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Lifesaving First Aid for Diabetic Emergencies

You could save a life by learning how to manage this life-threatening condition

Gill McCulloch
Wise & Well
7 min readNov 20, 2024

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A collection of items associated with diabetes including a blue ribbon, glucose monitor, candy, sugar cubes, insulin syringe and a pink donut with sprinkles.
Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” yelled the woman across the school gymnasium at my recently certified, newly recruited first aid course instructor. Her words hung heavily in the shocked silence.

The instructor, unsure how to handle this awkward situation, turned to me for guidance. I called a short break and asked the students to return in 10 minutes. Meanwhile, recognizing the woman’s uncharacteristic behaviour was a sign of low blood sugar, a friend sitting beside her offered her some candy. After a few minutes, the woman felt better and apologized profusely for her rudeness.

Aggressive behaviour is just one of the signs of a diabetic emergency. For those with diabetes, a sudden drop or rise in blood sugar levels can quickly progress to a life-threatening emergency. Even if you don’t know it, odds are there’s someone in your life living with diabetes.

Worldwide, 540 million people (one in ten adults) live with diabetes, according to the International Diabetes Federation. The organization predicts this will rise to one in eight or 783 million by 2045. Some 240 million people are estimated to be living with undiagnosed diabetes — a significant…

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Wise & Well
Wise & Well

Published in Wise & Well

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Gill McCulloch
Gill McCulloch

Written by Gill McCulloch

I write about first aid, subjects that move me deeply and situations that make me laugh. Founder, Safe + Sound First Aid Training Ltd. gillnmcculloch@gmail.com

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