Glucagon
Setting : Modern day UK
Searches : Google with combinations of "glucagon shot", "effects" and "personal experience". I also searched "severe hypoglycemia" and "treatement". / "British endearments" and "british pet names" + I have also looked at previous entries on this LJ.
Hello again,
In my story, I have a character (diabetic man in otherwise good health) who goes into severe hypoglycemia. He is unable to eat or drink anything and so he has to be given a glucagon shot. I know that afterward he will need to be given something to raise his blood sugar up (once he can eat and drink again) to avoid rebound hypoglycemia. And that he will need medical help. I also know he will probably have an headache and nausea.
What I would like to know is this :
1) How long would it take for the glucagon to work ? How long before he is able to swallow again (and thus eat and avoid the rebound
hypoglycemia) ? (Knowing he nearly lost counciousness before he could be given the glucagon shot)
2) How long does he have to get medical help ? Does he needs to go to an hospital ? A simple doctor ? Can he go back home shortly afterward (how long ?) or does he have to stay in an hospital for a while (again how long ?) ? What will the doctor do to him (some tests, giving him meds, etc ?) ?
3) What are the other consequences he is likely to have from his hypoglycemia and/or his glucagon shot ? How long are they likely to
last ?
4) Could he then be sedated to give him time to rest / build back his strenght ? Or is that not indicated for someone who has just had a severe hypoglycemia / a glucagon shot ? Is it likely to be needed or would he just naturaly be exhausted and go to sleep ? Is he allowed to sleep so shortly after or does he need to be kept awake ?
My other question is about pet names in the UK and who they would be appropriate for. I have a character (male, born in early '60, working class familly, originally from Sommerset but moved to London when he was 25 yo) who tends to call people by pet names (it's just how I see him, I guess. I could not explain why.). It can be mushy or ridiculous pet names, I don't care. But I need to figure out what kind of pet names/endearments he would use and for whom (he already uses shortened version of their names too).
I need pet names for :
- his children (one boy born in 2001, his twin sister and another girl born in 2007). For the girls I already have 'sweetie', 'darling', 'sweetheart', 'baby girl' and 'pretty girl'. But for the boy I'm drawing a blank.
- his wife (I've got 'darling', 'my love', 'sweetheart' and 'sunshine' so far. But what would he call her to distiguish it from his habit of calling people by petnames ? What would be a pet name someone would only use for his wife/girlfriend/significant other ? Something indicating love and not just fondness.)
- his sister (younger than him by three years, and again I figured 'darling' was alright but what else could he uses ?)
- a young male friend / colleague (young enough to be his son but he doesn't see him as a son, just as a friend. Still 'kid' and 'lad' are alright. This young man also come from a much posher (is that a word ?) background and tends to be quite snotty and obnoxious at time, so he calls him 'princess' then.)
Also what would he call his own parents ? (Dad and Mom ? Daddy ? Mum(my) ? Father and Mother ?) And what would his children use (for him and his wife as well as for their grandparents) ?
And lately another slightly unrelated question : what would children (btw 6 and 10 yo) call a friend/colleague of their father they have know since they were 6 and have a very good relationship with (like with a young uncle / big brother) ? What about a child who is less than 5 yo and who has known him since she was born ? Their father call him by his first name, are they likely to do the same ? Would it be ok for them to call an adult like that in the UK ?
Thanks again to all of you who can answer my questions. And Happy New year (a bit in advance ...).