Friend’s diabetes struggle causes worry

DEAR ABBY: My best friend, who is 54, has Type 1 diabetes. She takes two insulin shots a day. We live together, and at night her blood sugar drops pretty low. I can tell when it’s happening because she becomes unresponsive. Twice she has had seizures that resulted in 911 calls.

I have begged her to please try adjusting her insulin dosage, but it’s still happening. I’ve told her this, but she keeps doing the same thing. What can I do? — Caring Friend in California

DEAR FRIEND: I ran your letter by Dr. Robert Gabbay, the chief science and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association, who had a lot to say:

“People who have had diabetes for many years sometimes lose their ability to tell when their blood sugars are low. There are a number of ways to deal with the situation, but the most important for her friend is to talk to her health care provider.

“Things can be done to help her. One of them would be to equip her with a glucose monitor, which measures blood sugar continuously and warns when blood sugar is starting to get low so that she (or someone else) can administer fast-acting carbohydrates.

“Another is a medication called glucagon. It is administered by injection and quickly raises someone’s blood sugar when it drops and the person is unable to respond. It is commonly used by someone other than the person with diabetes because it is supposed to be administered when the individual is unconscious.

“Finally, it is extremely important to understand why her blood sugars are dropping and what changes in insulin dosage are necessary.”

DEAR ABBY: I recently moved across the country. In a text to my mother, I suggested she come to visit. A few days later, in a family group text, my father mentioned he is looking forward to visiting.

While I am polite to my father for my mother’s sake, I do not want him visiting me. The invitation was strictly for her. How can I tell my mother this without upsetting them? I would really like for her to visit, but I am simply not comfortable seeing my father. — Uncomfortable in the East

DEAR UNCOMFORTABLE: Is your mother aware of your feelings about your father? If she isn’t, tell her how you feel and why. If she’s aware, then she was wrong not to let him know the invitation was for her only.