hypoglycemic seizures?

[cbr125]

i am a 20 year old male i have had type 1 insulin dependent diabetes for almost 11 years now but recently i had a really bad hypo where an ambulance needed to attend and glucose syrup sollution was required to bring me out of it.. since the hypo i have had memory problems and incredibly sore muscles from my thighs to my stomach muscles to my arms. My girlfriend that actually called the ambulance said that i was fitting and having a sort of seizure perhaps this would explain the aching muscles? hhaving said that they have been very sore with no signs of improvement for almost 4 days now does anyone know of what this is .. is it simply tired muscles from fitting?

many thanks
Tim

[JDRF-Team-SS]

Hello cbr125,

First I want to tell you how sorry I am to hear about your severe hypoglycemic episode.  I am a volunteer here, not a medical professional, so you should ALWAYS follow up with your Endocrinologist when you have concerns and questions.

My son who is 11 was diagnosed at age 3.  My sister is also living with type 1 and was diagnosed at age 24.  (She is now 33)  Although my sister has needed 911 on several occasions due to lows and not being able to walk or help herself, she has not had a seizure and neither has my son.  (knock on wood)  

It would make sense that you would have memory problems about the period during which you were having the severe low, but I am unsure about continued memory problems.  Having sore muscles would make sense, as well, but I cannot say for sure if this is entirely due to the seizure / severe low and how long the soreness would persist.  

I feel strongly that if you have not already done so, you should call your endocrinologist and ask about the memory problems and the muscle soreness.

I am sorry if I cannot give you an adequate answer, but my answers / advice are based on personal experience and as far as your situation, I do not have personal experience to offer.  If my son was in your situation, I would make an appt. with his endo and if I was not satisfied, I would get a 2nd opinion.

Please, I encourage you to call your Endocrinologist and make an appointment.  

Take care,
SS

[Ainz_Archibald]

Hi Tim,

Bad luck dude but I would expect may more if I was you unless you be careful with your alcohol intake and make sure your have an evening meal that will guard against the dreaded night time hypo.

I myself have had about ten and been taken to hospital (and even to jail once) a number of times because of them. Your splitting headache will last a day but diasppear the next day, Your body soreness and muscle pain will last for a few day. I also have the unfortunate reaction of biting the tip of my tongue off which makes it hard to talk for the next few days.

Make sure you keep glucagon handy and make sure your girlfriend knows how to do it. Like I said they mostly happen at night when your body is to drunk or tierd to wake itself or even recognise the symptoms.  I have had two whilst I was awake and oone when I was driving a car. I alsoi remeber waking up during one when I was about 16. (This was the first one I ever had).

The more controlled you keep your sugars throughout the course of the day the easier it will be to recognise the symptoms of going low which have faded for me over time. I have even tested my BSL feeling fine and discovered it was 1.0

The long term repercussions of fits are dangerous. I have dislocated both my shoulders having fits as well as biting the end of my tongur off. You will also suffer long term memory loss because you are essentially starving your brain of fuel.

I always test my sugar before going to bed.

Make sure you

[Carolynjuvenillediabetic]

Hi Tim,
I just want to tell you that you are not alone. Seizures are very scary part of delaing with too much insulin in the body. I was diagnosed at 14 and starting having seizures at the age of 20 also. My first seizure I woke up in bed not realizing I had walked to the bathroom fallen hit my chin on the sink and bit through my tongue and lip. Low blood sugar reactions can be extremely dangerous, if you had been driving a car the risks are very high! Please consult your doctor immediately. A seizure puts your body through quite an ordeal so muscle aches may last a while but again your doctor is the one who should be answering these questions. To put your mind at ease I am now 43 and have not had a seizure since my twenties. It is not something you that you cannot control but it does take a lot of work. Monitoring your blood sugar and understanding your body and how your body reacts to differnet foods is key. A nutritionist may be helpful as well. Please let me know how you are doing.
All the best
Carolyn

[PammyD]

Hello Everyone,

Hypos are VERY scary! I've been type one diabetic now for 9 years and i am 26 years old. I had never suffered such a significant low until this past year on Christmas Eve we had company over...I started feeling a little weird and went over to the kitchen to check my sugar which had dropped to 1.4! I thought oh no...I didnt want to make a big deal in front of the guests so i just walked to the cabinet to get some sugar when i fell....and that was my first episode of being unconscious. After that, i did experience some short term memory loss and i felt VERY weak for a few days...I know this is not in our control but i would suggest also to monitor your sugar level before you go to bed each night. My husband and I hadnt been married very long when this happened and it really scared him, but now he keeps glucagon on him at all times!!!

[JDRF-Team-SS]

Hello,

I need to comment in regards to one of the comments above.

