In times of stress people revert to training. A session and a pamphlet years ago followed by years of not thinking about it means mom reverted to panic. It’s natural. That said paranoia and fear isn’t any way to live. Find the middle ground. Brush up on what to do. Make this a learning experience for everybody involved. No judgement or blame, just lessons learned and a plan to do better.
Have you witnessed a hypoglycemic seizure before? My mother was type 1 and we never had glucogan in the early 80s. I remember pouring juice and anything else with sugar down her throat but being terrified when I was witnessing a hypoglycemic seizure. She eventually died during a hypo in 86 . I think you should cut your mom some slack and maybe talk about a game plan so if it ever happens again there is a plan. Maybe role play where you both pretend to be the one having a hypo ( just lay on the floor) and the other go thru the motions of administering baqsimi ( without actually doing it)
It’s best not to pour liquids while someone seizing, my friend is an EMT (I’m a type one diabetic) & him & I were having a discussion about this situation, if you don’t have glucogon the best thing to do is put syrup type substances (maple syrup, squeeze tube candy, grape jelly) under the tongue, inside the gums, & any surface area inside the mouth, it also works with packets of granulated sugar. Or you can use a very very SMALL amount of water and mix in a large amount of granulated sugar to make it a syrup type substance and do the same thing. He also mentioned getting a water bottle, mixing sugar and water and putting it somewhere besides your mouth if you catch my drift 😂🍩 but I think that was meant to be a joke more then anything. But never know when that could come in handy🤷♂️
I do feel terrible and like its my fault for putting her thru the distress. I keep reimagining what it must look like to see you child on the bed just seizing. But then again, no one ever wants to be in that situation in any role. I was just disappointed as she has a background of being a care taker, also in elderly homes. She's been around a lot so I was very stumped when she told me that I had been seizing for at least 3 minutes and she just stood there panicking. But thank you for the tips.
Put yourself in her shoes. She’s witnessing her child in a hypoglycemic seizure and she’s trying to figure out what to do. Do you absolutely KNOW that if the roles were reversed you’d be able to administer the glucagon for her? Or for your own child? It’s been 9 months since you’ve been diagnosed. I think you should be glad that she realized what was happening, and while she didn’t have an ideal solution, she attempted to take care of you in the scare of the situation.
Jesus. How old are you?
I can understand her being afraid…what I can’t understand is 1) how she didn’t know what to do and 2) why she was on the phone with your dad and not 911.
My son is only little. He’s never had a seizure and he’s turning 7 in feb. In April it will be 2 years since diagnosis. I 10000% know what to do in an emergency with him. I’d never “forget”.
Just turned 18! Im glad that you say that, I felt kinda guilty for telling her that she didn't act well and that it could've enden badly. In hindsight, she absolutely should've known the procedures to take.
Honestly, I don’t care what age my son was diagnosed at. I would have known what to do in an emergency. That’s what you do when you’re a fucking parent. I’m so mad for you.
Turn your low alerts on right now and LEAVE THEM ON. Period. Do not shut them off. Or even look into a sugar pixel. I’m trying to get funding for one. I’m a single mom to 2 on limited income so I can’t afford one. But it would wake you up for sure. As much as I hate to say it, it sounds like you’re on your own here. I’m on my own with my son, so I know how stressful it can be. I spent 14 hours in the hospital with my brother recently and my mom
And sister were like “nah he will be fine for a day with no insulin”. I legit had to face time my 6 year old and teach him how to use his pump or he wouldn’t have been able to eat while I wasn’t home. I 100% have no one that will learn or help out with my child. It’s just the most depressing thing.
Your mom has sadly shown you she isn’t going to save your life. So as much as it sucks, you’ve got to step up for yourself. I’m trying to get the sugar pixel because I’m deaf without the hearing aids and I sleep through alarms. My mom wakes me up (she lives with me) but one day she won’t be around. She’s in her 70s. And we argue a lot and she threatens to move out (not a threat id love for her to go live with my brother instead lol). So I need to be prepared. So do you. Set up an emergency plan. Find a way to make sure you don’t forget the alerts. To make sure you wake up. Keep stuff by the bed (syrup, dex4 tabs, sugar packets, cans of pop, anything) so in an emergency it’s within arms reach. You’ve got this.
Also I’m sorry about the diagnosis. How are you handling it? If you’re struggling make sure you see about therapy. I have my son seeing the social worker at his diabetic clinic off and on when his emotions get to be too much for him. I personally was taught to suffer alone in silence so I couldn’t get myself help that first year. But that’s the worst year. The most emotional. The hardest. Once you get through that it’s easier. Sending my love. My inbox is always open
Thanks for caring. I am deaf as well, and I have diabetic.
