|  | Conditions Treatments | Diabetes

About High Blood Sugar Emergencies

When your body doesn't produce enough insulin, your blood sugar can skyrocket. This is especially true for people with diabetes. During a high blood sugar emergency, there are several things you can do to help lower your body's blood sugar.

  1. Early Symptoms

    • Early symptoms of high blood sugar include extreme tiredness, thirst or the need to urinate. You may also experience dry mouth or other signs of dehydration. Knowing these symptoms can help you lower your blood sugar before it reaches truly unhealthy levels.

    Later Symptoms

    • Later symptoms of high blood sugar may include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or fast and deep breathing. If the emergency isn't fixed in time, it can lead to unconsciousness (diabetic coma).

    Checking for High Blood Sugar

    • If you think you are having a high blood sugar emergency, check your urine for ketones. If you have diabetes, your practitioner should have given you a test to ascertain your ketone level. If the test results are positive, your blood sugar is abnormally high.

    Treatment

    • Go to the doctor or hospital immediately. You will need to receive insulin and fluids intravenously.

    Prevention

    • To prevent a high blood sugar emergency, make sure not to skip any meals or snacks and check your blood sugar levels regularly. Take the appropriate amount of insulin and follow your diabetes management plan.

Diabetes - Related Articles