The original poster, cbr125, NEVER mentioned ANYTHING about alcohol, so I am unsure why this was brought up.  Alcohol was not involved in his question about his severe hypoglycemic episode / seizure and I would like to enlighten the person who mentioned alcohol that not all people drink or have a partying lifestyle.  It is nice of you to make the originla poster aware that alcohol can increase the chance of lows / severe lows, but the poster never mentioned that he had been drinking while this occured and might take offense.

[JDRF-Team-SS]

Hello,

I need to comment in regards to one of the comments above.

The original poster, cbr125, NEVER mentioned ANYTHING about alcohol, so I am unsure why this was brought up.  Alcohol was not involved in his question about his severe hypoglycemic episode / seizure and I would like to enlighten the person who mentioned alcohol that not all people drink or have a partying lifestyle.  It is nice of you to make the original poster aware that alcohol can increase the chance of lows / severe lows, but the poster never mentioned that he had been drinking while this occured and might take offense.

[rachelorch]

hi i just wanted to say helloi realy my daughter is 23 months old and altho she is not diabetic she does have glycagen storage disease (simmalar but not the same she is usualy between 1.4 and 3.6) i was advised cornstarch before bed for her it helped for a while aswell maybee you should see your diabetic nurse or endochrine about this my daughter has a gastostremy now (tube in the stomache to feed her at night) but the cornstarc was fantastic i mean ime no doctor but it must be worth asking also there is something called polycal aswell this is a powdered carbohydrate this stuff is fantastic so might be worth a go aswell thanks anyway good luck

[ms_nobody]

Hello. I don't know much about this topic and was wondering if anyone could enlighten me...

I recently have lost nearly 2 stone. I am 5ft 6 and weigh 7 stone and now i am classed as underwieght. I think i may have developed an eating disorder. I was at work when i went very faint. I lost conciousness and when i woke my arms had locked and i could not speak. i note that the gentleman who had a Hypoglycemic fit also had very achey (achy) muscles as did I. I need to know what to do as i cannot tell anyone that i haven't been eating. I also mainly wanted to know if it was a Hypoglycemic fit, but i started eating properly again, could i stop it happening in the future? Or will i be prone to them. I don't understand and don't have anyone to speak to about it. thanks

[JDRF-Team-SS]

Hello,
I am a volunteer here.

Sorry you have not received any comments on your comment.  I understand that you commented because you had similiar physical symptoms (possible hypoglycemia, achey (achy) muscles), however, you might want to re-posted this as a NEW Question, so you can get some input.

A volunteer will answer your question to the best of his/her ability based on their own experience and knowledge and you could receive helpful folllow up comments.

The not eating part is not a good thing and although I am not equipped to answer anything about eating disorders, I do know that they wreak havoc on your body and can cause complications.

symptoms of diabetes can include:
weight loss
extreme thirst
frequent urination
fatigue

I also know that sometimes people with hypoglycemia never develop diabetes and others end up developing it.  

PLEASE seek medical advice and possible a therapist to talk about the eating or lack of eating.  I am not judging you, but I think you should find a therapist or social worker who specializes in eating disorders.  Then you will have someone to talk to who is highly skilled and can help.  There is nothing wrong with seeking help.  We all need someone to talk to:)

I cannot say whether or not your loss of consciousness was hypoglycemia, but, if I were you, I would definitely seek medical adive - make a doctor's appointment.  Explain your symptoms and about the incident where you lost consciousness.

Take care of yourself:)
SS

[lmgr]

Hi there..my 16 year old son is diabetic and last August went through is first seizure around 3:00 a.m.  He had taken lantus before going to bed but forgot to eat a snack.  About 3-4 weeks ago, he had another seizure around 6:30 a.m.  I was driving him to the ER and he was asking me what grade he was in...what day it was...I had just bought him a new car about 2 weeks prior and he did not remember this at all..the ER nurse asked him what year it was and he said 2005...he asked the same questions over and over and over.  It took several hours for this to clear up and for him to become less confused.  Very, very scary for a mother!! He of course has no memory of the seizures at all.  Please, please be careful and eat a snack before going to bed!!!

Take care of yourself.

[shampski]

Hi Tim,
I am also an insulin dependant diabetic.  I have had many many hypo's with a range of side effects.  I always lose time.  I never have any memory of that time.  It is usually one of my kids that finds me and gives me the glycogen shot or calls the ambulance.  When I have hypo's I lose all body fluid, it is like someone has dumped a truck load of water over me.  Glycogen is stored in the muscle cells of your body and if you have been fitting your body may have released the glycogen which then turns into lactic acid which may cause the soreness.  I am usually pretty whacked out after a hypo for at least 2 days, but on really bad times when I have been hospitalised I have been sore for up to 10 days.  Your body goes through some pretty heavy trauma.  The best and hardest thing to do is to balance your BSL.  I am not a doctor just a long time diabetic always looking for answers and trying to understand what is happening with my body.

Good Luck
Tracie