FAQ - Insulin Coma
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how much does diabetic coma differ from insulin shock?


They are opposite effects. Diabetic coma results from too high a blood sugar level, whereas insulin shock is the result of too low a blood sugar level.  (+ info)

How long does it take for an insulin overdose to take affect?


My husband is diabetic and sometimes threatens to overdose on his insulin. I have read the warning signs but how long before these begin to take affect, and how long before a potential coma?
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Hubby needs therapy.
You should not have to worry about this every day.
Therapy can help you too.  (+ info)

How long is too long to be in a coma and fully recover?


My 47 year old nephew hospitalized because of a serious genetic heart problem (ICU on cardiac floor) was erroneously injected with a massive dose of insulin - he is not a diabetic. In a coma for several days. Vitals are good, brain scan normal but he remains in coma. We have no answers! Have any of you had a similar situation with positive results? How long is too long to be in a diabetic coma?
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This is a question for a doctor to answer no one on here is really gonna know... Nor would it be fair for someone to give you false hope, go with that facts from a profesional  (+ info)

How many days can a diabetic go without food AND insulin?


-How many days can a diabetic person go without both food AND insulin before their blood sugar is profoundly affected to the point of coma and/or death?

-Would hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia be more likely in this situation? Even though no insulin is taken, no food is ingested either, so would the blood sugar still rise dangerously high in 48-72 hours? Or would the last dose of basal insulin eventually cause a low?
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The liver produces certain amounts of glucose naturally. In many type 2 diabetics the liver acts like a sugar factory on overtime. Whether the individual was type 1 or type 2 this would be dangerous. After a certain amount of time spent fasting the body starts to burn its own fat stores to provide energy which would also cause blood sugar to rise and cause DKA. You probably wouldn't see a low because the basal is taken to deal with the natural production of glucose by the liver throughout the day. Blood sugar would rise and that's never good.  (+ info)

why do they say that you should treat someone for insulin shock if your unsure of diabetic coma/insulin shock?


You must ALWAYS assume that the person, if they're unconscious or near unconscious and unable to explain things to you, is hypoglycemic ... suffering with a very low blood sugar level. This is because this condition is immediately more likely to cause severe damage or even death, whereas if someone is in a diabetic coma, although damage is being done, it would take time before it actually kills you.

The correct procedure would be to inject glucagon, if it's present, give glucose drink ... unless unconscious ... then, you must not administer anything orally, and then telephone for an ambulance. If possible, you should escort the person to the hospital, and inform the doctors of what action you took.

Doctors would obviously extract blood to get a true reading of what that person's blood sugar level is, and then take the appropriate action.  (+ info)

What blood sugar reading results in a diabetic coma?


Also, how long do you stay in the coma and will your blood sugar stabilize by itself or do you require insulin. If you do go into a diabetic coma and no one is around to help how long will you stay that way?
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it takes repeated day after day after day of high blood sugars to advance to coma stage, and there is no guarantee that anything will be as it was before the coma.  (+ info)

What reaction do you get from too much insulin in the body ? A black out? i.e. coma? death?


  (+ info)

if u don't know if a person is suffering from a diabetic coma or insulin shock what do you treat for and why?


If a diabetic person is unconscious, and you don't know if it is because their blood sugar is high or low, treat them as though it is low. This is because low blood sugar can rapidly be fatal, whereas high sugar is caustic over a long period of time.

However, you should never put food in the mouth of an unconscious person because they might choke. If you discover anyone unconscious, call paramedics. They can assess the situation, administer glucagon if necessary, and get the person the help they need.  (+ info)

How high does diabetes get before you lapse into a coma?


Mom has a sugar level in the 390s, sometimes going into the 400s. I am very worried. The nursing home gives her more than one type of insulin for this.
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I take more than one type of insulin to keep my glucose under control, and also take Met ER to control the insulin resistance. I also follow a very strict food plan which people in nursing homes aren't able to do. They must eat what the dieticians consider "good" for them which contains too many starchy foods and way too many "carby" foods as well.

Also most of the time the nurses do not have the time to administer the insulins at the correct times. And they administer the fast acting on a strict schedule rather than a sliding scale.

As to when a person lapses into coma from high glucose levels, depends totally on the person. Each of us is a very unique individual and all of diabetes is very uniquely individual with each. Some people are in extreme danger at 300 and others not until their glucometers don't even greet them with HI any more. Like over 600! Some people function very well near 1000!

But any sustained level over 125 is doing damage to the other body systems, and the higher and longer the glucose is up there, the more damage it is doing to heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, nerves, blood vessels, etc.  (+ info)

Which describes the difference n the care u would give to a victim who is experiencing insulin shock versus a?


victim who is in a diabetic coma?
a.The basic care is the same: check and care for any life-threatening conditions
b.Diabetic coma is much more serious. Call 911 or local emergency # immediately only for dibetic coma
c. Give foods or fluids wt sugar to a conscious victim in diabetic coma but not to one experiencing insulin shock
d.Insulin shock is much more serious. call 911 or the local emergency number immediately for insulin shock only
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The answer is A, if you don't have ABC (airway, breathing, circulation) you have a problem, however for personal ref. if a person who is diabetic is in insulin shock or diabetic coma and still concious and you don't know which one, give sugar anyway, it won't hurt anything and could improve the patient.
GOOD LUCK  (+ info)

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