# Hypo - before a meal



## mum2westiesGill (Jan 20, 2012)

Hi all,

If you were hypo immediately before a meal ie 3.3, 3.6...then had a hypo treatment eg jelly babies 4 x then test 15 mins after and you are then 6.0, 6.4.....then you have your meal, would you then have your normal amount of QA?

_Gill_


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## Northerner (Jan 20, 2012)

Yes, I would, although if I was in the mid-3s before a meal I'd probably only have one jelly baby, as I know that that is sufficient to bring my levels up to around 5 in 15 mins, at which point I'd be happy to inject and eat as if I hadn't had the hypo


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## Robster65 (Jan 20, 2012)

In a word, yes.

You correct the hypo. In theory, you then retest after 15 mins, as you have done and work out your bolus according to that 2nd test.

ie. if you would inject 10u at 5mmol/l, you might need to inect 11u at 6.5mmol/l depending on your ratios/corrections.

So always treat your 2nd test as if the hypo had never happened and you won't go wrong. The difficulty comes when your meal is ready 30 seconds after the 2nd test and you lose your waiting time, but hey ho.

ROb


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## shiv (Jan 20, 2012)

I would also have the normal amount, but I might wait until I've started eating to give the insulin, just for my peace of mind so I know my body has 'caught up'


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## novorapidboi26 (Jan 20, 2012)

Yes..................

DAFNE teach you to subtract a unit of insulin if low before a meal, but I prefer to treat the low then inject as normal, then eat...............

In fact I am having one right now, 3.2...........so treated it, so I can inject in time for my lunch..........


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## Phil65 (Jan 20, 2012)

shiv said:


> I would also have the normal amount, but I might wait until I've started eating to give the insulin, just for my peace of mind so I know my body has 'caught up'



Snap Shiv, that's exactly what I do


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## martindt1606 (Jan 20, 2012)

I'd treat myself and have a glass of orange juice as a starter.  I'd include the 2 CPs in the carbs counted for the meal and on which the fast acting is calculated.  I'd also wait until after the 15 minute check before injecting.


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## MeanMom (Jan 20, 2012)

Have to say if K was hypo before meal would always wait til after the meal to inject for her peace of mind really (she once felt hypo DURING a meal and said it was the worst ever -because of feeling sick and shaky with some lovely food sitting there half eaten whilst she tested -also was early days and we couldn't work out whether she should have had glucose in the middle of the meal )


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## Phil65 (Jan 20, 2012)

martindt1606 said:


> I'd treat myself and have a glass of orange juice as a starter.  I'd include the 2 CPs in the carbs counted for the meal and on which the fast acting is calculated.  I'd also wait until after the 15 minute check before injecting.



good idea  I had to laugh........I remember when you would get Orange juice as a starter on some menus years ago!


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## Medusa (Jan 20, 2012)

orange juice is also my fave way to sort this... sometimes wait until after i have eaten to take my insulin though if been fairly low prior


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## Tina63 (Jan 20, 2012)

We were told to treat the hypo, wait and test after 15 mins, if level ok eat meal then inject straight afterwards, normal amount as per carb count.  Seems everyone is told different things!  We queried what to do when one happened before a meal.  We had only initially been told to test again after 15 mins then have a cereal bar, so was never sure what to do at a mealtime.  That is the advice we were given.


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## trophywench (Jan 20, 2012)

Well I wouldn't include the hypo treatment in the carb count and that's a certain fact.  Otherwise I'd correct back to a hypo level!  So I'd inject only what I needed for the meal, and I wouldn't inject it till 10-15 mins after I started eating.

If I need to make a correction bolus later then so be it but in any case I could have had a liver dump anyway .......


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