Good day to you. My name is Jason a 44 year old male. For the past 42 years of my life I have been living with Diabetes Mellitus Type One. In this article I am going to cover how to control blood sugar levels. A brief look at long term complications which are a result of poor blood sugar control. The warning signs of low blood sugar and how to spot them plus advice on making sure you do not endanger yourself or anybody else. High blood sugars how to spot the effects of high blood sugar and how to safely administer the correct dosage to reduce your blood sugar.

With diabetes mellitus our bodies have lost the control to process sugar (carbohydrates) that are found in food and liquids. Of course these sugars possess the energy that our bodies need to fulfill our day, We have two types of insulin. One being quick acting and one called a “basal” insulin. The quick acting insulin reacts within one to two hours of injection and the dosage is in accordance with:-

A: Our blood sugar level at time of eating.

B: The amount of sugars to be eaten.

The basal insulin is given once a day (normally) and at the same time with the same dosage unless advised by your medical team to change the dosage. We monitor our blood sugar levels through blood monitors which analyze tiny samples of blood which are placed on blood sticks. There are blood monitors now which calculate how much insulin you should give yourself in order to maintain a good quality blood sugar control. My one is called “Freestyle lnsuLinx” There are of course others on the market. In the UK our blood sugars should be in the range of in between 4.5mmoll to 7mmoll. Elsewhere in the world you may have a different system as in the USofA their range is 81mg/dl to 126mg/dl.

If we do not keep our blood sugars within the range as mentioned above we stand the risk of developing long term complications due to excessive sugar clotting in our system. These complications can range from blindness to loss of limbs and indeed would be a secondary factor in our death.

Low blood sugars can occur and will no doubt occur over any diabetics life time. Whilst the majority of episodes are not unpleasant and if you are anything like me then quite enjoyable. As we are allowed for a brief period allowed to eat really sweet items in order for us to regain normal sugar levels. I admit to having a sweet tooth, I guess because sweetness is the forbidden fruit?!? On other occasions though the episode is not nearly so nice and can if left unattended result in convulsions and the need to contact medical help as an emergency. It is imperative that we check our blood levels before driving as it is not only our lives when we are behind the wheel of a car but also of any other road users or pedestrians. The same of course can be said at work as well. For example heavy machinery, fork lift trucks etc etc. Low blood sugars are overcome with quick acting sugar for example glucose and some longer acting carbohydrate for example one apple. Eating chocolate is not advised as the fat content in the chocolate means the sugar is released too slow to help the hypo stop. Also try not to overindulge otherwise high blood sugar level is encountered.

High blood sugars on the other hand are the exact opposite of low blood sugars and the best way I can describe this is as, if you can for a moment please imagine your blood with the same consistency as coca cola being left out in the sun on a hot summers day. That stickiness that would happen to the coca-cola is what happens to our blood. You encounter a thirst that no matter what liquid you consume the cotton wool in your mouth is never really cleared. (I have found that a really strong mouthwash does help slightly!) Your stomach is held in a vice/clamp like grip and the need to urinate seems to happen every 30 mins or so. This of course is not a pleasant time. Good news!!! With the advancement of modern day insulin working within an hour and a half this feeling soon goes. But what is the safe amount of quick acting insulin? Below is the advice that I have been given, please ensure you do though check your blood’s half hourly to ensure you do not suffer a hypo attack.

Let’s say you would like your blood sugar to be at your normal range and your sugar is at 15 a safe dosage would be 4 units. This is worked out by taking 6 away from 15 which = 9. Halving 9 = 4.5. We do not inject .5 so being on the safe side we inject 4. Increment the dosage respectfully according to the sugar level when tested.

In this short article we covered good blood sugar control and why this is effective to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We covered low blood sugars how to deal with them and to hopefully prevent accidents occurring and lastly we covered high blood sugars the feeling associated with them and how to lower blood sugar safely.