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Do you have any physical disorders?
Place a checkmark in all applicable boxes in the following checklist: one week after a disaster occurs, one month after the disaster, and whenever you are aware of changes in your physical condition.
*General physical conditions
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1. Stomach ache |
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2. Stiff shoulders |
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3. Headache or heavy-headedness |
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4. No appetite |
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5. Tired easily and feel weary |
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6. Thumping heart |
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7. Diarrhea or constipation |
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8. Shortness of breath or trouble breathing |
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9. Often catch a cold |
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10. Fever |
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11. Nausea or vomiting |
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12. Joint pain |
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13. Low back pain |
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14. Trembling hands/feet or numbness in hands/legs |
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15. Dizziness |
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16. Hot flushes or ringing in ears |
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17. Swollen hands and feet |
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18. Canker sores |
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Symptoms specific to diabetes
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19. Thirst |
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20. Increased urine volume |
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21. Rapid weight gain or loss |
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22. Cold sweats |
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23. Dim consciousness |
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24. Decreased urine volume |
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What can be found by checking general health conditions
The items for general health conditions show physical problems that may more easily occur after you have experienced a disaster.? The more items you have marked, the more care is required.? The following information will be useful in detecting illness at an early stage and preventing diabetes from worsening.
1) Symptoms thought to be caused by stress
After experiencing a disaster, you are under great physical and psychological stress. Items (1) through (18) are all stress-related physical symptoms.? To maintain your physical and mental health, please refer to <III. Preventing the deterioration of diabetes: 3. Don't let stress build up>.
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In particular, if you marked items (1) Stomach ache, (4) No appetite, (11) Nausea or vomiting, or (18) Canker sores, and if you also have a strong stomach ache, your vomit contains blood, or your stool is black, you may be suffering from stomach inflammation or ulcer; we recommend that you consult a doctor as soon as possible. |
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If you marked items (3) Headache or heavy-headedness, (15) Dizziness, or (16) Hot flushes or ringing in ears, please measure your blood pressure.? If you have high blood pressure, you should take care to reduce your salt intake and stress.? Also, check if you have properly taken your blood pressure drugs.? Particularly for those with a headache, if you feel your head spinning, you may have an inner ear disorder.? In such a case, you should consult an ear, nose and throat doctor (otorhinolaryngologist). |
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Among those who marked item (14) Trembling hands/feet or numbness in hands/legs, if you suffer from hyperventilation, relax yourself and hold a paper bag tightly around your mouth and breathe in and out several times into the bag.? Those who drink a lot of alcohol should avoid excessive drinking.? If your thyroid gland is working too much or if you are receiving treatment for this symptom, your symptoms may have worsened; an earlier visit to a medical specialist is recommended. |
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After experiencing a disaster, you are often prone to (18) Canker sores, due to an unbalanced diet, stress, and associated stomach inflammation.? Once you have had canker sores, you may not be able to take fluids or food properly.? To prevent canker sores, rinse your mouth and try to decrease your stress. |
2) Symptoms thought to be caused by excessive work
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Have you worked too much after a disaster occurs? Overusing your muscles and joints that are not normally used very much will result in fatigue, which could cause you to have the symptoms mentioned in items (2) Stiff shoulders, (5) Tired easily and feel weary, and/or (13) Low back pain. To avoid overwork, you should ask those around you for help in doing disaster-recovery activities. |
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Have you worked too much after a disaster occurs? Overusing your muscles and joints that are not normally used very much will result in fatigue, which could cause you to have the symptoms mentioned in items (2) Stiff shoulders, (5) Tired easily and feel weary, and/or (13) Low back pain. To avoid overwork, you should ask those around you for help in doing disaster-recovery activities. |
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Symptoms thought to be caused by a lack of adequate fluids or minerals |
In the wake of a disaster, we can easily suffer from the symptoms of (7) Diarrhea or constipation, due to an unbalanced diet, food and water shortage, a lower activity level, or changes in the toilet environment. People living in evacuation centers or provisional housing tend to have difficulty going to the bathroom, or to restrict the amount of water they drink, out of consideration for those around them, and therefore may develop symptoms in items 4) No appetite and (5) Tired easily and feel weary.
