I apparently either had a series of mini strokes (TIA) or was close to a diabetic coma on Saturday afternoon/ Sunday morning. Was losing control of my right side. Went to the ER Sunday morning. Found out I am diabetic, had super-high blood sugar (400+), high blood pressure, plus some heart issues. I'm home now but my life has changed for sure.

Currently, we,re working on keeping the blood sugar down. It's below 200 today. My concern is i have not recovered full use of my right arm. Is it something that will return as my blood sugar regulates? Luckily all CT scans and MRIs came back negative. But I'm still not fully convinced it wasn't a stroke

I've had T1 diabetes for 35 years.

I have never had the loss of function in any part of my body like you have described. Diabetes causes all kinds of issues, but I've never seen or heard of issues like you described.

How old are you? How long have you been having to pee a lot? Or weight loss? How acute of an onset was the neurological symptoms?

A lot of things to tease out here. If they did an MRI (which they typically don't do in the ER), and your brain was normal, then it's doubtful that you've got anything wrong with your brain. And the chance of a peripheral nerve injury out of the blue affecting your arm is also unlikely. High sugar levels can cause a fluid shift that puts pressure on your brain and can also cause nerve damage over a prolonged period of time.

I'd see a neurologist soon, if you haven't already. If you have a good primary care doc, you can run it by them and have them look at your labs/imaging from the ER. They may be able to offer some insight. Depending on your age, MS also likes to strike people with symptoms like this, though they would've probably seen something on MRI.

Neurologist said he saw no issues.

I was not just in the ER. I was admitted to the hospital for three days.

Not sure about your age and situation OP but sending good thoughts your way.

For all: If you are 35 it's time to find a good Internist and get your ass in to see him/her every year and make sure you are taking care of yourself. You, your significant other's, and your family deserve it.

TequilaMockingbird said:

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I apparently either had a series of mini strokes (TIA) or was close to a diabetic coma on Saturday afternoon/ Sunday morning. Was losing control of my right side. Went to the ER Sunday morning. Found out I am diabetic, had super-high blood sugar (400+), high blood pressure, plus some heart issues. I'm home now but my life has changed for sure.

Currently, we,re working on keeping the blood sugar down. It's below 200 today. My concern is i have not recovered full use of my right arm. Is it something that will return as my blood sugar regulates? Luckily all CT scans and MRIs came back negative. But I'm still not fully convinced it wasn't a stroke

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Are you type1? I'm assuming not since you shouldn't need days to get bg down.

Have you considered weight loss surgery? Sounds like you would be a candidate for it to be paid for.

OP, do you have an update? We're all pulling for you here.

You didn't mention anything about your weight, but if you are needing to lose some weight, there are lots of us who have had great experiences with Intermittent Fasting. (I am not a doctor, consult your doctor first of course.)

I just turned 56 yo last week. 6' 0', 200 lbs. stocky build. I don't exercise much but was very active at work. No
one has said I need to lose weight.

Have not been to the doctor in years because I've had no issues until now.

As of today I'm actually worse than when I went in. Walking like a zombie. limited use of right arm/hand.

TequilaMockingbird said:

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I just turned 56 yo last week. 6' 0', 200 lbs. stocky build. I don't exercise much but was very active at work. No
one has said I need to lose weight.

Have not been to the doctor in years because I've had no issues until now.

As of today I'm actually worse than when I went in. Walking like a zombie. limited use of right arm/hand.

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Find a good internal medicine doctor and get in to see him ASAP. You need a full physical and an Internist is the best person to oversee your care. If you don't know of one or have a friend who can recommend one, call the neurologist office back and ask for a referral.

^^^ sorry wrong emoticon above, no sarcasm intended, just concern.

Type 1 here for the last 36 years. I have not ever experienced a numbness in my limbs due to high blood sugar, either. That does seem strange to me as well.

A few words of advice. You will not be successful in getting your sugars down if you continue to eat as you ate before. This of course assumes you were eating like most Americans: a carb heavy diet.

This diet is now completely inconsistent with what your objectives should be.

I and many others on this website can help you though this, but you'll need to find a good doctor; however, this is easier said than done.

Are you now being given insulin, or have they given you metformin? Are you Type 1 or Type 2?

I believe some ungodly number that walk around are prediabetic, its not until something happens that lands them in the hospital that they find out they are diabetic.

It's been over a month now and I'm doing much better. Blood sugar is in the 120-130 range. Blood pressure is still slightly on the high side sometimes but still much much better than before. Physical therapy has gone well, and I'm very close to moving around the way I did before.

I'm still experiencing issues with my right hand but again it's getting better every day. I play guitar, and I'm using that as a gauge for my progress. A couple of weeks ago I couldn't play at all. Now I'm able to play single note runs, albeit a bit sloppy. But it's progress. In a show of faith and confidence I bought a Gibson Les Paul Special as a therapy guitar.

My big challenge now is to get past the boredom of what I've been eating the last month. Can anyone recommend a good book with easy, diabetic-friendly recipes?

UPDATE: I went in to my PCP today for a follow up. My A1C is down from 13+ in December to 7.4 today. Blood sugar has been consistently good as well as BP.

Next on the agenda is bypass surgery on March 26th. UT Southwestern in Dallas is the venue.

Keep it up

Depending on when the MRI was performed, it could have missed a small stroke affecting the right arm

You should be seeing your doc every 3-4mo for labs. A1C that high is hell on your body. Glad you're getting it under control. Diet and exercise will be your friend. DM2 can def be progressive if you don't constantly stay on top of it. Don't let it burn up your eyes, kidneys, heart, feet, and pecker. It will do it. Get a dilated retina exam yearly and keep an eye on your feet.

A1C of 7.4, according to the Bernstein methodology, is an equivalent blood sugar of 196. While better, this needs to be brought down significantly.

Good luck to you.

I think you should go to your doctor, it is not a joke...

TommyBond said:

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My mom was just diagnosed with the type 2 diabetes.
Not sure how to take it

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convince her it is a kick in the butt to get her health under control

1) diet + active lifestyle / exercise
2) diabetes meds

TommyBond said:

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My mom was just diagnosed with the type 2 diabetes.
Not sure how to take it

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Sorry for that
Don't be desperate. A healthy diet and regular exercises are very important. This will probably help to lower blood sugar. Many ppl live with diabetes and lead a regular lifestyle. When my aunt was diagnosed with diabetes type 2, she immediately started to follow healthy diet (she's still on keto diet), and exercise regularly to lose weight. She was also prescribed medications, to buy trulicity online. However, after a year of following all doctor's instructions, she managed her diabetes to remission. So I wish you good luck with that too.

TequilaMockingbird said:

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I just turned 56 yo last week. 6' 0', 200 lbs. stocky build. I don't exercise much but was very active at work. No
one has said I need to lose weight.

Have not been to the doctor in years because I've had no issues until now.

As of today I'm actually worse than when I went in. Walking like a zombie. limited use of right arm/hand.

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more diet than anything most likely.