6 DIABETES EMERGENCIES YOU CAN NEVER IGNORE (High Blood Sugar)

six diabetes emergencies in this video I'll explain what these emergencies are when you should be concerned in what to do how to prevent them and also how to respond if you or a family member or friend is experiencing one of these emergencies it's crucial that you know the correct way to act in these situations because it can be life saving all right let's start with the first of the six emergencies which is very common hypoglycemia when blood sugar is dangerously low but when exactly is blood sugar considered too low if the level is below 70

mg per deciliter or if you're in a country that uses milles per liter it would be less than three 9 mmol/l when you have one of these values or lower it indicates a potentially very serious situation which is Hypoglycemia so how do you recognize hyp H glycemia what are the signs and symptoms of this medical emergency that's right hypoglycemia is no joke it's not normal and needs to be treated but what are the signs and symptoms Tremors palpitations many patients say it feels like their heart is in their throat sweating chills mental confusion and in

some cases seizures or even coma a person might faint so it's a very serious condition and I want you to know two things first when you're experiencing these signs and symptoms you should consume some carbohydrates but how much and in what form preferably 15 G of carbohydrates now I know you are probably wondering what that amount looks like it's about a tablespoon okay so I'm going to talk about spoons here because it's easier to understand a tablespoon of sugar or honey some type of simple carbohydrate that you can consume quickly to raise your blood sugar

level that's right that's the recommendation don't be alarmed because when we're faced with this situation we want to reverse it quickly as quickly as possible so you don't experience these symptoms or have a seizure for example we're concerned about this and aim to improve blood sugar levels there's also another problem with hypoglycemia because when your body experiences low glucose levels to try and improve this situ ation your system increases the production of cortisol and adrenaline so why is this particularly dangerous for people with diabetes during one of these adrenaline spikes your heart starts beating faster

which we've already noted as one of the symptoms and if you're already predisposed this could potentially trigger a heart attack that's why it's crucial to treat it quickly if you don't have sugar packets on hand or any food food containing glucose that your body can quickly absorb you can opt for a drink like orange juice for example which contains carbohydrates and is also beneficial there are some situations where people might suggest candy I don't recommend candy okay only as an absolute Last Resort if you have nothing else available ideally avoid candy during hypoglycemia why because

you could choke and end up with another emergency okay so preferably avoid candy I also want to point out that as you experience hypoglycemia over time your body gets used to it so you'll have fewer symptoms for example many people when they first experience it at 65 or 60 mgdl they already have these symptoms I mentioned but over the years it's common for diabetics to have no symptoms at these levels this becomes increasingly dangerous okay that's why it's important for you to know it's not normal and to keep track of it besides correcting it you

should write down when it happens and also note the circumstances under which you had hypoglycemia for example I saw a patient last week who had hypoglycemia experienced these signs and symptoms and he wrote it down but it was because he had been fasting he went on a trip got stuck in traffic wasn't prepared and ended up having a hypoglycemic episode well in this case we know the cause and we're going to address press it as a basic precaution you should always carry a packet of Honey with you to quickly correct your blood sugar levels if

you encounter a situation beyond your control like unexpected traffic where a usual 15-minute trip home suddenly takes 2 hours due to road closures that's an exception we'll make adjustments to handle such situations in the future now if you don't know the cause or you're experiencing frequent hypoglycemic episodes it means means your treatment plan needs adjustment you should document these incidents so your doctor has the necessary information often when I see diabetic patients they tell me oh I had some low blood sugar episodes but I didn't write them down so I'm not sure about the details

sometimes I think that when this happens it's really bad for you because we doctors feel helpless as we can't act in the best way possible so it's crucial for your well-being that you note down the circumstances keep a diary or a small notebook and always jot down what happened for example this way the doctor can take more effective action okay the second emergency which is also very important is when blood sugar levels rise so much hypoglycemia that your body starts showing symptoms these include fatigue nausea vomiting and you might even have bad breath you start

