Just joined - now managing my Mum after a Diabetic Stroke

[Mike Wright]

Im am pleased to join and hope to share and gain information and support after my Mum just had a Diabetic Stroke. She is home now and we are managing her plus working out a routine. Luckily she is mobile and speaks ok with the odd incorrect word but its going to take time on the road to recovery and rehabilitation for us.

 

[Inka]

Welcome @Mike Wright 🙂 Sorry to hear about your Mum’s stroke. I hope she continues to improve now she’s home. Is she on any medication for her diabetes?

 

[Mike Wright]

Welcome @Mike Wright 🙂 Sorry to hear about your Mum’s stroke. I hope she continues to improve now she’s home. Is she on any medication for her diabetes?

Thank you, Yes we have a long list of different medication we give her 4 times a day which I have a box and also printed off and placed in a folder so we can check them off each day. I also use a diary to keep track of incidents and results. At the moment we are having problems with the levels dropping very low overnight which the Diabetes nurse said is probably due to too much Insulin so advised to reduce it and check. Its a very worrying time and we need to get the levels right in the night of course. I bought the Libre 2 as well as doing finger pricks if its low or high but we are waiting to see if we can get on the NHS as she will be moving to 2 insulin injections a day

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @Mike Wright

Hope you are able to get access to Libre2

Being able to be alerted overnight if your Mum’s levels drop too low would be very reassuring.

It can be such an overwhelming and worrying time in the beginning, but things will get better. Be kind to yourselves, and take things one step at a time 🙂

Hope the adjustment to your Mum’s insulin doses reduces the risks of overnight lows.

Let us know how things go 🙂

 

[Mike Wright]

Thank you, I have bought a couple of the Libre 2 sensors and they have helped alert me during the night for sure or I wouldnt have known. We are talking to the health centre Diabetes Nurse to see how we can maintain the correct levels during the night. Last night was a 999 call as its dropped below 4 but we are closely monitoring it at the moment

 

[rebrascora]

Last night was a 999 call as its dropped below 4 but we are closely monitoring it at the moment

Are you double checking any low Libre readings with finger prick BG tests, particularly night time ones? Libre will give false low readings if you lie on the sensor, referred to as "Compression Lows" and can lead people to worry that they have had nocturnal hypos when they haven't and could lead to your Mum's insulin doses being adjusted unnecessarily if these are compression lows she is experiencing.

An ambulance should not be needed for a genuine hypo (sub 4 reading) generally, although I appreciate your Mum is pretty vulnerable at the moment following the stroke and you are new to this.
Have you been given advice on how to treat hypos? ie. for your Mum to eat or drink 15g of fast acting carbs (things like 3x Jelly babies or 4-5 glucose tablets or a small carton of orange juice or a small can of full sugar coke, wait 15 mins and then retest with a finger prick, not Libre which will almost always suggest that levels have dropped lower 15 mins after treating due to the algorithm it uses and can make you panic. It can be challenging to remain calm and disciplined in following this guidance because hypos are scary and often make the patient feel really hungry and sometimes aggressive, but it is important to have a system and follow it. If the finger prick shows that levels have not come back up above 4 after 15 mins, then you have another 15g fast acting carbs and wait another 15 mins to retest. If using a solid hypo treatment like jelly babies or glucose tablets it is helpful to chew them really thoroughly because the cells inside the mouth are able to absorb the glucose quicker than the stomach and it is closer to the brain, so glucose can get to the brain quicker by chewing well than just a couple of chews and swallowing.

Hope if these are genuine nocturnal hypos, that your mother's insulin is now adjusted to prevent them and wishing her a full and speedy recovery.

 

[Lucyr]

Thank you, I have bought a couple of the Libre 2 sensors and they have helped alert me during the night for sure or I wouldnt have known. We are talking to the health centre Diabetes Nurse to see how we can maintain the correct levels during the night. Last night was a 999 call as its dropped below 4 but we are closely monitoring it at the moment

Have you been shown how to fingerprick and how to treat hypos? You shouldn’t have to call 999 unless it’s a particularly severe hypo, the vast majority of hypos you just treat yourself. If your mum was unresponsive or unable to swallow glucose gel or juice though of course dial 999

 

[Mike Wright]

Have you been shown how to fingerprick and how to treat hypos? You shouldn’t have to call 999 unless it’s a particularly severe hypo, the vast majority of hypos you just treat yourself. If your mum was unresponsive or unable to swallow glucose gel or juice though of course dial 999

Are you double checking any low Libre readings with finger prick BG tests, particularly night time ones? Libre will give false low readings if you lie on the sensor, referred to as "Compression Lows" and can lead people to worry that they have had nocturnal hypos when they haven't and could lead to your Mum's insulin doses being adjusted unnecessarily if these are compression lows she is experiencing.

