Diabetic seizures and memory loss?

I have a friend who is a diabetic and has been since she was 3. She's 25 now. She takes insulin shots, and hasn't gotten a pump just yet. She's been prone to have diabetic seizures when her blood sugar gets really low, and in times when her stress level is high.

Sometimes when she has a seizure, she completely forgets what has happened in either the last few days or sometimes the last week. For example, she has a seizure on Wednesday and when she becomes alert again she will think that it's Monday and not remember anything she did on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

Well this past week, the week of April 1st, 2007, she had a seizure at night on Sunday night and then had another one on Monday morning. When she was alert again, she couldn't remember anything since the month of December. And she still can't remember anything, and today is Wednesday.

I guess my question is, is this something that happens to other diabetics? And will she ever remember that time span?

Low blood sugars kill brain cells. Severe lows kill lots of brain cells. She's not going to get these back. It is certainly possible that she will not regain these memories back. Obviously whatever she is doing right now isn't working. I personally had problems with lows and the pump was a lifesaver for me. She needs to consult her doctor ASAP to try something different. Next time she may not just lose a few months, but she may lose her life.

She really needs to consult with her doctor about this...I myself lately have had some very severe lows and have been unresonsive and I will admit the next day I do feel "spacey" and forgetful....she really needs to talk with her doctor though....

My daughter has epilespy and has (like most seizure victims) absolutely NO recollection of the seizure and little of what happened immediately before. That is just how seizures are, they spasm EVERY muscle in the body and restrict the blood flow (including to the brain). I would say she needs to be evaluated by a neurologist as well as just the dr. for her diabetes. It's possible she needs an MRI, CAT Scan; PET Scan; EEG; Video EEG; etc.

She needs to eat every two hours to keep her sugar level.
It is dangerous for her to eat a lot of starches, they are fast acting and make the sugar spike then drop.

She should carry hard candy in her purse. This is for when she starts to cold sweat and get cold, her sugar is plummeting. Fainting can be next, that is when she needs the sugar to stop the low sugar. If she sits down and puts her head between her legs it helps stop the light headedness.

The food intake of protein, hard cheeses, cheese sticks are very handy and veggies every
2 hours should keep her sugar level. Proteins digest and absorb slowly, thereby keeping the sugar more even.

I Googled DIABETIC SEIZURES, this is very serious. It comes from prolonged low blood sugar and one side effect can be Brain damage.

It is urgent she eat regularly and keep her sugar level.

I can tell you that there have been reports that having chronic low blood sugar has been linked with memory loss. As to this degree, several months worth, I would not be suprised if it is because she is having so many of them, but I cannot say for sure. I am not a doctor, but I have been through a lot of this, too (I have had a small amount of memory loss, specifically long-term memory). I have found that the areas which gave me trouble have not improved over time.

I myself have had diabetes for 20 years, since I was a kid, too, and I was put on Humalog for a few years because my sugar would skyrocket during the night and then I would swing back down when I took insulin in the morning, and it would go back up in the afternoon. The Humalog is a quick-fix because it is short lasting, but it is so short and intense that if you use it with a meal the effect wears off too soon and sugars go up, and the swing starts happening anyway. I think she is experiencing something similar, even if it's with a different insulin.

I personally think she should try Lantus insulin, which can only be prescribed by a doctor, or at least something more level over the course of the day. This will help manage her sugar 24-7 rather than what I have a feeling she's doing, which is taking more insulin and starting the swing which leads to the drops and blackouts. I can say that I have been on it for a year and have NOT had a blackout on it, ever.


I think the key would be keeping the amount of insulin in her system and working at one time smooth, rather than the spikes that come with most traditional insulins, whatever that takes. This would more than likely end the drastic drops and blackouts, and any high sugar levels, too.

I would also add that the pump doesn't work for everybody, and it may not necessarily help her, either. I have been asked for the past 15 years if I wanted one, and I always say no because it locks you in to a set routine and set behaviors, and I would most likely end up messing it up anyway because you can't be very physically active with a pump in you. Either way, it's about control, and it would be better if she got that on her own without a machine, because the machine doesn't make your decisions for you.

Living With Diabetes :
- "The Silent Killer"
- The Challenge of Treatment
- A Disease of the young?
- The Role of Glucose, the Pancreas, and Sugar
- Diabetes Simplified
http://watchtower.org/library/g/2003/5/8...

Role of Diet , Nutrients, Spices and Natural Products in Diabetes Mellitus \
http://www.pjbs.org/pjnonline/fin73.pdf

Natural Treatments for Diabetes
www.cancertutor.com/Diabetes