Treatments vary, depending on how high the blood sugar is
A person has diabetes if:
Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) is at or over 126 mg/dl
Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) at 2 hours is 200 mg/dl or higher
Treatment efforts
Diet and exercise
Oral medications (pills)
Insulin (by injection)
Combination of diet, exercise, and medications
Diabetes medicines work in different ways. They:
Help the pancreas make more insulin (the hormone)
Help open the cells so the glucose can enter and provide energy for the cell
Help the pancreas release more insulin after a meal
Help the cells become more sensitive to insulin
Lower sugar released by the liver
Provide needed insulin for the body
Diabetes medicines
Come in different strengths with varying lengths of action
Some have rapid action
Some are slow acting
Some are long acting
Many patients require a combination of the different medicines
It is not unusual to try a number of different medicines before finding the right combination
There are different types of diabetes medications
There are pills to be taken by mouth
Insulin is injected
It can be the most common way with a syringe one or more times a day
Or it can be injected by a pump and needle system which can give tiny doses of insulin throughout the day for very precise blood sugar control
There also is insulin designed to be inhaled
It may be necessary for you to take a variety of medicines (sometimes a combination of pills and injections) in order to keep your blood sugar in the normal range
If you can keep your blood sugars in the range your health care provider recommends for you, you will feel better and be able to delay or avoid the complications of diabetes
How much medication?
How much, how often, and how to administer the medication depends on how well the glucose can be controlled by lab tests
Your results from home glucose tests (often referred to as "home glucose monitoring") using a glucose meter
The Glucose Meter
A glucose meter is a small device used to test for sugar levels
A drop of blood is placed on a special strip that is inserted into the machine and the machine reads the sugar level
A health care provider usually trains you on how to get a drop of blood or do a finger stick and then how to use the meter to read the glucose levels
How often you should test your blood sugar
How to adjust your medication based on what results you have gotten on the test
How to use the meter
When pills do not help
If the blood sugar is not responding to pills, diet and exercise, insulin may be prescribed
More than one type of insulin may be recommended or tried in order to find a combination that works
Delivering insulin
Most individuals using insulin do so with a syringe
If the person is having difficulty in controlling the levels of glucose, an insulin pump might be an option
Pumps are expensive (several thousand dollars)
There also is a powdered version insulin to use as an inhaler
Insulin Pump
Jared, can you crop out the top part of the photo?
The pump is worn like a pager at the waist usually
It has a tiny tube inserted under the skin
The pump gives a basic dose of insulin throughout the day
The person with diabetes can increase or decrease the amount of insulin depending on diet and activity
What is High or Low Blood Sugar?
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is when the test show:
At or over 240 mg/dl
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is when the test show:
Less than 70 mg/dl
Dangerous blood sugar levels
Anyone can have a high sugar level once in awhile, especially after eating something sweet
If the sugar is below 70 mg/dl, you are at risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) problems and need to eat a snack containing some sugar and some protein, for example, peanut butter and jelly
Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar can happen when:
You are taking medication but not eating enough food
You are exercising more but not watching your glucose (not checking your sugars)
You are eating less and not watching your glucose
You are taking too much medication
Signs of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
shaking
sweating
rapid heart beat
irritability
headache
confusion
seizure
severe hunger
Low blood sugar emergencies
A blood sugar below 70 can become an emergency
If the person is awake and can eat or drink something with sugar, that will raise the blood sugar
If they are unable to safely swallow (that is, not choke), call 911 for help
Low blood sugar can cause coma and death
High blood sugar and the Dangers of Ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is not common with type 2 diabetes, but can happen with uncontrolled high blood sugar over a period of time
DKA happens when the body cannot use the glucose normally
The sugar builds up
The body starts to break down fat for energy and this causes the blood to become acidic
This can lead to many complications, including death
Blood sugars with DKA are usually between 600 and 1,000mg/dl
What causes diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)?
When the sugar level is over 600 mg/dl
It can cause dehydration (loss of body fluids), which makes the sugar level even higher
The build up of acid in the blood stream from breaking down fat for energy (since the sugar can't get into the cells) affects breathing, heart function, and consciousness
Death can occur if insulin, fluids and other medication is not given promptly
A medic-alert card or bracelet can save your life!
For the unexpected medical emergency:
Always carry a medic-alert card in your purse or wear a bracelet that indicates you have diabetes
This helps paramedics and doctors know how best to treat you when there is an emergency
Living with diabetes can mean a good quality life
Dangerously low or high blood sugars occur rarely or never if an individual takes care of themselves:
Takes their medications
Checks their blood sugars
Lives a balanced life, eating a healthy diet and doing regular physical exercise
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