From the current data, it appears that novel coronavirus infections have serious consequences in the elderly, the chronically ill, and the obese. The company’s main goal is to provide a comprehensive range of products and services to help you to achieve your goals. The first of these is to make sure that the patient’s blood glucose is well managed at home during this special time.
10 words to manage blood glucose at home: diet, exercise, medication, monitoring, care
Eating
The first step for people with diabetes to manage their blood sugar is to “keep their mouths shut”. When “home for all” coincides with traditional holidays, diet control is even more important.
1. Eat your meals on time. Establish good habits, wake up on time, eat on time, and don’t let your vacation disrupt your usual routine and eating habits.
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2. Avoid energy “overload”. Most patients will have less exercise at home, so the total energy intake should be reduced accordingly; in addition to the three meals a day, you should be careful about the huge amount of energy from “snacks”, including all kinds of pastries, sweets, puffed foods, fruits, nuts, etc. In addition to the three meals a day to be “careful”, but also to prevent the “snacks” bring great energy, including a variety of cakes, sweets, puffed food, fruit, nuts, etc.. To avoid leisure time, unknowingly ate a lot of “snacks”, resulting in excess energy, blood sugar. The most important thing to do is to make sure that you have a good idea of what you want to eat.
3. Avoid sugary drinks and try not to drink alcohol. If you do drink, limit the amount of alcohol to no more than 15 grams a day for women and 25 grams a day for men (15 grams of alcohol equals 350 mL of beer, or 150 mL of wine, or 45 mL of distilled spirits), and no more than twice a week; be alert to the possibility of alcohol-induced hypoglycemia and avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
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4. Consume a moderate amount of carbohydrates, or starchy foods (called “staples” in many places), every day, but try to avoid thin rice, batter, porridge, sesame paste, oatmeal, etc. to avoid a significant increase in blood glucose. If necessary, you can substitute soy milk, pure milk, vegetable and egg soups (do not add starch, thicken, etc.), etc.
5. Eat less fried foods and other fatty and greasy foods, and eat moderate amounts of high-quality protein (such as meat, eggs, fish and shrimp, milk, soy products, etc.), more dietary fiber foods such as beans, fiber-rich cereals, fruits and vegetables, etc.; eat no more than 6 grams of salt per day, and be on the lookout for “hidden salt” – sodium-rich foods. “These are the foods that are high in sodium, such as monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, sauces, pickles, and processed foods like salt.
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6. Another type of food to pay special attention to during the Chinese New Year is sticky cereal products such as dumplings, sticky cakes, mochi, and eight-piece rice, which have a higher glycemic index and are also often eaten with fried and sugar, making them more likely to raise blood sugar. You can master the following tips when eating them:
- Cook with as little oil and sugar as possible;
- Eat in moderation, especially avoiding large amounts in a short period of time;
- Eat this type of food, then try to eat less or no other staple food;
- Eat this type of food, then try to eat less or no other staple food;
- Eat high-fiber foods such as vegetables, or high-protein foods such as chicken, duck and fish before eating sticky cakes to properly reduce the intake of sticky cakes, etc.
Exercise
1. Exercise moderately according to your physical condition, especially your cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise capacity, and your home environment.
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2. You can do moderate or vigorous aerobic exercise at home, such as brisk walking, fast-paced dance, aerobics, and treadmill jogging. What is “moderate intensity”? It’s usually a little harder, with a faster heart rate and breathing, but not rapid, and a heart rate of 50% to 70% of the maximum heart rate (maximum heart rate = 220 – actual age).
3. Adults with type 2 diabetes should exercise for at least 150 minutes per week (eg, 30 minutes 5 days per week); even a short burst of exercise (eg, 10 minutes) can be beneficial when accumulated over 30 minutes per day.
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4. Resistance exercises can be performed at home, including upper-body resistance exercises (hands on the wall, feet together with a slight forward lean and push, each supported for about 10-15 seconds), squats, sit-ups, push-ups, plank supports, and exercises with equipment such as dumbbells and elastic bands; the major muscle groups, including the upper extremities, lower extremities, and trunk, can be exercised.
5. Avoid exercising on an empty stomach or too much exercise to be on the alert for hypoglycemia.
Monitoring
1. Measure blood glucose 2 to 4 days per week in patients with stable blood glucose or who are taking only oral hypoglycemic medications, and 4 to 6 days per week in patients with fluctuating blood glucose or who are on insulin, or more frequently as appropriate for individual circumstances (e.g., more intensive monitoring after adjusting the glucose-lowering regimen).
2. Blood glucose monitoring includes fasting and 2-hour postprandial glucose (blood glucose 2 hours after the first bite); fasting glucose is very common, but 2-hour postprandial glucose is rarely measured, which is incomplete.
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3. Different simultaneous blood glucose values can guide the use of glucose-lowering medications, and if insulin is used, the bedtime insulin dose can be adjusted based on fasting blood glucose, and the premixed insulin dose can be adjusted based on fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose.
4. The goal of glycemic control varies among patients: in the absence of comorbidities, fasting blood glucose control of 4.4-7 mmol/L and nonfasting blood glucose <10 mmol/L is recommended; in the presence of multiple comorbidities, other serious illnesses, or advanced age, the control criteria may be relaxed: fasting blood glucose control of 7.8-10 mmol/L and nonfasting blood glucose of 7.8-13.9 mmol/L.
Medications
Adhere to medications strictly as prescribed by your doctor. Different types of medications work differently and are not interchangeable, so when blood glucose is not well controlled, it is advisable to seek professional advice to adjust the regimen rather than “do it yourself”.
Care
1. When washing your feet, test the water temperature with your hands first to prevent burns caused by high water temperature; avoid skin burns when using electric blankets, electric heaters, etc.
2. When trimming fingernails and calluses (“calluses”), take care to avoid damaging the skin of the foot.
3. After a skin burn or break (especially on the foot), if it does not show signs of improvement or even worsens in 2 to 3 days, seek medical attention.
What are the conditions that warrant a visit to the hospital, even in “extraordinary circumstances”?
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1. High blood glucose (random blood glucose >16.7 mmol/L), or recurrent hypoglycemia (blood glucose <3.9 mmol/L);
2. co-infections, including skin or foot infections, respiratory tract infections (fever, cough, sputum, chest tightness, breathlessness, dyspnea, etc.), urinary tract infections (frequent, urgent, painful urination, etc.);
3. ketosis, “signs” of which include marked weakness, thirst, poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, breath smelling like rotten apples, and mental changes such as irritability and drowsiness;
4. Acute cardiovascular complications, which may manifest as panic, chest tightness, chest pain, or slurred mouth, salivation, slurred speech, limb weakness, and confusion.
Tips for seeking medical attention in unusual times
1. If it’s just fluctuating blood sugar and no other significant discomfort, you can start by seeking help on the Internet, where many hospitals and doctors conduct consultations.
2. If you need to go to the hospital, try not to take public transportation, take personal protection, and bring your visit card, ID card, information about previous visits, and recent blood glucose monitoring records.