losing weight without changing your diet or starting to exercise for instance you feel very very thirsty urinate frequently and start waking up during the night to pee if you used to sleep through the night but now wake up several times that's a sign too it's an easy sign to spot as long as you're aware of it waking up during the night to urinate if you didn't do this before is definitely a warning sign yes you're drinking a lot of water you're always thirsty it seems like you can't quench your thirst why the kidneys in an

attempt to compensate start eliminating sugar through your p and through urine this can leave you prone to dehydration if you have type 1 diabetes these signs and symptoms could indicate a serious complication an emergency called diabetic keto acidosis if you have type 2 diabetes this can lead to what we call a hyperosmolar hypoglycemic state which is also a serious complication of type 2 diabetes I want to emphasize two important points for you to remember if you suspect you're in one of these situations first these conditions have a very high mortality rate so you shouldn't wait

you need to go to the emergency room or Hospital immediately the second recommendation which is equally important and could even save your life is to stay hydrated you need to drink water for instance if you're going to the emergency room and you know it might take an hour or two before you're seen bring water with you for that waiting period so you can keep hydrating yourself from my years of experience working in emergency medicine I I've seen patients with this condition arrive extremely dehydrated why is that you've seen how the kidneys try to compensate by

flushing out sugar through urine this leads to severe dehydration in the person the rate of dehydration in diabetics with these complications is extremely high if you've been staying hydrated you'll be in a much better State when you arrive just by following this advice you'll have a much better chance of recovering more quickly so remember hydration is key bring water with you on your way to the hospital the third complication of diabetes which occurs with elevated blood sugar levels is diabetic retinopathy if left untreated it can even lead to blindness it causes damage to the retina

due to diabetes I want you to pay close attention to something more importantly while I mentioned two things for the others here I'm going to emphasize one crucial Point even if you don't have any visual symptoms like blurred vision changes in eyesight or if you're not seeing flashes of light for example if you're a type 2 diabetic you should get this exam done right at the time of diagnosis if you haven't done it yet talk to your doctor about ordering this essential test every type 2 diabetic should have a fundus exam or fundoscopy at diagnosis

to check for diabetic retinopathy if you have type 1 diabetes you should get this test 5 years after your diagnosis after you've had this initial test if you have type 2 diabetes for instance you'll have follow-ups based on the results there are cases where the patient will have it done after a year other patients should have it after two years so you need to see how this exam is going but remember you have to do at least the fundus exam or fundoscopy to evaluate this retinal issue it's very important because this can prevent any changes

from progressing or you having a complication like retinal detachment for example or even vision loss this is very important okay and I see in practice talking to patients that many have never had this exam which is a very very serious situation and really needs attention all right so have you ever had the exam to check if you have any Vision complications due to diabetes or have you never had it have you ever heard someone say they don't have any vision changes because they don't have symptoms well now you know better often the first symptom can

be a serious change okay you definitely need to get an eye exam and number four the fourth medical emergency is cardiovascular emergencies such as heart attacks and strokes also known as cvas or cerebral Strokes I want you to know that to avoid these complications you need to be careful with your blood pressure levels do you know what your blood pressure is if you're a diabetic you should have regular blood pressure checks take a measurement once a week in a week you should do two or three measurements this is very important for your doctor to be

able to Monitor and control it all right what would be a good blood pressure value for most diabetics 120 over 80 mm of mercury would be a good value how's your blood pressure do you know if you're diabetic it's also very important that you take care of your cholesterol we know that cholesterol levels should be individualized each person will have their own ideal LDL level but if you have diabetes your target value should be a bit lower than for people without diabetes it's crucial that you understand this triglycerides are also a risk factor for cardiovascular

complications are you engaging in physical activity exercise is vital in preventing these changes and cardiovascular complications aim for at least 150 minutes per week spread over three or more days this can include walking running going to the gym swimming or cycling for example so it's really important that you don't overly restrict your physical activities do the physical exercise that you enjoy Also as you already know don't smoke smoking is a major risk factor as well limit your alcohol consumption and maintain good blood sugar levels we typically use a test called glycated hemoglobin what's that it's

