Need advice about hypoglycemia

[jmowreader]

Michelle is my expeditor--it's her job to follow up on special orders and installs, deal with vendors and in general make my life a lot easier.

On Friday she fucked up and didn't go to lunch until 2pm. At 2:02, she walked up to the racking and grabbed on--to keep from falling on the floor. Turns out she's borderline hypoglycemic.

The question, of course, is: besides keeping a big container of gummi bears in the desk drawer for emergency use (and hoping like hell no one eats all of them) and making sure she goes to lunch at noon like she's supposed to, is there anything else I have to worry about?

[pinto]

1. ask a medical professional. n/t

[WoodrowFan]

2. NO Gummi Bears!!

I've been hypoglycemic for almost 20 years and sugar is the LAST thing I'd take. It would make me pass out. (I know, I tried it). If she gets light-headed make sure she has juice, OJ is great for that! Little snacks with some protein throughout the day is the key.

[blondeatlast]

5. Lowfat milk works GREAT. Lactose metabolizes quickly, and

the protien stabilizes the glucose rather than the high, then rebounded low.

I read it in a magazine about 10 years ago, and it's been my first choice ever since.

[zelda7743]

23. Ummm

OJ and sugar are pretty much the same thing nutritionally. Sucrose (table sugar) is comprised of a molecule of fructose (found in fruit) and a molecule of glucose (which is the sugar known as "blood sugar").
The belief that table sugar and fruit sugar are not metabolized in the same way is pretty much old wives tale.
Having a small amount of any kind of sugar will rapidly bring up blood sugar levels.
People with hypoglycemia should eat small meals throughout the day. Adequate levels of protein and fat will help keep blood sugar levels stable.

[unblock]

3. whatever else you do,

ASK HER what you can do to prepare for any emergencies or episodes.

it's great that you're researching hypoglycemia, but whatever you find out about it, keep in mind that you're not preparing for any old hypoglycemic episode, you're preparing very specifically for a MICHELLE episode.

my point is that everyone is different and michelle, or her doctor, may have misdiagnosed or mislabeled her condition, or there could be more (or less) to her condition than she's revealing.

so the safest bet is to ask her what you can do and if it's reasonable, accomodate her request.

reasonable accomodation. it's not just a good idea, it's the law (thanks to the ada).


good luck to you and best of health to michelle.

[blondeatlast]

4. URGE HER TO SEE A DOCTOR, first.

She should treat for the low initially, but within a half hour MUST eat some serious protein or the low could come on again, and worse.

Do not treat with anything fatty; chocolate is a huge no-no. Lowfat milk is an excellent treatment, as protien is essential to stabilizing glucose.

I've taken insulin for 35 years; I'm no medical pro, but I've had plenty of experience.

And definitely--URGE HER TO SEE A DOCTOR.

[camero]

6. Use jelly beans, they work faster.

and tell her to go to the doctor. But I always keep jelly beans with me for emergencies.

[jmowreader]

13. Thanks, I can do that...

now if I can only figure out where to put them so (1) they're easily accessible if they're needed and (2) the night crew doesn't know where they are...I'm set.

[camero]

15. Well, I don't know about that

But what I do is I have a bowl in the dining room with them inside and I also take some in a sandwich bag in my pocket when I go out.

I'm sure she also has a necklace or card with her medical info on it I hope.

[Lars39]

16. As gross as it sounds, a catsup packet will work in a pinch, too.

Plenty of sugar in catsup. :)

[TexasProgresive]

7. Hypo-hyper

It's a mistake to treat low blood sugar symptoms with sugar unless it is an emergency. Continued sugar consumption can lead to hyperglycemia (diabetes I). I know from personal experience. She needs to eat several small meals a day that shy away from simple carbs and are balanced a bit heavier on the proteins and good fats.

Abnormal response to sugar consumption is a symptom of the body not responding to insulin correctly. I'm no doctor but Michelle needs to take control of this while she's young and non-diabetic. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

[blondeatlast]

9. Edit and heartfelt apologies. You are mostly correct, but...

Spoken as a delegate to the ADA's Call to Congress--this is the kind of unproven theory that holds back research funding. That makes it dangerous, especially at a time when an extraordinary treatment (stem-cell implantation) is well within our grasp.

While your treatment advice is valid, I have to call you on your causation theory.

Carbohydrate consumption has NO relevance to the development of insulin-dependent diabetes. I had a very healthy diet as a child, but became ID at the age of 7.

NO ONE knows what causes IDD.

Nonetheless--Welcome to DU!

:toast: (With a delicious, non-alcoholic beverage, of course!)

[TexasProgresive]

25. Type 2 not type 1 diabetes

Carbohydrate consumption has NO relevance to the development of insulin-dependent diabetes.

That's absolutely correct. I was speaking about Type 2 diabetes which is no the same animal as type 1. People who have low sugars as a response to consuming sugars are predisposed to developing type 2. These hypoglycemic blues are not a normal condition for most people. I suffered from them my whole life and was prone to self-medicate with high carb foods which stimulated and overproduction of insulin (a vicious circle). Eventually this lead to over weight and insulin resistance which caused my sugars to scream upward.

[jmowreader]

11. Head hits floor = EMERGENCY!

I have a 10,000psi concrete floor--exceptionally hard, far harder than your average concrete structure. If you fall and hit your head on this floor, concussion is the least of your worries. I don't want it to happen.

She does go to the doctor and generally takes care of herself (she's been an expeditor in our store for years and this is the first episode we've had)...but if she passes out on me, I have to know what to do.

[blondeatlast]

17. Passes out=911; if she has diabetes ( I assume she does not):

Actually, with diabetes it's still 911 but there is another step in the meantime as well.

