[U.S Lecce]

I had an argument with my mate that has type 1 diabetes. Basically he was feeling "low" (in blood sugar) and brought out 2 bars of chocolate and a bottle of coke and consumed the lot. I said to him "are you sure it's a good idea to eat that much sugar if you have diabetes", to which an argument or rather a discussion broke out. I told him eating that much sugar in one go, even when he is feeling low is the worst thing to do, because that amount of sugar will raise his sugar levels to above normal. He then claimed it didn't, I disagreed and told him to check his sugar level and lo and behold I was right, his sugar levels were way above normal. But then he said it's fine because he can just increase the amount of insulin he takes and it will go back to normal. And again i told that can't be right because all he is doing is going from having really low sugar levels to really high sugar levels (one extreme to the other) instead or trying to eat a balanced diet and regulating his sugar levels through eating properly meaning he wont have to rely on upping is insulin dosage. I said instead of eating all those sweets he should maybe eat some oat cakes or a slice of whole grain bread or some slow releasing carbs. But he just brushed this off as if I was talking bull****!

Am I right here or is he?

[Mini-Cooper]

He should always test if he think he is having a "low" because sometimes you can feel like you are, but you actually aren't. If you try and treat yourself for a low when you aren't actually having one it can be even worse.

I think you are both right (to an extent).
When someone is having a hypo (low blood sugar levels) they need to get sugar in as quickly as possible - typically a sugary drink, or energy tablets etc. But this should also be followed by a carbohydrate (such as a sandwich) so that there is a slow release sugar, otherwise you will spike high and crash even lower. Although I feel that 2 bars of chocolate and a bottle of coke is a bit too extreme and he could have done with half of that at most.

But in general eating terms it is not good to eat rubbish and then just increase insulin. Eating lots of sugary things will spike sugar levels, even with insulin. Eating slow release carbs is better, it is healthier and it is also better for the insulin as it means you need less insulin and also the insulin you inject can work better with it because it is not a massive amount of sugar all at once, but more a sustained level over a couple of hours (which is the working time of the insulin). - If he complains about this point.. fast acting insulin works straight away, but continues to work for a couple of hours. It mainly works within the first hour, but continues at a lower level. By eating sugary food he is using the straight away bit, but not the other couple of hours.

[Lefse]

My ex has type 1 and when he has low blood sugar he eats as much chocolate and sweets as possible. I always wondered how healthy that was, but he seems to think it's the best way. I just don't understand how he stays so slim though, ahhhh!

[chi'ch]

he has diabetes, you do not, so how about you just leave him be and not have to be right in an argument, as he can do whatever he wants

i have type 1 diabetes, and you get crazy cravings when you're low, and no food is enough... so i stuff my face, then just inject a bit more in half hours time. long term, having high blood sugars for half hour won't make a difference.

bugs me to **** when people judge my care for myself, or others i know who have diabetes

[FXX]

I'm type 1 and absolutely hate anyone who has never experienced a hypo telling me what to do. When you have a hypo all you want to do is eat until you feel better. There is no sense of moderation in those 10-15 minutes while you recover.

He has a doctor to tell him what to do. As a friend you should just make sure he's okay. People become extremely irritable when they're having a hypo, so starting out an argument is the worst thing you can do. Having slightly high blood sugar levels is not going to kill him.

[Mini-Cooper]

(Original post by FXX)
When you have a hypo all you want to do is eat until you feel better. There is no sense of moderation in those 10-15 minutes while you recover.

Everyone is different. I rarely want to eat when I am having a hypo - I have to force myself to eat.

