# The soap opera hypo!



## Amigo (Jan 5, 2017)

Just watching Emmerdale where Kelly (the token but wholly unrepresentative type 1 diabetic) has just been found unconscious having suffered a severe hypo on a bridge. Of course in soapland she hadn't thought to carry glucose or jelly babies even though she wasn't feeling well and was in charge of a young child. Amazingly, 5 mins after being found (after her ex had poured sugar down her unconscious throat), there she was up and about, chipper, no ill effects or headache.
The only realistic part was people initially imagining she was drunk (well she is the lovable lush of the village) and Zak suggesting insulin! Of course there was no suggestion of testing her levels. 
I'm fortunate not to suffer hypos but I'm pretty certain they're not the non event as portrayed on this episode tonight.


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## Lindarose (Jan 5, 2017)

I haven't watched tonight's emmerdale yet but I'm always wondering how come Kerrys diabetes doesn't need any attention other than when there's a storyline based round it. She eats and drinks whatever she likes. Whilst I know it's a soap and we won't see her doing BG checks etc it does still portray a foolish impression.


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## Amigo (Jan 5, 2017)

Lindarose said:


> I haven't watched tonight's emmerdale yet but I'm always wondering how come Kerrys diabetes doesn't need any attention other than when there's a storyline based round it. She eats and drinks whatever she likes. Whilst I know it's a soap and we won't see her doing BG checks etc it does still portray a foolish impression.



Agree Linda and tonight, barely 15 mins after the hypo (even by their time line), she was in the pub followed by a reuniting romp with her ex in a camper van! Do hypos really stimulate the libido? 
How will the public ever appreciate a severe hypo as being a medical emergency if it's depicted as a collapse without consequences?


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## Martin Canty (Jan 5, 2017)

Bet none of the writers or actors have ever seen a real Hypo.... The 2.3 I had last year pretty much wiped me out for the weekend, certainly I spent the rest of my Saturday in bed.....


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## mikeyB (Jan 5, 2017)

Funnily enough, I've never had a hypo hangover, and over 20 years I've sure had plenty of hypos, including 2.3 yesterday afternoon. (Fingerprick test) Just ate some jelly babies and bounced back into action, after a twenty minute sit down, and cooked the evening meal. That was a real hypo. Am I a badly written soap script?

That said, if I get into 1.6 territory, I occasionally have grand mal epileptic fits. That's what I call a proper hypo. You haven't had a proper hypo unless you wake up in an ambulance. 4 times in 20 years, the last two in the middle of the night due to a combination of hypoglycaemia and some medication I was taking. Even then, I felt pretty good afterwards. It's like having a hard reboot on your brain. It's one reason why I would never correct a hypo with glucagon because I like a reserve in my liver for if ever I have a fit, so that I can wake up. Despite the brain refresh, these events are what make me want a pump, preferably with cgm.


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## mikeyB (Jan 5, 2017)

Apart from never having a hypo hangover, I've never watched a soap opera.


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## Amigo (Jan 5, 2017)

This 'hypo' had the actress completely unconscious on a freezing cold bridge for some time. Hard to imagine a sachet of sugar would have her up on her feet, back in the pub and enjoying a romp in the back of a van within the next 20 mins! Or maybe some people don't suffer 'hypo headaches'. That was surely a badly written soap script that doesn't compere to any situation you've been in Mike? (We don't need to know about any back of vehicle activity of course! ).


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## Caroline (Jan 6, 2017)

I don't watch soaps but do get very vocal when hypos are not treated properly in any programme. In one episode of Star Trek Deep Space 9 someone was portrayed as having a hypo but managing to hide it from non medically trained people. Fortunately a doctor was on hand who spotted it, but he still treated it with chocolate before getting the glycogen for the poor unfortunate woman.


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## Austin Mini (Jan 6, 2017)

My son, a type 1, whilst at uni in Derby doing his degree in film making arranged to be filmed whilst having a fake hypo in Derby city centre. Very few people actually came to his aid most thought he was drunk and avoided him. The film was shown in public and was acclaimed by the diabetic community as being realistic and worrying how vunerable a type 1 could be. During the filming the ambulance service was aware of what was being filmed.


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## Manda1 (Jan 6, 2017)

I watched that and thought how bloody dangerous to pour something into an unconscious persons mouth for one thing !


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## Rosiecarmel (Jan 6, 2017)

I don't watch emmerdale but my friend told me about it (do your family members/friends tell you about every famous and/or fictional diabetic????) and the only good part I thought was when somebody said "does she need insulin?" and her partner replied saying no it'll kill her! I've had NURSES ask me if I need insulin for my hypo so I'm glad at least they're showing that correctly.  

I always tell people close to me that if I'm unconscious and I don't have any gel that you can pour into my cheek, then just call an ambulance. I'd rather that than they try to help and make things worse!


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## Rosiecarmel (Jan 6, 2017)

Austin Mini said:


> My son, a type 1, whilst at uni in Derby doing his degree in film making arranged to be filmed whilst having a fake hypo in Derby city centre. Very few people actually came to his aid most thought he was drunk and avoided him. The film was shown in public and was acclaimed by the diabetic community as being realistic and worrying how vunerable a type 1 could be. During the filming the ambulance service was aware of what was being filmed.



