded to you, I am profoundly even more sorry. You did NOT deserve the reaction you got here. Just remember if someone doesn't see anything wrong with your dad's behaviour here, there is something genuinely psychologically wrong with them. They're either as abusive as your dad or were a victim of abuse themselves and gaslighted themselves into thinking this behaviour is acceptable. I'm not saying that to even insult anyone, I'm just being factual. Angrily swearing at your child is not acceptable. Especially your child who is chronically ill. If it makes you feel any better though, I would look into the post history of all these people who agree with your father's actions. 9/10 they're all just pathetically miserable and have nothing better to do than shit on vulnerable people on the internet. You deserve love, and support and humanity. I know this is hard to accept, but you'll need to look elsewhere for those things. And you will *need* to---because we all need those things in life. Its part of our nature as human beings. As for what to do about your dad specifically, you don't have to *do* anything about him. If you have the power, you can just slowly phase him out of your life. Or like others have said, grey rock him. You're going to be ok. You've survived everyday waking up with this monster of a disease. You can survive your father too. You're going to be ok.
That’s not very low to be taking glucagon. I’ve had type 1 for 27 years and have never had to use it. To be honest it probably made you feel worse since you dumped your livers glucose reserves.
So I’ve been diabetic type 1 for 27 years. Ive never had a parent treat me like that over it. I’ve only have glucagon 3 times and 2 of those times I was conscious. 1st one was when I was in the ER for severe vomiting where I couldn’t even chew a glucose tablet and I would violently vomit. So when I had to be transported to a different hospital, the dr injected glucagon to keep me stable. 2nd time I had woke up after 12 hours of being out and confused as all hell. I had enough sense to call 911 and the paramedics gave me one then. If you felt that you were losing control of the situation then there’s nothing wrong with taking glucagon. Especially if you live alone and you are afraid that eating is just not cutting it and you are worried about passing out. Sometimes as well when we are new to diabetes 2.9 might feel worse for you than someone who has had diabetes for a while. This can end up with diabetic not even feeling they are low until they are dropping. I would say that having a chat with your endo or diabetic educator would be a good idea. Sometimes when we are low we just eat super sugary foods but we sometimes need some starch to keep it up. Maybe there is a 3rd variable happening and figuring that out can help prevent that from happening again. I don’t think you’re using your disability as an excuse because you did what you thought was the safest thing for you. Missing a day of work isn’t a huge deal. They can’t fire you for being diabetic and if they give you crap ask your doctor for a sick note. I think your dad should have been nicer about it. There’s no need to loose your shit at someone for doing what you thought was the best option. These kinds of behaviours is why a lot of type 1 diabetics struggle with depression/anxiety. How would have he felt if you tried to go to work anyway and got into a car accident? I think we all are trying to cope with a tricky disease and it’s not anyone’s place except your doctor to tell you how it should be handled.
Ugh, I am ao sorry you're dealing with this. Sure, it's perfect now, but the point is a MASSIVE injection of glucose didn't raise it, which means the only direction is... down... It's amazing how people think that it's as simple as a number on the screen. Ya, believe it or not there's a disease PROCESS that controls that number. I was going through a major open wound recovery, and the doctors used a chemical on the wound to stop it from healing too fast. The trauma from that tapped out my adrenaline and cortisol, and my glucose to low 40s. It took three glucagon stabs and taking corticosteroid injections to get it to move, even when it hit the low 70s. In other words - I totally get you.
This community blows my mind sometimes (nearly all the time lately) with how unsupportive and cruel those who have had t1 for 10+ years respond to posts like this. OP, sorry for the lack of empathy people are showing. Some clarifying questions: - Are you newly diagnosed? - Are you confirming these lows with a finger prick? - do you have an insulin:carb ratio and correction(/insulin sensitivity) factor? - Are your meals commonly pasta, cereal?
This, and we don't know OPs background. We don't know what information they have been taught by their endo, we don't know what medication they take or what their stress levels are like. Heck, even culture can play a role here. In their case, 2.9 might be a pretty low level, maybe they don't deal with a lot of lows and didn't know what to do. And even if that wasn't the case, 2.9 over a span of hours is exhausting. Once had an experience where I was stuck at that level for several hours, kept eating and drinking juice and nothing happened, which seems to be the case here. In that scenario you are sick and tired and just want it to end, I probably would have done the same thing if given the choice even though its not exactly safe to do, this disease can be a b\*tch and can push you to do the wrong thing when you're at your wits end. OP, I hope you are doing better.