[IndiaCaitlinn]

(Original post by U.S Lecce)
I had an argument with my mate that has type 1 diabetes. Basically he was feeling "low" (in blood sugar) and brought out 2 bars of chocolate and a bottle of coke and consumed the lot. I said to him "are you sure it's a good idea to eat that much sugar if you have diabetes", to which an argument or rather a discussion broke out. I told him eating that much sugar in one go, even when he is feeling low is the worst thing to do, because that amount of sugar will raise his sugar levels to above normal. He then claimed it didn't, I disagreed and told him to check his sugar level and lo and behold I was right, his sugar levels were way above normal. But then he said it's fine because he can just increase the amount of insulin he takes and it will go back to normal. And again i told that can't be right because all he is doing is going from having really low sugar levels to really high sugar levels (one extreme to the other) instead or trying to eat a balanced diet and regulating his sugar levels through eating properly meaning he wont have to rely on upping is insulin dosage. I said instead of eating all those sweets he should maybe eat some oat cakes or a slice of whole grain bread or some slow releasing carbs. But he just brushed this off as if I was talking bull****!

Am I right here or is he?

My boyfriend is type 1 and he has been since he was 3.
When he hypo's he will eat that much too, sometimes more. It just depends on how low his blood sugars are.
Whole grain bread wont make him feel better as quickly as a can of coke does - my boyfriend always says the best thing for him is sugary drinks because they make him feel better the quickest.

[pinkangelgirl]

my sister has type 1 since she was 15...(yes, it is type 1 before anyone asks, no one knows why she got it so late in her teens but she did).

When she has a hypo she has to eat something sugary i.e a chocolate bar and then something with carbs in for long lasting effects.

However, she is a really bad diabetic- she eats chocolate all the time and then just injects the insulin for it.

Im really worried about her long term risks

[FXX]

(Original post by pinkangelgirl)
my sister has type 1 since she was 15...(yes, it is type 1 before anyone asks, no one knows why she got it so late in her teens but she did).

Anyone of any age can develop type 1 diabetes. It is just most common in younger people. 15 isn't considered late, anyway.

[naturechoice]

He is the one with the diabetes, if that is what he does and has always done I suggest you leave him to it.
It is better to be a high for a little bit which is easily correct, than remain low as there is an immediate risk of passing out etc.
How would you feel if someone told you how to treat your medical condition? Seriously what makes you think you have authority in that?

[Watch Key Phone]

Everyone seems to be assuming that just because he's the one with diabetes, he must know exactly the right things to do. Generally, yes, he will know more about it and so on. But I think you're in a reasonable position as a friend to try and help him look after himself and if you're worried about him or what he's doing then it's fair enough for you to talk to him about it. Granted, in the middle of a hypo probably isn't the best time, but I guess you figured that out yourself. You could try talking to him when he's feeling well, if you're still worried.

[isawsparks89]

(Original post by chi'ch)
he has diabetes, you do not, so how about you just leave him be and not have to be right in an argument, as he can do whatever he wants

i have type 1 diabetes, and you get crazy cravings when you're low, and no food is enough... so i stuff my face, then just inject a bit more in half hours time. long term, having high blood sugars for half hour won't make a difference.

bugs me to **** when people judge my care for myself, or others i know who have diabetes

I'm with you on this.

To answer the OP's question, my best friend has type 1 and yet he's a sugarhound and it's never harmed him - it's not about the amount you consume in that time. In fact, as long as you check your blood sugar level is ok, you can eat pretty much whatever you want and as long as you check your blood sugar levels enough, it should be fine.

(I AM NOT A DOCTOR just so you know)

[Anonymous]

My partner has type 1 diabetes and his mood is awful when he's either high or low and i've learnt to never start a touchy conversation when he's like that so when your friend is having a hypo is not a good time to bring anything like that up. I'm suspecting he'll have the drink for fast acting stuff and chocolate to keep it going... I ended up in a&e the other day with my partner cause he'd had lucozade but hadn't had anything to eat so ended up going into a serious hypo and had to get checked out. And the consultant that he saw who was on duty (luckily a diabetes specialist) commented on that it was most likely the fact that he hadn't had anything to eat and had only had a drink that cause the continuous lowness of blood sugars. If your still worried about your friend then try asking him about his diabetes and try and learn from what he does instead of trying to tell him what he should do. Having an extra bit of insulin because of sending his sugars high won't harm him he should be aware he'd eaten extra and should do a test and then adjust his insulin accordingly. Type 1s can eat just about anything as long as they adjust the insulin for what they eat and keep their blood sugars regulated they'll be fine. (i'm not a dr its my own knowledge/opinion on the topic)

[Emmaayziing]

(Original post by pinkangelgirl)

However, she is a really bad diabetic- she eats chocolate all the time and then just injects the insulin for it.

