What does a high blood sugar feel like?

[kevinfitzgerald]

Alcohol induced DKA? How can that be? Alcohol lowers blood sugar! I had DKA several times but with me, it was different. I actually had high ketone levels even though my blood sugar was a not-so-alarming 200 mg/dl! I was diagnosed with 450 mg/dl and my blood sugar has never been higher than 400 mg/dl after that, but even that's very rare! Me too, my legs feel like led when I'm high.

Hi Alicia,

I was a chronic alcoholic. I mean a litre and a half of vodka a day and missing injections !

Chronic alcoholic consumption does lower sugars and the hypos are terrifying but when you don't inject but drink like I did it does the opposite !

Sorry I didn't make myself clear

 

[tim2000s]

My DKA was also alcohol induced. Got horribly drunk and failed to do basal. Was also so hungover I couldn't hold anything down. Was feeling so ill I didn't think about testing. So I had no insulin. More fool me. That was twenty years ago though and taught me a lesson I've never forgotten.

 

[uart]

I went to a and e with 32.8 I felt great but Eyesight was rubbish

Hmmm, not sure what all that translates to here in the US, but it sounds pretty bad!

Most people here are working in terms of mmol/L (millimole per litre) whereas the common unit in the US is mg/dL (milligram per decilitre). The conversion factor is almost exactly 18, so you'll have to times the readings you see here by 18 to get them in more familiar terms.

So for example 5 mmol/L is 90 mg/dL (a nice number to have) whereas 10 mmol/L is 180 in the US units, which you would recognise as just a little bit high. The quoted figure of 32.8 is about 590 mg/dL, and so is extremely high.

 

[paipen]

I know what you mean, passing out scares me, and when I was DKA, it was probably the scariest thing I ever went through! It's like taking your last breath, and then the nausea! I don't know what's worse, the feeling like you're about to faint or the projectile vomiting! Ugh!

You all are using word DKA, I have no idea what it means. My morning sugar is between 9 and 10. My legs are hurting like they would have led in them. Because of that I can't have long walks anymore. My medication is 22IU insulin and 2x500mg metformin.

 

[vintageutopia]

Immediately prior to my diagnosis, I felt like I was mildly ill and very tired. I am still in the experimentation phase with some foods, so if my blood sugar deviates from normal, I feel sluggish.

 

[Alicia R]

You all are using word DKA, I have no idea what it means. My morning sugar is between 9 and 10. My legs are hurting like they would have led in them. Because of that I can't have long walks anymore. My medication is 22IU insulin and 2x500mg metformin.

I take it you have type 2 diabetes? You're lucky you don't know what DKA is! Most type 2s don't get DKA. Most type 1s get diagnosed with type 1 after being DKA! DKA stands for diabetic ketoacidosis -- here's a quote from WebMD -- they say it better than I can!

"Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a life-threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the sugar (glucose) they need for energy because there is not enough insulin.

When the sugar cannot get into the cells, it stays in the blood. The kidneys filter some of the sugar from the blood and remove it from the body through urine.

Because the cells cannot receive sugar for energy, the body begins to break down fat and muscle for energy. When this happens, ketones, or fatty acids, are produced and enter the bloodstream, causing the chemical imbalance (metabolic acidosis) called diabetic ketoacidosis."

 

[Sco81]

I get stiff muscles and find it hard to move. Feel heavy, eyes twitch, blurred vision, thirsty and might as well just set up camp in the loo. Sometimes I sweat and my heart races.

 

[Spencer67]

Like your tongue has been fried in castrol gtx oil then set on fire and put out with a damp rag that washed your next door neighbors dogs derrière.

 

[pil79]

I was getting really worrying mood swings before my type 2 diagnosis. I would get adrenaline coursing through my veins at the slightest provocation and would literally feel like pummelling peoples heads in. It was such a disgusting feeling to have, the worst times would be when I was craving carbs, I couldn't even look anyone in the eye I would be raging so much. I had the other normal symptoms like thirst, excessive urination and lethargy and also ended up with an abcess twice one of which was removed two days after diagnosis diagnosis. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced adrenaline and rage in the past? It doesn't seem like something people are willing to share

 

[PatsyB]

my eyes start to itch a little, dry mouth and tired ...after reading some of the above it sounds rather scary

 

[Natalie1974]

I had a really bad time with DKA a few years back...probably the most terrifying experience of my life...and one that I never ever want to repeat.

I had a bug at the time...I was so so sick...projectile vomiting...knocking back water like crazy and completely unable to breathe...my vision was blurred and as someone else said like a negative but I think that was maybe down to dehydration. A few days in intensive care and I was fine again...but a very serious lesson learned in regards to sick day rules...keep taking the insulin...keep checking BG no matter how bad you feel.

 

[LucySW]

These descriptions of DKA are terrifying. Thank God you guys survived, and Won't let it happen again.

On just ordinary too-high blood sugar, it just makes me tired. Droopy, listless, sleepy. I don't get it often or badly these days - but in the three/four months before I was diagnosed, ow. I felt how you feel when you have a cold coming on: there's something wrong, and you know you have to be good, get to bed early, and you'll get better. Except I didn't. And terrible brain fog. Also terrible nervous stress - I was literally clenched with worry about everything. I took much longer to get anything done, and nothing worked, and I was very pessimistic.

So in a way the Dx was a relief, in that I no longer had to feel that way. And I felt massively better almost straight away.

 

[BBGRAMMY]

Hello I've tried to add to a discussion already but it doesn't seem to be on. Although I'm new to posting I read all that you guys have to say for the last 12 months and your knowledge has assisted me in losing two and a half stones. But..I didn't test my bloods this morning I awoke feeling tired ( not unusual ) but light headed so had my usual breakfast. I then started to feel unwell, jerky tearful and very wobbly. I tested my blood and had a reading of 13.6 so tested it 2 more times 12.8 & 13.4. It has never been this before!




I have given you a new thread @BBGRAMMY as posting this message in other threads may mean that it gets lost. Moderator.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/need-some-advice.75285/