Can shock cause diabetes?

[choklit buttons]

Hi everyone.....my husband had a bad fall a month ago, and blacked out...ambulance called as it was feared he had broken his back...fortunately he hadn't..just cracked ribs. He had a thorough examination by the paramedics, and all was normal (ECG, oxygen levels, BP) However his blood sugar was 8.5, which I thought was slightly high, given he had had nothing to eat for several hours. He has recovered from his injuries, but about a week ago developed a raging thirst, tiredness and general feeling of being unwell. I suggested I did his BS (I am type 2) but he refused. However, today I insisted on doing it and got a reading of 20.5. Just wondering if this could be connected to his accident? He is refusing to visit the GP, saying he will try and control it himself.....I just don't know what to do. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you.

 

[eddie1968]

Usually when you say "shock" in a slang term it means trauma but medically it is connected to septic shock which is different. Maybe your hubby has been pre-diabetic without knowing it.

 

[CarbsRok]

I have heard before that shock can cause type 1 diabetes. As your husbands numbers have risen so high and quickly IMHO he needs an urgent trip to see a Dr as he could well have developed type 1 diabetes.

 

[choklit buttons]

I have heard before that shock can cause type 1 diabetes. As your husbands numbers have risen so high and quickly IMHO he needs an urgent trip to see a Dr as he could well have developed type 1 diabetes.

Thank you, but getting him to the GP is another matter.

 

[himtoo]

tell him that you will be the first to apologise if you are "crying wolf" but 20.5 is in the range of ketones which can be life threatening.
( nuff said )

 

[philchap1]

I got knocked off my bike when I was 7 (a long time ago lol) and developed type 1 a few months later which according to my consultant was caused by the shock of the accident, nobody else in the family had or has developed diabetes so I believe that the accident was the cause.

 

[Sarahkylie88]

I have heard it can be trauma or illness, I had a bad viral infection... 6 weeks after-type one diabetic. Same happened to a girl I know. Someone else became diabetic not long after a traumatic event. Apparently it is already there, these events just trigger it!
Hope u manage to get him to get checked out X xx

 

[choklit buttons]

I have heard it can be trauma or illness, I had a bad viral infection... 6 weeks after-type one diabetic. Same happened to a girl I know. Someone else became diabetic not long after a traumatic event. Apparently it is already there, these events just trigger it!
Hope u manage to get him to get checked out X xx

Thank you everyone for your very helpful replies...I will nag him about a GP appointment.

 

[himtoo]

I have heard it can be trauma or illness, I had a bad viral infection... 6 weeks after-type one diabetic. Same happened to a girl I know. Someone else became diabetic not long after a traumatic event. Apparently it is already there, these events just trigger it!
Hope u manage to get him to get checked out X xx

according to my mother (the incident not particularly remembered by me) i had a really bad infection in may 1972 -- followed by a diagnosis of T 1 in august 1972.

 

[Natalie1974]

I had a really bad bout of flu...really really bad...and got diagnosed T1 a few months later. It often makes me laugh when people with a cold say they have flu...when all they actually have is a cold...I've never known anything like it before or since...makes me shudder to think

 

[Robinredbreast]

In 1989, my then husband left and I was in shock, It was a very traumatic and upsetting time for me and with two children who were confused and very upset too. I became ill with possible colitis and then diagnosed with
type 1 .....................so that was his leaving present

 

[Robinredbreast]

Thank you, but getting him to the GP is another matter.

I hope he see's sense and goes to see his GP.

 

[JohnEGreen]

I think it may be best to point out to him that it is a walk or drive to the GP or in all probability a trip in an ambulance to an AE and a stay on the diabetic ward. And it is best not to leave it till that happens. I do not think I am being over dramatic as I have seen it happen to others.

 

[steve_p6]

I got knocked off my bike when I was 7 (a long time ago lol) and developed type 1 a few months later which according to my consultant was caused by the shock of the accident, nobody else in the family had or has developed diabetes so I believe that the accident was the cause.

Same here went over the handlebars when I was 11, hopitalised 6 weeks later for T1.

 

[Squire Fulwood]

The debate about what caused it is interesting but irrelevant now. At 20.5 there is only one thing to do.

 

[choklit buttons]

Just an update on my husband. He has refused to visit his GP, and has attempted to lower his BS himself, which he did, the lowest reading being 12.5 (still too high, I know). However, when he came home from work tonight, I insisted I tested him (hadn't done it for a few weeks).....he was very reluctant, but I'm afraid I lost my rag somewhat and told him a few home truths of what could happen if this problem was ignored. Long story short, I won, tested and it was 30.4 !!!! I tried to remain calm, and asked him what he had eaten today....you wouldn't believe what he'd had! Chips, corned beef pie, peas.....coffee, biscuits, grapes...you name it, he ate it! I had a long talk with him, and finally got him to change his GP to mine, which is local. He will probably need to go to the surgery at some point to sign forms or whatever. I intend to phone the surgery tomorrow to find out the procedure and also tell the receptionist the full story and see if they can offer any advice on how to get him seen. Other than this, I am at a loss as to what to do next.
Sorry for the rant, and thank you for all the input so far.

 

[Shar67]

30.4 I would be going to A&E pronto, now, not tomorrow. DKA is not funny, blood turns acidic, you develop sepsis, organs shut down. Diabetes isn't a leave it til later disease, it is a deal with me now.

 

[choklit buttons]

I agree. But short of physically dragging him out of the house, I just don't know what else I can do. He says he feels fine, and that is one of the reasons he ate what he did today, thinking because he felt well, his BS was down.

 

[Natalie1974]

That's dangerously high...he really does need to get that checked out...not sure how you approach it with him but you need to get that looked at ASAP

 

[TorqPenderloin]

As a man, I know how stubborn we can be. It's almost as if seeing a doctor and admitting something is wrong somehow makes us less of a man.

Admittedly, that was part of the reason why I waited 6 months before finally getting blood tests (and then being diagnosed with T1). The other reason was that if I didn't get the tests that somehow equated to mean nothing was wrong. Obviously, that was a ridiculous thought process and during that time my body was literally consuming its own muscle to stay alive.

You know your husband better than we do so you'll need to find a way to say this to him in a way he will understand: if something happens to him, YOU will be the one who has to take care of him. In contrast, YOU need him to be around to help take care of you.

It's not an issue of being selfish, but you're married which means you're a team. Hopefully, that sparks the protective instinct in him.

For me, that's part of the reason why I take my diabetes so seriously. I always want to be the protector rather than the protected which means I can't afford to ever have complications. I think it's a primal instinct in us men.

I'm certainly no psychologist, but you obviously need to figure out why he's acting this way. Unfortunately, that can be a lot tougher than it sounds.