Don't Ever Underestimate Insulin
Things were going well with my post AAS insulin cycle. I had it down pat, all worked out....its not my first time with slin after all. I am doing 2 x 10iu of humalog with all the appropriate malto dextrin, creatine and whey followed by a large meal 40 min later.
Well this evening after my workout I decided to try 15iu...BIG MISTAKE. First I ingested 100g of whey and 120g of malto dextrin, went home and prepared my meal: 1 carton of egg whites (50g protein) with lots of ketchup and 1 bag of shredded potato. As I am sitting by the table eating my meal I am getting hypo...in the middle of my high carb/protein meal....started to sweat in streams and having panic attack like symptoms, I get up and proceeded to drink another glass of malto dextrin (about 40g). At this point I am seriously panicking, cause what are you suppose to do with a full stomach, can't consume more food. So I am sitting there and am trying to relax and finish my meal, still sweating like crazy from head to fore arms to my back and legs. Finally my digestion caught up with my insulin levels and I started to feel more normal again.
I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN.
Let my stupidity be a lesson to all.
Soooooo, I just bopped into this thread . . .
. . . and decided to do a word search (in case I missed it) on a basic, essential word that comes up when the topic is hypoglycemia: orange.
Namely, when a diabetic goes into hypo, the first thing he or she should have is a glass of orange juice. (I learned this from a diabetic bro a few years ago when we were hangin' out in my living room and he went hypo. He started sweating, asked for a glass of O.J., and I immediately knew what was up.) My mother, who also shot insulin, used to go hypo as well, and the first thing we would do is give her a glass of O.J. with a teaspoon of sugar in it. Even then, it would take a while for her glucose levels to spike back up.
As for glucose tablets, they are best used (1) when you're out and don't have O.J. available, and (2) in addition to the O.J. in order to get a quicker spike on the glucose level. ("Bartender, I'll have three glucose tabs with an O.J. chaser!")
Hypoglycemia comes on fast, but goes away slow. You may feel fine one minute, then spaced out the next - lightheaded, perhaps sweating and experiencing some nausea. Diabetics know that when it happens, it's time to juice up (with O.J.) fast, and they won't even bother to check their glucose levels first (they can do it after drinking some juice, because it does take a while for the glucose levels to rise again). Above all, realize what's causing it - take action fast, but don't panic.
Mr. Nobody's comments are well put. BUt the meal he was eating, while high carb, was primarily high in complex carbs - the shredded potatoes. (The Malodextrin doesn't come close to O.J. in effectiveness.) Remember that complex carbs take some time to convert to glucose. Unlike simple sugars (like chocolate, soda, cake, or other things made with refined sugar) - which spike the glucose fast and wear off fast - complex carbs (potatoes, legumes, pasta, rice, breads, etc.) will last longer in the body, but will take longer to convert in the first place.
And gixxerboy made a great suggestion - if you're using slin, head to any drug store, Wal-Mart, or pharmacy department in a supermarket, and buy a few packs of glucose tabs. (They're only about $1.50 each in a plastic container that looks like a pack of LIfe Savers. And keep them handy - one at home, one at work or school, one in your car (because hypo can hit you while driving), one in your backpack (or briefcase if you're a suit type), and yes, one in your gym bag. (Remember, they won't do you any good if you don't have them at hand when you need them.) Don't buy the B-D glucose tabs in a paper box - they're a ripoff price-wise, and because they're not packaged in a plastic container they tend to get crushed before you need to use them.
Mr. Nobody - a great lesson for all of us. Glad you made it through, bro, and that you were hip enough to realize what was happening.