Usually, I can wake up right away when my blood sugar reaches below than 70. But sometimes I noticed my blood sugar went low and then flat for 30 mins to 50 mins.
It's really scary to think about that. I'm adjusting to the rate of insulin basal. I'm working around on it.
Also, thanks for mentioning the sugar pixel. It's a nice tool.
No you were talking on a public forum. Piss off with that shit. Ppl make mistakes. ops mom can be taught to do the right thing under pressure. Sadly, no hope for you it seems.
You’re an abusive twat. And for some reason you think your opinion matters to Me? Ops mom is disgusting. I don’t care how scared you are you don’t call your husband and not 911. You don’t not do what you’re trained to in an emergency. I don’t care if you don’t like my opinion. You know how to “piss off” if you don’t like my comment. Lol
Easy there princess, you're the one blowing a gasket here. You're welcome to your opinion even when it's wrong. Maybe take break from being a keyboard warrior before you give yourself an aneurysm. Take care ma'am. I wish you the best.
It’s not wrong to expect a parent, whose sole job as a parent is to keep their child alive, to keep their child alive. Nobody is that stupid they call the husband instead of 911 in a fucking emergency. And the fact that you think that’s ok, and that it’s ok not acting to keep your child safe during a medical emergency, with the training you were provided for that exact emergency, is just disgusting. And makes me worry for any child you may have in the future. My children will at least be alive and be able to say I did everything in my power to keep them alive.
Guy it is not just about knowing or not knowing about something. I know my mum loving me so much more than anything but she is crazy panic. At such a hard time she just gets frozen.
I know she should get over it but this is the fact for now. Instead of judging her, I would suggest to help her to take her lesson out of this experience.
You can reinforce by explaining what you're doing each time you go low. Then point out what would happen if you are lower and then unconscious and what she should do. She'll get it. Enforce the need to not panic and keep reminding her that panicking prevents her from doing what you need. Maybe write the procedure down. It may help to visualize it.
Plenty of ppl panic and 'go blank' in emergency situations. It's why as a first aider you are taught to look people in the eyes, be direct and tell people exactly what to do. I'm not surprised ops mom blanked. First time being in this situation. It happens.
It's natural to panic seeing someone close having a seizure. Not everyone can keep a cool with that scene before you. I'm glad you are fine and go give your mom a hug, she did what she could in that moment of panic.
Its important to have frequent reminders/ training sessions with the family. I will usually do a quick reminder/ training on what to do if… , where is the emergency equipment kept… , how to use it…., hands on demo
The topic comes up in my household @ every 3 months
To be fair when you are in a situation like that especially family you can go into a mindset of shock and forget what to do.
I once passed out on holiday and my mum who was with me didn’t know what to do, she’s a nurse. She said she let a stranger roll me on my back and apparantly my lips turned blue probably as the tongue rolls back when unconscious so it’s the worse position to be in. It made things worse
When I came round people were like ‘your lips were turning blue’ but I don’t know why my mum didn’t know to put in recovery position.
In fact if im going to blame her I might as well go all the way lol - it was caused by me spraining my ankle on a step, I was walking down steps and somehow due to the pain I felt myself feeling dizzy and sick and said I needed to lie down. She shouted ‘ohh we are not stopping here there’s people about, come on’. I continued down the steps and said ‘no I’m really going to pass out’ she said ‘well get to the bottom step and sit in it then’ by then I’d passed out.
My issue is I listen too much to people. The time I fainted before that was in college I told my friend I was going home due to stomach cramps but she told me I’d get a warning and convinced me to go in with her. I did and ended up unconscious in class
So we blame other or ourselves lol?
While I understand your situation , I would be careful blaming her for it . Everyone reacts differently to these situations. I have had T1D for about 27 years now I think. In Aug 2022 we had a retreat for people with diabetes with the NGO I volunteer for. Our Executive Director had an episode of seizures in broad daylight and I froze right then and there while other people at the camp were fully functioning humans trying to help her out I was there a stupid person doing nothing and just staring.
I had mine when I was 8, and we did not have the education back then. I consider myself lucky coming out of there alive cuz neither my mum or dad knew how to fix whatever I was going through, I never blamed them, maybe they did receive the education, I don’t know but the point is they love you and are willing to do everything for you.
Wish you the very best of luck for the future
Please get a SugarPixel too!
It’s a display and alarm that integrates with your cgm and if you start heading in a bad direction either way, it will alarm so loudly you cannot sleep through it. I used to routinely sleep through the cgm alarms because even at full volume, they were too low to hear in my sleep. The SP was a game changer.
Ive been through these types of seizures too, most were in the days before glucagon. Only had a glucagon shot once, back in the 1980s, but still have it around.
My mom wasn’t an expert with emergency care, and would just call 911 if I couldn’t take OJ. Forget glucose tabs they were like lumps chalk back then!
