Type 1 Diabete

**Hessah** · 03-12-2009, 02:31 AM

A guy at work has Type 1 Diabete (is Type 1 Diabetic?)... and apparently he just had a hypo today and no one knew what to do...

All I know about Diabete is that it's about the level of sugar in your blood and it needs to be closely monitored... (and that he couldnt have chocolate and starburst when I offered forgetting it was diabetic...

)

So, does anyone have any advice on wat we need to look out for to help him when he has his hypo?

How do we know if he needs sugar or has too much?

**Hraesvelg** · 03-12-2009, 03:05 AM

Is he taking insulin for his condition? I would guess that's what you're meaning by him having a hypo with him. Slurred speech and/or loss of coordination a big one to watch out for low blood sugar conditions. He'll almost seem drunk. He'll probably realize what's going on and have a candy or something to pick him back up. If he's passed out then alert the medical authorities. He probably won't have to worry about the high blood sugar causing emergency problems. Mostly headaches and various limb pain will alert him that it's getting high, but he'll probably just have to wait those out. It's the lows that really can cause distress in others.

My mom has had it since I was a wee one, so it's something I've had to deal with. Also, all four of my grandparents and all of my aunts and uncles. It's...only a matter of time, LOL

**Hessah** · 03-12-2009, 03:09 AM

yeah apparently he was slurring and looked a bit... out of place? like he was drunk...

I believe he normally takes insulin, maybe he was hungry coz it happened right at lunch time..

so type 1 diabetic normally means they don't have enough sugar? (or is hypo associated with the sympton to low in sugar?)

**Spirit** · 03-12-2009, 03:16 AM

Orange Juice is the quickest if he has an attack. Also, several spoonfuls of peanut butter also help if it is not a full-blown attack.

There are different levels of an attack. Depending on the level of his attack and how extensive it was, would depend on the best way to treat it.

However, Orange Juice is the sure bet for no matter how full-blown it is, if you are unsure.

Did he just get light-headed and feel real weak or did he actually start shaking or did he do all the above plus pass out?

Originally Posted by Hessah

yeah apparently he was slurring and looked a bit... out of place? like he was drunk...

I believe he normally takes insulin, maybe he was hungry coz it happened right at lunch time..

so type 1 diabetic normally means they don't have enough sugar? (or is hypo associated with the sympton to low in sugar?)

Hypo, means the sugar glucose is low. Meaning he needs sugar in his system.

Hyper, means the sugar glucose is high. Meaning he has too much sugar in his system.

If it happened right after lunch, then chances are whatever he ate broke down into too much sugar. Most of the time eating helps to control your blood sugar depending on what you are eating.

I have to make sure that I do not eat too much sugar at once. Instead, I am supposed to take it in small doses and if I do eat something like ice cream or cake that is full of sugar, then for the rest of the day, it is best that I keep candy and/or orange juice close by.

Most of the time I can feel my sugar dropping and I know what to do and can usually prevent the serious attacks. However, sometimes they happen so fast and furious I have no chance to do anything before I pass out.

**Hessah** · 03-12-2009, 03:33 AM

He didn't pass out.. my boss saw him looking a bit odd.. sliding in his chair and things, and asked if he was OK, and he said "yeah yeah i'm fine"

i think someone gave him some 'normal' coke.. and he came back...

he seem completely fine after 10-20 mins (even went driving to a meeting)...

but yeah.. i was more concern about how we know if he had too much or not enough sugar, coz giving him full-sugar coke if he's hving too much sugar will probably end in something severe =/

**Hraesvelg** · 03-12-2009, 04:24 AM

Oh! By hypo I was thinking he had a hypodermic needle with him.

**Belaslav** · 03-12-2009, 04:29 AM

I believe the proper term for this is hypoglycemia. Normally people just carry small sugar tubes with them every time they feel nauseous and need energy. I'd suggest keeping some emergency sugar cube stash stockpiled someplace convenient.

**Hessah** · 03-12-2009, 04:31 AM

Icc... thanks guys!

I think we're gonna stock up on some glucose jelly beans here at work...

lamchopz · 03-12-2009, 09:44 AM

Diabetes mellitus, or more commonly known as just diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) raises blood glucose level so you must not feed him anything that contains sugar.

Type 1 diabetes results from the lack of insulin due to the primary faliure of insulin-producing liver cells (insulin helps take up glucose into tissues, thereby reducing its level in the blood). This means he needs treatment that injects insulin into his circulation. All you can do to help is watch out if his diet is sugar-rich and then tell him off. lol

**Hraesvelg** · 03-12-2009, 09:54 AM

Yeah, but diabetics generally are taking some sort of insulin or other pill to take the excess blood sugar out. Since a lot of them try to avoid sugar to begin with, it occasionally happens where the medication is overzealous and blood-sugar levels drop out. That's when the person has the drunk-like symptoms.