glucagon and hypos

[email hidden] wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I was reading about how when the glucose is low or one is in a hypo., that glucagon in the pancreas
will send a signal to the liver to release glucose to bring it up. I usually take dextrosol tablets
for this, and I wonder if this means that the liver will do internally what is necessary to bring
the glucose up to par and that we don't have to doanything externally in this regard. Somehow I
feel I am missing something here.

margo

There are at least two mechanisms by which the liver releases glucose into the blood to
counter low bG.

The common one, "used" by non-diabetics is based on insulin levels, not sugar levels. When the liver
"sees" low insulin, it "assumes" that the blood sugar is also low, and releases glucose.

We insulin shooting diabetics get into trouble with this one when:

a. Blood sugar is high, but our "last shot" wears off and the liver dumps extra glucose because
it can't "see" insulin in the blood.

b. Blood sugar is low but our "last shot" is still active so the liver sees lots of insulin and
thus refuses to dump glucose.

The other mechanism is related to the glucagon generation by the pancreas. Unfortunately, that
mechanism is sort of an emergency mechanism which kicks in at uncomfortably low blood sugars. You
might be unconscious before it kicks in. Your bG might then rebound into the 400 mg/dL levels. See
Somoygi effect

goodbloodsugar.comarch let caro0800.htmOpen ↗

You want to take the glucose pills before the pancreas "decides" to do something about the
low sugar.

Regards
Old Al

I doubt you have glucagon in your pancreas. Perhaps you are thinking of glycogen? Glucagon is a
medication.

Take your glucotabs when you are low. That's what they are for; your body MIGHT release counter-
regulatory hormones to EVENTUALLY bring your bg's up. That is hard on your heart, as large amounts
of adrenaline will be released along with the glycogen. Also, your liver could be depleted of it's
stores of glycogen. Glycogen breaks down to glucose to raise your blood glucose level.

dave

Quoted message said:

I was reading about how when the glucose is low or one is in a hypo., that glucagon in the
pancreas will send a signal to the liver to release glucose to bring it up. I usually take
dextrosol tablets for this, and I wonder if this means that the liver will do internally what is
necessary to bring the glucose up to par and that we don't have to doanything externally in this
regard. Somehow I feel I am missing something here.

margo

"oldal4865" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

[email hidden] wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I was reading about how when the glucose is low or one is in a hypo.,

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

glucagon in the pancreas will send a signal to the liver to release glucose to bring it up. I
usually take dextrosol tablets for this, and I wonder if this means that the liver will do
internally what is necessary to bring the glucose up to par and that we don't have to doanything
externally in this regard. Somehow I feel I am missing something here.

margo

There are at least two mechanisms by which the liver releases glucose into the blood to counter
low bG.

The common one, "used" by non-diabetics is based on insulin levels, not sugar levels. When the
liver "sees" low insulin, it "assumes" that the blood sugar is also low, and releases glucose.

We insulin shooting diabetics get into trouble with this one when:

a. Blood sugar is high, but our "last shot" wears off and the liver dumps extra glucose
because it can't "see" insulin in the blood.

b. Blood sugar is low but our "last shot" is still active so the

liver

Quoted message said:

sees lots of insulin and thus refuses to dump glucose.

You left out these:

c: Due to long-term poor glucose control common to diabetics, especially before the advent of
easily available glucometers, the glucagon response is strongly reduced in us long term Type
1's and doesn't kick in naturally when needed. This was documented by Dr. Santiago's diabetes
research crew at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis decades ago. (I was in that study.)

d: I'm not positive, but I suspect that the natural glucagon response just isn't enough: we
exceed it wildly with errors in our attempts to balance our insulin doses correctly, for
reasons of illness, miscalculated meal size, unexpected insulin, etc.

Even an otherwise healthy person with things like gestational diabetes can encounter the problem,
such as my stunning wife the day after giving birth to our daughter. She got to feel the confusion
and crankiness of spluttering hypoglycemia: not a good day to dump that on her, but it did give her
an appreciation of what I've gone through.