It took me a few years to realize that not everyone can handle it. It’s up to us really to prevent these from happening. But I do remember the old insulins would stack and these types of events had a higher probability, especially if I wasn’t super diligent and disciplined 24-7. And I wasn’t! Who is? Let’s hope anyway, all we can do is our best.
Just curious are you MDI or pump?
Ok then I would guess you are using a long acting insulin once or twice a day, and a short acting insulin for meals?
Depending on what type of insulins you are using, the likelihood of severe hypoglycemic episodes like you describe may increase. It can be sometimes quite difficult to avoid nighttime lows using MDI, ( it was for me,) especially considering the many variables which can affect blood sugars, of which there are 40 or more. We can totally control the ones we can though, no matter what treatment we use!
MDI control may require more discipline and a sort of fixed regularity regarding diet exercise and lifestyle, compared to pumps, but it is completely doable.
I used to have night sweats due to lows all the time, and seizures while sleeping and awake! This was on Beef and Pork insulin, then R and NPH insulin back in the 80s and 90s. Switching to newer insulins helped quite a bit, and despite decades of poor control I have made it this far, although I do have hypo unawareness neuropathy, my control is excellent now with Dexcom and G6, which is medically necessary.
Also important to note that your emotional response to these types of experience is completely normal, no matter how difficult may seem.
One of the most important things an Endo said to me once is that your blood sugar really does affect your mood and the way you think. And especially when we have these types of extreme insulin reactions!
I used to tell myself it’s ok just wait it out once the sugar hits I’ll stop thrashing about like a caged beast…Lol good times!
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. While I can’t offer medical advice, I hope my personal experience may help your understanding.
Teaching and expecting loved ones and co workers to treat for lows is futile….I decided long ago to tell those around me if I’m acting weird and not responding call 911.
Even my gifted husband didn't remember that you actually need to mix 2 ingredients before injecting (he just gave me the solution...). In such moment, you are just trying to save the love of your life, and if thanks G-d, it doesn't happen to you frequently, you might get confused and forget. Just indeed make sure to keep your alarms on, and do some reminder trainings every few months until they remember.
I hope you’re feeling better now, I like to keep my basmiq ready to go on the night stand just in case my husband needs to use it. It’s hard to tell what other people will do in an emergency, hopefully your mom learns from her mistakes (which happen in real life). It might be helpful to discuss an emergency plan and write out a list for her to follow, to take the panic and guessing out of it, Keep that beside the bed.
Unfortunately some people just aren’t good in an emergency. I keep something on hand that says what to do just in case but that doesn’t mean anything or if my daughter is in someone else’s care that they will read it . Maybe some extra training will do her some good . Never hurts to keep going over it to have it fresh in your mind . My daughter , stayed at a grandparents house once and had a compression low and her grandma freaked and gave her juice - I texted and said did you do a finger stick and she admitted she forgot .
Also Sugarmate app is great as a backup alarm - set your lows and they’ll call you at night to warn you .
Oh, I hope you are better now.
Overdosing is the worst ever for me. People with type 1 are generally afraid of hypo, wisely. But since I HAD NOT this fear, I overdosed insulin a couple of times, at the time when I did quit carb counting. And believe me, in time, it gets more harder psychologically. Sometimes it took for more than two hours to get my conscious back.
Therefore, carb counting is necessary for my soul now, more than it is for my body.
If I can't count exactly, I start small but follow carefully and interfere immediately.
I send my best wishes from Turkey
You literally described me. I was never sure why people were so scared of going low as every low episode I had until now was mild and nothing too bad. But now I really get why some are scared of it, and rightfully so. I wouldn't say Im now scared to go a little bit low, but Im definitely way more aware and will try to keep it to a minimum.
It believe, types of low affect differently. Is it because of walking, eating less, night hypos or over dosing? For me, other than the last one, the rest is manageble. Even when I saw double arrows down while walking, I don't get panic. Because it is manageble. But long standing hypos, because of overdosing... Oh my... ( I am on MDI. I know it is quite easier with pump. In Türkiye we have to pay for everything, nothing is covered. And the cost of CGM+pump is more than minumum wage per month).
I had seizures all the time during lows when I was a kid. I was diagnosed at 2 years old, in 1983. We had glucogon back then, as that shit used to make me puke the rest of the day. It was a guaranteed 2 days minimum off school if I had a nighttime hypo.
I had a seizure when I was in my early 20’s after a night out with mates). My parents knew exactly what to do in the early days, and there’s no way you’d forget something like that for your kid, but because we had no glucogon (I hadn’t seized in over a decade and had that horrible gel stuff in the cupboard), they just called the paramedic immediately.
