Can a Nurse, Doctor or a diabetic person help me please, it's important?

Question

My mom have been taking pills for her diabetes since 2004.
She's taking 4 different kind of pills for her diabetes:
-High pressure
-To control the sugar
-For the cholesterol
-Aspirins

Her sugar has never been higher than 10, ever. And it's usually 5-6. It's getting lower and lower lately. She told her doctor and he had never done anything. 5 or 6 is supposed to be normal.

Her doctor gave her new pills lately for high pressure, which makes no sense because she doesn't have that problem! The pharmacist told her not to take it, because she doesn't understand why her gave it to her if she doesn't have high pressure.

Today, my mom felt very weak, she felt like she was going to faint. Her sugar was 2.5.. That's very low. She had to eat or else she would've probably fainted. =/

What could be wrong with her? Her doctor won't do ANYTHING. He just gave her new pills, and it makes no sense at all. Does anyone know what could be wrong, and what she should do?

I'm a nursing student and it doesn't make sense to me either...

Answer 1

JustAGirl,



Please excuse some of my American cousins. They seem to think there's no other country outside of the United States. (They use a different measuring system when it comes to measuring blood glucose levels there. Your mom's 2.5 mmol/l (millimols per litre) would measure 45 mg/dL (milligrams per deciLiter ... note they also spell litre different to us in the civilised world ... or should that be civilized for my American cousins? lol) over there.



As you say, 2.5 mmol/l is very low, and your mom was in danger of losing consciousness. It's imperative that you get some quick-acting glucose into her at that stage, and I'm sure you did that.



I'm quite convinced that if you did approach your mom's doctor for a review of her medication, s/he will say that it's because your mother hadn't eaten, or had undertaken strenuous exercise. After all, a doctor can never be wrong, can they?



My suggestion is that your mom should be testing her blood sugar levels more frequently ... at least until such time as her medication has been reviewed.



To put your mind at rest a little, I've had a blood sugar level of 1.7 mmol/l (31 mg/dL) today, and realised at just the last few seconds before I was incapable of doing anything for myself. Luckily for me, I don't live alone, and we keep glucagon injections in our fridge, but there was no need for them today. I was able to get some glucose powder mixed up into some water and drink it before lying down and waiting for recovery to happen.



I'm quite convinced that your training will teach you that it's not always the 'lowness' of the blood sugar level, but how quickly it drops to that level that causes people to lose consciousness.



I don't know if you're from the UK, but there seems, of late, to be some doctors not wishing to prescribe many blood testing strips to type 2 diabetics, which your mother must be if she's only taking pills/tablets for it. Speak with your doctor about this episode and request more testing strips. If s/he refuses, ask to be referred to see an endocrinologist/diabetologist, and a dietitian. I'm quite sure you'd get more co-operation from them than you seem to be getting right now.



Edit:



Please believe me people, that's not me giving the thumbs down.

Answer 2

A doctor will sometimes prescribe high blood pressure medication to protect a diabetic's kidneys from damage. It's a common enough practice that your pharmacist should know that, or at the very least be able to look it up.



If there has been a change in the diabetic medications, some of them can potentially cause unexpected lows. Others can result in lows when taken with nondiabetic medications and/or over-the-counter products (this has happened to me).



Just because your mother's sugar levels are now in the normal range does not mean that she is not diabetic, however, she may need her medications adjusted from the previous levels (when her sugars were closer to 10) now that she is experiencing lows around 2.5. Also, has she lost weight recently? That can affect the amount of medication she needs, too.



As for the doctor

1 - unless your mother is elderly or has indicated to him that he can discuss her health care with you, he may ot be able to answer your questions

2 - if he seems unresponsive to your mother's situation, get a second opinion or change doctors (like to a specialist)



Diabetes is a complicated problem, and you are still a nursing student. I don't mean for that to sound harsh or demeaning, it's just a fact. Nurses will never be taught all there is to know about diabetes. Even endocrinologists struggle with the complexities involved in treating their patients.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

2

Answer 5

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Answer 6

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Answer 7

Just a girl!

I am a diabetic! I live in the states and I assume that you live elsewhere as your Moms blood sugars do not compare to mine. However I am assuming that her sugars are running on the low side for some reason and her Dr. is not paying attention to her needs as he should. I think that is time to take her to another Dr. and get a second opinion. If I am correct then your Moms 2.5 reading is equivalent to mine when mine drop and I then get into trouble. I take insulin 4 times a day and upon occasion my sugar plummets and if I am not aware I can get into trouble. I believe that this is what is happening to your Mom. If it is then she could go into a diabetic comma which could possibly lead to death. I am not saying that this a fact as to what is going on, just a possibility. That is the reason for a second opinion. If this is the case then make the change in Dr.s permanent. I wish you and your mom all the luck in the world and will say a prayer for you. Jim B.

Answer 8

Yes. A low-fat plant based diet has been proven to reverse high blood pressure and even type 2 diabetes. I suggest you watch the movie "Chow Down". Its about 3 people who, following Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn's advice, gave up all animal products. Two of them were suffering from high blood pressure and heart disease: both reversed. One was suffering from type 2 diabetes: her weight went down, she was reversing her diabetes UNTIL she decided that she didn't have time to prepare healthy meals anymore and switched back to eating animal products all the time.

Answer 9

nurse doctor diabetic person important

Answer 10

Out of curiousity... Where are you from?



When you say 5-6 is a normal range for sugar, are you referring to a Hemoglobin A1C, or a glycolated hemoglobin?? Surely you don't mean a simple glucose, as your mother would be dead.



IF your mother has no proven or diagnosed blood pressure problems, taking a pressure reducing medication can cause her problems of the HYPOtensive variety - no fun there.



In other news, I think mom needs to go to a completely different doctor to get another opinion.

Answer 11

Theoretically, she is supposed to be on those 4 pills. But what I can assume happened with your mother is she got over-medicated. Her weakness can be both from low blood pressure or low blood sugar. I would advise to change your doctor so he can appropriately adjust medication doses.

Answer 12

see another doctor, or go to the ER.

Answer 13

first, i dont think your mesurements are correct. second, docs are useless, and she shoudl lower the does of medication if she's gettign that low blood sugar

Answer 14

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_information/