Hypoglycemia: how to recognize it? What to do?
Male: For the majority of people with Type I Diabetes, recognizing the signs of hypoglycemia can be relatively straightforward.
Speaker: Hypoglycemia occurs when the blood sugar drops too low. A level of less than four millimols per liter results in adverse symptoms which are reversible with carbohydrate intake.
Hypoglycemia may occur as a result of inadequate food intake, excessive physical activity or zover-medication. Symptoms that may occur with hypoglycemia include anxiety, sweating, palpitations, trembling, hunger, nausea, confusion, headache, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and weakness. Pallor and irritability are common side effects, especially for young children. If severe, hypoglycemia may result in coma and seizure.
Male: There are some patients that just cannot recognize lows in their blood sugar and they are called “hypoglycemic unaware” and when that happens, the sugar can fall quite precipitously and the patient may not be aware at all or they may become confused or they may fall rapidly into a dangerous coma.
Male: All my friends and acquaintances opt almost intimately about me because there are times where I was not in control, where I was in instant shock, and at one time, I went into a diabetic coma.
Female: If a hypoglycemia gets quite advanced, then patients can pass out, and so again it is important to educate family members what to do about that. Certainly, they could call 911 but they may be able to have a substance at home, usually the name is Glucagon and they can administer that medication to their loved one. If perhaps, their family member is not fully blacked-out but maybe just weak and cannot move, then they could also try to administer some sugar supplement, whether that be juice, a candy, you can even purchase sugar pills to carry.
Speaker: If you require insulin or certain oral medications, please have ready access to oral carbohydrates. Usually, they come in the form of glucose or sucrose tablets or liquid available at your pharmacy.
If you have recognized the symptoms of hypoglycemia and have ingested some glucose or sucrose, wait 15 minutes then re-check your blood glucose. If it remains at less than four millimols per liter, you should repeat.
Once the hypoglycemia has been corrected, eat your next meal normally. If you were over an hour away from meal time, you should have a small carbohydrate snack.
Female: It is also very important for people with diabetes to have a Medi Alert Bracelet, so that if they are found unconscious somewhere that someone thinks this could be low blood sugar, because it can be easily dealt with.
Speaker: Repeated or prolonged occurrences of hypoglycemia may result in neurological damage leading to subtle loss of intellectual function. It is therefore important to prevent, recognize and appropriately treat hypoglycemia.
If you have been experiencing frequent episodes of hypoglycemia, please contact your physician. Adjustments may be made to your care plan.