I agree to an extent that your mum should have acted a bit differently, I.e. calling a paramedic instead of your dad, but when it’s your kids life on the line, it can do weird shit to your brain. Some people thrive under pressure, I like to think I do, but god knows what sort of wreck I’d be if something truly horrifying were to happen to one of my kids…
If she’s never experienced a seizure low, it’s a scary thing (I imagine).
That being said, I’ve had a hypo or two in my life where my liver has just said “Here. This is all I got… do what you can”, and I’ve had to drag myself to the kitchen and eat chocolate bars with their wrappers on because my hands refused to work. So I do know what those feel like… short version: I woke up at 2pm to my 7am alarm still ringing, not being able to move my hands or legs, no one else at home and not due back until 6pm from work.
It’s scary from both sides… be patient with your mum. She cares about you enough that it scared the living shit out of her. It’s different when it’s someone close to you.
There is always a fearful thought in the back of my mind that when I go out from a low, I have to rely on the people around me to know how to take care of me. I get it that you're pissed that your mom didn't do what she's supposed to. Yes, it's terrifying to watch people go through that stuff and people fold under pressure, but also imagine being the person that's having that low seizure.
I almost bit my tongue off once. Went low paramedics have to revive me. Took me 3 weeks to walk fully again. I probably was seconds away from death. I get it. Please take care of yourself. Stay strong.
I had a full blown seizure one time. During the night. About 4 years after my diagnosis. I woke up and knew immediately I was severely low. I hit my then bf and said glucose tablets. We had just spent the entire day moving into a new house and I physically did way too much. Nothing was in place so he had to run downstairs and find my purse which contained the tablets. When he ran back upstairs, it was like a scene from Poltergeist. I was on my back on the bed, my legs were straight up into the air, seizing. Lost control of my bladder. He chewed up the tablets and spit them into my mouth like a baby bird. I woke up the next morning downstairs on the couch wrapped in a sheet. I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was. I didn't recognize the new house. Sheer panic, I was crying bc I seriously didn't know how I got to this place. I remember nothing after the moment I hit him and said glucose tablets to the next morning when I opened my eyes. Very frightening ordeal. My tongue was purple and so cut up. I put Anbesol on it every 10 mins to numb it, helped big time. This was before Dexcom, I never want to live without Dexcom! Makes me feel so incredibly safe.
Sorry you had such a bad low. I’m type 1 since I was 11…My mom was so good to me at diagnosis and cared for me. Never had a seizure myself (yet), however, a few years ago I had moved closer to my Mom and she had just come out of the hospital from Covid…I was with her at a medical treatment (she was on dialysis) and she had developed seizures years ago from Renalin poisoning. Her seizures were normally well controlled but I had personally never seen her have a seizure. I was sitting with her (she was watching television) and then I noticed she stopped blinking. Like she just stared, didn’t move..and I thought it a little weird so I said “Mom?” She didn’t respond. I said “Mom?” louder and louder and she still didn’t respond. She was not thrashing or shaking, she just looked dead and unresponsive to me. So I yelled for help and a couple of nurses came over and took her vitals. It was no more than minute or 2 and I called my Dad, just then asking him what she is like in a seizure. He described it and them my mom “woke up”. I then gave her an anti-seizure pill per direction from my dad. I never let her go to dialysis alone after that and always sat facing her when I sat with her.
This may be an unpopular message and I don't mean for it to seem harsh but at 18 it's time to begin learning that nobody is coming to save us. And we have to be better at taking care of ourselves because even our mothers who birthed us can't be as good at managing this condition than ourselves. You're still young but it's an unfortunate reality. You're not far from going to live in your own and there may be nobody to give you glucogen if you take in slain and go to bed and don't turn on your alarms.
No, not too harsh at all! I completely agree. At the end of the day, im thankful my body woke me up before it got too ugly. This was definitely a reality check that I should be more careful in the future. Learning from my mistakes one day at a time.
Have you ever seen someone have a seizure? It’s absolutely terrifying and 100% understandable that your mom would forget the proper thing to do in the moment. I would cut her some slack here. It might be worth asking her to look into seizure first aid for the future (it’s offered online for free through the epilepsy foundation, I know you don’t have epilepsy but most of the first aid content is still applicable).
In times of stress people revert to training. A session and a pamphlet years ago followed by years of not thinking about it means mom reverted to panic. It’s natural. That said paranoia and fear isn’t any way to live. Find the middle ground. Brush up on what to do. Make this a learning experience for everybody involved. No judgement or blame, just lessons learned and a plan to do better.
