I'm posting here because I just can't bear to go through the "chatter"
on asd and I know that the helpful people from asd are all here. I gave
the post an OT, so please forgive me.

Yesterday I had to call 911 for DH. His BG had dropped to 34. He was not
conscious. This is the first time this has ever happened and we still
don't know what caused it, so I thought I'd come here and ask you good
folks for a little help.

I found him in the bathroom at 4 AM and he appeared to be sleepwalking
like he sometimes does when he takes an Ambien CR. I got him to bed and
he slept normally, without his usual snoring. I woke up every hour and
checked on him.

When I got up at 7:30 he was still asleep, but I had no idea what time
he'd taken the sleeping pill that I assumed he'd taken so I just let him
sleep. I got busy with stuff and again, assumed he'd gotten up. When I
realized it was 1 PM and he was still sleeping I tried to wake him. He
was really sweaty and that's when I realized it was a BG drop. I got a
box of OJ and tried to pour little bits at a time through the straw
hole. He seemed to be swallowing, but then he stopped. I dialed 911.

The Paramedics checked his BG and it was 34. They had a tough time
finding a good vein, but they finally did and pushed glucose. Within a
minute he began to come around. After the glucose he was 186 and they
remarked that most people would have been in the 200-300's after that
much glucose.

It took hours for his vision to clear, but otherwise he's fine. I made
him teach me to use the glucometer so I can test his BGs if he is not
responding and acting weird. Of course this is the week that the Endo
has decided to take a 2 week vacation g

Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

I'm still in a state over this. I feel terribly guilty that I didn't
recognize the low and thought it was the Ambien. My mistake could have
meant his life. He's of course grateful that I called 911, and doesn't
blame me at all, but guilt comes with the territory, I guess.

Thanks in advance.
Janet
--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

"Janet Wilder" wrote in message
...

Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

What you want is a Glucagon kit. It has a syringe and a vial. One of them
contains a liquid and one a powder, I think. I do know that you have to mix
the two and inject. You don't have to inject into a vein or anything! I
live alone so I don't keep one on hand, since it would be hard to inject
myself if I was unconscious. But you should definitely get a prescription
from your husband's endo for one to keep on hanmd in case this happens
again.

I was given a glucagon injection by paramedics at work once, when they
couldn't get a vein I guess. I was unconscious when they did the injection
so I remember nothing about it.

I believe most insurance companies cover the kits.

--
Liz
Type 1 dx 4/1987
Minimed Paradigm 715 5/2005

Janet Wilder wrote in message
...



I can't really help you Janet, but just wanted you to know that I'm
very glad that things did work out OK for both of you. I'm sure some
of the more knowledgeable posters will answer your questions. Again,
I'm glad things worked out.

Cheri

On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:46:20 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:

I'm posting here because I just can't bear to go through the "chatter"
on asd and I know that the helpful people from asd are all here. I gave
the post an OT, so please forgive me.

Yesterday I had to call 911 for DH. His BG had dropped to 34. He was not
conscious. This is the first time this has ever happened and we still
don't know what caused it, so I thought I'd come here and ask you good
folks for a little help.

I found him in the bathroom at 4 AM and he appeared to be sleepwalking
like he sometimes does when he takes an Ambien CR. I got him to bed and
he slept normally, without his usual snoring. I woke up every hour and
checked on him.

When I got up at 7:30 he was still asleep, but I had no idea what time
he'd taken the sleeping pill that I assumed he'd taken so I just let him
sleep. I got busy with stuff and again, assumed he'd gotten up. When I
realized it was 1 PM and he was still sleeping I tried to wake him. He
was really sweaty and that's when I realized it was a BG drop. I got a
box of OJ and tried to pour little bits at a time through the straw
hole. He seemed to be swallowing, but then he stopped. I dialed 911.

The Paramedics checked his BG and it was 34. They had a tough time
finding a good vein, but they finally did and pushed glucose. Within a
minute he began to come around. After the glucose he was 186 and they
remarked that most people would have been in the 200-300's after that
much glucose.

It took hours for his vision to clear, but otherwise he's fine. I made
him teach me to use the glucometer so I can test his BGs if he is not
responding and acting weird. Of course this is the week that the Endo
has decided to take a 2 week vacation g

Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

I'm still in a state over this. I feel terribly guilty that I didn't
recognize the low and thought it was the Ambien. My mistake could have
meant his life. He's of course grateful that I called 911, and doesn't
blame me at all, but guilt comes with the territory, I guess.

Thanks in advance.
Janet

I can't offer an answer - but some extra info may assist
others to advise you.

I guess that he's type 1, but would you confirm that? And it
may help to know what meds and insulin regimen he is on and
how he calculates dosages and dietary needs.

Glad to see he made it through OK.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com

Janet, in the absence of a glucagon kit, which I doubt you will get before
you see the endo, some type 1's have used frosting gel (from a tube) and
honey under the tongue. Both do not require swallowing (which can be
dangerous when the person is unconscious).

