Type 1 First hypo related seizure

aealexandrou

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Type of diabetes
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Hi all, I’ve had my 1st hypo related seizure last night. Very scary for both my partner and I :(.
What happened was I had a drink because I had today off work and with the great weather.

I got up for work at 5:30 am got home from work at 5:45pm had my dinner then spent 2 hours 30 mins gardening in the sun/heat. So on the go for 14 hours and 30 minutes.
Everything was grand, my sugars were in range all day so no higher than 10 after meal and no lower than 4.
So, after I got my gardening done I had a log burner lit and had a few drinks, possibly 1 to many. But at around 11:30pm my sugars went from 6.4 to 5.5 so I knew I needed a bite to eat before bed which I had a round 30 grams of carbs.
So I took my night time insulin and by mistake took 16 units instead of my normal 13 units. (I’m quite sensitive to insulin) so I got to bed and took a seizure and have no recollection of and I woke to ambulance ppl in my room.
My sugars were 2.0 when the ambulance ppl checked, I was covered in swet head to toe.
The ambulance crew referred me to the diabetic clinic which no doubt I’ll be attending next week at some stage.
What I’m looking to know is this an automatic license revoke? If my license is revoked I will struggle to get to work and struggle to pay my mortgage. Any advice would be very welcome.
I had very mild seizures in my teens and was put on epilepsy tablets and haven’t had any type of seizure in maybe 15 years. But never had a full blown seizure like last night.
I cannot help with your licence but can you explain why as a T2D with a bsl of 5.5 before bed you need to eat. I would have assumed that if your bsl was normal then you wouldn't need to eat and you wouldn't need any night time medication. If you must have insulin, then wouldn't you simply reduce the amount to take account of the normal reading. If you eat you simply spike your bsl, and then do need insulin and it appears hit or miss if you get the dosage wrong?
 

aealexandrou

Well-Known Member
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117
Type of diabetes
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Sorry just saw further down the thread that you are a T1D. Still, its puzzling. Whether your T1 or T2 diabetic the goal would still be to keep insulin at a constant normal rate of day 4 to 5. In which case why must you increase bsl by eating in order to inject a higher insulin does?
I cannot help with your licence but can you explain why as a T2D with a bsl of 5.5 before bed you need to eat. I would have assumed that if your bsl was normal then you wouldn't need to eat and you wouldn't need any night time medication. If you must have insulin, then wouldn't you simply reduce the amount to take account of the normal reading. If you eat you simply spike your bsl, and then do need insulin and it appears hit or miss if you get the dosage wrong?
 

LooperCat

Expert
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you said you had no recollection of it yet you're explaining exactly what happened, this all sounds very odd.
They literally said (in the bit you quoted) “I’m just going by what my partner has said.”
 

KK123

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3,967
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I'm sorry you didn't agree with what I said, but a good hba1c in most cases is considered well managed. However it doesn't show the bigger picture or erratic control or some are micro managing it. There are a number of type 1s who don't over treat or over correct their hypers or hypos, so I can say some of us are well managed, not everyone though. Type 1 isn't a hideous ever changing disease, more of a condition? It doesn't bite when you take into account everything you do, carb counting, illnesses, hormones, stress.

Hi MeiChanski, I know it's a horrible word but it most definitely is a disease.
 

KK123

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3,967
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Sorry just saw further down the thread that you are a T1D. Still, its puzzling. Whether your T1 or T2 diabetic the goal would still be to keep insulin at a constant normal rate of day 4 to 5. In which case why must you increase bsl by eating in order to inject a higher insulin does?

I don't understand what you mean by keeping 'insulin at a constant normal rate', but it seems to me that the poster was 5.5 before bed and as a type 1, the recommendation is that if you are under a certain number (that differs for everyone, say 6/7) then you should take a carby snack to stop you going low in the night. The poster has said that they accidently took 16 units of insulin instead of their normal 13 and I would imagine they are on about BASAL...which is NOTHING to do with any insulin they take for food. Also the goals are different.
 