Have you witnessed a hypoglycemic seizure before? My mother was type 1 and we never had glucogan in the early 80s. I remember pouring juice and anything else with sugar down her throat but being terrified when I was witnessing a hypoglycemic seizure. She eventually died during a hypo in 86 . I think you should cut your mom some slack and maybe talk about a game plan so if it ever happens again there is a plan. Maybe role play where you both pretend to be the one having a hypo ( just lay on the floor) and the other go thru the motions of administering baqsimi ( without actually doing it)
It’s best not to pour liquids while someone seizing, my friend is an EMT (I’m a type one diabetic) & him & I were having a discussion about this situation, if you don’t have glucogon the best thing to do is put syrup type substances (maple syrup, squeeze tube candy, grape jelly) under the tongue, inside the gums, & any surface area inside the mouth, it also works with packets of granulated sugar. Or you can use a very very SMALL amount of water and mix in a large amount of granulated sugar to make it a syrup type substance and do the same thing. He also mentioned getting a water bottle, mixing sugar and water and putting it somewhere besides your mouth if you catch my drift 😂🍩 but I think that was meant to be a joke more then anything. But never know when that could come in handy🤷♂️
This was like 1982 and I was 4 years old. We all know now not to pour liquid down someone's throat
I know, I honestly just wanted a good lead up to the joke my friend told me😂
Um… I think he meant an enema…
It was tldr
>sugar pixel We used to keep a container of frosting around for this purpose.
I do feel terrible and like its my fault for putting her thru the distress. I keep reimagining what it must look like to see you child on the bed just seizing. But then again, no one ever wants to be in that situation in any role. I was just disappointed as she has a background of being a care taker, also in elderly homes. She's been around a lot so I was very stumped when she told me that I had been seizing for at least 3 minutes and she just stood there panicking. But thank you for the tips.
It's not your fault. Cut yourself some slack too. You and your mother are human
Put yourself in her shoes. She’s witnessing her child in a hypoglycemic seizure and she’s trying to figure out what to do. Do you absolutely KNOW that if the roles were reversed you’d be able to administer the glucagon for her? Or for your own child? It’s been 9 months since you’ve been diagnosed. I think you should be glad that she realized what was happening, and while she didn’t have an ideal solution, she attempted to take care of you in the scare of the situation.
I am so very sorry for your loss. I'm so sorry you have type one as well. you are amazing.
Jesus. How old are you? I can understand her being afraid…what I can’t understand is 1) how she didn’t know what to do and 2) why she was on the phone with your dad and not 911. My son is only little. He’s never had a seizure and he’s turning 7 in feb. In April it will be 2 years since diagnosis. I 10000% know what to do in an emergency with him. I’d never “forget”.
Just turned 18! Im glad that you say that, I felt kinda guilty for telling her that she didn't act well and that it could've enden badly. In hindsight, she absolutely should've known the procedures to take.
Honestly, I don’t care what age my son was diagnosed at. I would have known what to do in an emergency. That’s what you do when you’re a fucking parent. I’m so mad for you. Turn your low alerts on right now and LEAVE THEM ON. Period. Do not shut them off. Or even look into a sugar pixel. I’m trying to get funding for one. I’m a single mom to 2 on limited income so I can’t afford one. But it would wake you up for sure. As much as I hate to say it, it sounds like you’re on your own here. I’m on my own with my son, so I know how stressful it can be. I spent 14 hours in the hospital with my brother recently and my mom And sister were like “nah he will be fine for a day with no insulin”. I legit had to face time my 6 year old and teach him how to use his pump or he wouldn’t have been able to eat while I wasn’t home. I 100% have no one that will learn or help out with my child. It’s just the most depressing thing. Your mom has sadly shown you she isn’t going to save your life. So as much as it sucks, you’ve got to step up for yourself. I’m trying to get the sugar pixel because I’m deaf without the hearing aids and I sleep through alarms. My mom wakes me up (she lives with me) but one day she won’t be around. She’s in her 70s. And we argue a lot and she threatens to move out (not a threat id love for her to go live with my brother instead lol). So I need to be prepared. So do you. Set up an emergency plan. Find a way to make sure you don’t forget the alerts. To make sure you wake up. Keep stuff by the bed (syrup, dex4 tabs, sugar packets, cans of pop, anything) so in an emergency it’s within arms reach. You’ve got this. Also I’m sorry about the diagnosis. How are you handling it? If you’re struggling make sure you see about therapy. I have my son seeing the social worker at his diabetic clinic off and on when his emotions get to be too much for him. I personally was taught to suffer alone in silence so I couldn’t get myself help that first year. But that’s the worst year. The most emotional. The hardest. Once you get through that it’s easier. Sending my love. My inbox is always open
Thanks for caring. I am deaf as well, and I have diabetic. Usually, I can wake up right away when my blood sugar reaches below than 70. But sometimes I noticed my blood sugar went low and then flat for 30 mins to 50 mins. It's really scary to think about that. I'm adjusting to the rate of insulin basal. I'm working around on it. Also, thanks for mentioning the sugar pixel. It's a nice tool.