Quoted message said:

The other mechanism is related to the glucagon generation by the pancreas. Unfortunately, that
mechanism is sort of an emergency mechanism which

kicks

Quoted message said:

in at uncomfortably low blood sugars. You might be unconscious before it kicks in. Your bG might
then rebound into the 400 mg/dL levels. See Somoygi effect

goodbloodsugar.comarch let caro0800.htmOpen ↗

You want to take the glucose pills before the pancreas "decides" to do something about the
low sugar.

And the glucose tablets, fruit juice, well-chewed crackers for the starch, etc. are all a lot easier
on your system than those damn glucagon responses, which always sting like a mother and for me leave
a splitting headache, a bad taste in my mouth, and I'm starving like an unfed farm worker a few
hours later.

"Bay Area Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I doubt you have glucagon in your pancreas. Perhaps you are thinking of glycogen? Glucagon is a
medication.

Insulin is produced by the beta cells in the pancreas, travels up the Hepatic Portal vein to the
liver and converts glucose into Glycogen for storage. Glucagon is produced by the alpha cells in the
pancreas, travels to the liver and is used to break down glycogen ,which has been stored in the
liver, back into glucose.

Insulin and Glucagon are antagonistic in the regulation of blood glucose.

The alpha cells are not destroyed by the same antibodies as beta cells and remain healthy, if a
little confused, glucagon producers. Cancer or surgical removal of pancreas is another matter.

Research has shown that the glucagon response to low bg is dramatically reduced in vitually all Type
1 diabetics by 4 years after initial diagnosis. If the hypo is severe the counter-regulatory
hormones have failed and injection of Glucagon may be required. etc

David_G

Quoted message said:

Take your glucotabs when you are low. That's what they are for; your body MIGHT release counter-
regulatory hormones to EVENTUALLY bring your bg's up. That is hard on your heart, as large amounts
of adrenaline will be released along with the glycogen. Also, your liver could be depleted of it's
stores of glycogen. Glycogen breaks down to glucose to raise your blood glucose level.

dave

Quoted message said:

I was reading about how when the glucose is low or one is in a hypo., that glucagon in the
pancreas will send a signal to the liver to release glucose to bring it up. I usually take
dextrosol tablets for this, and I wonder if this means that the liver will do internally what is
necessary to bring the glucose up to par and that we don't have to doanything externally in this
regard. Somehow I feel I am missing something here.

margo

From what I have been told, "sugars" are released when you are low. The brain sends signals to parts
of the body & any part of the body that has any sugars will try to release it. It takes 24hrs for
those body parts to gain sugar again, therefore it is harder to get out of a hypo a 2nd time if you
have a 2nd one within 24hrs of the 1st hypo.

I have also heard that when the body does this, it "wears us out" which is why ... well i know that
i am ... i get tired after a hypo & want to sleep it off. Also why I am rather sore after a really
good hypo. Muscles ache etc, because the body has had sugars they need drained out of them.

The reason above is why I always eat something asap when I feel "low". Because as anyone will tell
you, it sucks to feel like that. I imagine it wouldnt be good longterm either to just let the sugars
be extracted from your body to get you up from a hypo either. Also, its not guarenteed to work. So
don't rely on it! Make sure you have something with you & use it :o)

From what I understand, this is sometimes why we get a high blood sugar after a hypo sometimes,
because the body knows it needs something & if we're running around trying to find something to eat,
then it will release what it feels is necessary & so its starting to come up by the time we've taken
what we need to get out of it. Therefore we have basically 2times more than what we need.

Hope that helps you Margo

Rebecca "Dont Hate me coz I have Opinions, Hate me coz you dont know me"

"Bay Area Dave" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I doubt you have glucagon in your pancreas. Perhaps you are thinking of glycogen? Glucagon is a
medication. Take your glucotabs when you are low. That's what they are for; your body MIGHT
release counter-regulatory hormones to EVENTUALLY bring your bg's up. That is hard on your heart,
as large amounts of adrenaline will be released along with the glycogen. Also, your liver could
be depleted of it's stores of glycogen. Glycogen breaks down to glucose to raise your blood
glucose level.

dave

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was reading about how when the glucose is low or one is in a hypo.,

that

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

glucagon in the pancreas will send a signal to the liver to release glucose to bring it up. I
usually take dextrosol tablets for this, and

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

wonder if this means that the liver will do internally what is necessary to bring the glucose up
to par and that we don't have to doanything externally in this regard. Somehow I feel I am
missing something here.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

margo