LooperCat

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I don't understand what you mean by keeping 'insulin at a constant normal rate', but it seems to me that the poster was 5.5 before bed and as a type 1, the recommendation is that if you are under a certain number (that differs for everyone, say 6/7) then you should take a carby snack to stop you going low in the night. The poster has said that they accidently took 16 units of insulin instead of their normal 13 and I would imagine they are on about BASAL...which is NOTHING to do with any insulin they take for food. Also the goals are different.
I suspect they meant BG rather than insulin.
 
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you said you had no recollection of it yet you're explaining exactly what happened, this all sounds very odd.

Not odd, he said it is what his partner told him, you need to read the post in question.
 
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Hi MeiChanski, I know it's a horrible word but it most definitely is a disease.

Yes, it is a disease but, personally I prefer to call it a medical condition.
 
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Same. Or "major organ failure" if I'm feeling dramatic :D Disease (rightly or wrongly) implies contagion.

Disease is such a negative word and conjures up all sorts of thoughts and reactions.

In many cases, terms such as disease, disorder, morbidity, sickness and illness are used interchangeably. ... The term disease broadly refers to any condition that impairs the normal functioning of the body. For this reason, diseases are associated with dysfunctioning of the body's normal homeostatic processes.
 

Jaylee

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Hi @ConorD29 ,

How are you doing now? Did you manage to consult your diabetic team?

Insulin can cause a sort of seizure when too low. I got caught out 40 years ago (on porcine insulin.) when I was about 10. Never again, it cased spasms in my legs. Pail, sweaty, confused, I managed to fight my legs to the kitchen & treat.

Below is a harrowing example of insulin shock therapy that was once used in psychiatric units on patients? (Sorry, it's very old & the only example I can find. Apart from an actors portrayal in a film "Beautiful mind.")
Lantus lows can be a slow creeper, especially with alcohol which can "mask" the symptoms & speed up any drop due to keeping the liver busy..

Did your partner see something like this..?

Hope this helps?

 
Last edited:
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Hi @ConorD29 ,

How are you doing now? Did you manage to consult your diabetic team?

Insulin can cause a sort of seizure when too low. I got caught out 40 years ago (on porcine insulin.) when I was about 10. Never again, it cased spasms in my legs. Pail, sweaty, confused, I managed to fight my legs to the kitchen & treat.

Below is a harrowing example of insulin shock therapy that was once used in psychiatric units on patients? (Sorry, it's very old & the only example I can find. Apart from an actors portrayal in a film "Beautiful mind.")
Lantus lows can be a slow creeper, especially with alcohol which can "mask" the symptoms & speed up any drop due to keeping the liver busy..

Did your partner see something like this..?

Hope this helps?


:wideyed::wideyed::inpain::inpain:, so barbaric :(
 
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I was just coming to terms with my diagnosis and then I read that type 1 was a "chronic disease" which put me back for a while.
Then I decided I was not going to think of it that way - I consider it as a condition which I manage to allow me to carry on and live my life to the full.
Maybe I have been lucky but in 15 years I have not allowed diabetes to stop me doing what I want and live my life.

Wholeheartedly agree Helen, I'm still going strong 30 years on and at 61, I am feeling good :)
 

MeiChanski

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I thought in a similar way, we're not contagious but more like the pancreas decided to malfunction. :hilarious:
I had a seizure when I had a very disabling hypo. (not as traumatic as @Jaylee 's video) I was semi there, I remember seeing and hearing people in my room but I couldn't move. I was very cold, like shivering cold and I remember the paramedic was trying to hold me down. Then I stopped and resumed back to normal, then it happened again. This was after they injected glucose into me and they waited for me to come back. Eventually I came back with my eyes wide opened, no one clue what happened because I remember just falling asleep.
I think alcohol is quite dangerous because it keeps the liver busy and you're more vulnerable to hypos, so you need to monitor and nibble on carbs if needed. But if you're blacked out drunk, I hope you have someone near by to help you.
 

Jaylee

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:wideyed::wideyed::inpain::inpain:, so barbaric :(

That it is... The method used was on non D patients, the therory at the time was to (in short.) reset the brain by inducing a coma then pull them out of it.. Some patients underwent a whole course of this "treatment."