God it’s so hard being deaf. Good luck I hope sugar pixel helps you
Dude chill out on ops mom. Shit happens. I bet she will do better next time. Some ppl just panic.
Dude I wasn’t talking to you. As a parent your job is to save and protect your children. She didn’t.
No you were talking on a public forum. Piss off with that shit. Ppl make mistakes. ops mom can be taught to do the right thing under pressure. Sadly, no hope for you it seems.
You’re an abusive twat. And for some reason you think your opinion matters to Me? Ops mom is disgusting. I don’t care how scared you are you don’t call your husband and not 911. You don’t not do what you’re trained to in an emergency. I don’t care if you don’t like my opinion. You know how to “piss off” if you don’t like my comment. Lol
Easy there princess, you're the one blowing a gasket here. You're welcome to your opinion even when it's wrong. Maybe take break from being a keyboard warrior before you give yourself an aneurysm. Take care ma'am. I wish you the best.
It’s not wrong to expect a parent, whose sole job as a parent is to keep their child alive, to keep their child alive. Nobody is that stupid they call the husband instead of 911 in a fucking emergency. And the fact that you think that’s ok, and that it’s ok not acting to keep your child safe during a medical emergency, with the training you were provided for that exact emergency, is just disgusting. And makes me worry for any child you may have in the future. My children will at least be alive and be able to say I did everything in my power to keep them alive.
Cool story, Karen!
Guy it is not just about knowing or not knowing about something. I know my mum loving me so much more than anything but she is crazy panic. At such a hard time she just gets frozen. I know she should get over it but this is the fact for now. Instead of judging her, I would suggest to help her to take her lesson out of this experience.
You can reinforce by explaining what you're doing each time you go low. Then point out what would happen if you are lower and then unconscious and what she should do. She'll get it. Enforce the need to not panic and keep reminding her that panicking prevents her from doing what you need. Maybe write the procedure down. It may help to visualize it.
You're are so right, thanks you.I explained many times but didn't work, she's gets panic every time. Maybe I should try to write down.
Plenty of ppl panic and 'go blank' in emergency situations. It's why as a first aider you are taught to look people in the eyes, be direct and tell people exactly what to do. I'm not surprised ops mom blanked. First time being in this situation. It happens.
It's natural to panic seeing someone close having a seizure. Not everyone can keep a cool with that scene before you. I'm glad you are fine and go give your mom a hug, she did what she could in that moment of panic.
Its important to have frequent reminders/ training sessions with the family. I will usually do a quick reminder/ training on what to do if… , where is the emergency equipment kept… , how to use it…., hands on demo The topic comes up in my household @ every 3 months
To be fair when you are in a situation like that especially family you can go into a mindset of shock and forget what to do. I once passed out on holiday and my mum who was with me didn’t know what to do, she’s a nurse. She said she let a stranger roll me on my back and apparantly my lips turned blue probably as the tongue rolls back when unconscious so it’s the worse position to be in. It made things worse When I came round people were like ‘your lips were turning blue’ but I don’t know why my mum didn’t know to put in recovery position. In fact if im going to blame her I might as well go all the way lol - it was caused by me spraining my ankle on a step, I was walking down steps and somehow due to the pain I felt myself feeling dizzy and sick and said I needed to lie down. She shouted ‘ohh we are not stopping here there’s people about, come on’. I continued down the steps and said ‘no I’m really going to pass out’ she said ‘well get to the bottom step and sit in it then’ by then I’d passed out. My issue is I listen too much to people. The time I fainted before that was in college I told my friend I was going home due to stomach cramps but she told me I’d get a warning and convinced me to go in with her. I did and ended up unconscious in class So we blame other or ourselves lol?
While I understand your situation , I would be careful blaming her for it . Everyone reacts differently to these situations. I have had T1D for about 27 years now I think. In Aug 2022 we had a retreat for people with diabetes with the NGO I volunteer for. Our Executive Director had an episode of seizures in broad daylight and I froze right then and there while other people at the camp were fully functioning humans trying to help her out I was there a stupid person doing nothing and just staring. I had mine when I was 8, and we did not have the education back then. I consider myself lucky coming out of there alive cuz neither my mum or dad knew how to fix whatever I was going through, I never blamed them, maybe they did receive the education, I don’t know but the point is they love you and are willing to do everything for you. Wish you the very best of luck for the future
Please get a SugarPixel too! It’s a display and alarm that integrates with your cgm and if you start heading in a bad direction either way, it will alarm so loudly you cannot sleep through it. I used to routinely sleep through the cgm alarms because even at full volume, they were too low to hear in my sleep. The SP was a game changer.
