1. Always carry a sugary drink or glucose tablets with you when you go out.
I don’t like to depend on other people to manage my condition, and I enjoy having an active and adventurous lifestyle. Activity can often lower blood glucose levels, so I always carry both a sugary drink and glucose tablets with me wherever I go. This is to ensure I can safely and effectively treat a hypo and prevent symptoms becoming worse.
2. Tell the people around you that you have diabetes and what your symptoms looks like.
I have found that it’s incredibly helpful, and really important to tell the people around you that you have diabetes. I train 6 days/ week and so my training group and my coaches would know what to look out for if I became unaware that I was having a hypo. They know where I keep my sugary snacks in my training bag, and in the case of a severe emergency they know to call an ambulance.
3. Blood glucose testing is key
Whilst hypos can be an unwanted part of having type 1 diabetes, regular blood glucose testing helps inform me what my glucose levels are doing so as to manage them. Blood glucose monitoring devices, such as the Dario Smart Meter, are essential to carry around with you, so that you can test on the go. Additionally, testing before, during and after sport is important in addition to before bed to raise awareness/ help prevention of night hypos.
4. I.C.E
Sometimes hypo symptoms can come on quickly and it can become important to let somebody know. I find it can be helpful to keep an I.C.E or In Case of Emergency contact in your phone. Also, if glucose levels are low when testing, I use the app of the Dario Smart Meter to message a loved one to make them aware of the situation.
5. Wear a medical alert device
Sometimes hypo symptoms can include confusion, disorientation and in some cases lead to collapse. I wear a medical alert device at all times with details of my diabetes inscribed on it, including emergency contact details and that I wear an insulin pump.
6. Exercise
I never exercise when my blood glucose levels are low, as this can be very dangerous. If a hypo should happen at training, although it is very rare for me, I let my coach know that I feel hypo, I step off the track and test my blood glucose levels immediately. I then proceed to treat the hypo with fast acting sugar and continue to monitor my glucose levels.
7. Look at patterns/ utilise technology
With regular blood glucose testing it can be very helpful (with the assistance of healthcare professionals) to find patterns within glucose readings, so as to try and avoid the danger of having hypos. New technology enables this, for example, with the Dario Smart meter app that enables a log book to be kept of blood glucose readings, so that regular lows can be identified.
Here is some useful information from Diabetes UK and NHS Choices on hypos, however if concerned about hypos always seek medical attention.
Disclaimer: Healthcare professionals and diabetes specialists are there to provide help and advice for people with diabetes, who have concerns about hypos. These tips are what I personally find helpful and are not suggested medical advice.
This is a sponsored post by Dario
0 comments:
Post a Comment