I have never found a nut that raises your blood sugar levels, and my only concern about peanuts is that many people can be allergic to them and if this lady is not allergic to them, one of her patients might be, either knowingly or not knowingly and sometimes even the tiniest trace of them would set off anaphalactic shock, which can be fatal! Some people even react to them if they are on the breath of another person!
I remember having a hypo while talking to my Pastor. He went into a blue panic and asked me what he could do to help. I just had enough strength to ask him for some biscuits. He got me some and sat and watched me like a hawk! When I recovered enough to speak properly I mused, “Do you know? I quite like this condition. At least the treatment can be quite pleasant!”
He was stunned. So was I. But then I thought about it and yes, the treatment can be quite pleasant! And we do not have to wait for blood sugars to go down quite as low as mine were before we get to snack!
Jelly Babies are bulky to carry around but I keep them in my desk, in the car etc and they bring my bs up quickly.
Grapes are good as a healthy snack when your BS is borderline low…
2-3 glucose tabs, part of a juice box, a few sweedish fish, part of a banana or a clementine I use all of those depending on the situation if it is real low.
Raisins
I do glucose tablets too. I take 2 for a mild low and 3 for a severe low. They are only 10 calories per tablet. They don’t taste all that great, so it’s difficult to overdo them.
i like smarties and typically take 2 rolls for a low. i also second eating protein at work; nuts work great for this.
Smarties. They are about 13 grams per small package, they act very fast, and you can give them to a kid when you need to bribe them for some reason.
The real issue is that you are going low at work a lot. Get the book “Pumping Insulin” and learn how to calculate and set correct Basil rates. Depending on what kind of insulin you are using, you may need to change your basil rate two to four hours before starting work, and depending on how much exercise over your normal base exercise you are getting, you may need to keep it lower for a long time after work. If your Endo insists that you call with every little change, call or fax the endo after you do the calculations and make the change. They might have some insight that they can provide you to help you make better changes (Like if you keep adjusting your basil rate but forget to adjust your correction factor and can’t get your levels to balance out). If you think you need to make a major change, make half of the change, use it for three days, see the effect, then make the rest of the change if it is going in the right direction.
Perhaps just keep a carb drink with you and drink a little bit of it throughout the day. I don’t think you need to worry about the excess calories from the stuff you consume from being low because technically you’re body is using those calories to bring up your blood sugar. But if you think those calories are effecting your weight, then just eat a little bit less overall.
Sooooo Cute!!! 
I always go with peanut butter. It has enough sugar that it brings me up and the protein and fat keep me stable until I can eat.
Hi Marps,
I and my dog Comet have to take issue with this. For some reason, I like the taste of them, sort of like a sweet tums tablet. Anyhow, my lab-cross dog was sitting begging one day, so I tossed him a tab. HE GOBBLED IT UP AND LOVED IT! Now whenever I’m rummaging around my 50-tab bottle of tabs, he comes running and begging.
Cheers and laughs,
Mike
Hey, at least your dog won’t have any lows… LOL
I am a huge proponent of glucose tablets. It makes it easier to measure the carb, it doesn’t add a whol lot of calories to your day, and the tubes are portable and will fit in a pocket. They are great for the 15/15 thing. I keep them around the office and my home and in every jacket.
Take the pump class if you can. They are pretty neat little gadgets and they can make your life so much easier.
They are little carb bombs. I was shocked at how much carb is in a serving of raisins. The educator I went to used raisins for her lows. Particularly when she was walking/shopping. I like raisins a lot. Therefore, I use glucose tabs. I’m just a boy who can’t say no.
hello, i’m a nurse too, i totally agree with you, we have no time to eat as we should.
sometimes i eat iogurt with oat, i have a box with oat and when i need a snack i put a tea spoon full of oat on my iogurt, that works good with me.
i like smarties!! 6 grams CHO per packet! yummy and fun and no ‘sickie’!! easy to carry, cheap available…
I LOVE nuts but they are high in fat…
While I am not a nurse, I teach. Which makes for the type of day that you have… I rarely get a chance to eat lunch, etc. I do have a separate basal setting for work days as I am much more active than my days off (I occasionally wear a pedometer and easily clock 10miles in a day at work). I keep juice boxes in my desk that I can grab and drink when my Dex start alarming. This helps me avoid the “eat everything I can get my hands on” feeling… I do sometimes have to keep telling myself only one… sometimes, I break down and have a second one if it is within 90mins of bolusing. I have recently reread the book Pumping Insulin by Walsh. This is helping me make some adjustments.
Honestly, I have started being of the opinion that it is easier to apologize than it is sometimes to comply to crazy requests (if you know that you are going low at work regularly… what about trying a temp basal rate for a shift or 2… if it works, then call the endo).
When I’m on my feet running around, I don’t need a snack since I always eat protein in the morning, and if I get lunch, protein at lunch, but I do need glucose tabs to keep me evenly at 90.
Get the Walsh book or start working with your pump.
When a doctor hamstrings you by wanting to dictate every change, he is holding you back from an education for your lifetime. For your patients’ sake, if not your own, get that education. Pumps are not mysterious. They are simply tools to be understood and used.
You TuDers are great, really good suggestions, can I summarize?
1 - You should have at least two different basal rates. One for your work days, another for your days off.
1a - Barring that you should use a temporary basal rate while at work, and your endo should be able to help you approximate what that should be based on your insulin sensitivity. Test to validate.
2 - Treat lows with Glucose tabs using the 15/15 rule of thumb. 15 grams of carbs (okay 16, if you use Dex-4 tablets) and then test in 15 minutes to see where you are.
2a - To this add some protein so you get some longer-lasting calories into your body. Nuts, peanut butter, hard-boiled egg and the like. Test to validate.
3 - Look for a book like one of the ones by Walsh or maybe, “Think Like A Pancreas” by Gary Scheiner.
4 - Keep asking questions here on TuDiabetes.
5 - Write down your questions so that when you go to/call the Endo you get the answers you need.
Fair Winds,
Mike