Diabetes: Low Blood Sugar

If you are a diabetic, you don’t want your blood sugar to go too low or too high. Extremely low blood sugar is also known as hypoglycemia. If you are experiencing low blood sugar, you may notice the following symptoms: Shakiness, dizziness, or light-headedness Confusion Difficulty speaking clearly Nervousness, anxiety, or weakness Hunger Perspiration Sleepiness If your blood sugar drops while you are sleeping, you may also experience nightmares, or wake up sweaty. You may also wake up confused, or irritable. To give you a guide, normal blood sugar levels can be anywhere from 70 to 140 for non-diabetics, and … Continue reading →

Skin Care for Diabetics

Diabetes doesn’t just affect your blood sugar; it has an impact on your whole body. High blood sugar can cause your body to lose fluid, leaving you with itchy dry skin. Nerve damage from prolonged high blood glucose levels can decrease the amount you sweat, robbing you of more bodily fluids. Why is dry skin bad? Aside from being itchy and uncomfortable, dry skin can actually be hazardous to diabetics. If you scratch your itchy skin too much, you can sometimes scratch the skin open. Dry skin may also crack on its own. Cracks, cuts, and scratches let germs into … Continue reading →

Diabetic Neuropathy

One side affect of prolonged high blood sugar is diabetic neuropathy. This is damage to nerves in your extremities. You may not feel heat, cold, or pain in affected areas. If you also suffer from poor blood circulation, any injuries will heal much more slowly, and give them a chance to develop infection. 1. Make sure to wear shoes that fit you at all times. Poor fitting shoes can lead to blisters. If you don’t feel a blister, it could get infected and develop into something much worse. 2. Check your feet daily for cuts, scrapes, and other abrasions. 3. … Continue reading →

Learning to Give Injections

I currently live with my grandmother, who has been living with Type II Diabetes since I was in third grade. (I’m 28… so that’s about twenty years of dealing with the disease!) A few months ago, our family doctor decided that the pills she was taking to control her blood sugar just weren’t enough. It was time to start on insulin. And who was the logical choice to play nurse and administer shots? The person who lives with her, of course! (Due to various problems of vision and dexterity, my grandmother really can’t give her own shots.) Now let me … Continue reading →