My 63 year old mother has had insulin dependent diabetes for over 20 years. About five months ago, she had a stroke, which has only impaired her memory and her sight. Her blood sugar has gone utterly barmy. It can be anywhere from 1.5 to 30.8 mmol/L [ 27 to 554 mg/dl], and it is in the high 20s mmol/L [360 mg/dl] most of the time. She does not get any symptoms whether high or low, can you help?

It sounds like taking care of your mother’s diabetes is a difficult problem. If the stroke has impaired her function to any degree, it will make it difficult to administer insulin therapy. You need to work closely with your mother’s physician regarding her treatment. Compromises may have to be met in order to have more stable and predictable blood sugars. Issues such as who will administer the insulin, when are the meal times, how much can she eat, what happens on days she doesn’t each much, and how the home monitoring is carried out are all important issues. They are not casually or easily managed. She needs help having these issues addressed. I would suggest talking with her physician or finding a diabetes education team who can work closely with you on these matters.

JTL