hypoglycemia and seizures?

Specialties Endocrine

Published

My husband has been a diabetic since he was 12 and he's 27 now. He takes 62 units of Lantus in the morning around 930-10am when he gets up.The other morning I awoke to my husband making a horrific sound. He was laying half up and slouched forward, (werid I know). He was shaking uncontrollable and sweating perfusely. His eyes were gazed and he was staring at the comforter.

I immediately pulled him to the end of the bed and ran to get sugar.

I called 911. I gave him grape jelly to raise his sugar. He was still shaking-jerking movements making this noise like grunting or huffing, i don't know it was odd and loud. I was just waiting for the EMS. He was soaked with sweatand his head kept going into his chest like he wanting to curl up in a ball on the bed. I was really scared so I smacked him. He wasn't responding to me. He stopped shaking alittle and I was yelling at the top of my lungs, Chris open your mouth. I spooned about 1/4 of a jar of grape jelly into my poor husband. He started to come around alittle periodically jerking, twitching. So i got a huggie juice. He was able to drink it and about 3 minutes he was talking. He walked himself to the porch and greeted to EMS guys who just showed up. His blood sugar was 51 at that point.

Has anyone heard of hypoglycemia seizures? Is this what he experienced?

What was that he went through?

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

The brain needs two nutrients to survive: oxygen and glucose. Absence of either can lead to seizures, irreversible brain damage, coma, or death. This is why hypoglycemia is so much more dangerous than hyperglycemia. Please have your husband evaluated by your primary care provider or referred to a diabetes specialist ASAP, to help prevent any hypoglycemic recurrences. Your husband's insulin dosage, meal schedules, and exercise habits need to be carefully examined and fine tuned. Just missing one meal or one snack can have devastating consequences for an insulin-dependent diabetic. It was indeed very fortunate that you were there; your interventions undoubtedly saved his life.

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Also look into getting a prescription for a glucagon kit.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I've seen this kind of seizure before at a guy in the bowling alley. He walked up to me confused but said "my sugar is 29" and before I could get him some juice he convulsed pretty much as you said. EMS had to come and start and IV, give him IV meds.

BTW, as I'm sure you learned "smacking" him does no good. :) I'm sure you were scared.

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make sure that the lantus is given about the same time of the day..many mds prefer the hs because people sometimes get busy in morning and don't remember to take it..

lantus must be a 24 hour dose i have heard of people who split their dose but i don't know if this is medically indicated

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Specializes in Perioperative; Gyn-Onc.

My daughter, now 25, has been diabetic since 22 months of age. She also seizes when her glucose levels drop below 30 or so. Thankfully, she has only seized four times.

I highly advise you to obtain a prescription for Glucagon. Glucagon is a hormone that stimulates the liver to release it's emergency reserves of glucose. It should only be used when the patient is unconscious or seizing, because it can be hard on the liver. The drug is administered via an IM injection.

Good luck.

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