Brother's Wedding - Advice would be good...

not saying that you shouldnt have a drink but are you aware that it lowers your blood sugers. are you aware of your hypos and could you tell the difference between "drunk" and hypo? if you can answer yes then by all mean have a drink but be aware! if you can have low carb beer all the better, dont miss any insulin, keep lucazade next to the bed (you are more likely to hypo during the night) if you can manage it try a small sugery drink to keep your sugers up, and check your blood. Alcohol lowers blood quite rapid (this is why you get munchies last thing at night when you have been on a bender) this is fine if your not diabetic but for us l;ot, not good. Just keep track and have a good night dont drink too much and it you find that your fine throughout the night and in the morning then you can be happy in the knowlage that you did the right thing. (the longer your diabetic the easer it becomes :lol: :lol: )
Have a good time

Hi JC,

I've been to loads of weddings in the last 4 years and had a fair bit to drink at a few of them. The one where I didn't follow advice and the diabetes affected me worst and that was my own! D'Oh!!

The way I see it, there are three key things to remember:

1. Have something to eat before you start drinking and inject insulin dose accordingly.
2. Keep an eye on your levels through the evening, but don't worry if they're a little high - alcohol will do that to start with.
3. Alcohol will cause your bg to go lower later, so whatever you do, make sure you have something to eat before bed.

When I'm staying in a hotel I pack some flapjacks and wine gums in my overnight bag - flapjacks as a pre-bed snack and wine gums in case of hypo. If you have eaten enough (I know the timings can be difficult at weddings) and you have something before bed, you'll most likely only suffer from a hangover and the possibility of being a bit higher than normal in the morning.

Hope that helps,
Any questions give me a shout.

Sam.

Hi JC, congrats to your bro! As everyone has already said, watch out for those night time lows as they will happen after a day/night of drinking (lets face it, after the pre-wedding drinks to steady the nerves and toasts etc, you will probably have the chance to sink a fair few!) 2 words for you. Starchy carbs

Top tip - you will be tempted to over inject if you see your levels start to rise, particularly before you go to bed. Resist, resist! I did that once and it wasn't pretty :roll:

Above all - have fun and enjoy the day!!

Hi there

Another thing I have to watch is going low the next morning - that really caught me out the first time it happened. I'd had the pre-bed snack and everything was fine. Was just congratuting myself on my first post-diagnosis night out when I went hypo at around 11 the next morning. So just be aware that sometimes the effects can take longer than you think. Now, following my DN's advice, I inject a little less insulin on mornings following a drink and have been fine ever since.

Have a wonderful time!

Deeby

Hi Joel
Congratualtions to your brother. I'm female, but hate dressing up, hate weddings (not married to the lovely guy I've been with for over 10 years) and find weddings the most difficult situations I've had to deal with in the 14 years since my diagnosis - far more difficult than travelling to locations such as South Georgia, 4400m up the Andes, competing in and marsalling at adventure races and mountain marathons etc, and nowher enear as interesting nor as much fun. Why are weddings so difficult? Mainly the lack of information about when and what food will be available, alcohol etc. Weddings might be OK if the stress was outweighed by enjoying the situation, but it's not. Often I have to completely avoid drinking alcohol art weddings as my partner's one fault is that he's never learned to drive. What have I found helps? Always having blood glucose meter, insulin pen, sweets and muesli bars to hand - at least you'll have jacket pockets, but I have to carry a handbag, which I only ever carry at weddings (and one trip to investiture at Buckingham Palace). Thank goodness all but one of my eight cousins is now married - and none are onto second marriages yet!
On other occasions, I do drink alcohol - usually a maximum of 2 pints of beer or half a bottle of wine in a night - and always eat something before starting to drink alcohol and alternate alcohol with non-alcoholic drinks, which is when the lack of sugar free drinks is shown up - diet coke if you're lucky, otherwise perhaps still or sparkling mineral water. Fruit juices are nowhere near sugar free, so may or may not be suitable, but mixing with sparkling water can help.