Diabetics have some very particular needs when it comes to emergency first aid.
But first it helps to understand what diabetics actually suffer from.
Every one of us needs glucose. It’s the energy we run our bodies on. Much of the food we eat gets converted into glucose that enters our blood stream and feeds our cells.
We call this glucose ‘blood sugar’.
Some people have low blood sugar. Some people have high blood sugar. But most people have something in their body called insulin, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels and keep them normal.
Diabetics however, have a condition where either their body doesn’t produce enough insulin or their insulin isn’t working like it should. So they can’t properly regulate the glucose levels in their blood.
If you know someone with diabetes, you’ll understand that they can be hit by “low blood sugar attacks”, if they haven’t eaten properly, are ill, have over-exercised, etc
In such cases they need immediate attention or else they can fall into a diabetic coma, which can be fatal.
What care do diabetics need to take?
Diabetics need to take extra steps to look after themselves and make sure they maintain their blood sugar levels within a normal range.
To do this, they have to watch their diet, eat more healthily than most other people and monitor their blood sugar and insulin levels.
When the blood sugar levels in a diabetic fluctuate or are unstable, it can lead to many complications. Initially they might just feel extremely tired or have the need to urinate more frequently. But if they don’t manage their condition properly over the long term, they can become more susceptible to infections, they can lose weight rapidly and they may even suffer serious damage to vital organs in their body.
Recognising a diabetic emergency – low blood sugar attack
When a diabetic suffers from low blood sugar, it’s called hypoglycaemia.
The diabetic themselves may not, at first, always realise what is happening to them when they have a low blood sugar attack, so it’s important to know what to look for.
Signs of low blood sugar levels in a diabetic:
They will start behaving unusually or become confused
They could be acting aggressively
They may appear to be dizzy or even drunk
They can start shaking, turn pale, cold and sweaty
They may have a rapid pulse with shallow breathing
They may have a seizure or pass out
First aid treatment for low blood sugar in diabetics
Not surprisingly the first thing you should do for a diabetic suffering a low blood sugar attack is give them some sugar – quickly.
The fastest thing to do is give them a sugary drink (but NOT a diet soft drink)
Or give them some glucose sweets, lollies, even chocolate if you have some.
As soon as they start to feel better, after say 10 minutes, give them some more drinks and food, such as bread or biscuits. These are easy to digest carbohydrates that will boost their blood sugar levels.
A jam sandwich is a great choice.
If they don’t start to feel better within 10 minutes or they get worse – call an ambulance and report it is a diabetic low blood sugar attack.
If the person loses consciousness but is still breathing, put them into the recovery position. (See our blog for how to put someone in recovery position.) Then call an ambulance.
Of course, if they stop breathing, you must immediately apply CPR.
If they recover from the attack, check with them what their normal diet is, and find out what else they feel they might need to eat. You want to get them stable again.
What NOT to do when a diabetic has an emergency
If the person falls unconscious, do NOT try to force them to eat or drink anything. They could choke or you could end up putting fluid into their lungs.
If they have an insulin device, do NOT use it. Never give a diabetic insulin unless you are a trained medical professional. If they are suffering low blood sugar, the insulin will lower it further and could kill them.
Note, if they weren’t actually suffering low blood sugar and you gave them a sugary drink you will not have made things worse, because the amount of sugar you gave them is tiny compared to what they have in their blood.
Sometimes a diabetic’s blood sugar levels will spike, in which case, you don’t need to give them any sugar. Best to check with a diabetic nurse specialist or their doctor to confirm what action to take.
What to do AFTER a diabetic emergency
With diabetics it’s important to realise that even if the person appears to have recovered from an emergency, you still need to ensure they get checked by a trained medical professional – either a doctor or diabetic nurse.
While giving them some sugar and a sandwich can help them recover from a low blood sugar emergency in the short-term, they may have something more serious happening in their body that triggered the emergency. And this needs to be checked out.
This is particularly true if the incident occurs at night. If you give them only a small amount of food with sugar in it and they go to bed, their blood sugar levels may drop seriously again overnight and they could drift from sleeping into unconsciousness.
What about a HIGH blood sugar attack?
While the most common medical emergency that can happen to a diabetic is a low blood sugar attack, the opposite can also happen.
Hyperglycaemia is where your blood sugar levels go UP. (Hypo means low, but hyper means high, so it can be confusing. Just remember, a hyper-active child is one who is very active!)
Hyperosmolar Hyperglycaemic State or HHS is the proper medical term for a high blood sugar attack. It occurs mostly in people with Type 2 diabetes.
HHS can sometimes develop over a number of weeks when someone is ill, say through an infection, and this is combined with dehydration.
It can be further complicated if the person stops their usual diabetes medication because they have difficulties swallowing or suffer nausea. Even if they keep taking their medication, their blood glucose levels can rise during illness due to the effects of other hormones in their body.
Symptoms of high blood sugar (HHS) emergency in diabetics
If a diabetic has an HHS emergency where their blood sugar levels go up, they will tend to exhibit the following symptoms:
Feeling very thirsty
Wanting to pee a lot
Feeling week or tired
Suffering nausea
Losing weight
Very dry skin or other symptoms of dehydration
Disorientation or confusion
The final symptom can lead, in later stages, to drowsiness and a gradual loss of consciousness.
First aid treatment for high blood sugar in diabetics
The very first thing you need to do in the case of a high blood sugar attack in a diabetic is to get some fluid into them first to counter the dehydration.
Make sure it is unsweetened (sugar-free) and preferably with electrolytes too. But watch out for sports drinks as these often have sugar. Rehydration drinks can also have sugar too.
They will need to get some insulin into them too, but if you are NOT trained in administering insulin or they can’t do it themselves, leave that to a medical profession. If the diabetic themselves is in a good enough state to self-administer their own insulin, then best to let them do it.
Help them stay calm and relaxed and keep them conscious if you can.
In a severe case always call 000 for an ambulance. If not too severe see if you can contact a diabetic nurse or doctor by phone and encourage them to take their regular diabetes medication even if they feel nauseous.
If they end up in hospital, they will be given an intravenous drip to replace fluid and insulin.
Should they go unconscious or stop breathing, apply treatment as above for a low blood sugar emergency.
If you have a friend, partner or family member, who is a diabetic, one of the best things you can do for them, is to get yourself trained in first aid. That way you will be always able to help them should they suffer the worst symptoms of a diabetic emergency.
Our first aid courses now allow you to do most of your training from home, at any time that suits you. You then just need to attend our training centre to do a short review session of around 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To find out more go to https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses
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