Type 1 Diabetes - Spike in Blood Sugar Level

[paulamcl]

4 nights ago I woke up to find that my husband's blood sugar level had dropped severely and he was in diabetic shock and apparently had a seizure (he bit his tongue and is now complaining of severe pain in his shoulders which the drs have attributed to muscle contractions that took place during the seizure).  No adjustments to his insulin has been made at this point (he takes Lantus at night).  My concern this evening is that his sugar level before going to bed tonight was 526.  I am just as concerned about the very high level as I am about the lows.  What could be the cause of this spike?  It was very hot here today and he did say he's been very thirsty all day.  Can I contribute the high level to the heat and possible dehydration?
Other than adjusting the medication is there a way to bring down the sugar level for a one time high reading? As an aside, should he be experiencing such a great deal of pain in his shoulders from a seizure?  I have a seizure disorder myself and have never experienced such a thing.

[Zoelula]

I'm sorry you went through this; it is very scary I know! Hopefully your doctor will help adjust your husband's insulin doses to avoid extremes.

In addition to talking to your endocrinologist you might want to get a copy of the book Using Insulin by John Walsh. It is a good general book on insulin use and will also talk about how to do corrections (inject small amounts of insulin) when your husband is too high. Any length of time we remain above 140 can lead to complications down the road. It's important to be careful doing corrections, but I certainly do this if I am over 200.

[Nessie76]

Hi,

I have had IDDM (Type 1) since I turned 16 in 1992.  I am now 33.

The only things I have found helpful in reducing levels without too many side effects and bear in mind it may only be effect for me.

Are Camomile Tea and Eggs cooked in any way you prefer.  Also a shower as hot as you can comfortably handle seems to help me.

So please take this as unprofessional advice only.

Janessa

Good Luck

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello Paula,
What a frightening night you & your hubby had.  I hope that the nights since have been uneventful.

We're not physicians here, so please check out the info you read with your hubby's endocrinologist.

Often after a severe low, there is a rebound.  I'm not sure from your msg whether he was given a shot of glucagon to bring him around, but if so, there can be a period of time when his body adjusts & recovers from the trauma it experienced from both the low & the highs.  After a severe low, it is important to avoid another low (they can come in clusters) so his liver rebuilds its glycogen stores that (if he had a glucagon shot, it causes the liver to dump glucose that's made from its stored glycogen) for the future.

I agree that 500+ is extremely high, however, and must feel horrible.  If his levels have not stabilized yet, I'd talk to the doc again about introducing a short-acting insulin to help him bring it down.  Especially because of the heat, but even without it, it's important that he keep himself hydrated with water & electrolytes.  Was he hospitalized?  

I don't know much about the aftermath of a diabetes-low-induced seizure, but between his very high BG & the trauma his muscles may well have endured from the seizure, I'm not surprised he has discomfort.  It is possible that he injured himself flailing around during the seizure, too.

I hope things are better, and I hope he's in close contact with his endocrinologist to help reconstruct the events that led to this horrible event -- the idea, of course, is to avoid it in the future.