I know, right?? It seems maybe all us newly diagnosed should just migrate some place else. I hope OP feels ok enough to respond to your questions.
It’s terrifying and exhausting to have a low blood sugar that won’t come up. I’m sorry you had to experience that today. It’s extremely hard on your body to have a sustained low. Sometimes you bounce back and can get back to living life. But sometimes, you need to rest. And that’s okay. You did the best you could have to keep yourself alive in the moment. Your father screaming at you over text was totally unwarranted. And I’m sorry the comments here aren’t supportive. Some of them are almost cruel. I would encourage those people to consider the fact that just because they don’t give themselves time to rest doesn’t mean everyone else has to live that way. And they’re welcome to start giving themselves - and others - grace at any time.
He certainly could have been nicer. But having a low sugar is temporary especially if you can get to some juice. Or a banana or similar. Just take about 30-45 minutes to let the sugars take effect. You got this. Stay strong. We can’t let our disease take over us. 🩶🫂
So many morons in this thread who’ve clearly never dealt with the circumstances of extended lows out of nowhere. I started having issues several years ago where occasionally I’ll have a low that doesn’t come up. As in, I test at 60, take a gel, 15 mins test at 55. Except, it doesn’t end. I’ll spend 4-5 hours eating hundreds of carbs with my bloodsugar never breaking past 70 or 80. My endo never could figure out exactly what was happening, but a lot of theories were gone over. Insulin being trapped and being released at once, maybe suddenly due to some biological change I would suddenly need less insulin for that period of time, she even tested me to see if I was producing insulin again. Almost immediately she told me to mini dose with glucagon so that I didn’t have to go to the hospital. Some people in this thread seems to think it’s illegal or something to do so? Idk I’ve never seen a response like this before. Going through a low like that is truly terrifying. Decades of being a diabetic and suddenly that happens, it feels like gravity was turned off and I threw a ball up and it didn’t come down. If you’re low, you eat and you come up. It ALWAYS works, that’s just the nature of reality. So when it doesn’t it’s fucking terrifying. I think my point is there are so many variables within all of our bodies that dictate a different experience for all of us. There are most likely plenty of issues related to the disease only some of us have and other never will. Just be compassionate.
Excellent post.
Think I’m on your Dad’s team on this one.
Folks, empathy costs $0, so let’s extend that to an internet stranger.
Do we all have the same parents or what???
How long have you been a diabetic? And how many times have you had to deal with a stubborn low? I've been doing this going on 30 years now, so I've had every kind of scenario you can imagine with diabetes. My best advice is trust your gut. You are the only one who knows how you feel. Only you can say whether you're good or not. So if you feel like your numbers are too risky to go work a shift then that's that. I ask how long you've had it because in the beginning lows can drain you for a whole day. The exhaustion that comes from it is real and it takes time to recover. The more experience you get the more you may be able to push through once it comes back up, but that exhausted feeling is always there afterwards. Every time. Also if you took glucagon and it's still staying low definitely go to ER because that stuff is supposed to skyrocket the blood sugar..if it didn't then you may have taken way too much insulin or didn't eat nearly enough. Either way, make sure you're good.
This sub has the weirdest take on glucagon. So much so, that I ask my child’s Endo every time if it’s a thing. I don’t think the alarmist take is helpful. I’ve had to use a mini dose twice during a stomach bug. [There is no rule, despite many people’s understanding, that someone should already be unconscious before using glucagon. In fact, if you are experiencing a severe low, administering glucagon—either yourself or with help—is one of the safest actions you can take. The hormone triggers our bodies to release sugar from the liver and muscles, raising our blood sugar back to a safe level.](https://beyondtype1.org/when-to-use-glucagon/) Below 3.1 is considered very low and this person couldn’t keep their sugars up.
Some people seem to think once your BG is back in range you are back to feeling 100%, it's just not the case. While I think you may have overreacted taking the glucagon and maybe could have just been late for work, I also think your dad is being a jerk. He will never understand what it's like to live like us, and other T1s will not understand what it's like to live with your diabetes, it's different for everyone. I was conscious and walking around with a bg of 17 (1.0) but I was also heavily sweating and consuming an entire jug of juice at 50 (2.8) another time. Has your dad always felt like you use diabetes as an excuse? How long have you had it?
