Fasting for blood tests and hypo

[navigator]

I am representing my brother on this forum. I am on here as he has mental capacity issues and has been T2 for several years.
His GP has issued a blood test form in readiness for his "yearly" coronary heart disease review. This requires fasting from 22;00 until sometime after 09:00 when he can get in the chair at the blood test centre
He usually eats a light snack around 20:00 His regular BS result around 16:30 is 10.8, when the District nurse also injects the 10 ? units of slow and fast acting novomix insulin. Typically fasting BS is 6 to 7, at around 8:00 before eating.
My concern is that he will not get to eat anything for in excess 13 hours.
He lives alone, in sheltered housing. There is an emergency tag on him at all times. However unless he is awake and can work out he maybe having a hypo, he cannot call for help. And that help is a paramedic.
I have thought of requesting the evening insulin injection to be with held.
A further idea is to get him to take one of the emergency high sugar tablets when he goes to bed at 8 30

Any guidance will be very much appreciated

 

[Jaylee]

I am representing my brother on this forum. I am on here as he has mental capacity issues and has been T2 for several years.
His GP has issued a blood test form in readiness for his "yearly" coronary heart disease review. This requires fasting from 22;00 until sometime after 09:00 when he can get in the chair at the blood test centre
He usually eats a light snack around 20:00 His regular BS result around 16:30 is 10.8, when the District nurse also injects the 10 ? units of slow and fast acting novomix insulin. Typically fasting BS is 6 to 7, at around 8:00 before eating.
My concern is that he will not get to eat anything for in excess 13 hours.
He lives alone, in sheltered housing. There is an emergency tag on him at all times. However unless he is awake and can work out he maybe having a hypo, he cannot call for help. And that help is a paramedic.
I have thought of requesting the evening insulin injection to be with held.
A further idea is to get him to take one of the emergency high sugar tablets when he goes to bed at 8 30

Any guidance will be very much appreciated

Hi,
with regards to your particular enqirory. I would be inclined to get your brother taking in longer acting carbs like digestive & milk? A "sugar tablet" would/may cause a spike & drop in the short term...
Is someone with a blood test meter staying with your brother prior & during the tests?

 

[Brunneria]

Just bumping this back up to the top of the recent posts, in the hope that someone can help navigator with his question...

 

[lovinglife]

Is there a phone number you can contact for advice onhis appointment letter, any treatment I or my dad have had at the hospital always says if you are diabetic please contact for advice.

As an example I was told not to eat anything for a liver scan after 10pm the night before my appointment was 2pm the next day so I rang for advice and they said because I was diabetic I could eat certain things - it may be there is a different procedure for diabetics regarding your brothers treatment it's worth calling the clinic to see

 

[azure]

I am representing my brother on this forum. I am on here as he has mental capacity issues and has been T2 for several years.
His GP has issued a blood test form in readiness for his "yearly" coronary heart disease review. This requires fasting from 22;00 until sometime after 09:00 when he can get in the chair at the blood test centre
He usually eats a light snack around 20:00 His regular BS result around 16:30 is 10.8, when the District nurse also injects the 10 ? units of slow and fast acting novomix insulin. Typically fasting BS is 6 to 7, at around 8:00 before eating.
My concern is that he will not get to eat anything for in excess 13 hours.
He lives alone, in sheltered housing. There is an emergency tag on him at all times. However unless he is awake and can work out he maybe having a hypo, he cannot call for help. And that help is a paramedic.
I have thought of requesting the evening insulin injection to be with held.
A further idea is to get him to take one of the emergency high sugar tablets when he goes to bed at 8 30

Any guidance will be very much appreciated

Did the GP realise he was on insulin? I'd ask the GP and Nurse for advice.

They may reduce his evening insulin slightly and, also, if he has his morning insulin before 9am then that injection would have to be delayed if he wasn't able to eat.

They might also advise a later evening snack or a larger one.

Give them a call

 

[Mep]

His doctor should be advising what to do with his insulin dosage if he has been requested to fast. I know for me I always get told to halve my basal dosage the night before the test. But even with doing this I have on occasion still had a hypo.... finicky diabetes is at times. But best to get doc advice on this, especially as it sounds like your brother is being treated with a mixed insulin. I wish you the best.