I am diabetic and have had seizures on occasion. I try to prevent them ... but sometimes life just gets in the way of being a diabetic.
Usually I get them at work when stress is just too much and my blood sugar takes a dive ... mine usually range from staring into oblivion...slow muscle rigidness in the back of my neck causing my head to go back...to feeling like I just can't stay awake ... all of the seizures come with the notion that "I'm alright" ... even though I'm not answering questions correctly etc ...
There are times when I have had a seizure at the grocery store ... crowds make me stressed for some reason and by the time I'm at the checkout my head is acting like it is trying to reach backwards and have a conversation with my behind...humor helps LOL.
Below is all the information that I could google on diabetic seizures. Understand this...most diabetics are in denial ... espsecially when we are in our "throws" ... so when we get that way ... ignore that we say we are ok and give us sugar and lead us to a chair to sit down ... don't ask us questions just give us demands like...sit...drink your juice ... be still...nothing else really works...at least not for me.
A seizure occurs as a result of a burst of simultaneous, contradictory signals from brain cells. There are many causes of seizures including head trauma, fever, illness. Hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) and hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) both can cause seizure, convulsion, coma, and even death.
During a seizure a person is unaware of their surroundings even if they may seem alert on some level. If the seizure is a result of low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) do not attempt to feed the person who can easily choke on food and drink. Instead, give a shot of glucagon and call 911 if necessary.
Generalized seizures can have any of the following characteristics:
- Can, but do not always causes violent convulsions
- Muscles may twitch, jerk, or slowly become rigid (clonic seizures)
- Loss of muscle tone (tonic seizures)
- Can affect involuntary body movement and function (clonic seizures)
- Alter sensation, awareness or behavior
- May involve numbness in part(s) of the body
- Result in brief loss of memory
- Manifest as detecting a strange odor (when there is none), seeing flashes of light, or sometimes feel like a panic attack
- Can last a few seconds or result in a continuous seizure that does not stop without medical intervention
There are more than 20 types of seizures classified into groups including motor, sensory, autonomic, emotional or cognitive seizures. Many seizures have unknown causes and not all seizures result in actual convulsions.
Grand mal seizure (or, tonic seizure)
A person having a grand mal seizure may cry out, lose consciousness and fall to the ground, and convulse. Grand mal seizures are what most people are familiar with as they tend to occur with violent convulsions during some epileptic seizures.
Complex partial seizure
A person having a complex partial seizure may appear confused or dazed and will not be able to respond to questions or direction. Some people have seizures that are not noticeable to others and the only clue that a person is having an absence (petit mal) seizure is rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space.
What is a convulsion?
A convulsion is an abnormal violent and involuntary contraction or series of contractions of the muscles. Seizures resulting in convulsion can be violent enough to cause injury to the body including head trauma, bone fractures, or broken teeth. Recorded seizures have been violently enough that people have bitten off part of their tongue, and in some cases, died from head trauma. If a person is having a convulsion form low blood glucose immediately give glucagon and call 911.
Convulsions and Seizures from Nighttime Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia can occur at anytime during the night, most typically around 3 a.m. Undetected nighttime hypoglycemia can lead to seizures and convulsions but it is important to remember that not all seizures result in convulsions. Two indications that a person has had a severe nighttime episode of hypoglycemia (whether or not seizures were involved) include waking with a high fasting blood glucose level (Somogyi, or Rebound Effect) and morning headache, and being drenched in sweat.
See our section on preventing hypoglycemia for more information about nighttime hypoglycemia causes, how to recognize it, identify the cause, and what to do about it.