Dear Dr Michelle,

In Reality Check's new monthly column, our favourite GP, who just happens to have diabetes, Dr Michelle ponders some of the stuff they didn't cover in med school.

This month, Dr Michelle ponders a hypo symptom that’s definitely not in the text books!

Hi again!

Sweating, blurry vision, irregular heart beat, all pretty standard in the hypo book – think of those red posters in hospitals and school staff rooms listing what to look out for in a person with diabetes. I don’t remember the word defecate appearing on those posters but a Reality Check member has apparently been experiencing a need to go to the toilet, number 2s, which never happens, but then a hypo happens, so the feeling in her bowels must have been a hypo symptom.

Strange as it sounds, there is a link here.

Symptoms of hypos are provided to us by our autonomic nervous system – these are the nerves that send messages to our brain which give us the feelings like sweating, palpitations, and blurry vision. The autonomic nervous system also controls the gastro intestinal tract – our stomach, intestines and bowels. I have definitely felt hungry when I was actually hypo, and this is quite similar. Your nerves in your bowels are noticing the low blood glucose levels and sending a strange sensation to your brain which feels like you need to do poo but actually it’s just setting of alarms that you’re low.

Strange but possible.

All the best,

Michelle