Wow

[etherael]

Hi guys..this is the first I've heard of this website...I like the info so far, but I have a question. I'm a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic..and I got diagnosed back in November 2004..My glucose lvl was 1800+ and I was conscious during the whole event. I even walked into the hospital where they fixed me up. My question is, is that normal?..For someone to have a sugar that high..be conscious..and come out of it with no organ damages?...Any response is surely welcome..Thank you in advance.

[arlenecarol]

Hi guys..this is the first I've heard of this website...I like the info so far, but I have a question. I'm a newly diagnosed type 2 diabetic..and I got diagnosed back in November 2004..My glucose lvl was 1800+ and I was conscious during the whole event. I even walked into the hospital where they fixed me up. My question is, is that normal?..For someone to have a sugar that high..be conscious..and come out of it with no organ damages?...Any response is surely welcome..Thank you in advance.


hi...and yeah, WOW...
i'm 'new' myself but i can't even grasp a level that high!! are we talking the same thing? some people measure b/g with different numbers (i think people in UK use a different system than i do)...but 1800+????

good grief...so since november, what's been happening? who's checking you? are you testing your levels yourself now?

how old are you?

i wish i could ask intelligent / informed questions but i'm really not that well informed. still, i'm amazed that you're still functional.

my highest levels were in the low 400s...and i didn't really have symptoms that kept me from functioning... i assumed it was a mistake in my monitor!
it wasn't...i'm doing better now.

arlene

[Peter Lee]

If it's 1800mg/dl which is the US unit then this is equivalent of 1000mmole/l which is the UK and Canadian unit.

I was 23mmol/l (414mg/dl) when I was diagnosed last December and that was regarded by my doctor as an urgent situation.

From what I have been told by both my doctor and diabetes consultant, it would be unusual to have a high level for any lengthy period without seeing an effect of some sort. Seeing as you say you have been told that you have no adverse effectsl, I think it would be out of place for me to go into what could or might have happened. Thank goodness that you are lucky.

The important question is, what are you now? Hugely lower than 1800 I hope!

I am now 6.0 (108) after some intensive medication, diet adjustments and exercise, with an hba1c of 6.1 :elefant:

Welcome to this forum, you will get lots of advice and support if you need it :hello:

[archimeech]

Any high number is not good for you, and many of us have been up at least near your high if not over it. There are so many factors involved, that I've learned there is no "Normal"

Glad you found us, and welcome.....

[birds_eye]

If it's 1800mg/dl which is the US unit then this is equivalent of 1000mmole/l which is the UK and Canadian unit.
Hey Peter Lee isn't 1800mg/L (US units) = 100 mmol/dL(Uk/European units)? I think the conversion factor is 18.

etherael could you maybe mean 180 mg/L, instead of 1800? cause 1800, is very very VERY high... :nurse: Anyway it is NOT normal to have sugars that high, and I'm sure you'll definately be under very strict supervision if it is.

But if you did mean 180, then check out a thread by archimeech titled For everyone that thinks 180 is "really high" (you can search for the title) and you'll see that even though it's not normal and desired, it's not so dangerous, and occurs quite frequently.

good luck!

oh and welcome to the board! :thumbsup:

[etherael]

I assure you..it was 1800..I get the same reaction when doctors see my records. I'm 23 years old...22 when this happened to me. The funny thing is..I feel perfectly fine now. My sugar is at a constant 90-110. My A1C..about 3 months ago was 6.1..and now it's 5.7.. I don't really excersize as much as I should..but that'll all change soon. I'm on 35 units of Lantus insulin..and also on some pills. I really do thank God or whatever up there likes me for not letting me go into the light. The fact that I didn't lose consciousness and that I didn't have a heartattack or some other malfunction in my body is the fact that really alludes people. I do love talking, especially when I'm asked questions about my experiences. I live in New Jersey..and the hospital I stayed at was Shore Memorial Hospital in..Northfield or Linwood I think. Thank you for all your responses and I would like to speak more about this subject..perhaps in a chatroom somewhere..or through msn/aim..email me at krazill@hotmail.com if you would like to talk more about this.

