A Diabetic seizure

[cat36]

Lat year (2006) I was diagnosed with a seizure. I am a Type 1 diabetic.  I'm 36 now.  However I could not wake up in the morning last year.  So the ambulance was called and when they checked my blood sugar, it was OK, not high or low.  This was classified as a seizure and I did'nt wake up in the hopital for about 3 weeks.  Is this classified as a seizure.  It did affect my memory and was put on seizure medication for 6 months.  In you're opinion was this a seizure?  Because I feel it was not.  Opinions are greatly appreciated.

[Forum-VOL-CB]

It is just an opinion-- I'm the mom of a diabetic, not a doc-- but it certainly sounds like a diabetic coma. A seizure is typically  much shorter in duration and implies some physical 'seizing' of the body-- convulsions, muscle twitching, etc.

Please take care of yourself, and let's hope you don't have to ever go through that again.

[MomOfTwoGrls]

I am not a doctor, just the daughter of a 40 year veteran of a type 1 diabetic and I am a type 2 diabetic.

Sounds like you had what we call a diabetic coma.  

[MomOfTwoGrls]

Diabetic coma: Coma in a diabetic due to the buildup of ketones in the bloodstream. Ketones are a product of metabolizing (using) fats rather than the sugar glucose for energy.

The best approach to diabetic coma is prevention. Careful diet, medication, and insulin dosing as needed should prevent ketone build-up.

Patients with diabetes and their family members should be aware of the early signs of ketone build-up. These include weight loss, nausea, confusion, gasping for breath, and a characteristically sweet, chemical odor similar to that of acetone or alcohol ("acetone breath") to the patient's breath and sometimes sweat. Diabetic coma may be presaged (heralded) by confusion and convulsions.

Immediate emergency medical treatment is needed in a hospital setting for patients who show the early signs of incipient diabetic coma.

[Larry68]

I am a long term T1, and not a doctor. If you were not found to have high BG levels or ketenes in your system when you were taken to the hospital, you probably did not experience a coma related to high blood sugar. If your BG levels were normal, it does not mean that you could not have experienced an extreme low overnight, as the liver can release glucose to restore BG levels in this event. This could cause a seizure and do damage to the brain. The length of time you were unconscious could be a related to the severity of the event.

On the other hand, you could have experienced this problem due to some other cause unrelated to diabetes. If you have not been seen by a neurologist, I would think this would be an appropriate step to take. An MRI could identify any damage, and may indicate some other issue that you may not be aware of (and certainly would want to be).

If the anti-seizure medication was prescribed without this kind of workup, you have probably not had the care you deserve. I do not believe such a med would make any difference if your BG level went below 25 mg/dl or so. Therefore, I do not see why it would be prescribed just for this cause.

Again, this is only my opinion.

Good luck, and don't let the doctors blow you off if you are concerned. It is your diabetes, not theirs.

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

I totally agree with Larry68. If this were ME, I would insist on complete evaluations to rule out other possible causes of coma. Yes, a severe low for many hours (say, during your sleep), COULD cause brain damage, and also could cause the body to release emergency sugars stored in the liver so your actual glucose levels could be normal when finally tested. BUT,it seems dangerous to just make the assumption that the cause was diabetes without testing to rule out other possibilities. I would insist, if I were you. You will sleep better knowing that other causes have been tested for and ruled out. Anti-seizure medicines don't seem appropriate if they consider that the cause was a blood sugar problem. This becomes simply treating the symptom and not the cause, and the actual coma is your body's way of preserving your LIFE if glucose levels are dangerously low. Anti-seizure meds aren't the answer unless you have a problem with repeated seizure situations, which you make no mention of. Do get a second opinion. We wish you the best.