diabetic episode

[susieq1963]

I have a friend that has Type 1 diabeties. She is insulin dependant. She does not check her blood. She guesses on her doses. I have had to call 911 3 times in the last 2 months. One time she was groggy and couldn't respond. The second time she was wild and screaming at the top of her lungs, very spastic and scary. Both times her sugar was at 28. How can the same level cause such different reactions?

[seadraem]

I suspect you are referring to 28 as a low, rather than a high? It's different depending on how the numebr is measured - mg/dl (where 28 is very low) and mmol/L (where 28 is very high).

If so.. I've had many different types of reactions to lows over my 37+ years with Type I diabetes. Sleepy is typically seen more with high sugars, but I've experienced it with lows too. I've heard it described this way - when your body's sugar level is too low, and for a period of time, the body starts preserving the vital organs - i.e the heart, lungs, brain. It can show as "sleepy" when it's really more like semi-comatose. I've even had my fingers and toes stop functioning because there wasn't enough energy to bother wasting on them.

The other - well, I never understood the moodiness I can see - my hubby hates it, but that's classic low sugar - crying and sad, unreasonably moody, or angry - set off by one of the first two.

She needs to learn to test herself before guessing. I've guessed a few times, and it bit me in the a55 every time. I don't do it anymore - I really, really dislike visiting ER's, ambulances and firemen knocking on my door (tho they can be cute!). It's so dangerous.

Consider this - and I'm not lecturing you, but rather her via you :-)...
At a level of 100, all is well.
At 200 - it's high and shouldn't remain there, but short term there is little effect on most.
At 300-500 it can make you nauseus and sleepy and over a long time can permanently damage eyes, nerves etc., but won't kill you quickly.

The other way...
At a level of 100, all is well.
At 60 - I start getting shakey
At 40 - I lose much of my rational thought
I've been "conscious" down to 23, but have also been unconscious for hours between 36 and 40.

It's such a smaller way to go - and just one or two units of fast acting sugar can mean the difference between 100 and 20....

Good luck - you are a good friend for caring so much. I hope she comes to her senses before too many more trips to the ER...

[Shayda]

Wow, okay, I cannot stress enough how important checking your blood is. Diabetes really 5ucks big time, but in the end, it's your health, and if she continues on this way there's going to be serious consequences.
If your blood sugar is really high like that, it can show itself in different ways. You can be really really fatigued like the first time, or get really emotional and flip out like the second time, or both.
I really hope she finds help. I almost started to lose my vision from high blood sugars, but I was testing, so I was able to correct it. If she doesn't test... and just guessing her dose... it's really not good.
I'm not trying to preach really, but reading what you posted just really brought something up in me. You're a good friend for trying to get her help.
Hope things work out for your friend, I really do.