Your best guide will be your husband's doctor. He or she knows all the details of the situation and can give you much more valuable guidance than any of us here.
Having said that, I'm an EMT and deal with diabetic patients very regularly, so I'll offer a couple of things to understand about blood glucose.
- EVERYBODY's blood sugar varies quite a bit during the day -- whether they are diabetic or not. A slightly elevated blood glucose reading is NOT a cause for concern if it pops up following a meal. That's the normal result of digestion -- the sugar buzz. So if he eats something and gets a sugar reading of 140-150 a half hour later, that is where it SHOULD be. Those little spikes return to normal levels in an hour or two and should not be of concern.
- Increases in the base level of blood glucose take place very slowly. Returning those levels to the normal range from an elevated level also occurs very gradually. We don't normally consider high blood glucose an emergency unless it exceeds 300, but when it does that patient is going to be in the hospital for a couple of days on an insulin drip to bring things back to normal.
- Decreases in blood glucose levels occur rapidly and LOW blood sugar is the real threat for a diabetic. This is especially a problem for patients who use insulin or insulin-substitutes, don't eat enough, and exercise (like walking around Epcot).
High blood glucose for prolonged periods can cause serious, long-lasting damage and must be controlled; low blood glucose can kill you. Glucose levels dropping from normal are VERY dangerous. Low blood glucose can quickly progress to insulin shock if not treated immediately, and that can be life-threatening. Fortunately, prompt treatment can quickly restore normal levels.
To avoid too-high glucose levels, I think jennylyn_b's advice above is perfect. Share yummy stuff, stay hydrated, and go easy on the alcohol. Alcohol not only will raise your glucose levels, it will also contribute greatly to dehydration so it's kind of a double-whammy -- two bad effects for the price of one.
To avoid too-low glucose levels, you should first know the symptoms: weakness, dizziness, light-headedness, lack of mental focus, stumbling, etc are all early signs of low blood glucose. Those signs often show up first when the person stands up after sitting for a while...all of a sudden they're just wobbly. Agitation is often an early sign of shock. Excessive sweating may indicate the patient is already IN shock and needs immediate advanced medical attention.
I would invest in some
oral glucose (3 tubes for +/-$10 at any pharmacy). If he gets a little woozy, take one tube of the oral glucose (usually 25 grams of glucose). Let the paste dissolve under his tongue or between the cheek and gum. That will raise his blood glucose level 30-40 points almost immediately, but it can't possibly cause any harm.
Oral glucose is vastly superior to "home remedies" like orange juice or a candy bar because glucose is the only form of sugar the body can burn. If you eat a candy bar, your body has to convert the sugar in the candy into glucose before it can do you any good -- so oral glucose works a lot faster.
Obviously, you have to carry the oral glucose WITH YOU; it does nothing for you sitting in your hotel room.
One very important thing to understand about using any kind of intervention to raise blood glucose -- any intervention is TEMPORARY. You will be giving some form of fast burning sugar, and it will burn off quickly.
If someone's sugar level drops low enough that they need oral glucose, a candy bar, etc...once they are out of the woods,
they need to eat a meal.
Not a snack -- a
meal. And not an hour from now -- they need a meal NOW. If they don't eat a meal, they are going to be right back in trouble in an hour or so. They've got to get some complex carbs which will sustain and stabilize their sugar levels.
*****
In a nutshell, I'd say don't focus on HIGH sugar levels, stay alert for signs of LOW levels. His levels are going to go up anyway, just from being in an environment where it is very difficult to know exactly what his intake is. But they're not going to rise so dramatically that they will constitute a real problem.
Use moderation, and have fun. Have a great trip!
