Type 2 diabetes! please Help.

Hi Logan3,

I have checked with the Federal Medical guidelines to answer your question (i.e. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases).

Your body needs glucose, a form of sugar, to have enough energy. After you eat, your blood absorbs glucose. If you eat more sugar than your body needs, your muscles and liver store the extra. When your blood sugar begins to fall, a hormone tells your liver to release glucose. In most people, this raises blood sugar. If it doesn't, you have hypoglycemia, and your blood sugar can be dangerously low.

Signs include
• Hunger
• Shakiness
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Difficulty speaking
• Feeling anxious or weak
• Sweating

Hypoglycemia can also occur at night when you are sleeping. You might
• cry out or have nightmares
• find that your pajamas or sheets are damp from perspiration
• feel tired, irritable, or confused when you wake up

Hypoglycemia is usually a side effect of diabetes medicines. Eating or drinking something with carbohydrates can help. If it happens often, your health care provider may need to change your treatment plan.

You can also have low blood sugar without having diabetes. In that case, your health care provider will try to find the cause using laboratory tests to measure blood glucose, insulin and other chemicals that play a part in the body's use of energy.

If you are a diabetic, and have think you may be hypoglycemic, you can check your blood sugar with your meter. If you are below 70, then you are hypoglycemic. Steps you might take to elevate your blood sugar are the following:

If you think your blood glucose is too low, use a blood glucose meter to check your level. If it is 70 mg/dL or below, have one of these "quick fix" foods right away to raise your blood glucose:
• 2 or 3 glucose tablets
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of any fruit juice
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of a regular (not diet) soft drink
• 1 cup (8 ounces) of milk
• 5 or 6 pieces of hard candy
• 1 or 2 teaspoons of sugar or honey

After 15 minutes, check your blood glucose again to make sure that it is no longer too low. If it is still too low, have another serving. Repeat these steps until your blood glucose is at least 70. Then, if it will be an hour or more before your next meal, have a snack.

If you take insulin or a diabetes medication that can cause hypoglycemia, always carry one of the quick-fix foods with you. Wearing a medical identification bracelet or necklace is also a good idea.

Logan3, how does your father-in-law stack up with some of the information cited above? I am glad to hear he is currently under good control. Let us know if we can be of any further help, and feel free to write anytime.

Roxanne
RN,
'Retired from VA, on to New Ventures'