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After being an RN for a long time, I thought I had seen alot. Was wondering what the lowest blood sugar level you have seen on a conscious patient. My little man from last week's was 12.
well I myself have gone doown to 22 and thought I was going to die. I couldn't talk,move or anything else for that matter. I am a nurse as well as a diabetic. I saw a pt once at 32, she was almost coming out the bed and kicking at everyone, eyes were buldging, skin clammy and cold. At that time I was a cna but in school for lpn, the nurse acted as if she couldn't understand why the pt was acting like this so I asked well whats her conditions. And lord and behold Dm was one I said well check her sugar she said I never thought about that. Checked it and it was 32. She wanted to give her glucerna, I told her oj with a pack or two of sugar will bring it up faster. At this time I had no ideas that there facility protocals that should have been followed. But you use your own nursing judgement and cover your own ass(cyoa), that was my first crash course as a student nurse.
lowest was a 19 for me, wasn't my pt but another RN..pt was asymptomatic, pushed D50 x's 2, pt had a hx of hypoglcemia, lowest on the chart was 12 on another unit..Scary for all the RN's on my floor, when I had the same pt the lowest it dropped was 50 still pushed D50 only for the BS to rise to 75, pt was on q 2 h FS too. All night I was feeding the pt OJ c sugar and snacks to keep the BS stable..pt. was cardiac hospice..nice pt. too but passed a few days later dur to CMP and EF of
I have to put my in here because I am a Diabetic. I think the lowest I ever saw a blood sugar is 20. But what I want people to know is that a person will feel the symptoms of a low blood sugar when it has gone below their normal range not the book's normal range. When I was out of control & my bood sugar ran >200, if it went below 110 I would start to shake and feel like I was going to pass out, I required sugar when my blood sugar was near 110. This is something they don't seem to teach and one other thing my co-workers sure know if a Diabetic is really really grouchy and nasty-check their blood sugar it is probably really high. And every Diabetic I've asked say they are very nasty when their blood sugar is high also, but I have never seen that give as a symptom of a high blood sugar. If they are just slightly irritable then it's low.
jschut, BSN, RN
2,743 Posts
My Mom was diagnosed when she had a BS of 643.
Daughter with OD a few years ago had a BS of 6.
Those are my extremes.