So my friend has COVID-19 and is in the hospital

[DemocratSinceBirth]

She is a fifty-two year- old insulin- dependent diabetic. Her A1C is 10 which is high. She said she is being administered intravenous dextrose. I suspect the COVID-19 has triggered her blood sugar. I hope and pray that is all that it is.

COVID-19 is no joke. Shame on anybody who treats it as such.

Thoughts, prayers, best wishes appreciated.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I'm so sorry. I hope she gets well soon!

[lark]

2. Hope your friend gets through this swiftly and with no horrible impacts.

Best wishes for good health coming her way!

[malaise]

3. Sending good vibes

Everyone knows someone with this virus

[niyad]

4. Healing vibes and energy for your friend. Please keep us posted.

[Srkdqltr]

5. My daughter works in a doctor's office and is an insulin dependent diabetic about the same age as...

...your friend. I worry. Best wishes to your friend I hope she recovers swiftly. This virus thing is just awful.

[cate94]

6. Sending good thoughts

I hope she recovers swiftly and fully.

[Tanuki]

7. A prayer for healing and continued health for your friend and a

speedy vaccine for you and all of us! Please keep us informed about your friend.

[Alliepoo]

8. Sending good wishes for her quick recovery

And lots of healing vibes her way!! Also sending peace-filled vibes to you. I know you are worried about your friend. Your DU fam is here for you.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

9. Sending good vibes for your friend.

My husband is a Type Ii insulin dependent diabetic. He also has Congestive Heart Failure. He getsvthis, I am a widow. THAT is how serious we are taking this.

[MLAA]

10. Best wishes

[Susan Calvin]

11. I had a conversation in the hospital when my husband died.

With a person whose husband was also in the hospital and was being fed by a tube. She said that stuff they put in them is basically nothing but sugar and terrible for you. It was causing all kinds of things to go wrong with her husband.

[GumboYaYa]

31. My grandfather invented the process for dissolving amino acids

in a glucose drip when he was treating long term care patients in a Mash unit in Korea. I don't think the technology has advanced that much since then.

[Susan Calvin]

41. Based on what I heard from that lady,

I I don't think so either.

[onecent]

12. I hope your friend is going to have one or two days in there....and head back

to home.
I had a friend who is over 70...she got a bad cough, and I called her one night and there was no answer.

The next day my girlfriend called me (worked with her for 10 years at the IRS after I left Ford)...and she sounded
like she had a VERY BAD COLD and that she was in with the Covis people...and she couldn,t remember anything.

I waited for a day or two and all of a sudden she called me...and said she did NOT HAVE ANY COVIS....gave her something
to take for whatever it was...and she is doing real fine. She was home in two days. I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT...

Don't give up, I'm sure you won't....I keep thinking I'm going to go and I don't want to die with corniv. AT ALL!!!!

Saying prayers.

[SammyWinstonJack]

13. Hope she recovers soon and fully.

[greenjar_01]

14. Good vibes her way

[wendyb-NC]

15. I send good thoughts and healing energy her way.

I hope that the doctors and nurses are able to stabilize her blood sugar and she responds to the Covid-19 treatments, to regain complete health.

[hkp11]

16. best wishes

covid-19 is no joke - people with underlying conditions are especially vulnerable, just like me (diabetes).

Hoping that she gets well soon.

[Gothmog]

17. Your friend will be in my prayers

[ismnotwasm]

18. If she's getting dextrose her blood sugar is dangerously low, despite the high A1C

Scary situation, Best of wishes and I hope she gets well.

[ooky]

22. Excellent point. nt

[Ms. Toad]

26. Not necessarily

She may be getting dextrose because she is unable to eat. In which case they likely need to back off on the dextrose or add insulin to reduce the blood sugar.

Absent any information about her current blood glucose levels, it is impossible to tell whether they are giving her dextrose to counter low blood glucose - OR - are giving her dextrose for other reasons (in which case her current blood glucose needs to be carefully monitored to ensure that the dextrose used for other reasons isn't exacerbating an already high blood glucose).

[Heartstrings]

33. My husband was an extremely brittle Type 1 adult onset diabetic.

My question would be, are they not giving her insulin?

No matter, healing vibes sent her way.

[Ms. Toad]

36. I'm sure they are -

but it can be a very hard balance, as I'm sure you're aware.

My point was more that we don't know why they are giving her dextrose.

If she has been given more insulin (or has been giving herself) more insulin than needed to bond to the sugar and remove it from her blood, her blood glucose may be dangerously low - and dextrose would be treatment to counter too much insulin.

