The Glucagon Injection

The Glucagon injection is a needle that should be administered to a diabetic who is experiencing hypoglycemia.  Hypoglycemia is when a diabetic’s blood sugar drops very low and they pass out or become unconscious.  The word “glucagon” refers to a hormone produced by the pancreas to raise a very low blood sugar.  A glucagon injection should ONLY BE USED if a diabetic’s blood sugar is very low and they are passed out or unresponsive.  Otherwise if the diabetic is responding with a low blood sugar then treat the sugar with a juice box.  (A blood sugar below 70 is considered low)   

This is a picture of the Glucagon injection in the case it comes in.  On the right is the needle, and on the right is the vile full of glucagon.  

This is a picture of the syringe out of the case.

This is a picture of the syringe partly filled with glucagon.  

Emotions and Diabetes

I have noticed that your blood sugar can spike up really high or drop low depending on one’s emotional state.  My sister has diabetes too and when she becomes really sad her blood sugar goes up high.  When I become angry I notice that my blood sugar tends to go up high. 

            Emotions are part of your one body, and when strong emotions come out, it can affect your blood sugar.  However, each person is unique, so people who experience the same emotion may have a different outcome of their blood sugar.  

Never Panic With the Insulin Pump

As trustworthy as the insulin pump is, sometimes things can go wrong with it.  The “straw looking” port that is actually inside your body may become bent when you first inject the new site into your body.  This causes no insulin to enter into your body making your blood sugar go up high. When this happens the most important thing to do is NOT TO PANIC!!!

Usually to test to see if your pump is working when you just changed the site, you should eat something, bolus for what you just ate, and then test your blood sugar in an hour to see if your blood sugar is at a normal range, meaning the pump is working.  But sometimes after you wait the hour and test your blood sugar, it may be something high like 397, when it was 183 before you ate to test if the new pump site was working. This happens sometimes when your blood sugar randomly goes up without explanation.  The best thing to do is to correct for that new high sugar, wait 45 minutes to test your blood sugar again, and then see if it went down.  Usually your blood sugar will go down by then.

            If it doesn’t, that means that you have to change your pump site and do the test all over again.  I know some diabetics who had this happen to them, and instead of correcting for the high blood sugar, they just quickly change the pump again.  You normally should wait to see because then you don’t waste extra insulin and get rid of a pump site that is working even though you don’t think it is.  But most of the time the insulin pump is working.  Some causes that leave your blood sugar up high are due to the food that you ate or your emotional state.  

Foods That Spike Your Blood Sugar up High

Certain foods will spike a diabetic’s blood sugar up really high and will hold it up high for a long period of time.  Eating bagels will bring your blood sugar up high and hold it up high for a few hours because of all the carbohydrates in it. For some reason whenever I eat bagels my blood sugar will stay up high in the 300’s, even though I gave myself insulin for it.

            Foods like cotton candy, juice boxes, and lemonade (that has sugar in it or aren’t diet) will bring your blood sugar up fast but not hold it up high.  I remember when I ate cotton candy at a carnival and 40 minutes later I did my blood sugar and it was in the 400’s, even though before I ate it my blood sugar was around 130.  However, then my blood sugar dropped quickly after and I went low. 

            But everyone’s body is different and eventually you will figure out what foods your own body will react to and how to handle it. 

                  

Common Biases

Over the course of ten years I’ve noticed certain biases people have toward diabetics.  People always say to me “oh you’re a diabetic so you can’t eat sugar,” “Don’t worry you can eat this, it’s sugar free,” or “can you play any sports?” 

            This frustrates me all the time!!! Diabetics can do anything a normal person can.  Yes we can eat sugar, even though a lot of sugar isn’t good for anyone, INCLUDING people without diabetes. Besides diabetics do not count grams of sugar, we focus more on carbohydrates.  Diabetics’ pancreases don’t secrete the hormone insulin, which breaks down the carbohydrates into energy. So that’s why we need to manually inject insulin into our bodies to keep our blood sugar down and gain energy. 

            Diabetics are like any other people and can play sports. I’m a diabetic and I play tennis and run track. Plus I like to play soccer, basket ball, football, and any other types of sports with my friends.  Sure diabetics may have to test their blood sugar before playing or after, but that takes literally 10 seconds to do, and then we can play as long or as much as we want. 

            Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean that you have to be treated differently by anyone else.  Most people don’t even know I have diabetes unless I tell them I do.  

New and Old Insulin Pumps

This is a picture of the old Insulin Pump.

This is a picture of the new updated Insulin Pump.

The new updated Insulin Pump has new features that the old pump did not have.  The new Insulin Pump also helps you change the pump site by giving you step-by-step directions. I recently just updated my old pump to the new one you see in the 2nd picture.