Learning how to use the glucose meter, as you probably now know, is easy.

I am sorry you had to go through this. It is a big shock for you.

Ask him if you have permission to test him while sleeping, any time you are
worried (longer than usual sleep, lack of snoring etc).

Elizabeth Blake wrote:
"Janet Wilder" wrote in message
...

Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

What you want is a Glucagon kit. It has a syringe and a vial. One of them
contains a liquid and one a powder, I think. I do know that you have to mix
the two and inject. You don't have to inject into a vein or anything! I
live alone so I don't keep one on hand, since it would be hard to inject
myself if I was unconscious. But you should definitely get a prescription
from your husband's endo for one to keep on hanmd in case this happens
again.

I was given a glucagon injection by paramedics at work once, when they
couldn't get a vein I guess. I was unconscious when they did the injection
so I remember nothing about it.

I believe most insurance companies cover the kits.

Thanks, Liz. I appreciate your taking the time to respond.


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Cheri wrote:
Janet Wilder wrote in message
...



I can't really help you Janet, but just wanted you to know that I'm
very glad that things did work out OK for both of you. I'm sure some
of the more knowledgeable posters will answer your questions. Again,
I'm glad things worked out.

Thanks, Cheri. I appreciate the thoughts. I'm glad, too.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Alan S wrote:
On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:46:20 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:


Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

I'm still in a state over this. I feel terribly guilty that I didn't
recognize the low and thought it was the Ambien. My mistake could have
meant his life. He's of course grateful that I called 911, and doesn't
blame me at all, but guilt comes with the territory, I guess.



I can't offer an answer - but some extra info may assist
others to advise you.

I guess that he's type 1, but would you confirm that? And it
may help to know what meds and insulin regimen he is on and
how he calculates dosages and dietary needs.

No, Alan, he's a type 2. He's been a diagnosed DM for 26 years. He has
Congestive Heart Failure (we think it's from Avandia) and a heart that's
seen bypass surgery twice. His heart only works at 35% (up from 30%!) so
his Endo decided to get him off orals, which are not very good for CHF
patients. He's been on insulin only for 2 years and the pump for about
18 months. It's been wonderful for him.

Glad to see he made it through OK.

Me too. Thanks.

I'll wave to you somewhere in Oz when we get there next month. g

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Evelyn Ruut wrote:


Dear Janet,

I have nothing to offer in the way of advice, since it is way out of my
area of expertise....but I just wanted to say that I am glad it all
worked out OK and that there are no lasting ill effects. I do hope you
are able to find out why and how this happened, and wish you the best.


Thanks, Evelyn. I appreciate your good wishes. We will find out more
when he sees the Endo.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Susan wrote:

First of all, thank GOODNESS it was just an almost and you got him
through it! I know how rattled I'd be after such a scary event, so I
hope you're taking care of yourself as well, lowering the volume on the
stress.

LOL! That is a lot easier said than done, Susan. But thanks anyway for
your kind thoughts.

Someone else has mentioned a glucagon kit; in addition, there are energy
gels that athletes carry for instant energy during an endurance event;
you can probably get them in health food stores. You should be able to
put that under his tongue.

What a great idea! I will look for it. That sounds a lot easier for me
to administer than an injection, which I'm sure I could learn to do in
an emergency, but I am scared of needles. I had to hold a flashlight for
the EMT while he tried to get into DH's veins and I couldn't even look.
I was a blood donor before the cancer and I gave blood with my eyes
closed. g Unless the Glucagon comes in a pen-type thing, the gel
sounds perfect.

I wonder if Ambien lowers cortisol, thereby lowering bg? The CR could
then interfere with growth hormone and dawn cortisol release, keeping
him too low. Just speculating, don't know for sure.

I'm going to look into that. You may be right. I'm going to see what his
AM BG reading was today. I know he took Ambien last night.

Hope this is the last time this happens, Janet, but I know you'll be
worrying and hypervigilant for a while, it was damned scary.

Thanks, Susan. As I posted befo worrying comes with the territory.


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Ozgirl wrote:
Janet, in the absence of a glucagon kit, which I doubt you will get before
you see the endo, some type 1's have used frosting gel (from a tube) and
honey under the tongue. Both do not require swallowing (which can be
dangerous when the person is unconscious).

I'm going to get some frosting in a tube today. Thanks.

Learning how to use the glucose meter, as you probably now know, is easy.

The finger-sticking part is difficult for me. I'm a needle-phobe. The
rest of it is a piece of cake. I've seen him do it so many times, but I
never paid a lot of attention.

I am sorry you had to go through this. It is a big shock for you.

Thanks. I appreciate your concern.

Ask him if you have permission to test him while sleeping, any time you are
worried (longer than usual sleep, lack of snoring etc).

