Diabetic Comas

Keep a can of cake icing in the fridge....if he ever starts to act like he is drunk...or you can't understand what he is saying...or he acts confused...or non responsive (unconcious)...rub the cake icing on his gums above his teeth....this is the fastest way to get sugar absorbed into the bloodstream for someone who can't swallow due to real low blood sugar. Use plenty of it and have him on his side.

23 is a really low blood sugar. Maybe he took his insuiin and forgot to eat, or accidentally took too much or ate way too little. At any rate, they will need to give him IV to bring the sugar up, and do things gradually so his system can get back in balance. This also affects every system in the body, so they may or may not have to do other things for him. Thank goodness he got help in time. If he has a risk of this happening again, he cannot be alone for extended periods of time. Hopefully they will help all of you learn what to do and how to tell he is in trouble. Some diabetics get symptoms in advance, but some don't. For me, low blood sugars come on real fast, and if I don't eat some carbs within 10-15 minutes of symptoms, I can be in big touble. So I always have emergency glucose in case. Post back and let us know how he is doing.

Ok, Cheryl, I know this can be very scary. Low blood sugars can be caused by several factors - too much diabetes medication (pills and insulin) and too little food or sometimes by a medication not given for diabetes that will cause low blood sugars. Your said your Dad has stage 1 diabetes controlled with diet and exercise. There is a Type 1 diabetes or a Type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association website www.diabetes.org will give you more information. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease-the pancreas does not produce any insulin and insulin injections are required in order to survive. Type 2 diabetes (the most common type) is a problem with insulin resistance and insulin insufficiency. It is usually treated with diet and exercise and pills and eventually insulin.

Do you know the signs of hypoglycemia? Look them up on the ADA website and become familiar with them (and have your mother be aware of the signs also) Sometimes, long term diabetics will have "hypoglycemia unawareness" and not be able to feel themselves going low. But others around them will see some of the symptoms and be able to intervene. Low blood sugars are usually treated with a 15 gms of carbs (1/2 can of regular soda) or glucose tabs which can be bought at the pharmacy (no prescription required) Then you recheck the blood sugar in 15 minutes and retreat if necessary. There is also a prescription only product called Glucagon which can be administered for a low blood sugar. Talk to his physician about this. One thing that would be helpful is to go to see a Certified Diabetes Educator to get the proper information and to give him and your mother the confidence they need to manage his blood sugar levels and figure out what caused the low blood sugar that put him in a coma. The CDE will also discuss when to test his blood sugar to get the information he needs.

The outcome of diabetes comas is different in every case. Hopefully your dad will recover without problems and be able to understand what caused this situation in the first place so that it does not happen again.

If he received prompt help, everything should be o.k. I am sure the parametics gave him IV dextrose (sugar) as soon as they arrived. Please let us know how he is doing. I will be thinking of you.

Cheryl,
My late Dad had Diabetes.
He died from it because, it also causes a TON of other health problems in a person. It compromises their entire health.

Ultimately, you CANNOT control, a body's every minutia of responses. Even if a care-giver is diligent. The person themselves, ALSO has to take care of themselves. If they are able.

Also, per age, if a person is elderly, they have a hard time... "managing" themselves much less their health and condition... because, it is a lot to manage and remember. DAILY.

EVEN if someone takes care of themselves... it can really spiral and get worse... and/or other health problems arise.

My Dad, had type II Diabetes. He saw the Doctor regularly. My Mom AND me/my Husband, took care of him. And we did it well. But, Diabetes weakens the whole body. It is not only watching their blood sugar levels.
My Dad, REGULARLY, saw a Renal Doc, a heart Doc, his Internist, a specialist Eye Doc that specialized in Diabetic eye problems, etc.
But my Dad, due to Diabetes, had: heart problems, circulatory problems, eye problems, and his Diabetes.
Then... he had a stroke.
No one could predict that.
He also... had Renal failure... and was on Dialysis.
No one could predict his kidney failure, either.

I really hope... your Mom... does NOT feel "guilt" over this.
If she does, please.... tell her about me and my story about my late Dad.
It is not, her fault.
It is not his fault.
It is a difficult, disease. Insidious.

It takes the ENTIRE family... to care for a Diabetic. Especially, if they are elderly.
We even had to fit our home, with guard rails both outside and inside the house and in the bathroom. Because, my Dad was not well balanced on his feet. Even pre-stroke. And not just due to old age. He was not old.

My Dad, also did regular testing of his blood sugar and exercised.

Sorry, I have to run... but hope this helps.

**Okay adding this: It took my entire family... to do care-giving for my Dad, in his condition. It is really really hard.... for just 1 person to do care-giving. Because, it is 24 hours a day, everyday.
As I said, I really hope your Mom does not in any way blame herself for this, nor that other family members may blame her.

Hugs, and for her too and your Dad.

I have an idiot uncle who went into one after drinking a couple cases of soda. They said he should have died but he didn't. Since he was an idiot before I really have no idea if it caused any brain damage.

