Diabetes can completely change a person's life. Everything will change, from how a person chooses what to eat to how he goes about his daily life. There are a lot of websites, magazines, and books about diabetes that can help you learn more about it if you don't know much about it.
The biggest problem for people with diabetes is not being able to get their medicine in an emergency. Because of this, you should always have an emergency kit with you. Use the medicines on a regular basis and get new refills to keep them from going bad. You can put cold medicines, antacids, cough syrup, test strips, insulin and syringes if you use them, and supplies for checking your blood sugar in the emergency kit. Make sure to read the label before using any over-the-counter medicine you buy. If the product comes with a warning that people with diabetes should talk to their doctor before using it, do that. If you have one of these kits at home, try to get one for work or school as well.
It's also important to put your medical history, prescription medicines, and emergency contacts in the kit. Keep them in water-proof bags so they don't get wet. If you use insulin, keep extra syringes, an emergency kit with glucagon, and urine ketone strips. A glucagon emergency kit has a syringe with liquid in it that needs to be mixed with a powder. This kit is only used in a Severe Hypoglycemic Emergency. Also, try to keep the insulin as cool as possible so it doesn't get damaged.
People who were caught in the Katrina and Rita hurricane disasters could have lived or died depending on how prepared they were. And being ready is important for the safety and health of people with diabetes. So, the best thing a person with diabetes can do to keep problems from happening is to live a healthy life. It is important to eat healthy foods and have a regular exercise to keep blood pressures at normal and reduce the risk of heart disease and other serious conditions. And most importantly, always have an emergency kit handy.