Or she may be getting dextrose for another reason entirely (in which case, as an insulin-dependent diabetic, they need to carefully monitor her blood glucose, and potentially alter her insulin dose to ensure that what cures something else doesn't turn into diabetic ketoacidosis, for example)

[Heartstrings]

40. Exactly...

I would hope they’re monitoring her well, easy to crash and burn with diabetes.

[gademocrat7]

19. Prayers and hugs for your friend.

[iluvtennis]

20. Sent up a prayer for your friend.

[ooky]

21. One of my adult children is a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic.

We know about high A1C's. The A1C is a measure of average blood sugar over several months, so her sugar was likely already high when she was infected with COVID. Her spot sugar readings are a good indicator of how the COVID is effecting it, which I am sure it is. The hospital is the best place for her right now in terms of controlling her blood sugar levels and managing it's effect on the COVID and vice-versa. From my experience with our son's diabetes, my view is that anyone with this combination of diseases should be in the hospital.

My son is type 1 and his profession requires him to go into people's homes, and I am terrified.

All my best wishes for your friend.

[SheltieLover]

23. Healing vibes on the way!

Hoping she makes a quick & full recovery! 💗💗💗

[Hortensis]

24. I'm so sorry, Dem. She's where she needs to be right now.

Best wishes absolutely!

[Ms. Toad]

25. A1C reflects average blood sugar over the past 3 months

It's not a precise measure, but unless she has been in the hospital for quite a while it is NOT the cause of the high A1C.

I assume they are taking her blood sugar regularly throughout the day? That is the measure that reflects what the dextroxe (and COVID 19) are doing to her blood sugar.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

28. One time I asked her what her fasting glucose is and she said 200.

[Ms. Toad]

32. Normal fasting glucose is under 100

An A1C of 10 is roughly equivalent to an average blood glucose of 240 for the past 3 months. That is definitiely not a COVID (or dextrose) caused blood sugar problem. It's out-of-control diabetes.

(For reference, my last A1C is 6.3 - formally in the "pre-diabetic" range, even though I have diabetes. My fasting blood glucose is between 80 and 120. I never go above 140 (the top of the "normal" range), even after eating. The goal most doctors set for people with diabetes is to come back down to below 140 within 2 hours after eating. If I followed those guidelines, my A1C would be in the range of 7.5 - 8.0.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to make someone take better care of themselves - but if your friend asks for help, reducing carb intake (sugar + starches) is a very effective way to keep diabetes from becoming a progressive disease. It takes a major change in eating habits that most are not willing to make.

[qwlauren35]

27. I am so sorry.

Hoping for the happiest possible ending.

[Demsrule86]

29. thoughts and prayers and best wishes...the entire thing...it is a scary time.

[CaptainTruth]

30. Sending good thoughts...

[Demovictory9]

34. Wishing her a speedy recovery

[sarge43]

35. Good thoughts and vibes for your dear friend.

Be well, good lady.

[Evolve Dammit]

37. I hope she will be OK. Very scary. Keep us posted and take care.

[mrs_p]

38. Positive energy for a full recovery

I hope your friend gets better soon.

I was just told by a co-worker that she is a firm believer when it’s your time it’s your time so she isn’t concerned about the virus. What the fuck does that even mean? I said what does that mean for someone like my husband who is immunocompromised? I am so sick of these so called Christians here. Ugh.

[calimary]

39. Lifting her up.

Hope she knows how many people are pulling for her. (And for YOU, too.)

[Cha]

42. I hope your friend gets through this, DSB!

Does she know how she could have gotten it?

[tishaLA]

43. may she have a speedy, complete recovery

she's lucky to have a friend like you

[samplegirl]

44. Prayers that

she will be ok!🙏

[pazzyanne]

45. Sending prayers!

[warmfeet]

46. This is the fate of many here on DU.

This is the fate of many on planet earth.

Perhaps we should consider working with each other.

Just a crazy fucking thought.

We could all work toward helping each other. Nah! That's just naive.

[LisaL]

47. Could she be confused and they are giving her dexamethasone (a steroid)?

Dextrose would have been giving if her blood glucose is low, not high. Dexamethasone showed promised in the survival rate of covid.

[SouthernCal_Dem]

48. (((((Good Vibes)))))

For your friend.

[peacebuzzard]

49. thinking of your friend, wishing her well.

this is sad news. hope she pulls through quickly.

[bdamomma]

50. I hope your

friend gets well.