 Preventing & Treating Severe Hypoglycemia
If mild or moderate hypoglycemia isn't treated promptly, it can turn into severe hypoglycemia. People with severe hypoglycemia have so little glucose in their system that it affects their brain. When that happens, they pass out.
The best way to avoid severe hypoglycemia is catch it early. Be alert to any symptoms of hypoglycemia. Check your blood glucose if you have any doubt. Always carry some glucose tabs or other carbohydrate with you to treat hypoglycemia.
If you do develop severe hypoglycemia, you'll need help from the people around you. You can't drink soda or chew glucose tablets when you're unconscious. That's where glucagon comes in. Glucagon is a substance that makes the liver release sugar into your bloodstream. It can be injected to treat severe hypoglycemia. If no glucagon is available or no one knows how to inject it, you must be taken to the hospital right away. Ask your doctor for more information and a prescription for glucagon.
Don't forget to wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace that says you have diabetes and take insulin. You can't tell anyone about your diabetes if you're unconscious or confused, but the medical ID can. For more about medical IDs, click here.
Your parents and your doctor can help you decide who to talk to about hypoglycemia and glucagon. Your parents can also help you teach your friends and teachers about your diabetes.
Hypoglycemia Busters (fast-acting carbs)
Keep something containing sugar with you at all times to treat hypoglycemia. Each of the following foods has the right amount of carbohydrates (10 to 15 grams) to treat hypoglycemia.
2 glucose tablets or 2 doses of glucose gel
2-4 pieces hard candy
1/2 to 3/4 cup of orange or grape juice (a juice box is good when you're away from home)
5 gumdrops
1-2 tablespoons of honey
6 oz. regular (not diet) soda (about half a can)
2 tablespoons of cake icing (the kind that comes in a tube is handy)
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