A Common Sign of a Diabetic Becoming Sick

For many diabetics, a common sign for them becoming sick is their blood sugar running high.  This can happen before they start feeling sick or when they are sick.

This past week I was at the beach and a lot of sand got in my pump site causing me to change it.  I tested my blood sugar and it registered 513, a very high reading.  So I injected myself with some insulin with my insulin pump.  However, mid way through the insulin being delivered into my body the pump vibrated and said “no delivery.”  This meant no more insulin could be delivered into my body by the pump so I had to change it again.  I did my blood sugar after I changed the pump site again and this time it registered at 585.  So I did another correction of insulin through the pump and also injected myself with insulin manually through a syringe. 

I waited an hour and did my blood sugar again and this time it didn’t even register on the meter. It just said “high," which meant it was over 600.  At this point I panicked along with the rest of my family because my blood sugar should have gone down, especially with the manual injection.  So we quickly got in the car to go to the emergency room.  On the car ride there I gave myself another manual injection of insulin.  In the car I also checked my blood sugar and saw that it went down to 597. 

We got to the emergency room but did not check in. Instead we waited in the waiting room because I noticed my blood sugar was going down.  I also went to the bathroom and checked my ketones, which luckily was only moderate.  Eventually within almost 2 hours after getting the emergency waiting room my blood sugar went down to my normal range and my insulin pump was working.

Then two days later I became sick with a sore throat, fever, cough, and pink eye.  This occurrence shows that diabetes can be very unpredictable at times, and you need to be prepared to handle it and not panic.  What saved me from getting ketones was drinking a lot of water.  Once I saw my blood sugar was in the 500’s I immediately drank a lot of water.

“No Delivery” on the Insulin Pump

Every diabetic on the insulin pump will one day run into the problem when it vibrates 3 times and says “no delivery.”  This generally happens after diabetics’ first bolus when they just changed their site.  “No delivery” happens in the middle of the insulin going into the body.  It is caused by back pressure in the pump.  There is no known way to prevent this.  When this happens the only thing one can do is change the insulin pump again to a different site.  

Water and the Insulin Pump

People going on the Insulin Pump or people who are new to it, always want to know if they can swim with the Insulin Pump on.  The answer to that is NO! Just like any other electronic device like a phone or an I-Pod, you wouldn’t want to get it wet and that is the same with the pump.  The pump has a feature called “suspend” which allows a diabetic to take off the Insulin Pump and stops the continuous drop if insulin from dripping everywhere when it is not connected to the body.  This feature allows the person to go swimming in a pool or take a shower without taking the pump in with them. 

 But going to the shore is different from going in a pool or taking a shower because it has SAND! Sand is bad for the pump because if it gets into the track of the connection port, the two pieces of the pump will not connect and you would need to change the site.  Luckily the pump comes with a cap, which you will need to place on the port that is ALWAYS attached to your body.  This cap will prevent sand from entering the track, allowing the person to attach the pump with no problems. 

            However, sometimes the sand cap does not work, which has happened to me.  Even though the sand cap does work really well from preventing sand from entering the track, tiny pieces can still get it.  Like I have said before, when this happens you need to change the pump site.  So remember to always put your pump on “suspend” when you are going to go in water and think your pump may get wet.  (This also includes water parks.) Also when you are going to the beach remember to keep your pump out of the sand and wear the sand cap!!! (Wearing the sand cap also includes lakes with sand and even pools that have sand bottoms)

This is a picture of my pump on "suspend."

Always Be Prepared

As a diabetic it is always important to be prepared whether it is bringing a juice box with you wherever you go, or having enough test strips in your meter so you do not run out.  Diabetics who are going on vacation should always be prepared with extra diabetic supplies, especially if you are traveling somewhere far away. 

            For example, if someone lives in California and he is traveling to the Caribbean, that person should bring multiple pump supplies, if they are on the Insulin Pump, and extra bottles of insulin.  You cannot predict diabetes and can never know what could happen.  It is always better to be safe rather than sorry.   

Sports and Diabetes

Diabetics can do anything they want, just like any other person, and sports are no different.  Just because someone has diabetes does not mean they can’t play sports. 

I have had diabetes for many years since I was little and do not remember not having it.  Even though I have diabetes I still play many sports.  For example, this morning I just ran in a 5k race.  No matter what the sport is it is a good idea to test your blood sugar before you play it.  If your blood sugar is below 100 before you start, depending on how long you plan to exercise/play, you should drink a small juice box worth 15 grams of carbohydrates.  This way the juice will boost your sugar up enough points so your blood sugar won’t drop while you play. 

            Also, always bring an extra snack and juice box with you in case your blood sugar goes low while you are playing.  