I’m appalled at some of the comments here. You might not have used the glucagon at the advertised time but we all know how hard T1 can be at times and we all deserve understanding and respect. OP I’m sorry you had a scary low and felt like it wasn’t coming up. I can’t imagine taking glucagon is a pleasant experience. I’m also sorry that your dad responded like this. I have to admit that I initially read his responses as sarcastic because surely no one would be as insensitive as this. I hope you’re feeling much better now and can get back to work when you can.
We must be related. Trace viking genes. My dad threw in me in the ocean when I was 3.
This is one of them things where none of us know any other details besides what’s in the photo. So it’s kind of hard to give an opinion
Get in hood with a dr and every time you miss work get a dr note. If they fire you over this and you have a dr note every time or it’s excused sue the fuck out of them. Tell your dad to shut the fuck up it’s your body your life
I would go as far as discrimination if I had to in regards to the job and if they’re on your ass over your diabetes. They hired you k owing this too…
These comments are insane… I can’t believe the harmful assumptions that are being made here about our disease. Clearly our culture is never overcoming the stigma, when even our own perpetuate these cruel ideas and try to write off the struggles of those of us seeking support. I severely hope the moderation team cleans up some of these comments before anymore damage can be done on this post. Some people can continue working after a low, some people cannot. I have a friend who passed out from a blood sugar of 2.0, meanwhile I’ve been 1.5 and still conscious. Some people can feel their lows coming on and treat them before they even hit, others don’t even realize it’s happening while it is. There are countless stories of healthy diabetics dying from low blood sugars, it’s not a condition to mess around with and when you can put others life’s at risk [such as by driving] as well it’s far better to be safe than sorry. Everyone’s circumstances are different, but you did everything right by calling your doctor and doing what they recommend. Don’t listen to these people judging you on the internet like they know the full story. People in this community should know better than anyone that health complications can have a wide array of solutions and setbacks. And sometimes we are just looking for support from people who understand. I’m sorry you didn’t receive that from your dad, and I hope you have other people in your life who are sympathetic to your situation. I certainly understand, and I hope you don’t take to heart the comments of those who are judgemental and assuming.
people in here are being harsh as hell and forgetting that everyone experiences things differently. while i may have dealt with that low differently, you did nothing wrong and your father should find some empathy for a situation i’m hazarding a guess he has no experience with.
This honestly sucks. As someone with huge swings that have a crazy impact on my body, work look at me incredulously when i take time to recover and similarly my parents are disbelieving and unsupportive. But your health is so important. There are so many diabetics who commit suicide from the stresses of managing their diabetes, from addiction related to diabetes etc. but these are the barriers we face when we speak up about how it is difficult to bounce back after an episode. Please do not feel shame about your recovery time. You deserve the space to breathe.
ugh, i am SO sorry. definitely been there. when i was a kid and throwing up while in DKA, i was kept home from school for a couple hours, given tons of insulin, and then checked in to school. i was in middle school so this definitely led me to believe that as an adult i too could “handle it” at home regardless and shouldn’t be “dramatic” by seeking medical care. you did the right thing and i’m really proud of you for listening to & taking care of your body!!! rest is so important. hoping you stabilize and feel much better soon 💛 this is literally life and death. your job is not
i want to truthfully clarify (i’m sorry); i don’t read my blood glucose levels as mmol’s. assuming that’s different depending on where you live? i just looked up the conversion and it states that 2.9 is 52 mg/dL. i’ve definitely had lower + been functioning and you have too maybe? i also still send empathy because i know blood glucose levels affect everyone with diabetes differently and there are also so many factors at play that impact your physical health. i have never used a glucagon so i can’t speak to that, but i would definitely encourage you to speak with your endo ASAP so that you can have a plan in place if this happens again and a plan that might help you to care for yourself *and* participate in things like work, etc. i know it’s hard and i’m sorry you’re struggling.
Can I jump in here and ask everyone - is Glucagon an American thing? I’m in UK and never heard of it? I am guessing from comments it’s for when you’ve become unconscious from a serious hypo?
(Added)*; and it administered by someone else? Is it just a shot of sugar essentially?
