Hypo Awareness Week

Today's the last day of the UK's first ever National Hypo Awareness week, the aim of which is highlight the symptoms and dangers of hypoglycaemia in people who have Diabetes, to all hospital staff in England and Wales.

For more infomation please visit the Diabetes NHS website here.

It would be lovely to see this event getting bigger and bigger with each year, not just making hospital staff aware (which is obviously very important), also the general public. Not an OTT scare the crap out of you campaign as I'm sure the media would LOVE..... Just something to show that first assumptions aren't always correct. Slurring words and lack of concentration also apply to hypo symptoms, not just too much alcohol!

I've had a couple of conversations with new work colleagues about my D and what they would need to do in the event of me being unable to treat myself. At my previous job the First Aider said in this event, he would feed me a Mars bar and give me mouth-to-mouth.... <makes me grimace thinking about it now still!>

I explained that I had GlucoGel in my top drawer and how to apply it, but most of all to call 999. I was also asked what it feels like to be hypo and how to recognise it.

Every hypo is different, it can attack in many ways, slow or fast, all or nothing...


> Lack of concentration
> Shaking/Trembling
> Sweating
> Blurry vision
> Tingling (this happens to my arms in particular but also affects your lips)
> Anxiety/becoming quiet and withdrawn
> Slurring words
> Irrational behaviour
> Racing pulse or palpitations
> Irritability

These are just a few tell-tale signs/symptoms of a hypo. THEY SUCK.

Sometimes they take a few minutes to bounce back from, others can wipe you out for a few hours. I was told by a DSN once that 'hypo's breed hypo's'. I've only experienced continual lows a handful of times, and they really put you through the ringer. Your mind and body feels battered and broken. All you want to do is curl up in a ball and cry.