Hyperglycemia is an abnormally high level of glucose, also called sugar, in the blood and is the underlying problem in patients with diabetes. Prolonged or chronic hyperglycemia leads to long-term diabetic complications, such as kidney damage, nerve damage, and blindness. Excessively high glucose may also cause more immediate and serious complications like ketoacidosis and diabetic coma. These are considered medical emergencies and to prevent their development, you must lower your blood sugar.
Step 1
Check your blood sugar. Doing this will provide an actual number for you to work with. It will help you determine if you should self-manage the episode or seek medical attention. If your sugar is less than 240mg/dL you may be able to self-treat.
Step 2
Check for ketones in your urine. If your blood sugar is more than 240mg/dL and you are also experiencing symptoms of hyperglycemia such as frequent urination, thirstiness, blurred vision, fruity breath, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and fatigue, perform a urine ketone test. Ketones are waste products resulting from the breakdown of fats. When the blood gets saturated with ketones, they begin to spill over into your urine, which is indicative of ketone buildup in the blood. Excessive ketones in the blood can cause ketoacidosis, which if left untreated, may result in a coma and possibly even death. If your urine test is positive for ketones, seek medical attention immediately.
Step 3
Exercise. If your sugar is less than 240mg/dL and there are no ketones in your urine, try doing some type of exercise. According the the American Diabetes Association, exercise can lower your sugar. But if your urine test is positive for ketones, they recommend you to avoid exercising, because it could actually increase your sugar even more. After a reasonable amount of time, recheck your blood sugar.
Step 4
Take a glucose-lowering medication. Take a dose of rapid acting insulin or an oral diabetes medication that lowers glucose or sugar. Consult your physician for the appropriate dose to take during an emergency. The rapid-acting insulins--Humalog and Novolog--will begin to work in approximately 15 minutes. The oral glucose-lowering medicines begin to work from 15 minutes to 1 hour for glyburide; 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours for glipizide; and 2 to 3 hours for glimepiride.
Step 5
Recheck your sugar. If the numbers remain dangerously high and you are experiencing abdominal pain, fruity breath, nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath, call 911.
Tips and Warnings
- Always wear a "Medical Alert" bracelet. It will inform the emergency medical response team that you are diabetic if you are ever found unconscious as result of a diabetic coma.
Things You'll Need
- Insulin
- Urine ketone testing strips
- Glucose-monitoring meter
- Test Strips
References
- American Diabetes Association: High Blood Glucose
- MayoClinic.com: Hyperglycemia in diabetes
- "Drug Information Handbook"; Charles Lacy, Lora Armstrong, Morton Goldman, Leonard Lance; 2008