Unless otherwise restricted by your doctor, you should drink adequate fluids and walk as much as possible in the daytime. Even if you cannot eat that much food, be sure to get enough fluids. In the case of bacterial diarrhea or constipation, drugs are necessary for treatment, requiring you to visit a doctor promptly.
4) Symptoms thought to be caused by infection
During the two weeks after a disaster occurs, you are more susceptible to pneumonia and bronchitis, and therefore early countermeasures are necessary. If you get an infection, symptoms such as items (4) No appetite, (5) Tired easily and feel weary, (6) Thumping heart, (8) Shortness of breath or trouble breathing, (9) Often catch a cold, and (10) Fever may appear. Be sure to get enough nourishment and keep warm. a` See <III. Preventing the deterioration of diabetes>.
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After experiencing disasters, we can easily catch a cold, due to fatigue, changes in the ambient temperature, and an unbalanced diet. Prepare a flu mask, gargle, and clinical thermometer, and make it a rule to wash your hands and gargle, to protect yourself against colds. If you feel feverish, take your temperature. |
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During the winter season, we recommend that you get a vaccination against influenza, if possible. |
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Prepare disinfectants and adhesive plasters that can be used for injury treatment. If you become seriously injured, immediately consult a surgeon. |
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What can be found from symptoms specific to diabetes
The above-mentioned disaster-related stress, deterioration of nutritional status, and unavailability of medication may make it difficult to control your blood sugar level, leading to the development of various complications.
1) Symptoms that may indicate hypoglycemia
If you have symptoms of items (6) Thumping heart, (14) Trembling hands/feet or numbness in hands/legs, *22 Cold sweats, or *23 Dim consciousness, you may be suffering from hypoglycemia. Keep something to eat containing sugar (glucose) with you at all times. (If you are taking a drug called Basen (generic: voglibose), keep grape sugar accessible as well.) If glucagon is available, administer it yourself by muscle injection.
2) Symptoms that may indicate diabetic coma
If you have symptoms of items (4) No appetite, (5) Tired easily and feel weary, (11) Nausea or vomiting, (19) Thirst, (20) Increased urine volume, *21 Rapid weight gain or loss, or 23) Dim consciousness, you may be suffering from a diabetic coma. You should drink adequate fluids. In addition, prepare any necessary drugs. Particularly, those who inject themselves with insulin should prepare insulin, insulin pens, and pen needles, and record the amount of insulin used. First of all, if you have the above symptoms, you must consult a doctor urgently.
3) Symptoms that may indicate diabetic nephropathy
If you have symptoms of items (4) No appetite, (11) Nausea or vomiting, (17) Swollen hands and feet, *21 Rapid weight gain or loss, or *24 Decreased urine volume, you may be suffering from diabetic nephropathy. Reduce your salt and protein intake, and immediately see a doctor to ask whether dialysis treatment is necessary or not. Even for patients who have already been on dialysis regularly, after a disaster there are only a limited number of medical institutions that can provide dialysis treatment. We recommend contacting your physician as soon as possible.
4) Symptoms that may indicate diabetic neuropathy
Of those who have the symptom of (15) Dizziness, if you become giddy when standing up, you may have diabetic dysautonomia. If you do, be sure to properly control your blood sugar level. If your doctor has prescribed drugs for treatment of peripheral nerve disorders, do not forget to take these drugs.
5) Symptoms that may indicate brain infarction
Diabetics can easily develop brain infarction as a complication. Therefore, besides dizziness, if you experience other symptoms such as strange sensations, difficulty in articulation, difficulty in swallowing, or double vision, you should immediately go see a doctor.
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Physical self-care
