Questions about hypoglycemia, and its short-term/ long-term sequelae or complications.?

Question

I've had type 1 diabetes for over 8 years, during which I've had hypoglycemia of <30 mg/dL on at least 5 occasions, but those were the times when I did check my blood sugar, so there were actually more than 5 times. In addition, I've had an average of... I'd say about 10 hypoglycemic eposides in the 40's mg/dL in a month (about half of which occur in the morning, and the other half during the day), and a lot of my hypoglycemic events were in the 40's, and many were prolonged.

There were several times when I was awake from my sleep, but extremely confused, unconscious, and didn't know anything at all. I didn't know what I was doing and what I had to do on a usual basis, but I was too unconscious that I didn't question in my mind; I just looked around me and walked from one place to another, and to another, without any thought in mind. 

There were times when I was extremely dizzy and felt like I was going to faint. Although I did know where I was and what I was doing at the moment, after I ate and raised my blood sugar level, I had no memory of what I heard or did during that time when I was hypoglycemic. 


Here's my question: 

For some amazing reason, on those occasions when I absolutely did not know anything, and was nearly a "walking dead," I was protected by my centeral nervous system by grabbing glucose tablets and/or other foods to eat, before I fainted. (I guess eating was the only thing I knew, and was able to do, without thinking.) 

I've heard instances of people fainting from blood sugar levels of 46 mg/dL, 30 mg/dL, etc., but I've had levels of 28, 20, 15 mg/dL, levels that were too low, that my glucometer gave me LO, which I later looked in the manual of the meter and learned that it meant lower than 15 mg/dL. However, I never fainted from hypoglycemia...

(1) Does that mean that my central nervous system/brain is tough? 


Although I had never fainted, I think I have some complications from repeated and/or prolonged, severe hypoglycemia. I'm just assuming, because my cognitive functioning has declined; I easily forget the material that I've studied for my classes, and I'm 21 years old. I don't have history of seizure, but during some hypoglycemic eposides, I had some muscle twitching, and I think that I have some sequelae from those eposides, because a few times, my hands were uncoordinated and twitching, when I actually checked and verified that my blood glucose levels were above 70 mg/dL.

(2) ...anyway, is it possible to have juvenile dementia from hypoglycemic eposides? 

Or would I have increased risks of developing psychological disorders due to disturbances of the neurons and neurotransmitter, from exposures to hypoglycemia? 

What are some short- or long-term complications of the (central or peripheral) nervous system, or damages of any organ system, from hypoglecemia?


Thank you so, very, much, for answering my questions. (Please include your credentials, if you have any, because I tend to believe explanations from doctors - either MD, or doctors of any field, particularly related to the subjects of my questions.)

? · Accepted Answer

I have a lot of those same issues (including what I also think is dementia) from blood sugars in those same ranges. But I also have had thyrotoxicity which gave me a tremor.
Running higher numbers, after some months, has restored some memory to me.

According to the DCCT and other studies, the dementia associated with diabetes is not associated with severe lows including passing out and seizures (although come to think of it, if they only count severe lows as having happened if there was a loss of consciousness, maybe they aren't really looking at severe lows).

The general belief among most diabetes researchers is that lows only have complications if they trigger something like a stroke or heart attack at the time. But I don't believe it.

Some people's brains are more wired for seizures but a lot of the discordance is because you're measuring blood sugar, not cerebrospinal fluid sugar. You don't know how low that went or didn't go.

I have no medical credentials whatsoever. I do read a lot of diabetes research. You might like how I write about it- jonahdiabetic.blogspot.com

micksmixxx · Answer

If you "tend to believe explanations from doctors - either MD, or doctors of any field, particularly related to the subjects of my questions" you should pay your money and ask one of them then.

In response to question one, "Does that mean that my central nervous system/brain is tough?".  The answer is no, it simply indicates that you are not very bright.  If this is happening repeatedly, and it seems to be from reading what you've written, you should, by now, have made adjustments to your insulin dose(s).  If you're not sure how you need to speak with a member of your diabetes support team. i.e. your doctor, diabetes specialist nurse, or certified diabetes educator.

In response to question two, "is it possible to have juvenile dementia from hypoglycemic eposides?", the answer is no.  Thirty or forty years ago it used to be believed that repeated hypoglycemic events did lead to cognitive decline, but it is no longer believed to be the case.

You rae much more likely to get complications from hyperglycemia ... higher than 'normal' blood glucose levels.  This is because hyperglycemia has a very damaging effect on organs, blood vessels, and nerves.  The sorts of complications that can arise include diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic autonomic neuropathy, circulatory disorders, impaired kidney function ... which could lead to you requiring renal dialysis and/or kidney replacement, amputation(s), heart attack(s), stroke(s), retinopathy.  (Autonomic neuropathy can affect such things as the digestive process, leading to a condition called gatroparesis ... delayed emptying of stomach contents ... impaired sexual function, loss of bowel and bladder control, loss of blood pressure control, change in heart rate that sees it higher than it otherwise should be,  impairment of thermoregulation.)

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Questions about hypoglycemia, and its short-term/ long-term sequelae or complications.?

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