How to Help a Diabetic;
Information about Diabetes:*
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A person who is diagnosed as being diabetic needs to be constantly vigilant as to their blood sugar and what they eat and drink and, if the doctor prescribes medications, the diabetic must faithfully take the medicines. Be careful to note which medications may require to be taken with food. It is helpful to tape a copy of the diabetic diet provided by the doctor to the patient's refrigerator door. This also helps the person who may be preparing meals for the diabetic. Be sure the blood glucose monitor is functioning correctly. Always keep the appropriate replacement batteries on hand.
IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: If the monitor gives a reading which is too low or too high, you should immediately call 911 and ask for the Life Squad to come check out the diabetic person. You cannot wait. To wait can mean that the diabetic can go into a coma and die. Get the Life Squad first. THEN, if the Life Squad says the diabetic needs to go to the hospital, then SEND the diabetic with them to the hospital, no matter what the diabetic person may be saying, such as he or she "does not want to go to the hospital". I know a lady who even locked herself in the bathroom because she did not want to see the Life Squad. Be PREPARED for such a reaction. Make sure the diabetic CANNOT lock himself or herself behind a door. High or very low blood sugar causes a diabetic to become totally confused. YOU must take control. Give your authorization to the Life Squad to take the diabetic to the hospital if they deem it advisable.
THEN, if it is believed that the blood glucose monitor malfunctioned and gave an incorrect count, you should call the company which provided the monitor and request a new monitor.
If the diabetic is refusing to take medication, ask the doctor for advice.
I lost a beloved husband in precisely this way: when I married him, I knew and he knew that he was diabetic. He had become a member of a religion which teaches that he should take NO medication. He was a very wealthy man and his brother who was an attorney, wanted me to sign a prenup. I agreed but my husband said no because he knew I did not love him for his money, but only for himself. The dispute between the brothers became very heated. My husband came home one evening from a long, emotional meeting with his brother. He did not want to eat. He only ate one bite of his dinner. He was vomiting and when I asked him why, he said he had taken some aspirins and he wanted to die. He refused to allow the Life Squad to come to the apartment where we lived. Then he went into a coma and I called 911. The doctors promised me he would be OK but he died eleven days after our wedding. Yes, I realize his brother upset him terribly, but chiefly the reason for his coma was he REFUSED to eat and as always, he refused to take medication. I DID go with him to the doctor before we married, but the doctor told me there was nothing he could do if my husband to be refused to take medication. SMALL MEALS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND A GLASS OF WATER FROM TIME TO TIME DURING THE DAY are necessary to sustain a diabetic. I hope and pray that my terrible experience will somehow help you as you assist the diabetic in your life. I would give anything if I had known to have GLUCOSE TABLETS ON HAND. I am not sure that I could have gotten him to suck on one, but maybe... HERE IS ANOTHER HINT: I think it is preferable to grind the glucose tablet into a powder then stir it into a glass of water. This is easier to ingest for a person who may be near coma. This I learned from caring for the lady described above who locked herself in the bathroom. She said it was much easier to drink the tablet which was dissolved in water than to try to suck and/or chew the dry tablet. Remember always that a diabetic needs to drink water from time to time to avoid dehydration. Diabetics are more susceptible to dehydration than perhaps you are yourself. This is why it is difficult for them to suck on the glucose tablets. You could reduce some tablets to powder and store in a baggie for future emergency use.
See Diabetic Cookbooks Diabetes Supplies
Helpful Links:
National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases
Diabetes Information from US Food & Drug Administration
Diabetes mellitus is the name given to a group of conditions
linked by the patient’s inability to produce and/or utilize insulin. According
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2002 data), about 18 million
people in the United States have diabetes, but as many as 5 million of them are
not yet aware that diabetes is affecting their health. Diabetes disrupts the
normal balance between insulin and glucose. After a meal, carbohydrates usually
are broken down into glucose and other simple sugars. This causes blood glucose
levels to rise and stimulates the pancreas to release insulin into the
bloodstream.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the beta cells in the pancreas. It regulates
the transport of glucose into most of the body’s cells and works with glucagon,
another pancreatic hormone, to maintain blood glucose levels within a narrow
range. If there is insufficient or ineffective insulin, or if the body’s cells
are resistant to its effects (insulin resistance), glucose levels remain high in
the bloodstream and the body’s cells “starve.” This can cause both acute and
chronic problems depending on the severity of the insulin deficiency. Most
tissues in the body rely on glucose for energy production and all but a few –
such as the brain and nervous system – are entirely reliant on insulin-mediated
transportation.
Acute hyperglycemia (high blood glucose levels) can be a medical emergency. The
body tries to rid the blood of excess glucose by flushing it out of the system
with increased urination. This process can cause dehydration and upset the
body’s electrolyte balance as sodium and potassium are lost in the urine. Since
glucose is not available to the cells, the body attempts to provide an alternate
energy source by metabolizing fatty acids. This less efficient process leads to
a buildup of ketones (byproducts of fat metabolism) and upsets the body’s
acid-base balance. Left unchecked, acute hyperglycemia can lead to renal
failure, loss of consciousness, and death.
Glucose levels that rise over time and become chronically elevated may not be
initially noticed by the patient. The body tries to control the amount of
glucose in the blood by increasing insulin production and by excreting glucose
in the urine. Symptoms usually begin to arise when the body is no longer able to
compensate for the higher levels of blood glucose. Chronic hyperglycemia can
cause long-term damage to blood vessels, nerves, and organs throughout the body
and can lead to other condition such as hypertension, strokes, and
cardiovascular disease. Damage from hyperglycemia is cumulative and may begin
before a patient is aware that he or she has diabetes. The sooner that the
condition is detected, the better the chances of minimizing complications.
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