What’s your rescue plan? That’s the question Diabetes Canada is asking diabetics when it comes to hypoglycaemia.
Shayne McVittie, who has type one diabetes, knows first-hand how dangerous a severe blood sugar low called hypoglycaemia can be.
“Being in those situations can be scary and if you ran out of food or didn’t have enough on you to get out of that low blood sugar it can be dangerous,” he says.
McVittie says that's exactly what happened to him a couple of years ago after a bike ride from London to Port Stanley, Ont. and back with friends.
“I stood up and lost consciousness and I took a good tumble down some stairs and ended up in the hospital scraped up and I broke my nose.”
Thankfully his wife was around to call 911, however Dr. Stewart Harris from the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry says severe hypoglycaemia can be deadly.
“Patients can become unconscious, they can have seizures and in some cases in the most severe form people can die from it.”
Harris, who also works with Diabetes Canada, is helping get the message out in a new campaign called What’s Your Rescue Plan?
It's aimed at all diabetics, because any one with diabetes can experience hypoglycaemia.
“Having a prepared plan, talking about it, making your loved ones and friend aware of what it is and that it can happen to you is step one of being prepared.”
Harris says it’s also important to always make sure there is sugar around and if you see someone collapsed and unable to treat themselves to call 911.
More information about the campaign can be found here.