I Go on the Insulin Pump

At first, like many other diabetics, I did not want to go on the Insulin Pump.  I thought having a continuous tube in my body and the pump itself attached to me would feel weird.  I also thought that having the pump on me at all times would affect my performance in sports.  The idea of going on the pump just seemed like a bad decision to me.

            But then my sister, who is also a diabetic, decided to go on the Insulin Pump.  A few days after going on the pump my sister seemed to like it.  Now she could eat whatever and whenever she wanted.   While I on the other hand, still had to eat on a scheduled times since I was still on insulin syringes.  I also noticed that my sister still played soccer and other sports and the pump didn’t affect the way she played. 

             The Insulin Pump was designed so people could take it off if they felt like it could get damaged in the sport they were playing like football or hockey.  Then after the game or practice they could simply put it back on.  (Taking the pump “on” and “off” is different from changing the site.  Changing the site is when you take the insulin port out from your body every 3 days and place it in a different spot, like your leg or stomach.  Taking the pump “off” is when you detach the Insulin Pump from the port on your body without taking the entire port out of the spot.)

So with the encouragement of my family and the persuasion of the doctors I decided to go on the Insulin Pump.  It was hard and strange to get used to at first, but it paid off in the end.  Now I continue to play tennis and can eat anytime I want.  The Insulin Pump has made my life so much easier! I love the Insulin Pump and encourage anyone with diabetes who still uses syringes to switch to it!

This is a picture of the Insulin Port that can be attacked to your arms, legs, stomach, or butt.

This is a picture of me taking "off" the Insulin Pump.  The port itself stays in my body but the top cap can come off if you want to play a sport or swim in the water.  If i was going to change my pump i would take both parts out completely.  

This is a picture of my insulin pump.  As you can see it is small, looks like a cell phone, and can fit in your hand.

Heat and Diabetes

Diabetics should always be aware of their blood sugar, especially in heat.  Heat can affect people with Type I Diabetes.  Due to the heat or hot temperatures, diabetics' blood sugars seem to drop, even if they are just sitting in a room.

In the past two days of school my classrooms have been 90 degrees or higher.  I found my blood sugar dropping low in points throughout the day when it never should have, especially since I am just sitting in the classroom and not doing any exercise.  When I found myself dropping low I would drink a juice box to boost my blood sugar up to the normal range, which for me is 100.  Generally when my classrooms are hot like that I need to bring more juice boxes than I normally do so I do not run out.  

When I first discovered this I thought I was the only one who was affected by the heat.  But I talked to another diabetic and he said the same thing.   When he stays in a hot temperature room or place his blood sugar will drop.  Heat has an interesting effect on some diabetics because it will cause their blood sugar to drop.  This DOES NOT happen to all diabetics but has an impact on most of them.

  

So if you know you will be going to a place that is 85 degrees or above for more than 40 minutes, I suggest you bring extra juices with yourself.  And if you don't feel like your normal self, CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR!!!!   There is no harm in testing your blood sugar even if your low blood sugar is a false alarm.    

Changing Insulin Sites

For a Diabetic it is very important to always change your sites where you give your insulin.  A diabetic on the insulin pump is required to change the site every 2-3 days, but a diabetic on the insulin syringes must remember to do that on their own.

If a diabetic gives the injection of insulin into their arm and uses the same spot for weeks at a time, the spot will become swollen and the skin will turn hard and tough.  The same thing will happen with a person on the pump if they use the same spot and do not switch sites.  Instead of using the same spot over and over, try other spots like the arms, legs, stomach, and butt.  If your site does become hard and tough it will eventually return to normal if you stop using it in a few weeks to one month. The same swollen and toughness of the skin caused by syringes can also occur with diabetics on the insulin pump.  Diabetics on the insulin pump and insulin syringes should rotate sites.  

Another reason to rotate the sites is because the insulin will absorb from the body easier.  When the sites become hard and swollen the insulin does not absorb in the body as well and will cause your blood sugars to run high.

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHANGE/ROTATE YOUR INSULIN SITES!!!

JDRF's Differences Between Type 1 and 2 Diabetes

I went on the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) website and found their definition for the difference of type 1 and type 2 Diabetes.  This should help tell the difference between the two.  JDRF describes the differences of the two types by saying
“Diabetes is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting every organ system. There are two major types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which a person's pancreas stops producing insulin, a hormone that enables people to get energy from food. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. While its causes are not yet entirely understood, scientists believe that both genetic factors and environmental triggers are involved.  Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder in which a person's body still produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively.”
Also type 1 diabetes is the type when a person is born with it, while type 2 people generally get when they become over weight. 
 

