I spent the day with the diabetes nurse Jane. I was able to sit in the room during appointments with patients which I enjoyed. I enjoyed communicating with patients and I found it interesting listening to how they manage their diabetes at home. Jane gave me a huge insight about diabetes which really increased my knowledge.

Type 1 diabetes is when no insulin is produced. Type 2 diabetes is more complex and usually the insulin isn’t working and often the individual is overweight and extra adipose is blocking the cells. A hypo is when an diabetic individuals blood sugar is to low. The expression i was taught was 4 and 7 is diabetes heaven. If the individuals blood sugar drops below 4 this is seen as an hypo and immediate action should take place. The appropriate actions for a hypo would be to give fast acting sugar that will quickly get into the blood stream and bring the sugar levels back up fast.

Fast acting sugars are considered as, insulin, orange juice, jelly babies, glucogel. Chocolate should be given as a last resort as dairy takes longer to break down.

I learnt that every person that has diabetes has to have an annual review. They have to have screenings annually for their feet, eyes and HBA1C. HBA1C is a blood test that determines how much sugar is in the bloodstream. The ranges are 20-41 for an individual that doesn’t have diabetes, 42-47 for pre diabetes and 48+ for an individual diagnosed with diabetes.

The feet are checked by checking the pulses, the temperature of the feet, checking in-between toes for fungal infections, sensitivities and capillary refill (3 secs).

I also learnt that it is important for individuals that have insulin to not inject themselves in the same area all the time, this is because it can cause lipos. Lipos are damage to the skin from sharp objects that are being injected into the same subcutaneous areas. The fat starts to gather together in one area and holds the insulin being injected. The insulin then is released at different times.

There are 3 components of diabetes which are, medication, diet and activity. Medications that are often used for diabetics are metformin and glipizide.

I was advised by Jane that is very important for needles to not be reused. This is because it puts the individuals at risk of an infection.

Overall, I enjoyed my day with Jane and learnt a lot. One thing I would like to develop my knowledge and skills on is different types on insulins. I aim to do self directed study at home