There have been cases of T1s with brain damage/personality disorders arising for such events leading to coma..
However, I was hoping to highlight the effects of hypoglycemia in an "advanced state" with this old clip. In order for @ConorD29 & his partner to try & chop some sense into the event that happened..
Before the brain packs away the "white flag," it was waving, the body starts to protest..
 
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That it is... The method used was on non D patients, the therory at the time was to (in short.) reset the brain by inducing a coma then pull them out of it.. Some patients underwent a whole course of this "treatment."

There have been cases of T1s with brain damage/personality disorders arising for such events leading to coma..
However, I was hoping to highlight the effects of hypoglycemia in an "advanced state" with this old clip. In order for @ConorD29 & his partner to try & chop some sense into the event that happened..
Before the brain packs away the "white flag," it was waving, the body starts to protest..

You did high light the effects @Jaylee, nevertheless, it is a barbaric procedure.
 

Lulu9101112

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Hi all, I’ve had my 1st hypo related seizure last night. Very scary for both my partner and I :(.
What happened was I had a drink because I had today off work and with the great weather.

I got up for work at 5:30 am got home from work at 5:45pm had my dinner then spent 2 hours 30 mins gardening in the sun/heat. So on the go for 14 hours and 30 minutes.
Everything was grand, my sugars were in range all day so no higher than 10 after meal and no lower than 4.
So, after I got my gardening done I had a log burner lit and had a few drinks, possibly 1 to many. But at around 11:30pm my sugars went from 6.4 to 5.5 so I knew I needed a bite to eat before bed which I had a round 30 grams of carbs.
So I took my night time insulin and by mistake took 16 units instead of my normal 13 units. (I’m quite sensitive to insulin) so I got to bed and took a seizure and have no recollection of and I woke to ambulance ppl in my room.
My sugars were 2.0 when the ambulance ppl checked, I was covered in swet head to toe.
The ambulance crew referred me to the diabetic clinic which no doubt I’ll be attending next week at some stage.
What I’m looking to know is this an automatic license revoke? If my license is revoked I will struggle to get to work and struggle to pay my mortgage. Any advice would be very welcome.
I had very mild seizures in my teens and was put on epilepsy tablets and haven’t had any type of seizure in maybe 15 years. But never had a full blown seizure like last night.

I don’t drive but I’ve reaserched about driving and diabeties before because I might learn in the future.. However what I’ve read before unless you were driving and causes yourself in an accident or crash and werent driving a bus or lorry.I doubt you would however even if you did wouldn’t this be down to your local police and not the dvla. Since they would be the ones to decide whether you diabetes plays a risk to your license.
Think about it there’s a lot of diabetics that mostly drive but most likely don’t get their License revoked. If this was true things would most likely be a lot more scriter with flying (I’ve travelled by plane more then 30 times and have never been stopped or asked about my diabeties or the diabeties medications) or travelling with diabeties. It would also cause a lot more hassle if things were stricter with diabeties as then it would also have to be scricter with other illnesses. So I don’t think you’ll get you license revoked especially as it doesn’t sound like you were driving or put anyone or anything in danger.
So you should relax .
 

DawnOfTheZed

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Messages
113
A non diabetic friend had a seizure recently. She had to see a specialist doc at the local hospital (I think neurologist?) who examined her and thought repeat unlikely. Still my friend was obliged to notify dvla and has had her license temp suspended for 6 months to check it doesn't repeat.
OP needs some paperwork from the attending paras. Surprised no advice to see local neurology team if it was a seizure. If just diabetes clinic advised in their paperwork, then presumably they didn't think it was a seizure?
Suggest see diabetes clinic next week and ask advice?
Am guessing work plus sun plus gardening lead to dehydration and depletion of glycogen stores in liver. So effect of the alcohol was amplified and no ready glycogen available to turn into glucose when overdosed. Triple whammy / perfect storm to induce a hypo? Well done to OP for being so controlled over 22 yrs not to have had such a serious episode all that time.
Hugs and hope no suspension (temp or not) of license happens. (My friend has enjoyed free bus travel in lieu, but is looking forward to return if her license shortly.

Edit to correct incorrect autocorrect! Grrr!
 
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