My first nurse teacher in high school told us about diabetic patients who act strange when their blood sugar is too high or too low. With no experience I could not be sure what she meant.
I was also taught about the ones whose blood sugar is too low who get belligerent.
I remember a patient who was very pale and was screaming and cursing so it was scary. I gave him a glass of juice which he quietly started drinking. He quieted down.
I have observed what looked like psychotic and childish behavior in people that I knew were diabetics and when their medications and patient care were not my business.
I have never known what to do. I did not know if it really was their diabetes or if they had some other thing wrong with them. I also never knew how to intervene unless they down on the floor.
I also know someone whose sugar runs high all the time and he shows no visible signs of it. He said his body is used to it.
That is really not true. Suppose you are at the grocery store. The clerk there is talking to you when his speech suddenly becomes slurred and he developed a facial droop. Call 911 right then. If his symptoms suddenly improve and he refuses EMS tx/transport, then that is between him and the EMS crew, but still call 911.
In the case you're describing, you would automatically get EMS. What I was talking about though are the times when someone is acting out and when you can't be sure if they're actually ill or if they just have an attitude by their own choice. Then there are boundary issues.
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
I have a son who is Type 1. He gets aggressive when he is low, he is also getting better about expressing his lows. It used to be oppposite, but as he has gotten older, he can be in the 300s and act fine. He is 9 now, so we are trying to get him to realize he can't let himself get that high (he sneaks food-whole 'nother story there!).
I carry his kit with me and I have tested a person at church who fainted.
The glucometer is one of the first things I grab when I have someone who has changes in mental status.
I have a son who is Type 1. He gets aggressive when he is low, he is also getting better about expressing his lows. It used to be oppposite, but as he has gotten older, he can be in the 300s and act fine. He is 9 now, so we are trying to get him to realize he can't let himself get that high (he sneaks food-whole 'nother story there!).
I carry his kit with me and I have tested a person at church who fainted.
The glucometer is one of the first things I grab when I have someone who has changes in mental status.
Diabetes is always changing, isn't it? Guess that keeps things exciting.
I was diagnosed when I was 4 and am 40 now. Complication-free and live a fairly normal life.
Make sure not to limit your son's diet. That's usually what leads to sneaking food and why type 1s are prone to eating disorders. Try to feed him as normally as possible and learn to bolus for what is eaten. Does your son use an insulin pump?
Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.
That is the frustrating part!! We have never told him he can't eat anything. He actually is a brave eater-he'll try anything I give him. We just tell to PLEASE give himself insulin.He does have a pump which makes life so much easier.
That's the beauty of diabetes- no two sufferers act alike when either crashing or their sugars are sky high. The beauty is that it keeps you on your toes, and increases your assessment skills, since so many things other than an actual sugar reading can alert you to a potentially serious or even lethal event. It's insidious, for sure.
I heard a rumor about someone who had a temper fit and vandalized their workplace when someone interrupted their lunch break before they had a chance to eat.
After a while I started to wonder if their blood glucose was low and if this was part of what set off a temper fit.
I was not there when this happened but I still think with a case like this one, boundaries are a big issue.
This person was used to being in control and never gave consent for anyone to take care of him and also never lost consciousness.
He is 9 now so we are trying to get him to realize he can't let himself get that high (he sneaks food-whole 'nother story there!).[/quote']
Just curious, I know he's only 9, but does he have an insulin to carb ratio? That way food doesn't have to be "snuck", just accounted for in the dosing.
Alnitak7
561 Posts
In the case you're describing, you would automatically get EMS. What I was talking about though are the times when someone is acting out and when you can't be sure if they're actually ill or if they just have an attitude by their own choice. Then there are boundary issues.