I didn't ask permission. I told him to expect it. vbg

I am going to insist that his doc order a sleep study. I'm not happy
with this Ambien business. The problem is that if he doesn't take it, he
just doesn't sleep. He's had sleep problems for years and years and
lately they have gotten worse, hence the pills.


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

On Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:06:00 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:

Alan S wrote:
On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:46:20 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:


Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

I'm still in a state over this. I feel terribly guilty that I didn't
recognize the low and thought it was the Ambien. My mistake could have
meant his life. He's of course grateful that I called 911, and doesn't
blame me at all, but guilt comes with the territory, I guess.



I can't offer an answer - but some extra info may assist
others to advise you.

I guess that he's type 1, but would you confirm that? And it
may help to know what meds and insulin regimen he is on and
how he calculates dosages and dietary needs.

No, Alan, he's a type 2. He's been a diagnosed DM for 26 years. He has
Congestive Heart Failure (we think it's from Avandia) and a heart that's
seen bypass surgery twice. His heart only works at 35% (up from 30%!) so
his Endo decided to get him off orals, which are not very good for CHF
patients. He's been on insulin only for 2 years and the pump for about
18 months. It's been wonderful for him.

Glad to see he made it through OK.

Me too. Thanks.

I'll wave to you somewhere in Oz when we get there next month. g

Remind me - where are you visiting?


Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
--
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com

Janet Wilder wrote:
I'm posting here because I just can't bear to go through the "chatter"
on asd and I know that the helpful people from asd are all here. I gave
the post an OT, so please forgive me.

Yesterday I had to call 911 for DH. His BG had dropped to 34. He was not
conscious. This is the first time this has ever happened and we still
don't know what caused it, so I thought I'd come here and ask you good
folks for a little help.

I found him in the bathroom at 4 AM and he appeared to be sleepwalking
like he sometimes does when he takes an Ambien CR. I got him to bed and
he slept normally, without his usual snoring. I woke up every hour and
checked on him.

When I got up at 7:30 he was still asleep, but I had no idea what time
he'd taken the sleeping pill that I assumed he'd taken so I just let him
sleep. I got busy with stuff and again, assumed he'd gotten up. When I
realized it was 1 PM and he was still sleeping I tried to wake him. He
was really sweaty and that's when I realized it was a BG drop. I got a
box of OJ and tried to pour little bits at a time through the straw
hole. He seemed to be swallowing, but then he stopped. I dialed 911.

The Paramedics checked his BG and it was 34. They had a tough time
finding a good vein, but they finally did and pushed glucose. Within a
minute he began to come around. After the glucose he was 186 and they
remarked that most people would have been in the 200-300's after that
much glucose.

It took hours for his vision to clear, but otherwise he's fine. I made
him teach me to use the glucometer so I can test his BGs if he is not
responding and acting weird. Of course this is the week that the Endo
has decided to take a 2 week vacation g

Anyway, my question is: is there some product out there that I could
administer myself without medical training to raise a really low BG when
he can't? Something like a sub-lingual lozenge?

I'm still in a state over this. I feel terribly guilty that I didn't
recognize the low and thought it was the Ambien. My mistake could have
meant his life. He's of course grateful that I called 911, and doesn't
blame me at all, but guilt comes with the territory, I guess.

Thanks in advance.
Janet

I want to add my best wishes for you and your husband.

I just had a low episode Friday afternoon while clearing a fence row. I
forgot to eat before going out to do strenuous work and the predictable
thing happened. I was almost passed out when my daughter brought the
gel we keep on hand for just such an emergency. She forced it into my
mouth with (she said) me fighting her the whole time (I really don't
remember much about the whole episode). She took my BG after feeding me
the tube and I was at 48! A glass of grape juice and a couple of
cookies had me up to 168 in no time though.

I shudder to think what might have happened, if I had been foolish and
tried to do the work with no one home. I usually have a tube of the gel
with me, but forgot to take it when I went out. I knew I was getting
low, but (foolishly) thought I could finish and then go into the house
to get something. I'm glad my daughter remembered what to do and took
care of me.

- Alan

Alan S wrote:
On Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:06:00 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote:


I'll wave to you somewhere in Oz when we get there next month. g

Remind me - where are you visiting?

We are coming to Sydney. From there we will be going to Ayers Rock then
to Cairns then back to Sydney where we will embark on a cruise ship that
will sail to Melbourne then cross the sea to NZ where the ship will
circle the island going in and out of the sounds and stopping at several
ports. It's a 5 day land package and a 2 week cruise. I'm really excited
about it.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

Alan wrote:


I shudder to think what might have happened, if I had been foolish and
tried to do the work with no one home. I usually have a tube of the gel
with me, but forgot to take it when I went out. I knew I was getting
low, but (foolishly) thought I could finish and then go into the house
to get something. I'm glad my daughter remembered what to do and took
care of me.

Alan, what is the brand name of "the gel"?

Thanks,
Janet


--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life