I am sure your doctors will have better information. I just like making fun of my uncle. After all he has managed to lose both legs and is a blight on the taxpayers all because he is just stoopid.

Yeah.

I really do hope your dad is okay and they can regulate his blood sugar levels better after this. My ex's dad has it but had no issues because he tests daily.

Wow, Cheryl, I'm so sorry you had this scare in your family.

I've been diabetic for about 10 years now. The only thing I know of that can drive the blood glucose low enough for diabetic shock to set in is either not eating for MANY hours while exercising heavily, or using insulin or certain diabetic medications. So it's surprising (to me, at least) to hear that your dad's sugar got that low if he's still controlling it with diet and exercise alone. I sure do hope he's okay. I've heard that aftereffects are usually not too serious, but a recent study suggests that low-sugar events can make some people more susceptible to dementia in old age.

I was hypoglycemic until I hit full menopause, then the diabetes set in. Until a year ago I was controlling it with diet and excercise alone; now I find it necessery to augment with Metformin and occasionally another drug that stimulates my own lagging insulin production (and that one CAN still give me a pretty severe hypoglycemia).

One current theory is that hypoglycemia is actually a forerunner of Type II diabetes. The pancreas, for reasons not clearly understood, loses its ability to regulate insulin production properly, and pumps out way too much in response to any carbs in the diet. This eventually wears out the beta cells. Then insulin production is no longer sufficient to handle carbs and sugars, and the blood sugar begins spiking.

my uncle survived about 12 of them and is still alive.

I don't know anything about them but I hope your dad's okay!

Hi Cheryl! So sorry to hear about your dad. I hope he recovers well. It's VERY scary, and trust me, with 3 Type 1 diabetics in the house, I don't sleep very well. My prayers are definitely with your mom and dad, as well as you, tonight!

My guess is that he will be okay. It's terrifying as all get out, but often there are no lasting effects.

The cake icing is a great suggestion. I actually carry a Glucagon pen, a tube of cake icing, glucose tabs, a bunch of candy, juice boxes and sqeezable fruit in my purse. You never know when a low will hit or how it will affect the body. It's crazy, but being prepared is a HUGE part of the battle.

We don't deal with Type 2, as I am assuming that your dad has since he can control with diet and exercise, but I certainly know that even though your mom has taken such care of your dad, and your dad has been so careful, that blood sugars can plummet at the drop of a hat. Seriously, you can do everything right and the body does odd things that just don't make sense. So, tell your mama that I think she is doing a great job.

Hugs to them!

ps. Susan B, your info was AWESOME. This wife and mom of Type 1 diabetics thanks you for your accurate info.

My best friend has Diabetes 1... and nearly went into diabetic coma.... this was when she was about 22 years old, and at the time, didn't know she was diabetic.. she is now 48.. at the time, had her boyfriend not taken her to the hospital she would have died.. so yes, you have a right to be afraid.. However, I can tell you this... she tracks her sugar ALL the time.. keeps a journal of it and has a diabetic pump... she , too used to worry that she was going to pass out again and feared driving too far from home. but as she learned about her disease and how to properly manage it.. I can tell you this.. she goes anywhere she wants and knows that she MUST keep her sugar under control. .However, I will tell you this.. she does enjoy a glass of wine a couple night's a week, limits fruit and while she does LOVE cookies and cakes, she make's it a point to not over consume. additionally, she ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS drinks lots of water.. as you know, it's imperative to help the body's organs out as diabetes can, if left uncontrolled, can wreak havoc... but again, it's manageable... I would also add that my friend goes to Diabete's conferences whenever they are held for the diabetic public.. it's there that she learns new ways to manage to the disease..
so that is something you may want to look into.. maybe the family can attend one with your dad...

my best to you and yours

I hope your dad is doing better today! Does your dad take vitamins? I've seen testimonials on a superior brand, where doctors are shocked at how good patients numbers are when taking this brand! They are scientifically proven to be more absorbable than anything on the market. Great supplements for circulation too, as well as regular vitamins and minerals. Feel free to message me for testimonials or link to more info. Happy New Year!

Oh Cheryl, I'm so sorry!!

I don't know enough about diabetes to give any advice here, but I'll say a prayer!

Aww, Cheryl, I am so sorry to hear about your dad. I know virtually nothing about diabetes, so I don't have any advice, but I will keep him in my prayers.

My brother has type 1 diabetes and has been in diabetic comas many times. Many things can trigger his blood sugar either going up or down, including, forgetting to eat, accidentally getting too much insulin, an infection, eating too much, getting too little insulin. My mother will give him orange juice when his sugar is low. His most recent issue was blood sugar or 650 that resulted from a combination of a horrible bacterial infection in his arm and not taking care of himself. That was a 3 week hospital stay. It is good that your dad takes care of himself and tests. That is half the battle.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetic-coma/DS00656