I've heard of people in the US being arrested for being "drunk and disorderly" when actually they're hypo


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## Martin Canty (Jan 6, 2017)

Rosiecarmel said:


> I've heard of people in the US being arrested for being "drunk and disorderly" when actually they're hypo


I wasn't on the call but I know of a TC (Traffic Collision) where the driver was almost arrested, fortunately one of the firefighters had his act together & it turned out that the driver was diabetic..... So, yes, it could happen & probably does; I also think that it's likely not just the Sates


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## Rosiecarmel (Jan 6, 2017)

Martin Canty said:


> I wasn't on the call but I know of a TC (Traffic Collision) where the driver was almost arrested, fortunately one of the firefighters had his act together & it turned out that the driver was diabetic..... So, yes, it could happen & probably does; I also think that it's likely not just the Sates



Oh I'm sure it's not just the States. I imagine it happens all over the world


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## Sally71 (Jan 6, 2017)

Manda1 beat me to it - if someone is completely unresponsive you shouldn't put anything at all in their mouth anyway, they will probably choke!


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## Matt Cycle (Jan 6, 2017)

I saw this and didn't think it was too bad a representation.  As has been said the only potentially iffy part was giving her glucose gel when she was laying on the bridge possibly unconscious.  It did appear though as if Dan was pouring it into her cheek.  I've had plenty of hypos where I've been up and about relatively quickly (not yet made it to the back of a vehicle a short time after for a romp, unfortunately - can't blame it on the hypo though ) and others where I've felt light headed (not a hypo headache) and 'not quite right' for some time even though my bg levels were back to normal.  The only time I had to be given glucagon by a paramedic I was up and about in a short space of time and felt fine.  I would imagine the writers and actors consult medical opinion on stories like this to hopefully give a reasonably accurate representation with some added drama of course.


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## trophywench (Jan 6, 2017)

I've had to have both glucagon jabs and glucose drips (depending on whether it was Pete or a paramedic who dealt with the hypo, LOL) and I have to say - glucagon jabs are always followed by projectile vomiting, after I re-enter the land of the living.  Be infinitely preferable if that could happen whilst I was still out of it - since it's very unpleasant!  (although I expect you could choke to death)

Thing is Mike - if I'm still plummeting and my BG doesn't just bounce back again quickly and happily (- and this happened a fair bit on MDI -) I could feel horrific for at least 24 hours, sometimes longer.  Every person and every hypo - is different!


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## MrClogMan (Jan 6, 2017)

I thought it was strange that when someone suggested fizzy pop Dan said No... I'd always been told sugary pop should be used if you are unable to have jelly babies / glucose tablets etc.

I think Kerry'd diabetes is really badly written. She blamed working in a sweet factory for getting it, consumes mountains of sweets and is constantly binge drinking. It makes it hard for me to educate people around me about my diabetes when they see Kerry doing this.


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## trophywench (Jan 7, 2017)

Well just explain to them that it's flipping FICTIONAL - and your diabetes isn't, it's FACT !  Ergo, it behaves differently LOL 

Just the same as eg (and I realise I am making sweeping assumptions here LOL) normal real life communities do not spend their whole lives lurching between crises, committing murder, rape, incest, paedophilia, drug abuse, child abuse, alcohol abuse, assault and battery, theft, arson, road rage and adultery in their leisure hours.  (Apologies for any crimes or other aberrant behaviour I may have omitted from this précis)

My ex, and now late, mother in law would come out will all sorts of rubbish, and when you said you didn't think that could be right, where did she hear that? she'd usually say she'd read it in a book.

By 'book' the lady concerned would actually mean either 'Woman', 'Woman's Own' or 'Womans Realm' rather than eg Encyclopaedia Britannica !  Usually whatever it was, she'd totally misunderstood.  She was lovely - but definitely a bear of little brain!


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## Amigo (Jan 7, 2017)

MrClogMan said:


> I thought it was strange that when someone suggested fizzy pop Dan said No... I'd always been told sugary pop should be used if you are unable to have jelly babies / glucose tablets etc.
> 
> I think Kerry'd diabetes is really badly written. She blamed working in a sweet factory for getting it, consumes mountains of sweets and is constantly binge drinking. It makes it hard for me to educate people around me about my diabetes when they see Kerry doing this.



Crazy blaming working in a sweet factory for getting it when in fact she had it when she arrived in the village and had just come out of hospital. And she's a type 1! 
It's just a shame they can't seize this opportunity to reflect (without hysterica), the real diabetic experience and actually mention testing and the effects of food. I appreciate that everyone will experience even a severe hypo differently but I was left disappointed that the uninformed public will now see an unconscious hypo as resolved within minutes, without ill effect, following the administration of a small bag of sugar. Opportunity missed?


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## Radders (Jan 7, 2017)

I've had unconscious hypos and been fine very shortly afterwards too.


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## Mark Parrott (Jan 8, 2017)

I saw it too.  Most of the time I forget she is Type 1 as she goes about her life eating & drinking  like everyone else.  In fact I'm surprised she had a hypo with what she eats.  Thought she would more likely suffer DKA.  Whenever I see her eating something I think why isn't she bolusing for that?


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