What is the highest blood sugar you have seen in a walky talky patient?

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Had a guy come in to the ED yesterday who said that he had been to the doctor on Friday and that he had lab work done as he had been very fatigued lately. He stated that he went home after lab draw and went straight to bed where he slept until Sunday morning only getting up to urinate. Being asleep he missed the message left on his machine Friday afternoon by the office nurse to go straight to the ED as his blood sugar was very high. When he woke up on Sunday morning and checked his messages he got ready and DROVE HIMSELF to the ED. I pulled the lab work that the pt had done on Friday as we have access to our in house cards records. His sugar was 886 on Friday! When we did an accu check his sugar was too high for the machine to register so a serum glucose was drawn. Get this, it was 989! His Hgb A-1C was 14.5! I have never seen any one functioning with a sugar that high. He had no idea what diabetes was. Needless to say he bought an insulin drip and an ICU bed.

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

omg......over 1000.

I must work in a sheltered area (OB)-----700-something was the highest. And sadly, her baby was born still. It was horrible.

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My former mother in law wasn't looking right and acting right. Her mother checked her sugar and it was in the 1000s. She took some insulin, they called the paramedics. She shortly thereafter went into a coma and died a while later.

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Specializes in Pain Management, FNP, Med/Surg, Tele.

When my fiance found out he was Type 2 Diabetic 7 years ago he actually went blind, he said everything just got white and he panicked and had his friend drive him to the hospital. When he got there his blood sugar was in the 600's. He is ok now, he got his sight back after they stabilized his blood sugar.

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Sweetielin,

Has your dad checked with his MD to find out what he recommends for his blood glucose goals? If not, I would advise that your dad ask the MD and follow his recommendation.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommendations for blood glucose readings are different than "under 200". If the BG is sometimes over 200 and lower than 200, but >150, this is too high. If the BG stays too high, the wound healing will be slow and your dad will be at risk for long-term complications from diabetes.

The link below is not from the ADA, but it has the blood glucose readings recommended by the ADA:

http://www.diabetesdigest.com/dd_meters2.htm

Good luck to your dad!

Stephanie RN CDE

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I have taken care of a young lady in our ED WHO HAS COME IN WITH A SERUM BLOOD SUGAR OF OVER 1300 MG/DL WALKING AND TALKING/. sHE WAS A NON COMPLIANT insulin dependant diabetic. She was a frequent admit to our ICU. I am sad to say she has since passed away and only in her early 20's.

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Hi I have a question. What if you check your pt's blood sugar and it's too high for the glucometer to register, (limit of glucometer is lower than 450) and this pt is on a regular insulin sliding scale. Aside from calling the MD, would you give the highest dose of regular insulin on the sliding scale as well? What else would you have to do?? I'd like some guidance on this! thanks!

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Specializes in ICU, Research, Corrections.
Hi I have a question. What if you check your pt's blood sugar and it's too high for the glucometer to register, (limit of glucometer is lower than 450) and this pt is on a regular insulin sliding scale. Aside from calling the MD, would you give the highest dose of regular insulin on the sliding scale as well? What else would you have to do?? I'd like some guidance on this! thanks!

Send blood off to the lab to what pt's glucose is. Your pt may have HHNK (Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemia Non-Ketotic). Glucose levels tend to be 1,000+, higher than DKA pts.

I have seen many of these pts in the ICU. If the glucose is that high, he has an insulin drip waiting for him in ICU.

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When I was first diagnosed 2 years ago, mine was over 1000. It ran that high occasionally for a while. It was regularly in the upper 700s. And honestly, I felt fine. Once my insulin dosages were getting me closer and closer to "normal" the worse I felt until I got used to functioning at 100. My lowest was 22 and it was AWFUL. I was in a stupor. Recently I've been on steroids and monitored blood sugar closely but it would quickly jump up to over 999. My body feels better at high levels. This week I've had the low sugar shaky, agitated feelings at 179 (yesterday) and 172 (today).

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when I worked coma stim, I saw patients who got there through blood sugars in the 900-1100 range. I could function fine when I was diagnosed in the mid 400s....can deal with lows of 30s on my own. :)

with the chemo, my blood sugars are nuts- high.

I also had s/s of hypos in the upper 100s and lower 200s when I was first diagnosed and getting my blood sugar back to normal (diet alone for 12 years, and A1Cs in the 4.8-5.7 range :D Now they're a mess....end of Nov, I'm off of chemo, and they should get back to how they were....insulin w/meals and Lantus at hs :D

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I once had a long time diabetic come in at over 1200. She mentioned she had very thirsty lately and had been drinking 2 liter bottles of Coke.:rolleyes:

:smackingf:smackingf:smackingf:smackingf:smackingf

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My type 1 adult daughter who lived in another state was ill. She died because of the complications caused to her diabetes. Her blood sugar was over 1,300..... so very sad.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.

I had a patient with a level of 1014 last week. Conscious.

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