Diabetic help?

Yeah so what if my friend took a shot for his carbohydrates (hes type 1, i think) and he doesnt remember taking the right amount?He was suppose to take 13 units of novalog and he thinks he MAY have took it, but since he was pretty sure he didnt, he took 8 more because he thought he only took 5, what should he do?
Answer:
The best thing to do in this case (in the future) is to take the wait and see approach, or take only a very small fraction of what you *think* was missed. It is better to have to correct a high blood sugar than have to deal with a severe low blood sugar, which can be immediately dangerous. Checking 2 hours after a meal should give some indication if not enough insulin was given. Testing his blood sugar frequently is the only way to know what is happening, both in the future and now. If there is any reason to think he may have given himself an extra 8 units, make sure you have something to treat a low blood sugar on hand. Some ideas: -Regular (NOT diet) Coke or other pop
-Glucose gel/cake icing/syrup/honey
-Candy (i.e. Lifesavers)
-Sugar in water, or juiceHe might need a fair amount of glucose to treat his low blood sugar if such a large amount of extra insulin was given. Be prepared that his blood sugar may drop very low. Have him test right now. If his blood sugar is not low yet, have him test in about 20 minutes to see which direction he is heading. It will be tough to figure out, as you are not sure how much insulin was given, and if his food has begun to be digested yet. Err on the side of caution. If his blood sugar is low or going down at any point, treat with some form of sugar right away. Be prepared to help him drink some Coke etc.if he gets shaky and call 911 if he passes out. Hopefully this is only the worst thing that can happen and not what actually WILL happen. If he was right and forgot to take the whole dose the first time, nothing will happen. His blood sugar may spike a little high and drop later than it normally would. In that case, not a problem. The solution in either case is to have him check his blood sugar often and be on the look out for low blood sugar. Novolog is out of the system in about 4.5-5 hours max in most people, so he can correct any highs that long after his LAST shot. Make sure he doesn't jump the gun and take another injection until that time period has passed (unless he didn't take enough insulin for what he ate in the first place).P.S. It can't hurt to have a small snack as a precaution. Have him eat a sandwich now in case he DID take an extra 8 units. It will help cushion any chance of a severe low blood sugar, and he can correct a high blood sugar later.

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well, check his sugar, and, if it's wrong, then he could wait till the next dose is due.. and then, after that, keep better track..
It's easy to forget, and that's why you have to keep records..

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OK; if he has already taken 8 more, then he just needs to have someone around to keep an eye on him, just in case he has actually taken 21 (13 + 8 more). If there's any real doubt, if his sugar starts to do a real nose dive, or if he starts to get confused, it's time to give him more sugar, and get him to the E.R.

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your friend should now monitor his blood sugar frequently for at least the next 3-4 hours. if he did take enough insulin, taking more could give him a dangerous low blood sugar. Your friend should learn to pay closer attention to the insulin he has or has not taken. His doctor could also get him enrolled in some helpful education classes, many are paid for by insurance. I have been diabetic for many years and have taken the classes a few times. even if your friend thinks he knows everything he needs to know, information changes rapidly. Every time I have attended the classes I have learned something new to help better control my condition.

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He should closely watch his BSL's over the next few hours.
Testing every 15 minutes will give him an idea of which direction his sager level is going.
I am unsure of the properties of novalog so I can't offer much more help sorry.

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check his sugar level...if its below normal (80-120 adult age), assess for signs of hypoglycemia...let him drink orange juice or eat candy or anything with sugar in it, but not chocolate because these are difficult to digest..

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He sould check his blood sugar. That will give him all the answers

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Your friend should have monitored his blood sugar for a couple hours before taking another shot. I have been diabetic,type 1, for 20+ years and I get forgetful and I have been known to do that same very thing. It's really kinda scary!! I hope things worked out OK for him and that you were able to stay with him or some one was with him in case he needed help. I also hope you know what to do in case your friend needs sugar. Fruit juices or non diet pop is good to treat low blood sugar. He needs to keep a log of his blood sugar and shots taken and at what time and stuff that way he will have some thing to refer back too. I just use a note book.

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