HELP BRAIN DAMAGE !!!

[Ryann1990]

Im worried about having slight brain damage from hypos iv recently been having a strange kind of foot drop where I can't walk or use my legs when I'm having a hypo and this normally goes away after my blood sugars are in range again but recently the foot problems and leg movements have stayed the same I have never blacked out or gone Into a coma from this but my sugars do get really low like 2.1 low the lowest I've been is 1.8 and that's when my leg started to go strange it happens on both legs and feet which is weird I'm only 23 and worried I have now permant waking abnormality from hypo induced brain damage is this possible ?

 

[donnellysdogs]

I used to crawl on the ground with some hypo's. I'd get out of bed and crawl along floor to the kitchen to get milk n sugar, despite having jelly babies on bedside.

I never saw it as a problem, it was just my hypos at that time.

This disappeared and now I just have dolly mixtures in an open container next to bed. As I love dolly mixtures, I never finding myself even attempting to get out of bed.

There are some thoughts that hypo's can damage the brain cells from doctors that I have spoken to, but I dont think too much research has been done.

Do you actually have to walk when you go hypo? Best thing is to always have hypostoppers on you. 7 dollly mixtures in a little bag would help.

 

[GlazedDoughnuts]

It may be worth taking this up with a Doctor to be honest.

Just a quick google suggests this:

http://www.fsijournal.org/article/S0379-0738(04)00431-1/abstract

To be fair that's from 2004 so there's probably been more findings in the matter since, but I've had hypos before to quiet low levels (1.8 being my lowest ever) for me it was just brain fog, shakey hands.

I had to pop over to the shops and buy a can of sugared Fanta to sort myself out...It seems we react differently to hypos!

 

[phoenix]

When people are unconscious with very low glucose levels for a long time it can cause brain damage because the brain is starved of glucose. This is very rare . The two cases I have read of online have affected cognitive function rather than motor function. (and they have both involved people being in intensive care in a coma)

We all suffer a number of symptoms whilst hypo but thankfully they go away when we're back to normal and most papers suggest that they don't normally leave permanent damage.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2860007/

Two things
1) you must see a doctor about the foot problem. It may be D related,(not necessarily to do with hypos) It may not be but it certainly needs looking at.
2) You need to look to avoiding hypos as much as possible even if it means running at higher levels for a while.

 

[donnellysdogs]

I believe in another posting OP has said he had had mri's etc.. All negative

 

[phoenix]

Thanks dd, I hadn't read them.
Ryann, I really think that your doctor is the person to contact h/she obviously already knows of your worries but needs to know that you still need some help.
From what you've written elsewhere you do seem to be losing your awareness of hypos so I still think you might be better raising your levels for a while. (talk to the doc about adjusting your doses)

 

[donnellysdogs]

Agreed.. My time of crawling was still within boundaries ok knowing hypo's... But since going on to pump and also for a time a cgm.. Hypo's have changed.

Nightime ones are sooooo different now. My consultant didnt give a **** if my hba1c levels went up to 8.0.

What levels are you when you lose your leg functions?

 

[OneOfMany]

Im worried about having slight brain damage from hypos iv recently been having a strange kind of foot drop where I can't walk or use my legs when I'm having a hypo and this normally goes away after my blood sugars are in range again but recently the foot problems and leg movements have stayed the same I have never blacked out or gone Into a coma from this but my sugars do get really low like 2.1 low the lowest I've been is 1.8 and that's when my leg started to go strange it happens on both legs and feet which is weird I'm only 23 and worried I have now permant waking abnormality from hypo induced brain damage is this possible ?

Hi Ryann,

Don't be too alarmed, similar thing happens to me when i'm having lower BG values, my legs seem to twitch and cramp up, sometimes i can move from point a to point b but with uncontrollable "kicks" along the way, sometimes i just gotta sit and rest for a while, the legs seem to have a will of their own. This is a "normal" occurrence, as low BG values can impair electrolyte balance and cause involuntary muscle movement. You won't get any brain damage from hypos unless you frequently pass out for longer periods of time. By the way, i'm 27, never passed out as well, i feel perfectly fine at 2.0, even 1.8 most of the time, except the twitching of course.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Hi

Feeling fine at 1.8 and 2.0 means that you are losing or have lost your hypo awareness, even if you haven't passed out to being unconscious.....

 

[OneOfMany]

I guess i never had it then, because in the past two years since the diagnosis lower values don't seem to affect me much, i feel perfectly fine most of the time, there have been a few occasions where i "lost" myself, friends tell me i behaved strangely, was disoriented, asking all kinds of stupid questions, all i have are few flashbacks of these events later, but that's it, 2.0 really does nothing to me.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Yes, the fact that 2.0 does nothing to you.. Actually makes you hypo unaware.. The facts thst you state that your friends say you act 'lost' again states loud and clear that you need to get your awareness back.

 

[donnellysdogs]

You cannot categorically state that you do not get any brain damage from hypos... Nit unless you have proof of this

 

[desidiabulum]

Hi Ryann,
The symptoms that you describe are compatible with vitamin B12 deficiency (which often mimics aspects of MS). I confused this with after-effects of hypos which I couldn't shake off, just as you describe, and it was months before they thought to check B12 and found very low levels. When you see a GP do try to get them to do a blood test - your problem could be caused by lots of different things, but it's definitely worth testing for B12, which is constantly missed or misdiagnosed.

 

[donnellysdogs]

Well, I never knew that....I was B12 deficient when I used to expereince the crawling side of hypo's. Used to have B12 injections...till welsh dr stopped them.

Learn something new everyday!!

 

[vicky_l]

always check significant changes with gp

remember with the best will in the world we are only lay people with experience of diabetes as individuals and like many health conditions diabetes is extremely complex and many things we wont know as we havent experience it for ourselves

so please go get checked out and yes do ask or suggest B12 explain you heard has similar symptoms because obviously thats easily treated and a lot less scary (I would fine)

xoxox