An ambulance should not be needed for a genuine hypo (sub 4 reading) generally, although I appreciate your Mum is pretty vulnerable at the moment following the stroke and you are new to this.
Have you been given advice on how to treat hypos? ie. for your Mum to eat or drink 15g of fast acting carbs (things like 3x Jelly babies or 4-5 glucose tablets or a small carton of orange juice or a small can of full sugar coke, wait 15 mins and then retest with a finger prick, not Libre which will almost always suggest that levels have dropped lower 15 mins after treating due to the algorithm it uses and can make you panic. It can be challenging to remain calm and disciplined in following this guidance because hypos are scary and often make the patient feel really hungry and sometimes aggressive, but it is important to have a system and follow it. If the finger prick shows that levels have not come back up above 4 after 15 mins, then you have another 15g fast acting carbs and wait another 15 mins to retest. If using a solid hypo treatment like jelly babies or glucose tablets it is helpful to chew them really thoroughly because the cells inside the mouth are able to absorb the glucose quicker than the stomach and it is closer to the brain, so glucose can get to the brain quicker by chewing well than just a couple of chews and swallowing.

Hope if these are genuine nocturnal hypos, that your mother's insulin is now adjusted to prevent them and wishing her a full and speedy recovery.

Thank for the info. I have been shown how to do the finger pricks and last night was a better night for her. I have had a discussion with the Diabetes nurse and using the Libre for more a rough guide but always use finger pricks for accuracy. She has other meds as well which we have mapped out for the day and a routine which hopefully will see improvements to manage it correctly.

 

[Lucyr]

Thank for the info. I have been shown how to do the finger pricks and last night was a better night for her. I have had a discussion with the Diabetes nurse and using the Libre for more a rough guide but always use finger pricks for accuracy. She has other meds as well which we have mapped out for the day and a routine which hopefully will see improvements to manage it correctly.

Sounds positive, hopefully things improve

 

[Mike Wright]

Are you double checking any low Libre readings with finger prick BG tests, particularly night time ones? Libre will give false low readings if you lie on the sensor, referred to as "Compression Lows" and can lead people to worry that they have had nocturnal hypos when they haven't and could lead to your Mum's insulin doses being adjusted unnecessarily if these are compression lows she is experiencing.

An ambulance should not be needed for a genuine hypo (sub 4 reading) generally, although I appreciate your Mum is pretty vulnerable at the moment following the stroke and you are new to this.
Have you been given advice on how to treat hypos? ie. for your Mum to eat or drink 15g of fast acting carbs (things like 3x Jelly babies or 4-5 glucose tablets or a small carton of orange juice or a small can of full sugar coke, wait 15 mins and then retest with a finger prick, not Libre which will almost always suggest that levels have dropped lower 15 mins after treating due to the algorithm it uses and can make you panic. It can be challenging to remain calm and disciplined in following this guidance because hypos are scary and often make the patient feel really hungry and sometimes aggressive, but it is important to have a system and follow it. If the finger prick shows that levels have not come back up above 4 after 15 mins, then you have another 15g fast acting carbs and wait another 15 mins to retest. If using a solid hypo treatment like jelly babies or glucose tablets it is helpful to chew them really thoroughly because the cells inside the mouth are able to absorb the glucose quicker than the stomach and it is closer to the brain, so glucose can get to the brain quicker by chewing well than just a couple of chews and swallowing.

Hope if these are genuine nocturnal hypos, that your mother's insulin is now adjusted to prevent them and wishing her a full and speedy recovery.

Thank you for the information the insuiin has been adjusted and she seemed to have had a better night. I have 3 bags of Jelly Babies ready and a Sandwhich before sleep for her. The Libre I only have for really a guide and alarm function but use finger pricks as the proper reading, Its been a crash course in Diabetes for me and alot of useful information from people here plus literature available.
Mum used to say she managed it but in reality I think she skipped food and missed tablets etc over a period of time. She also has other ailments we have to manage so quite an education and quickly for me but we have a daily plan plus keep to a regime which is helping. She naturally getting tired now but as she was up most nights prior to the stroke nearly all night reading then it going to take a while to adjust