Helping someone with an LBS episode…
I recently attended my son’s football tournament and there was an opportunity for me to help out a fellow type 1 diabetic who was experiencing a low blood sugar episode. It’s amazing how treating blood sugar lows, and something that is so automatic in my life was magnified as the episode went into slow motion and I found myself taking control of the situation with total ease.
Let’s call her J. The tournament was over, and we were heading to the carpark to leave when my friend Alex came running to find me to say that a young diabetic mum (J) needed our help. The mother of 6-month-old twins was sitting on the artificial field slumped against the fence in obvious distress. Her husband was squatting and holding her hand as the twins milled about wanting his attention. He shifted from the twins to his wife remaining calm but also quite overwhelmed by the experience. J had glassy eyes, wasn’t speaking and appeared very disoriented. Apparently, she had only been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a year and a half ago and was still learning to navigate all the challenges that diabetes brings.
Alex and I have been friends for years, but he had only recently experienced me having a low blood sugar episode – learning how to treat a low ‘by fire’ as I was driving us on the highway (another story that thankfully has a happy ending). As the low blood sugar experience was fresh in his mind and he had discussed this episode with many people at length, he knew what action to take. He immediately looked in nearby eskies to see what sugar he could find and came across a can of coke which he gave to the young dad for his wife. I arrived about this time and assured her that everything was going to be OK once her BGL’s increased and we kept her calm. Her husband was doing really well supporting her and trying to look after the twins who were a bit distressed in the confusion.
We got snakes and lollies (that we always have in the glove box of each of our cars) and gave them to J while I constantly checked her blood levels with her iPhone and FreeStyle Libre unit connected to her upper arm. J’s initial reading was 3.1mmol which was slightly higher than her real BGL would have been (FYI the FreeStyle Libre CGM – continuous glucose monitoring - is around 10 minutes behind that of a blood reading so her real BGL would have been less than 3.0mmol). Alex also called over another friend of ours who is a cardiac nurse to help and she assisted in updating J with her medical knowledge that things were going fine and she had a lot of experienced people around her helping. We constantly assured her husband that things were under control and complimenting him as did really well looking after the twins and caring for his wife simultaneously.
While helping J, I looked down from above and felt like I was experiencing this episode as this has happened to me a lot over my 40+ years of having type 1 diabetes. I also felt proud and empowered in a strange way that I could help and assist someone going through a low blood sugar episode that was such a common occurrence to me.
J’s BGL’s started to rise after around 10 minutes. Around the 15-minute mark her levels were back at 4.0mmol and she started to become more aware but also felt very embarrassed. I could relate to this feeling as I often also felt embarrassed that people were attending to me and I didn’t have control myself. It’s strange the shame you feel that is so hard to describe to another but is very real. Ironically, I kept on telling her that this was normal and that nobody was judging her at all for what was happening and that everyone just wanted to help. Did I mention that J and her husband were English and we all joked that this was the Aussie way to always help someone in need.
Alex continued cracking a few jokes which helped ease the situation. I was very proud of the action he’d taken so swiftly and efficiently (as a proud parent). I suggested that J carry a bag of lollies and apple juice with her whenever she left her house. Ironically this was the first time that she didn’t take them with her. My final piece of advice to J was that she must tell everyone around her – friends, family and co-workers what could happen to her when she was experiencing a low blood sugar episode and what action she needed them to take. J eventually felt better so the family packed up the twins in their strollers and headed off towards home no doubt to dissect what had occurred so they could be better prepared the next time.
The experience of helping this young mum gave me amazing confidence and pride knowing I could help and offer real value to someone in distress. If we can all be educated and speak up if we see someone that might need some help, the world would be an even better place.
Quick Carbohydrate Guide for Treating Low Blood Sugars
If your blood sugar is less than 3.9mmol, you need 15 to 30 grams of a quickly absorbed carbohydrate, like the ones listed below. Each of the following servings provides 15 grams of carbohydrate.
Candies and Other Sweets
12 gummy bears
6 large jelly beans
1 Tablespoon honey or jam
1 Tablespoon sugar in water
4 Starburst lollies
Beverages
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup orange or grapefruit juice
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup regular soda (not diet)
1/3 cup grape juice
1/3 cup cranberry juice
1/3 cup prune juice
1 cup fat free milk
Fruits
1/2 banana
1 small apple
1 small orange
2 tablespoons of raisins
15 grapes
Other
3 to 4 glucose tablets
1 tube glucose gel
Note: The foods listed above are easily absorbed and will raise blood sugar levels quickly so these should be used first if possible. Foods that contain protein or fat – such as chocolate, candy bars, ice cream, cookies, crackers and bread – generally don't raise blood sugar quickly enough so can be used if the first option isn’t available.
*Information based on our experience and if you have any questions speak to your diabetes educator or doctor.