Sympotoms of a High Blood Sugar

When a person with diabetes does not feel to well, it is a good idea for them to check their blood sugar.  Generally a diabetic feels bad due to a high blood sugar (blood glucose).   Some symptoms of a high blood sugar are:
- becoming very thirsty
- using the bathroom more frequently than usual
- drowsiness
- uneasiness in one's stomach
When a diabetic experiences these symptoms, they should test their blood sugar immediately! If the blood sugar is up high, then give yourself an injection of insulin (if one is on insulin syringes) or a correction (if one is on the insulin pump).  Once the right amount of insulin is administered properly, then within the hour the symptoms should go away. But is is important to DRINK A LOT OF WATER WHEN YOUR BLOOD SUGAR IS UP HIGH UNTIL IT GOES BACK DOWN TO NORMAL.

Low Blood Sugar

Last night I woke up at about 2:00 in the morning because I felt that I had a low blood sugar (blood glucose).  I tested my blood sugar and the meter said that I was 52, which is a low blood sugar reading.  I drank a juice box because juice brings up blood levels very fast.  I then tested my blood sugar again after waiting for 15 minutes.  It was then 97 which was at a normal rate and I went back to bed.
  Every diabetic will have a low blood sugar, it's inevitable.  When you do have one it is important to ALWAYS have a juice box near by so you can bring it back up and your meter so you can test.  At night I always keep a juice box on my end table just in case I go low in the middle of the night.  When you are traveling you should always have a juice box/bottle in your pocket, suitcase, backpack, etc... and your meter.
Diabetics should always keep a juice box or any kind of snack on them just in case they have a low blood sugar. 

How I Was Diagnosed

I was diagnosed with Diabetes when I was 5 years old while living in Philadelphia.  It is an interesting story because I was in the hospital for an Asthma attack, not for Diabetes itself.  After a t-ball game, my parents noticed a breathing abnormality and brought me to the hospital.  Up until then, I had no prior health issues or medical problems.  As I was being examined at the hospital, the doctors noticed that my blood sugar levels were VERY high, causing them to test me for Diabetes.  The results then came back positive, I was now a Type 1 Diabetic.  

At that time, because I was so young, I did not know what this meant, but figured it was something bad based on the way my parents were reacting.  Looking back, it must have been a shock for my parents, who had just learned I had Asthma and even worse, they had to process a second diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes.  When I spoke to my mom and dad years later about their take on the problem, they said they were nervous because they did not know what to do and knew very few people who had Diabetes.  They went under a great deal of stress learning and worrying about the disease by taking classes on it.  The classes were very helpful and now the entire family is informed on how to live with the disease.      

While I'm still young, I feel that my experiences are rich enough to share with people living with Diabetes.  The primary focus of my blog is to help others who have Diabetes and need help and or answers with the disease.  I know my parents needed information 12 years ago before the internet was what it is today.  Hopefully in some small way, this will help people in that same situation realize that one can live with Diabetes in a happy and productive manner.

Frequently Asked Questions About Diabetes...

In this interview I sat down with my dad to discuss frequently asked questions about living with diabetes.

How long have you had diabetes?
I have had diabetes for 12 years.  I was diagnosed when I was 5 and am now 17, a junior in HS.

Have you had to quit sports because of your diagnosis?
No, I have not.  Matter of fact, I play more sports.

I imagine you can only play for a short period of time before you have to stop.  Is that true?
No, I keep playing until I want to stop.  But, I do bring extra juice boxes and my blood meter to monitor my blood glucose levels.

Can you eat candy or foods with concentrated sugar?
Yes, I can.  To maintain a diet with diabetes, I measure the amount of carbohydrates I ingest for meals and snacks and balance that against the insulin required to break down the sugar.  However, while I can eat all foods any normal person can eat, it is important that you maintain a healthy diet with this disease.

How do you know if your blood sugar is high or low?
It is different with every person, but when I feel my blood sugar is high, I am quite thirsty and tired/sluggish.  Therefore, I want to drink a lot of water to ensure I don't develop ketones.  When I am low, I feel weak and dizzy, so I counter that with a juice box.

How often do you check your blood glucose levels?  Does it hurt?
I check it a minimum of four times per day (before breakfast, lunch, dinner, and bedtime)  When active (playing sports) I will check it more.

When I was first diagnosed, I felt a little pinch.  Now, there is no pain.

Do you use insulin syringes or an insulin pump?
I did use insulin syringes until I was about 15.  Then, I switched to the pump.  At first I was anxious about the insulin pump, because I knew the syringes so well, but I am now very happy with the pump.


Have you had any health issues related to the diabetes?
No, because I take my health and maintenance of the disease very seriously.


What can't you do with diabetes?
There is nothing that can hold you back as long as you respect the disease and the importance of good health.