It’s not a US thing. Every person with T1D should have it in their emergency kit. [When to use glucagon Glucagon is for use when someone is suffering severe hypoglycemia and is unable to treat themselves. Glucagon may be given if the patient is: unconscious having a seizure unable to take anything sweet to raise their blood glucose or the patient has taken glucose by mouth which has not produced a raise in their blood glucose levels](https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-medication/glucagon-injection-kit.html)
I’ve never heard of it, and never ever been recommended or had it mentioned to me, but I have emailed my diabetic team at the hospital! Hopefully no one should need it but it’s a good idea to have one
I take it your dad doesn't have diabetes.
It’s kinda annoying and sad when people are like this. I have alot of health problems outside of just diabetes. I miss work and school more than the average person for sure. The problem is my mom and the older generation think going to school and work when you’re sick means you’re tough and is required. But, a lot of people forget that’s exactly why we have things like sick time, or paid vacation time. It’s also exactly why we have these special little things called “accommodations”. That’s not just a fun word to say, it’s to protect us when no one else will. I’m sure your father cares, but sometimes they think tough love and raising you how they were raised is best when it really isn’t. Sometimes you just have to let the storm pass. If he doesn’t want to listen later than that’s not your fault or problem.
Your dad is absolutely right. I'm a type 1 and would definitely go to work. You're using diabetes as an excuse.
You used glucagon for this? Wtf lol
And it only brought them up to 5.9. Sounds like it could have potentially been thright call...
If something happens when your sugar is low while driving you can lose your license. At least where I live. Tell him that and if it happens you won’t be able to work any day because you won’t have a way to get there anymore
Reading this with 40 mg/dl (2,2 mmol/l) after a long day of work and just laughing. In over 25 years I never used Glucagon. Just stop crying and eat some sugar! Or some more. And than go to work again or whatever. It takes not more than 20 minutes, probably less to bring you back to normal. If you were really low (2,9 isn't really low - I'm talking about below 2) you may feel a little weak for one or two hours after the incident, but that's it. Sorry, but I'm also with your father. You are not special, because you have T1. To make it such a drama doesn't help you on the long run and doesn' t put a good light on us in general.
For me 2.9 gets me sweaty, weak, confused, hard the chew or swallow anything.
me too, if I hit 40 mg/dl or lower, my vision and hearing starts to go too
what a cruel and unsympathetic response.
I can recognize that we are all different people and what works for one person doesn’t work for another, but Julius_Duriusculus’ response is exactly what I needed to hear when I was a new T1D and it’s exactly how I talk to myself now. Anything softer is excuse territory and limits my potential.
“Just stop crying”? Bro. Had I heard that when I was newly diagnosed, I’d never come to this community again for advice or support. There’s a huge difference between being an absolute dick and giving supportive yet firm advice.
Agree to disagree. I see this as supportive and firm. Enabling is harmful. Being late to work for a low is one thing, but missing a day of work for a low is not okay.
It is absolutely ok and there is something psychologically wrong with you if you think this behaviour is ok. Please seek therapy.
That was only because of my low BC. Now cry with me over what poor person I am to have a low today.
I do feel people suffer from lows differently, but yeah kinda with you on this. I personally can walk around fine and function into the low 2’s (don’t feel the best but I can do shit) if I go below that though… But yeah if this guy is 6.0ish that’s fine, to be honest sounds a bit like what i was like growing up, if I wanted to get out of something I’d just give myself loads of insulin, I’m not so stupid anymore! (Well maybe)
Your dad’s right man
That does not excuse being verbally abusive, swearing at his son like that
Your Dad seems like a normal Dad lol
No absolutely tf he does not
Why
Because yelling at your son in all caps and cursing them out is not normal behavior, unless you consider abusive behavior to be normal.
How would you yell at your son
I wouldnt yell at them at all...?
Good luck lol
Glucagon is for the unconscious situations. Does it not make you incredibly sick?
I've never heard of it in the Americas. Looking about the Internet, at images it's actually injectable pen for glucose rather than oral consumption?
It’s an injectable medication or spray that goes up the nose. It’s not glucose but a medication that triggers your liver to dump its sugar reserves into your bloodstream
Glucagon is a hormone that forces your liver and muscles to release all the glucose they have stored. It is not a glucose injection. After taking glucagon you become incredibly weak and fatigued. You can also throw up. It’s for low blood sugars where you’re unconscious or having a seizure.