the average of your blood sugar levels over the last 90 days this test is crucial in determining whether the treatment is effective or not there are other parameters like the capillary glucose test which is the one you do with a finger prick but the glycated hemoglobin test should be around 7% in some cases the doctor might accept a slightly higher result in other cases they might aim for a slightly lower result like 6.5% if the patient isn't experiencing any hypoglycemia it depends on the situation but I want you to remember this value of around 7.0%

the glycated hemoglobin test can also help prevent these cardiovascular complications so controlling risk factors and blood sugar levels is crucial to avoid this medical emergency and number five the fifth medical emergency but before we get to number five I want to ask if you're finding this video helpful are you enjoying it if so please give it a like let's aim for 600 likes this way the system recognizes that the video is relevant and will share this information with more people you've probably noticed that diabetics and even non-diabetics need this information number five on our list

is diabetic nephropathy it's a kidney complication caused by diabetes this happens due to elevated blood sugar levels there's a statistic from the United States that says for every three diabetics the 1 of May develop diabetic nephropathy so it's crucial that you not only pay attention to the signs and symptoms but also get screened regularly Alisa researches to determine if you have kidney changes due to diabetes what are the signs and symptoms you should look out for changes in urine for example is your urine Foy are you feeling more bloated than usual how about your legs

did you not have swelling before have you started to feel swollen itching nausea vomiting changes in appetite cramps muscle spasms why does this happen when we have kidney issues potassium can build up in our blood this condition is called hyperemia and you can experience cramps because of it so let's talk about changes in blood pressure have you been experiencing high blood pressure or is your blood pressure Rising higher than normal we also need to evaluate if this isn't a symptom of kidney changes related to diabetic nephropathy I want to emphasize here that just like eye

exams every diabetic needs to have their kidneys examed I'm going to highlight two tests here that are extremely important the first is creatin which measures kidney function usually everyone gets this creatinine test done the second test which is also very important is one that many diabetics have never had it's common for me to talk to patients who've had diabetes for 10 or 20 years and have never done this test it's the test to check if you have albumin in your urine using a single urine sample just a simple one if the doctor requests a test

for albumin and creatinine in the urine we can establish relationship and determine if the kidneys are losing proteins which could indicate diabetic nephropathy these two tests are crucial for monitoring people with diabetes for type 2 diabetes at the time of diagnosis the doctor needs to check the patient's urine and creatinin levels to assess kidney function for type 1 diabetes this is done 5 years after diagnosis the frequency of these follow-up tests may vary depending on the results they can be done annually or every 2 years other tests can also be used such as the 24-hour

protein urine test where you take a container home and collect your urine for 24 hours and the lab can analyze how much protein is in your urine over that period this test might also be requested in this case I'll highlight these two main screening tests even if you don't have the signs and symptoms I mentioned diabetics need to undergo this screening given the high frequency of kidney disease number six extremely common diabetic neuropathy changes in the nerves due to increased blood sugar levels what are the signs and symptoms of diabetic neuropathy keep in mind that

statistics from the United States show that one out of every two diabetics may have neuropathy that's 50% you see it's really extremely common so changes in sensitivity Burning Sensations in the legs and when going to bed many patients even report sensitivity to bed sheets or Burning Sensations or numbness decreased sensitivity you start to lose feeling in specific areas of your legs and feet it's very important that your doctor performs an evaluation in their office have you had your feet examined so ask your doctor talk to them about it there's a test using a device called

a monofilament that the doctor can use to determine this and they can even investigate with more detailed test have you heard of diabetic foot what exactly is diabetic foot with the decrease in sensitivity and other changes caused by diabetes such as a reduced ability to fight infections you may develop wounds that can become infected you'll have more difficulty healing and this can lead to a more serious infection so make sure to examine your feet for any cracks or fishes these can be entry points for infections if you have diabetes I Str strongly recommend watching this

video in it I explain tips on how you can better control your blood sugar levels as you've seen uncont controlled blood sugar levels can lead to serious complications so please watch this video I'm sure it'll be helpful as it contains a lot of scientific evidence about diabetes take care and see you next time