Type 1 diabetics can eat whatever they want, they can adjust their dosages for each meal depending on how many carbohydrates are in it. Be thankful that she recognises that she needs to inject for the chocolate bar, she is not a "bad diabetic."

[enigma1122]

he took fast acting insulin- its fine. i doubt all he does in life is go hypo and then eat chocolate and drink coke. I'm sure he knows how to have a healthy diet. Just how you might decide one day to skip lunch cos you got greedy and ate two bars of chocolate, he can do the same. It was a one of thing for goodness sake, why the fuss! It must be annoying for him to have people comment on his eating habits just because he is diabetic, he has been taught how to look after his blood glucose and doesn't need people telling him he is doing things wrong. Especially if its a one off.

[amyshamblesxx]

I'm type 1 and I agree with others who have posted here regarding the sense of moderation when having a hypo. If you've never experienced a hypoglycaemic attack before then I would ask that you reserve your judgements as you have no idea how awful they can be. You definitely feel as if eating sugary foods is the only thing that will help and there is nothing more important than getting that sugar into your body so that you can recover.

[gooner4ever]

(Original post by chi'ch)
he has diabetes, you do not, so how about you just leave him be and not have to be right in an argument, as he can do whatever he wants

i have type 1 diabetes, and you get crazy cravings when you're low, and no food is enough... so i stuff my face, then just inject a bit more in half hours time. long term, having high blood sugars for half hour won't make a difference.

bugs me to **** when people judge my care for myself, or others i know who have diabetes

I also get crazy cravings when I'm low! How does everybody here inject when in public like at skol, uni or a restaurant? I always go to the toilet which can be sometimes disgusting 😪 should I be injecting in public? Im a very private guy and I would hate loads of people staring at me whilst injecting! What have peoples experience been like injecting in public?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[gagaslilmonsteruk]

You clearly seem to care about your friend so;

1) I am a type 1 diabetic myself. He was in the wrong - he should have tested his blood sugar first, but he went the right way about dealing with it. Ideally he should have some form of sugary drink on him - diet coke won't qualify for this, has to be the full sugary red bottle if coca cola. I usually carry dextro tablets with me, which you can get about 2 packs for £1 in Boots. It is always a good idea to follow this up with a snack

2) It's good you want to learn about diabetes, but to avoid future arguments with him, I suggest a bit of background reading. www.diabetes.co.uk will be a great start as it provides a great deal of information

[Mini-Cooper]

(Original post by gooner4ever)
How does everybody here inject when in public like at skol, uni or a restaurant? I always go to the toilet which can be sometimes disgusting. should I be injecting in public? Im a very private guy and I would hate loads of people staring at me whilst injecting! What have peoples experience been like injecting in public?

I usually just inject wherever I am, so if I am out or around other people then I will just inject there. I am quite a private person, but I have to have the medication.

What I find is that people don't notice or care about it. If you don't make a big deal about it then you won't draw everyone's attention towards you and they will just get on with what you are doing. At a restaurant people are unlikely to look over at your table and presumably the people on your table will know about it.

Sometimes when I am sitting with people who I haven't met before I might be asked what it is - but only because they don't know that I am diabetic.
I am a Guide leader and so end up injecting in front of them when I am on an outing or camp and they either don't notice, or they find it interesting because they don't know that I am diabetic. But once they have asked the "oo, what's that for?" and got the "I'm diabetic, I have to inject every time I eat" response that is the end of it and I've found that those that have asked won't ask again, or even bat an eyelid about it.

Give it a go. Don't make a big song and dance about it. That's the only way you can really see the reactions - but there typically aren't any.

[OSharp]

to be honest, you probably are right.

but its his body let him get on with it, if that's how he deals with it then let him do it.