This week (23-30 September) is hypo awareness week
I wrote this for last year’s awareness week. Originally posted October 2017
This is such an important subject to keep talking about. At best hypos can be a irritating disablement, but at worst they can be traumatising, anxiety provoking and quite often fatal.
Of course, hypoglycemic episodes can be difficult for anyone with diabetes to endure, however it’s a whole different playing field when you add an eating disorder into the mix.
A hypo launches you into survival mode. The options are simply to obtain and ingest glucose ASAP or die. There is no other alternative. But for someone with an eating disorder and type 1 diabetes this can be hugely distressing. and prompt challenging thoughts. The choice to submit and take in those calories may trigger a whole load of guilt to sit on top of that which already exists.
During my last admission as an inpatient on an eating disorder unit hypos became an extreme fear for me As I felt my hands start to tremor a sense of dread would set in as I tried to pretend it was not happening and I was no different to anyone else.. I felt guilty, so guilty, of having extra in addition f the prescribed diet. This was in a place where so many others around me were trying to trim their meal plans down as much as they possibly could. Biscuit crumbs and slivers of butter hidden in covert places, a splodge of jam left under the container lid.. Every calorie was counted and any unexpected increase in portions, or even a slice of pie that looked too large or scoop of mash that was overly heaped, often resulted in dinner table meltdowns.
I can't deny that such obsession was inapplicable to me, but when it came to hypos, I had no right of refusal. It became quite frightening as my insulin was increased and i was experiencing hypos on a daily basis. I had to guzzle down cups or Lucozade, measured to the hundred ml (I always told them it wouldn't be enough, and so another 100ml and often yet another would follow). followed by biscuits, all while shaking and disorientated. But most of all I felt I would be judged for being weak somehow, for giving in, perhaps not directly by my fellow patients but by their eating disorders. I felt gluttonous and so ashamed of giving my body what it needed. That’s an eating disorder in a nutshell, really.
How dare I allow myself any semblance of good health?
Eating during a hypo is unplanned, it is frenzied and without containment. It can easily lead to binging; desperately inhaling sugary foods as you try to grasp reality, often leading to high blood sugars. More guilt. Surrounded by a pile of chocolate wrappers and an empty cereal box. Emerging from a blurry, half conscious state and berating yourself for a loss of control.
So this year, following the release of the BBC Documentary which has led to a rise rise in press and advocacy concerning Diabulimia and ED-DMT1, please consider what hypoglycemia might mean for sufferers of these conditions. Being hypo aware is about more than just having glucose to hand and knowing the signs and symptoms. For people with type 1 diabetes and an eating disorder it involves being aware of the difficult emotions that come alongside. It means accepting medicine and acknowledging that treating a hypo is about essential need, not greed. It’s about giving yourself permission to fight against that toxic 'voice' that tells you that you do not deserve to eat, to norish yourself, to live.