Diabetic coma?

Question

I know when ones sugar levels drop to 2.4 or 3 one goes into a diabetic coma.... The 'normal' is 5 to 7 more or less.
When one goes over to 15 to 30 for example what are the possible consequenses. I'm asking this question because my mother is a diabetic and she always trys to keep her level down to a minimum.... The result is that if she misses one biscuit at the wrong time she goes out//// which is a problem because she's 86 and the last time she fractured her hip after falling over.
I'm trying to convince her eat more and go more over the top because at least that way she wont pass out. Also the Doctors keep "experimenting" with her does's.... which doesn't help matters.... but I feel they are just trying to get "thier" graph's perfect.... and not worry if she pass'es out. thanks in advance D;

Answer 1

My father in law is diabetic type 2 (tablet controlled) if his sugars go up to 30 his vision goes blurred he goes really tired and lathargic. i had a lot of trouble keeping his sugars down because he would forget what time he had eaten so i got him to have little meals but often and eat at the same time everyday he has breakfast at 7 a snack at 9.30 his dinner at 12 a snack at 2.30 tea at 5 and supper at 8.30 so far so good his sugars have stayed at between 8 and 10. if sugars go to low lucazade is a good drink to get sugar levels up good luck with your mum

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

My sister is a type 1 diabetic and she has said that to become seriously ill from being too high, you have to be VERY high for at least a day or two. Although you should always follow your doctors advice, try giving her two digestive biscuits before you leave and then even if she does remember her snack she will only be at about 10 or 11. This is high but not dangerously so. If her blood tester should read above 28 or HI then the chances are she will be feeling very sluggish and ill. You'll have fair warning if she is too high as she will be terribly thirsty and will have been for a couple of days.
If your mum has just been diagnosed then try and maintain a blood sugar of 7-11 as it is an illness which takes time to find a balance and precision only comes with practice.
Good Luck

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I can sympathise with this. As a type 2 diabetic, who injects, I developed Bell's Palsy last year, and the virus affected my sugar levels. I cut back on my injections from 4 To 3 a day, and reduced the amount of insulin. The worst hypos were when I woke up in the morning, except that I didn't come to, and my husband couldn't bring me round. My nurse gave me a glucose injection kit to keep in the fridge, and it has been a lifesaver. I think your Mum may have to accept that her blood sugar levels need to be a bit higher than is usually recommended, without going over the top. I assume that as she goes into hypos so easily, she has to inject. If she misses food, or seems to be in danger of a hypo, perhaps she could reduce her insulin dose at vulnerable times.

Answer 7

I dont know very much about this but I know that older people do not have such an appetite. Try and encourage her to eat a little and often. Breakfast, then mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, tea time, supper. Take her shopping and help her find things that are easy for her to snack on. My nan used to love a boiled egg for breakfast and then a banana sandwich for lunch. She should also carry a snack with her when she goes out so that she has something just in case she needs to eat. Just a few ideas...

Answer 8

More dangerous in the short term to go Hypo(under). High sugar levels are more dangerous in the long term. Blood pressure, heart disease. circulation, gangrene, eyes etc. all are affected by diabetes.. Treatment consists of trying to maintain a satisfactory blood sugar level and having regular screening of eyes, feet etc. Also regular blood tests to be able to regulate medications etc. As you say she has to be careful to eat regularly and avoid very low levels.. At her age I would have thought they would arrange for a nurse to visit a couple of times a day...

Answer 9

Go for foods with a low GI index, this means that the sugars don;'t gfive her a 'rush' then the extreme 'low' that follows soon after, they steadily release energy over a longer period, keeping levels more stable.

Answer 10

This might not be the answer you're looking for, but you can ask your doctor to prescribe a supply of glucagen kits. This is an injection that's administered if your mother loses consciousness. It's a syringe filled with sterile water and a small bottle that contains glucagon powder. You inject the water into the glucagon, shake it until the powder has dissolved and draw it back into the syringe. You tap the syringe to get rid of any air bubbles that may have formed, and then inject your mother into a muscle.

Glucagon stimulates the liver to release it's store of glycogen (that's glucose in it's stored form), which obviously brings her blood sugars back up. When she regains consciousness she must eat to replace the glycogen that has been released. (The liver stores glucose in the form of glycogen for just such occasions. The idea being that the alpha cells of the pancreas release glucagon when it notices that blood sugar levels have fallen. It's the beta cells (Islets of Langerhans) that produce insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels by allowing the body's cells to convert glucose (the simple sugar that's measured when you test your blood sugar levels) into energy.)

Actually, you stated that when one's sugar levels drop to 2.4 or 3 one goes into a diabetic coma. This isn't strictly true. The day before yesterday, my own sugar level registered 1.4, and I was still conscious ... though incoherent. It has a lot to do with how quickly the blood sugar level drops that causes the diabetic comas that you speak of. i.e., if your blood sugar drops rapidly, there's more of a chance that you will lose consciousness and lapse into a coma. It also depends on how quickly the hypo (low blood sugar) is treated.

As has already been stated, if you can convince your mother to eat low glycaemic index (low GI) foods ... you may need to see a dietitian to learn more about the GI values of foods, the chances of her blood sugar dropping rapidly are greatly reduced.

Again, as has already been mentioned, raised blood sugars take longer before complications set in. Obviously, both extremes are dangerous, but I'd say that it's the hypos (low blood sugars) that are causing you more anxiety.

If you are in the situation where you realise that your mother's blood sugar is falling ... you may notice that she has a vacant expression, becomes incoherent, becomes fidgety, becomes clammy, simply wants to lie down and go to sleep, etc., you can offer such things as glucose in water, a glass of orange juice (the sweetened variety), or a glass of pop (sweetened, of course), a bar of chocolate, boiled sweets. This will bring her blood sugar levels back up rather quickly. You must then get her to check her blood sugar levels after about 15 minutes, just to make sure that her blood sugar is up, and not dropping again. (All of those remedies would have a high GI value, meaning that their sugar content is easily available, and will push blood sugar levels up rapidly. The downside (?) is that the blood sugar doesn't remain high for extended periods of time.)

You could, of course, speak with your mother's doctor(s) and tell them of your concerns. Make it sound as though you're asking for help, and they may not continue pursuing their tight control of her blood sugars so aggressively.

You ask about possible consequences of raised blood sugar levels. As I stated earlier, this would need to be for an extended period of time, and it sounds as though your mother's control won't allow this, but quite serious complications can set in ... things such as damage to the retina of her eyes, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy (nerve ending damage) and the like. Do be assured, however, that these things won't suddenly appear overnight.

Best of luck to you and your mother.