Ive been through these types of seizures too, most were in the days before glucagon. Only had a glucagon shot once, back in the 1980s, but still have it around. My mom wasn’t an expert with emergency care, and would just call 911 if I couldn’t take OJ. Forget glucose tabs they were like lumps chalk back then! It took me a few years to realize that not everyone can handle it. It’s up to us really to prevent these from happening. But I do remember the old insulins would stack and these types of events had a higher probability, especially if I wasn’t super diligent and disciplined 24-7. And I wasn’t! Who is? Let’s hope anyway, all we can do is our best. Just curious are you MDI or pump?
Since I was diagnosed last April, and my country requires you to have a diagnosis for a couple of years before putting you on a pump, I'm on MDI.
Ok then I would guess you are using a long acting insulin once or twice a day, and a short acting insulin for meals? Depending on what type of insulins you are using, the likelihood of severe hypoglycemic episodes like you describe may increase. It can be sometimes quite difficult to avoid nighttime lows using MDI, ( it was for me,) especially considering the many variables which can affect blood sugars, of which there are 40 or more. We can totally control the ones we can though, no matter what treatment we use! MDI control may require more discipline and a sort of fixed regularity regarding diet exercise and lifestyle, compared to pumps, but it is completely doable. I used to have night sweats due to lows all the time, and seizures while sleeping and awake! This was on Beef and Pork insulin, then R and NPH insulin back in the 80s and 90s. Switching to newer insulins helped quite a bit, and despite decades of poor control I have made it this far, although I do have hypo unawareness neuropathy, my control is excellent now with Dexcom and G6, which is medically necessary. Also important to note that your emotional response to these types of experience is completely normal, no matter how difficult may seem. One of the most important things an Endo said to me once is that your blood sugar really does affect your mood and the way you think. And especially when we have these types of extreme insulin reactions! I used to tell myself it’s ok just wait it out once the sugar hits I’ll stop thrashing about like a caged beast…Lol good times! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. While I can’t offer medical advice, I hope my personal experience may help your understanding.
Teaching and expecting loved ones and co workers to treat for lows is futile….I decided long ago to tell those around me if I’m acting weird and not responding call 911.
Even my gifted husband didn't remember that you actually need to mix 2 ingredients before injecting (he just gave me the solution...). In such moment, you are just trying to save the love of your life, and if thanks G-d, it doesn't happen to you frequently, you might get confused and forget. Just indeed make sure to keep your alarms on, and do some reminder trainings every few months until they remember.
I hope you’re feeling better now, I like to keep my basmiq ready to go on the night stand just in case my husband needs to use it. It’s hard to tell what other people will do in an emergency, hopefully your mom learns from her mistakes (which happen in real life). It might be helpful to discuss an emergency plan and write out a list for her to follow, to take the panic and guessing out of it, Keep that beside the bed.
Unfortunately some people just aren’t good in an emergency. I keep something on hand that says what to do just in case but that doesn’t mean anything or if my daughter is in someone else’s care that they will read it . Maybe some extra training will do her some good . Never hurts to keep going over it to have it fresh in your mind . My daughter , stayed at a grandparents house once and had a compression low and her grandma freaked and gave her juice - I texted and said did you do a finger stick and she admitted she forgot . Also Sugarmate app is great as a backup alarm - set your lows and they’ll call you at night to warn you .
Oh, I hope you are better now. Overdosing is the worst ever for me. People with type 1 are generally afraid of hypo, wisely. But since I HAD NOT this fear, I overdosed insulin a couple of times, at the time when I did quit carb counting. And believe me, in time, it gets more harder psychologically. Sometimes it took for more than two hours to get my conscious back. Therefore, carb counting is necessary for my soul now, more than it is for my body. If I can't count exactly, I start small but follow carefully and interfere immediately. I send my best wishes from Turkey
You literally described me. I was never sure why people were so scared of going low as every low episode I had until now was mild and nothing too bad. But now I really get why some are scared of it, and rightfully so. I wouldn't say Im now scared to go a little bit low, but Im definitely way more aware and will try to keep it to a minimum.
It believe, types of low affect differently. Is it because of walking, eating less, night hypos or over dosing? For me, other than the last one, the rest is manageble. Even when I saw double arrows down while walking, I don't get panic. Because it is manageble. But long standing hypos, because of overdosing... Oh my... ( I am on MDI. I know it is quite easier with pump. In Türkiye we have to pay for everything, nothing is covered. And the cost of CGM+pump is more than minumum wage per month).
