diabetes?

[ender]

hey, so i went to visit my grandfather who in July was in a coma for 2 weeks, following a massive MI, only to take notice that his sugars have been as high as 30mmol at dinner and as low as 17mmol in the morning (fasting) for the past month. my knowledge of diabetes is fair. i deal with it at work on daily basis; however, sugars are not this high. if they do become out of control, then i'm always a telephone call away from receiving an order to lower said sugars. so, as i understand it, if theres not enough insulin, then cells cannot use sugars for metabolism; thus, ischemia begins to occur (pvd, retinopathy, neuropathy, eventually nephropathy and heart disease and stroke). lipids and proteins are broken down for uptake by cells that are deprived of glucose, leading to surplus of ketones (metabolites of proteins and fats), causing ketoacidosis (metabolic acidosis =decrease in body ph). my grandfather has 2 scheduled dosages of humulin 30/70 36 units at breakfast and dinner. at first glance, i asked what he had been consuming, though no exact meals stated. i then asked if they had contacted their family doc re: chronically high sugars. they stated they had not talked to their doc since discharge. so, i told them to make an appointment tomorrow, as well as logging his meals for the next 2 weeks and taking his sugars at noon in addition to BGMs at 0800 and 1700. i told her to be conscious of his intake of high sugar meals (reading the nutritional facts), and encouraged consumption of plenty of water. i'm going to follow up at the end of this week with them (as i'm working a lot this week). any ideas as to what else i could do? or any knowledge i'm missing?

[LouisVRN, RN]

While we can't give medical advice consulting specialists in this case an endocrinologist and dietician may be a good place to start

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Keep in mind that we have the utmost compassion for your grandfather's situation. However, the membership at AllNurses is not allowed to give medical advice. These concerns need to be brought to the attention of your grandfather's physician. We are hoping for the best possible outcome in this situation.