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I have a close relative with type-1 diabetes who suffer from unbalanced sugar levels (high blood sugar/low blood sugar) very often. Managing her blood sugar is becoming very stressful; especially, when she does not have a precise plan of the daily meals (carbohydrate intake) and the proper amount insult to take accordingly.

I am trying to find resources and practices that will help her to manage her sugar much better. I wounder if you can suggest any resources in any form, such as, (Meal plan control, insulin control plans, etc). Or any practices such as using a planner, documenting sugar levels and insulin intake daily to have better intuition of the overall sugar-level/insulin-intake, etc.

Thank you so much,

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  • Welcome to health SE :-). I don't have any resources at the moment, but this information should be provided by the physician. If that is not enough, there might be some patient support groups in your area that might help. (You may have already thought of this, but just in case you haven't).
    – Lucky
    Sep 12, 2016 at 16:04
  • Giving specific advice is dangerous without a visit, especially for DM1. I recommend that he/she make an appointment with a primary care provider. What will help the provider determine management most would be: Bring any past medical records about her management of diabetes, or have them sent to the doctor's office. Until day of appointment, take daily pre-breakfast AM blood sugar readings, and on a couple of days take a reading before dinner and then 1 hr after dinner. Kep track of all insulin/medication use, and diet as best as she can. Also, make a list of questions to ask.
    – DoctorWhom
    Sep 15, 2016 at 5:46
  • The provider can connect you/them with programs for teaching patients about diabetes and supporting good management; they differ by region. Nutritionists are awesome to work with to really work through eating options. If her management is really difficult, she may be sent to an endocrinologist
    – DoctorWhom
    Sep 15, 2016 at 5:47

1 Answer 1

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To get a better control of diabetes, the best option is to use an Insulin Pump with a Continuos Glucose Monitor. (CGM)

The Insulin Pump allows you to absume Insulin without using needles, having a fully customizable Basal Profile and many other functionalities.

The CGM keeps your Blood Sugar under control in a continuos way, knowing the trend of it instead of just the current value. Some Insulin Pumps (Medtronic) can integrate the functionality of the CGM, having everything in one device.

Regarding the Insulin, there are various types and brands. The best option is to talk a Diabetologist and cautiously find the one that map your BG response. On average, a person with type 1 diabetes needs from 0.5-1 U of insulin for each kg of weight.

Having a healty lifestile and a correct nutrition is a fundamental to manage diabetes. To keep track of the food and the macros there are a lot of Apps that allows you to have a nutritional overview. (for example MyFitnessPal)

Personally, I would suggest to start from here.

Insulin types: http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-types-insulin#1

Insulin intake: http://www.aafp.org/afp/1999/1115/p2343.html

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