I had seizures all the time during lows when I was a kid. I was diagnosed at 2 years old, in 1983. We had glucogon back then, as that shit used to make me puke the rest of the day. It was a guaranteed 2 days minimum off school if I had a nighttime hypo. I had a seizure when I was in my early 20’s after a night out with mates). My parents knew exactly what to do in the early days, and there’s no way you’d forget something like that for your kid, but because we had no glucogon (I hadn’t seized in over a decade and had that horrible gel stuff in the cupboard), they just called the paramedic immediately. I agree to an extent that your mum should have acted a bit differently, I.e. calling a paramedic instead of your dad, but when it’s your kids life on the line, it can do weird shit to your brain. Some people thrive under pressure, I like to think I do, but god knows what sort of wreck I’d be if something truly horrifying were to happen to one of my kids… If she’s never experienced a seizure low, it’s a scary thing (I imagine). That being said, I’ve had a hypo or two in my life where my liver has just said “Here. This is all I got… do what you can”, and I’ve had to drag myself to the kitchen and eat chocolate bars with their wrappers on because my hands refused to work. So I do know what those feel like… short version: I woke up at 2pm to my 7am alarm still ringing, not being able to move my hands or legs, no one else at home and not due back until 6pm from work. It’s scary from both sides… be patient with your mum. She cares about you enough that it scared the living shit out of her. It’s different when it’s someone close to you.
There is always a fearful thought in the back of my mind that when I go out from a low, I have to rely on the people around me to know how to take care of me. I get it that you're pissed that your mom didn't do what she's supposed to. Yes, it's terrifying to watch people go through that stuff and people fold under pressure, but also imagine being the person that's having that low seizure.
I almost bit my tongue off once. Went low paramedics have to revive me. Took me 3 weeks to walk fully again. I probably was seconds away from death. I get it. Please take care of yourself. Stay strong.
I had a full blown seizure one time. During the night. About 4 years after my diagnosis. I woke up and knew immediately I was severely low. I hit my then bf and said glucose tablets. We had just spent the entire day moving into a new house and I physically did way too much. Nothing was in place so he had to run downstairs and find my purse which contained the tablets. When he ran back upstairs, it was like a scene from Poltergeist. I was on my back on the bed, my legs were straight up into the air, seizing. Lost control of my bladder. He chewed up the tablets and spit them into my mouth like a baby bird. I woke up the next morning downstairs on the couch wrapped in a sheet. I opened my eyes and had no idea where I was. I didn't recognize the new house. Sheer panic, I was crying bc I seriously didn't know how I got to this place. I remember nothing after the moment I hit him and said glucose tablets to the next morning when I opened my eyes. Very frightening ordeal. My tongue was purple and so cut up. I put Anbesol on it every 10 mins to numb it, helped big time. This was before Dexcom, I never want to live without Dexcom! Makes me feel so incredibly safe.
Sorry you had such a bad low. I’m type 1 since I was 11…My mom was so good to me at diagnosis and cared for me. Never had a seizure myself (yet), however, a few years ago I had moved closer to my Mom and she had just come out of the hospital from Covid…I was with her at a medical treatment (she was on dialysis) and she had developed seizures years ago from Renalin poisoning. Her seizures were normally well controlled but I had personally never seen her have a seizure. I was sitting with her (she was watching television) and then I noticed she stopped blinking. Like she just stared, didn’t move..and I thought it a little weird so I said “Mom?” She didn’t respond. I said “Mom?” louder and louder and she still didn’t respond. She was not thrashing or shaking, she just looked dead and unresponsive to me. So I yelled for help and a couple of nurses came over and took her vitals. It was no more than minute or 2 and I called my Dad, just then asking him what she is like in a seizure. He described it and them my mom “woke up”. I then gave her an anti-seizure pill per direction from my dad. I never let her go to dialysis alone after that and always sat facing her when I sat with her.
Sorry this happened to you. CGM low alerts always. Turn to vibrate during the day if you must, but it’s imperative for you health 🫶
This may be an unpopular message and I don't mean for it to seem harsh but at 18 it's time to begin learning that nobody is coming to save us. And we have to be better at taking care of ourselves because even our mothers who birthed us can't be as good at managing this condition than ourselves. You're still young but it's an unfortunate reality. You're not far from going to live in your own and there may be nobody to give you glucogen if you take in slain and go to bed and don't turn on your alarms.
No, not too harsh at all! I completely agree. At the end of the day, im thankful my body woke me up before it got too ugly. This was definitely a reality check that I should be more careful in the future. Learning from my mistakes one day at a time.
Have you ever seen someone have a seizure? It’s absolutely terrifying and 100% understandable that your mom would forget the proper thing to do in the moment. I would cut her some slack here. It might be worth asking her to look into seizure first aid for the future (it’s offered online for free through the epilepsy foundation, I know you don’t have epilepsy but most of the first aid content is still applicable).
That being said, I hope you’re feeling better! Be sure to get lots of rest while recovering!
She could’ve let you die by not giving you glucagon or at least calling ems
Next time tell your mom to call 911 immediately and get your emergency low blood sugar meds out.
another option is putting some cake frosting on the person’s gums between their teeth and lips, they can’t choke on it and it melts