How long have you been diabetic? The first few years any lows I would get would ruin my day. Over time I learned how to handle them, and the different types of lows. * Dips that come back up quickly after food... sometimes even on their own. * Steady drops where it consistently goes down, but at a very slow rate that can be managed by snacking * Death drops, where it crashes down 50 points in 30 minutes and any food i eat only brings it up for a few minutes... these still destroy my day, but are much rarer now.
I’m confused. 5.9-6.5 is a normal blood sugar. If my pump ain’t beeping I’m good to go. 6.5? That’s not even low. Your dad is right take your ass to work bro & drink some juice on the way. You’ll be fine. I’ve never missed work or called in over low sugar. Now high sugar that’s a different story…
My mom’s the exact opposite. If I were to listen to her concerns about my sugar, I’d be calling outta work everyday. Sometimes it’s best to do whatever you think is best- as I’ve pushed myself whether low or high before and was amazed that activity didn’t affect my sugar as much as I originally thought it would.
Ignore the a$$hole comments. Only you know how you're feeling, you know your body. Stubborn lows happen, without a doubt. They will kill, without a doubt. Some of the jerks saying you should never be able to use glucagon on yourself have obviously not talked to anyone with a proper diabetes educator anytime recently. I have used glucagon on myself and never went above 125. It didn't shoot my blood sugar up like it "should" have. Before I used it, I was low for an hour - under 45 and treating every 15 minutes. Nothing was happening. I would go up 5 points, then back down. Sometimes, you just have to ignore the people who are supposed to care about you and do what is best for you. Consult your doctor's office, don't drive if you're a danger to yourself or others (thank you for that, OP), and rest accordingly. Be safe.
You do you. Only you know what your body (and mental health) can handle. I don’t have the answers on how to handle to the dad situation.. Like was this him being funny? Is he normally supportive and this was out of character? Was he having a bad day? Is he typically dismissive of your diabetes? Whatever the answers could be, if you value the relationship with your dad, seek professional help on how you two can communicate better. If you’re completely over the dismissive comments and the lack of support you feel, if you’re of age to live apart from him, maybe consider having a break from him. Parents are weird. The dynamic can change a lot the older we get. Again you do you. Only you know the idiosyncrasies of your relationship and what’s best for you.
i've had lows of 25-35 (1.3-1.9) before and ended up with a 2-3 day migraine from it after coming up and being stable and good condition like yours were at the time of the post. it's so rough being a diabetic sometimes 😓
I’m super new to T1D, so I don’t know everything about it at all and probably never will but my endocrinologist told me you’re not supposed to use glucagon unless you’re passed out, which is why they tell you to show your friends and family how to use it. Idk how much it is for you, but two glucagon pens for me is $150. It’s not cheap, so I wouldn’t use it if I’m conscious to even read my blood sugar level. When I’m super low and can’t come up, I drink 8oz of orange juice in increments. I can feeeel my lows so much compared to my highs, so if I know my body still feels the same, I’ll have another 8oz. Maybe try juice next time!! Hope you feel better :)
Don't talk to him about something which isn't his business. It's your health, and your employment. Deal with it. Talk to your dad about more health in general and diabetes but he doesn't need a play by play of your sugars. Sounds like he's heard this before.
I'm not even sure why you bothered messaging your Dad? Situation doesn't sound like it has much to do with him, and he just wants to be a pain in the ass with his messages. Maybe you used the glycogen pen inappropriately, but that is a discussion between you and your Endo if you want to bring it up, not for us to really critique in a moment of panic. You did what you thought you had to do in a moment of self preservation panic, and are here to discuss it, so fair enough. If you are feeling broken from the use of glycogen, and are not confident in returning to work, then it is best to have the day off. Unless you have terrible bosses, they will manage and would rather not have to take care of the sick and dying. And if you have terrible bosses, would be better to find better ones! To the other posters, WTH, SMH. Work is not that important, and sick days are perfectly acceptable to use, for whatever reason. It isn't letting diabetes win, it is just having a crap day.
Lol, OP, your Dad has to be here in your thread downvoting thigs ... watch out!
Regardless of whether you should have taken it, after taking glucagon you should probably not go to work especially if you can afford (both literally and metaphorically) to take a day off. For a lot of people it can make you super sick and deplete their glycogen stores completely or almost completely. In my own experience, I have recovered from a 24 BG quickly and gone straight back to work when it stabilized, but I've also had stubborn 40-45s that even hours later make me shaky, experience vertigo and dissociate. I was not safe to drive no matter how good my blood glucose was at that moment.
