Confused and new to all this

[Fran696]

Hi,I recently had my 1st seizure whilst in a supermarket (my husband witnessed it all and described classic seizure,rigid then down,convulsing and I also bit through my lip)I'm totally freaked out and confused by it all.I'm 41 and suddenly had severe pain in my head and blurred vision/flashing lights.Next thing I knew I was surrounded by paramedics and next thing after that I just remember trying to talk in hospital but it coming out all slurred.Was given brain scan?It took me days to recover,felt like I had been run over by a bus and ached all over!
Was told blood sugar,heart rate and blood pressure all dropped dangerously low and am now awaiting appointment with neurologist.
Doctor has given me a blood sugar monitor to keep some records in mean time but readings coming out at between 6-8 mornings and 8-10 in evenings so confused as these are high?not low?

 

[Redkite]

Hi Fran, sorry to hear about your seizure, must have been a really scary experience. Are you newly diagnosed? What insulin regime are you on? I'm a little confused because you say your doc has given you a blood glucose meter, but if you are type 1 surely you would have already had one and been testing your BG several times a day? Sorry for all the Q's, but it's hard to advise you without knowing if you're type 1 or 2 and what medications you take. 🙂

 

[Fran696]

Hi,thanks for response. No,there hasn't been a definite diagnosis yet,I'm assuming they are waiting to see what the Neurologist finds, if anything.Only joined page today and must of not changed the 'type' button,sorry for any confusion.The doctor said he wanted me to get some blood glucose readings over a period of time so they have something to go on,he said he was pretty sure that's what it will be.It really is all new to me and has come out of the blue,I suppose I'm just assuming they know what they are doing but maybe I should be asking them more questions.

 

[Northerner]

Hi Fran, welcome to the forum 🙂 Sorry to hear about your distressing experience Had you been feeling unwell at all prior to this? Your blood sugar levels do suggest that you may be diabetic, as they are a little on the high side. Do you have any other symptoms e.g. going to the loo a lot, feeling lethargic? Were any suggestions made as to why you collapsed, or are you having to wait for results? Try not to worry (easy to say, I know). If you do have diabetes then the good news is that it is something that can be controlled well and does not have to have a negative impact on your life - it shouldn't stop you from doing anything, and many people find that the discipline and dietary and lifestyle changes they make as a consequence actually leave them feeling happeir and healthier than they did prior to diagnosis!

Please let us know what the doctor says, and do ask any questions you may have - we will be happy to help you in any way we can 🙂

 

[Redkite]

Oh I see. Well, the normal BG level for people without diabetes is 4-7mmol, so yours are a little raised, although I don't know what the threshold would be for a firm diagnosis of diabetes. BG levels can be temporarily higher than normal if you are unwell, certain types of infections etc. A sudden drop to very low blood glucose is a risk for people taking insulin, but shouldn't happen spontaneously in people with undiagnosed diabetes. I would guess that your doc has run lots of tests and is looking at all possibilities, but it seems unlikely that your seizure was caused by untreated diabetes. I hope they get to the bottom of it soon 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Welcome to the forum, Fran696.

All a bit puzzling. Blood glucose levels can drop for several reasons. In people with diabetes who take insulin or other blood glucose / sugar lowering medications, the usual reason is that their dose doesn't quite match what they are eating / doing / experiencing (eg weather, stress, infection etc). In people not diagnosed with diabetes and thus not taking such medication, it's more unusual to experience low blood sugar levels, and even more unusual to experience such low levels that they fit. However, it can happen eg after very long periods of extreme exercise. A fit / convulsions takes a huge amount of energy from a body, so it's also possible for a fit to cause low blood sugar / hypoglycaemia.

It's good that your doctor has given you a blood glucose meter to check levels. Hope your neurologist can find an answer for what happened. It may not be diabetes related, of course. I hope it's a simple problem with a simple solution, but whatever happens, do come back here and let us know what happens. We have members with other problems in addition to diabetes, who may be able to help.