It's called Glucagon, available by prescription only. It's an injection--and a sheer lifesaver.

Edit: typo and clarification.

[Streetdoc270]

22. Dial 911 to be safe...

Keep cake icing for a low BGL (blood sugar level) its cheep, tastes good, and works great but use ONLY if someone is consious and can controll their own airway (if they can talk to you)

Glucagon is only usefull if the persons BGL is over 20 and takes 30 min to be effective, D50 another emergency drug used by Paramedics is given directly in the vein and works within 30 seconds, so "when in doubt, call 'em out" Your local EMS providers will not mind dropping by and checking her BGL when she feels bad.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

8. With perimenopause...

has come problems with blood sugar levels I have never had before in my life.

I keep Luna or Balance protein bars with me at all times and pop those if I've gone too long without food and am in danger of crashing. I tend to stay away from quick sugars because (for me) it doesn't take care of the problem in the long term and makes me feel "polluted" after I take it.

The best think is for Michelle to not let it happen in the first place. I used to do the same thing she did -- blow off food if I was really busy and then eat when I was crashing. Can you say stoopid? I just can't do that now. I eat many small meals with protein and good carbs throughout the day, and rarely have problems anymore.

[blondeatlast]

10. True--hormone levels can be a real problem.

And I think their effect is underappreciated in hypo/hyper/diabetes research.

[sendero]

12. This ...

.... (being hypoclygemia) is IMHO a kind of catch-all symptom for a number of problems.

I developed an inability to deal with sugar 25 years ago. It has gotten no better or worse since it appeared.

Medical science (at the time, and I suspect even now) doesn't really understand much about it. My doctor correctly diagnosed low blood sugar and confirmed it with a glucose tolerance test. But his recommendations for treating it were nonsense, as was his assertion that I was a pre-diabetic.

At the time, there was a lot of talk about "reactive hypoglycemia" which was supposedly caused by an overreaction of insulin production in the face of quickly rising carbohydrates (sugars) in the blood.

It makes a certain amount of sense, but I don't think that is really it in my case.

I've asked several doctors about it, each gets real metaphysical and talks about "food sensitivities". Whatever.

Bottom line of this rambling stream of unconscious post is this - if your blood sugar is going low and you are eating regularly - eating sugar to bounce it back up might well be the worse thing you can do.

Also, my nurse cousin insists that lots of folks in our extended familly have such problems owing to our Cherokee heritage. I'm 1/8 by blood. Funny thing is sugar messes me up but alcohol doesn't :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

14. Can I just commend you for being a wonderful boss to be so caring?

The workaday world needs more bosses like you. Big pats for you.

Hugs,Laura :hug:

[blondeatlast]

18. Indeed! those of us who must deal with this thank you!

[jmowreader]

27. Thanks.

Gotta take care of my customers too...we call 911 if anything happens to them, but people dropping on the floor seemingly for no reason (there's never "no reason") is not good.

[arewethereyet]

19. she needs five smaller meals a day

nibble hand a sandwich at her desk and then take her break whenever.

real food, not sweets.

[SW FL Dem]

20. Been Borderline Hypoglycemic for 25 years.

Sugar in mild doses can help when she gets the shakes or feels weak, but in the long run sugar is really bad. Gummi bears can help in the short term. A better bet is to keep some healthy carbs around, fruit, low fat yogurt, whole wheat breads. Remind her to eat them if she is running late for lunch.

Thanks for caring. It's nice to see an employer with a heart.

[jmowreader]

28. She eats about three times a day at work, usually

And it's none of that prepackaged crap either--ever seen anyone with her own electric skillet at work? She has one.

Unfortunately, it's possible to get snowed under with work in this place, which is what happened to her.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Everyone is different.

People who suffer from hypoglycemia vary in what they can eat to relieve the symptoms. (And controlling it with diet is the best option.) How bad she has it will determine what she should select to eat. So, she'll have to experiment to find out what works for her.

But, here's a sample:

Sugar actually makes the symptoms worse for me in that I will feel better for only a few minutes, then crash hard. It only buys me time to get something else that will work better.

If things get as bad for me, as they did for Michelle, I prefer a starch rather than sugar. Potatoes, french fries, cheez its. It's a quick fix, but obviously, you shouldn't let it get this far and it's not good for your health long-term, because you'll put on weight.

Instead, in the morning she should eat a good breakfast with a solid protein and starch. (toast and peanut butter is the simpliest thing to do. Egg & toast is better. The key is the solid protein.) Stay away from cereal because the milk mixes with the sugar from the cereal and it's too much sugar early in the morning for the body to absorb. Cereal later on at night, should be fine. Another thing to avoid first thing in the morning is a bowl of fruit. Too much sugar.

Then from that point on, she should have something available to eat every couple of hours. Peanuts are a good option as a snack and if I have to go for a candy bar, Snicker bars are good.

She can actually live a normal life (as in no symptoms at all) if she can reduce stress and follow a good exercise regime, but hey, those things aren't options in modern society.

[camero]

24. Another piece of advice that I completely forgot

(Cause I was a little low just now...lol) If she is doing something that is a little out of character or competence for her it might be a good idea to ask her to check her sugar if she is doing that.

Mental screwups are usually the first sign of hypoglycemia. Not all the time but I noticed it at first. I just wasn't thinking right and that was my cue that I was getting a little low.

[TexasProgresive]

26. Brain food

You got that right. The brain can only use blood sugar for fuel and if the level goes low the brain begins to function poorly - the converse is also true- if blood sugars go high the brain is still in trouble. It is worse when low - extremal low sugars can cause coma and death.