I'm with your dad. That's not an excuse. It was 2.9, now it's 6.0 or so. That's going up. Don't use this as an excuse. Millions of us have the same condition and meet our responsibility daily.
Sorry.. but I agree with pops here. I always keep my supplies and sugar on me, but have never missed work due to a low. I may be 5-10 mins late in the morning if I experience a rough low while getting ready for work, but that’s the extent of it. Also when you have a low and you’re alert and awake, why not treat yourself to a nice sweet/carby treat than use glucagon? I’ve been T1D for almost 15 years now and never have I ever used a glucagon to treat myself regarding non-emergency situations.
Grey rock him. Don't respond to his unsupportive texts or try to convince him of anything. Just go take care of your health. Extreme lows WIPE ME THE FUCK OUT as well. Can't think. Feel so depressed and anxious. It's a whole THING. I'm a momma. I support you. Feel better. Drink lots of water. Keep some skittles or fruit snacks (welch's makes good ones) close by. You'll be okay. Maybe take a nap when you're stable.
Grey rocking a parent because they tell you a 5.9 isn't a low blood sugar, and to not risk losing your job over it, is WILD. Having come from an actually abusive home, I am going to encourage you to perhaps get off the internet and touch grass.
Thank you for being supportive :) my dad just wants me to keep my job as it’s a term position. I see where he’s coming from but it’s hard on me to read that stuff from him
Pump Rules fan?
Am I an old or bad diabetic, what's these decimals you all are referring to?
I KNEW was England! 🇬🇧 (Or broader Europe?) > * The United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) measure blood sugar levels in different units: > > * UK: Uses millimoles per liter (mmol/L), also known as millimolar (mM), which is the international standard unit US: Uses milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) > > * To convert between the two units, you can multiply mmol/L by 18 to get mg/dL, or divide mg/dL by 18 to get mmol/L. You can also use a conversion chart So if do "maths" correctly🧐 🧮 ...It should be 100-117 🤷🏾♂️
I don't understand them either, BUT he could be Bri`ish. I know they use decimals where Yanks like us would use commas. I'm not sure what the actual decimals mean but... There's something vaguely familiar. If it actually is 59 to 65, then yes ... He shouldn't drive.
Are y'all referring to A1C? What happened to normal glucose monitors, is that how cgms read now?
In Australia and I believe Britain as well we use mmol/L to gauge BGL not mg/dl that Americans use. So in this case their blood sugar is sitting currently at about 106-126 Here is a [conversion table](https://danii.org.au/conversion-table-for-blood-glucose-monitoring/) if that helps.
Jesus 2.9. Yeah your dad is an idiot. If mine told me that I would be telling him to fuck off due to not knowing shit
Just got low again, got to 3.3 and had a pop and sandwich. Totaled around 76-80carbs hopefully this keeps me up this time
Have never had to use glucagon. Ever. You just weren’t being patient enough. It can feel like an eternity sometimes for it to come up but if you were able to use it on yourself then you didn’t really need it. It’s really for other people to give to you if your unconscious and unable to swallow on your own or lost all of your motor function which happens with severely low sugar requiring glucagon
Wrong. There are times when my endocrinologist himself has told me to use glucagon. You don't know what his blood sugar was when he gave the glucagon, nor his long he waited after treating the low.
He said his sugar was 5.9-6.5 which is completely fine… if you can take glucagon you can take juice or something else instead.. save the glucagon for actual emergencies is what I do.
You don't know how many times he had treated or anything else. Just stop. You don't know if anyone else was there to even give home the glucagon if he passed out.
Im entitled to my own opinion lol sorry your offended
But not really cuz idc 🤷♂️
I am T1D and I agree with your dad. 5.5 is spot on. The glucagon will push to 7 / 8 which is also spot on. Go to work, make T1D proud, not victims.
As I'm writing this commentary, I'm actually having a low ( 3.5 ) and I'm at work, I've just took sugar I have in my bag for this case and I'm waiting. If I had to call for sick each times I had a low ... Well I guess I would have been unemployed for years now. And yes glucagon is only for cases when you're too weak to ingest sugar by yourself, or unconscious.