For people with diabetes, mental work is recommended, and excessive physical work is not recommended. It is important for a diabetic at work to be able to check the level of sugar in the blood and, in the case of hypoglycaemia, inject insulin or eat a snack.

The number of people withdiabetescontinues to grow. These are usually people who, due to their age, can and should work professionally. Unfortunately, research shows that they have a problem with finding a satisfactory job - 16% of sick employees, fearing discrimination, hide the fact of their illness. The Polish Diabetes Association, developing recommendations regarding the professional activity of patients with diabetes, concluded that, apart from a few, strictly defined situations, there is no reason for these people not to work. The choice of the type of employment is approached differently by a young person who has been suffering from diabetes since childhood, and differently by someone diagnosed with the disease at an adult age, when it turns out that, for he alth reasons, he will not be able to perform the current job. There are professions in which episodes ofhypoglycaemia(low blood sugar) may, due to the risk of loss of consciousness, expose the patient or those around him to serious danger. Limitations may also result from later complications of diabetes, e.g. amblyopia or vision loss.

Workplace for people with diabetes

For people with diabetes, activities related to mental work are rather recommended. The workplace should meet certain requirements - the patient should be able to check thesugarblood levels, inject insulin or eat a snack when needed. It is also important that there is someone who can help him if he has an episode of severe hypoglycaemia. Hence, it is worth informing the employer about your illness.

Don't do that

Professions that a person with diabetes should not perform:

  • professional vehicle driving: heavy goods vehicles (TIR), passenger transport, ground train and underground train driving (metro), professional driver, taxi driver
  • transport of dangerous substances or large loads
  • civil aviation: pilots and aviation engineers, cabin crew, air traffic controller
  • state and emergency services:Armed Forces, Sea Shipping, Fire Brigade, Rescue, Police, Prison Service, Security Service
  • dangerous professions: drilling platforms, mines, working with machines in motion, at furnaces, at high temperatures, incinerators, steel mills, etc., on railway tracks, in mining, at heights (scaffolding, cranes)
  • cook, confectioner, baker
  • working in isolation.

Working hours of people with diabetes

The working hours should be regular, it is much easier then to control the sugar level. However, shift work or its irregular time is not a contraindication for these patients - in these cases, you just have to plan well.
The mode of work of a person with diabetes should also influence the choice of insulin preparation by the doctor, e.g. instead of classic insulins, he may prescribe insulin analogues. Analogues improve the quality of life - they allow you to reduce the number of meals or eat a cake, without the risk of hypoglycaemia; in addition, they are convenient to use, are absorbed very quickly and can be injected immediately before a meal (it is not necessary, as in the case of human insulin, to leave a 30-45-minute break between the injection and the beginning of the meal).

Meals outside the home eaten by people with diabetes

People with diabetes sometimes have to rely on meals from the staff buffet or local bars or catering companies - then:

  • order cooked, grilled or baked meals
  • choose dietary dishes
  • avoid eating fast food
  • avoid fatty and fried meat
  • ask about the ingredients of served dishes
  • remember to count the carbohydrate exchangers.

Diabetes kit in a desk drawer

At work, each patient should have his / her "essential" necessary for the daily control of diabetes - glucose meter test strips, supply of needles, glucagon (rescue hormone), insulin, antidiabetic drugs (if used). You should also remember about snacks: sugar cubes, candies, cookies.
At work, you sometimes have to take into account additional physical effort. You should then frequently measure your blood sugar and adjust the dose of insulin and medications to your blood sugar level. Also, the diet should be modified depending on the intensity of physical exertion.

Under-sugar at work

Stress or increased exercise can lead to hypoglycemia. A well-educated patient, as a rule, knows how to prevent this. Under certain circumstances, however, severe hypoglycaemia with loss may occurawareness. Since it is a threat to the he alth and even life of the patient, it is worth having a person at work who can help the patient: he or she will give glucagon injection, and if the patient does not regain consciousness within 10 minutes, they will call an ambulance. Severe hypoglycaemia - below 2.2 mmol / l (40 ml / dl) - requires immediate hospitalization.
Symptoms of severe hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetes:

  • muscle tremors
  • feeling hungry
  • yawning and sleepiness
  • heaviness of thinking
  • dizziness
  • nervousness and aggressiveness
  • profuse sweat
  • weakness
  • memory impairment
  • visual disturbance
  • loss of consciousness
  • convulsions
  • hypothermia.

Symptoms of hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetes:

  • pallor
  • irritability, hyperactivity
  • sleepiness
  • dizziness
  • difficulty concentrating
  • muscle tremors
  • weakness
  • stomach ache
  • heart rate acceleration.
You must do it

When a diabetic person feels unwell and suspects that they have a low sugar level but cannot measure their sugar level, they should eat something sweet, such as a piece of chocolate, drink a glass of juice or well-sweetened tea.

Problems with the work of people with diabetes

Even though the sick are capable of many professions, they often struggle to find a job. On the other hand, those who work are often afraid of losing their job due to the commonly prevailing and untrue belief about their more frequent absenteeism or lower productivity - research shows that properly treated patients do not have serious complications and they are the same as employees. as effective as he althy people.

Category:

Diabetes