[DendelionLove]

Hi everyone ,

Just some notes that I took from the books that I've been reading.

Cheers,
Joseph

Short-term complications of diabetes

Short term complications can be very serious and life threatening if left untreated. These short term complications are usually caused by high level of blood glucose. The three main complications are as follows

Ketoacidosis: mostly found in type 1 DM. It is a severe acid condition of blood caused by the lack of insulin. Treatment is with a large volume of liquid and insulin - failure to do so can result in death.

Hyperosmolar syndrome: often seen in older people who usually are neglected. Due to severe dehydration their blood glucose can rise substantially. Also, their kidneys cannot get rid of glucose the way young kidneys can - causing the blood to be like thick syrup. Large amount of fluids need to be restored. Unlike with ketoacidosis, they don’t need much insulin to recover.

Hypoglycemia or low blood glucose: This happens when the patient is on a drug that drives the glucose down, like insulin, but is exercising too much or is not getting enough food. Typical symptoms include palpitation, sweating, hunger, confusion and coma if the period of low glucose is prolonged. Usual treatment is glucose by venous injection or by mouth.

 

[Shanny]

Joseph? You might gain more knowledge to help your loved ones with their diabetes, if you search our own forum for these subjects . . . we have lots of posts/threads covering all these things, along with the personal experiences & treatments that worked. Give it a try - and we might be more trustworthy than a some of the books floating around. (not all - just "some". )

 

[DendelionLove]

Joseph? You might gain more knowledge to help your loved ones with their diabetes, if you search our own forum for these subjects . . . we have lots of posts/threads covering all these things, along with the personal experiences & treatments that worked. Give it a try - and we might be more trustworthy than a some of the books floating around. (not all - just "some". )

Thanks, Shanny, for pointing that out. I do use the forum. The book that I'm reading is Diabetes for Dummies by Alan Rubin.

It does take a bit of time to go through the forum because it's all over the place and I think I should start with a structured book so that at least I have an idea of what everyone's saying when I read the forum. And just thought I would type up my notes the way I understand it as I read.

 

[DendelionLove]

Causes of hypoglycemia,

Hypoglycemia results from elevated amounts of insulin lowering your blood sugar to low level, but many others factors can play a role in raising your insulin level.. The amount of food you eat, the glucose that you burn and your body’s ability to raise glucose by releasing from the liver, all affect your blood sugar level.

Many people with type 1 diabetes, and some with type 2, rely on insulin injections or sulfonylurea medications to control they diabetes. When you take your insulin shot, it is important that you time it with the time of food intake. If the timing is off, your glucose and insulin level won’t be in sync and you’ll develop hypoglicemia.

Your diet plays a major part in helping you avoid hypoglycemia. Have a snack in the morning and in the afternoon in addition to your usual 3 main meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner. A timely snack could provide you with a steady source of glucose to balance the insulin.

Exercise is also very important. It helps burn your blood glucose, which your body use as fuel, so it generally lowers your blood glucose. Some people substitute exercise for extra insulin to get their high blood glucose down to normal. But it is important to adjust the insulin and food intake to match your exercise level; otherwise you get hypoglycemia.

Prevention of hypoglicemia can be achieved through doing the following.
* frequent measuring your blood sugar with a glucose meter
* maintaining a realistic goal for your blood sugar level.
* altering the timing of food and exercise
* altering the timing of insulin and other drug regimens
* becoming aware of your own symptoms of hypoglycemia

 

[Shanny]

Since you mention sulfonylureas, I think it would be good to include that these oral meds can cause even worse damage to an already-overworked pancreas with the constant pressure to produce more insulin. If metformin extended release is a viable option (limited side effects), it is a better choice than sulfonylureas. Newly diagnosed patients need to learn the differences in these drugs because their docs aren't often forthcoming with explanations. Met combats insulin resistance and is used by both t1 and t2 diabetics.

 

[DendelionLove]

Since you mention sulfonylureas, I think it would be good to include that these oral meds can cause even worse damage to an already-overworked pancreas with the constant pressure to produce more insulin. If metformin extended release is a viable option (limited side effects), it is a better choice than sulfonylureas. Newly diagnosed patients need to learn the differences in these drugs because their docs aren't often forthcoming with explanations. Met combats insulin resistance and is used by both t1 and t2 diabetics.

There you go. Thank you so much for that bit of info. I would never have learned that from the books.

 

[DendelionLove]

There are three level of severity of hypoglycemia defined according to the three level of blood sugar; mild, moderate and severe.

Mild hypoglycemia which corresponds to the blood glucose of about 75 mg/dl can be treated by the patients themselves. Moderate hypoglycemia corresponds to the blood glucose of about 65 mg/dl where the patient begins to feel adrenergic symptoms such as anxiety and palpitation. Severe hypoglycemia occurs when the level of blood glucose drops below 55 mg/dl. The level can leave the patient seriously impaired and thus requiring outside help to restore his or her glucose; usually, an emergency injection of glucagon or intravenous glucose solution is required.

The majority cases of hypoglycemia are mild and can be treated with a small amount of glucose in the forms of sugar cubes, two or three glucose tablets, a few ounces of sugary soft drink, a cup of mild or orange juice or anything that has about 15 grams of glucose in it. Sometimes a second treatment is required. It is suggested that the patient measures the blood glucose after about 20 minutes the first treatment; if the level has not risen sufficiently, give a second treatment.

Please note the following tips to help your treatment of hypoglycemia:

* your hypoglycemia can be easily overtreated, causing your blood glucose to rise higher than normal. But it as also important to note that the high blood sugar resulting from overtreatment usually does not last long and it is suggested not to use insulin or other drugs to bring it down.

* make sure that your family and closed ones know what hypoglycemia is and what to do about it; inform people about your diabetes and about how to recognise hypoglycemia. They can’t help you if they don’t know.

*take in some carb and protein every hour if you’re doing prolonged exercise - such as soccer game or basketball game that lasts for hours. And always carry some sweets/candy with you. Jelly beans work best - about six or seven are all you need to treat mild hypoglycemia

 

[Shanny]

There you go. Thank you so much for that bit of info. I would never have learned that from the books.

There are lots of things you'll never learn from doctors or textbooks. That is why it would be better if you were searching THIS forum and taking notes on what you learn here. You don't have the experience or knowledge to be able to determine if what you are posting is actually true or not. Our information is directly from the patients who live the life. Tried and true, as it were.

 

[Patdart]

Maybe he/she doesn't know about all the misinformation out there. I'd recommend a newcomer read www.BloodSugar 101.com and then Dr. Richard Bernstein's book for solid information, as well as our archives. Those two sources are valid.

 

[DendelionLove]

Maybe he/she doesn't know about all the misinformation out there. I'd recommend a newcomer read www.BloodSugar 101.com and then Dr. Richard Bernstein's book for solid information, as well as our archives. Those two sources are valid.

Thank you for the suggestion, Patdart. I will get those books. You guys are super nice and helpful.

 

[DendelionLove]

There are lots of things you'll never learn from doctors or textbooks. That is why it would be better if you were searching THIS forum and taking notes on what you learn here. You don't have the experience or knowledge to be able to determine if what you are posting is actually true or not. Our information is directly from the patients who live the life. Tried and true, as it were.

Thanks, Shanny. I will take heed of your concerns and suggestion. and will stop posting.. at least about diabetes from the books.