[JasonSmithMT]

In what seem to be another lifetime ago I used to be a medical technologist. I worked in a rather busy university hospital lab and I've seen my share of high glucose values that makes even diabetics squirm. I have seen some "real" glucose values like you had but it was very rare. I say "real" because if I seen a result like that the first thing I am going to do is call the nurse or doctor and have them make sure that the blood sample was drawn correctly. Probably several times a day we would get a value like that only to find out it was drawn from a vein right above an IV line that had glucose dripping in it.

You might find this interesting: highest blood sugar level ever recorded in a living human being (http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/dteam/1997-07/d_0d_1xf.htm)

For those that are curious it is possible to measure out glucose values that high even though that value is well above the measurement range of most instruments. If I remember correctly we had one instrument that measured glucose up to 900 mg/dL (50 mmol/L). All the rest where lower. To measure out values about 900 mg/dL you can use highly precise calibrate tools to dilute out the specimen. What you used to dilute a specimen depends on what you are testing but most the time was either distilled deionized water or saline.

Jason

[duck]

Gee...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/educk/diabetesforums/pintjug.jpg

[camjen1]

"he drank 12 liters of Coca-Cola, six cans of pineapple juice with sugar, several liters of orange juice, and sugared water."

Can we assume this person likes sugar. Anyways who the heck drinks sugar water? Yes, he was thirsty but why SUGAR water? :stupido2:

[etherael]

I got to a certain point where I couldn't find what to drink to get rid of my thirst...so I started trying to drink a lot of different things..and when I found something that gave me a vague chance of getting rid of my thirst..I drank it. For instance, I'm not a milk drinker..I never liked drinking milk straight up..but when I was that sick...it calmed me..and it tasted refreshing...I'd also drink water....lots...and lots...of water...and Seltzer Water..I'm not strictly sticking to water and diet sodas...though I'm hearing diet sodas aren't really...beneficial for me.

[lgvincent]

I can't imagine drinking that much in a day but I do remember I had INTENSE thirst before I was diagnosed. I could not get enough to drink.

[Dewey]

Gee...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v151/educk/diabetesforums/pintjug.jpg
LMAO, Duck! :laugh:

I got to a certain point where I couldn't find what to drink to get rid of my thirst...so I started trying to drink a lot of different things..and when I found something that gave me a vague chance of getting rid of my thirst..I drank it. For instance, I'm not a milk drinker..I never liked drinking milk straight up..but when I was that sick...it calmed me..and it tasted refreshing...I'd also drink water....lots...and lots...of water...and Seltzer Water..I'm not strictly sticking to water and diet sodas...though I'm hearing diet sodas aren't really...beneficial for me.
Hi there, and welcome! Prior to my diagnosis (Type I was diagnosed about two weeks before my 10th birthday), my mom just thought I was being bratty cause I hated shopping & cause I was constantly asking for something to drink. At home, she'd let me have chocolate milk, cause I liked it better than plain & cause she figured I was getting some form of nutrition out of the deal. Initially, she didn't realize something was wrong, but after my grandmother came for a visit and brought it to her attention (that I looked pale and like I was losing weight), she took me to the doc. Even though alot more information and education is available now for Diabetes, it sure was/is a hard one to diagnose for those who are unaware of it. When most people think of illnesses, they think of such "usual" symptoms as decreased appetite, decreased fluid intake, etc., so with Diabetes, there's irony in terms of the symptoms (of increased appetite, increased fluid intake, etc..). Even for Diabetics, one size does not fit all, & symptoms can & do vary from one person to the next...ah, the joys of medical science.... :stupido2:

[mg_2204]

My conversion chart only goes up to 600 mg/dl. Eeek!

Hello and welcome to this wonderful forum by the way.

I was diagnosed following diabetic pregnancies so I was never that high. I was never sick either before being diagnosed. I had already adopted a healthy lifestyle. The highest I've been was because of steroids, prescribed to me for a severe allergic reaction. 22 mmol/L (395 mg/dl) was my highest during that time and boy! Did I feel siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!!!! And yes the thirst was endless. Also felt sluggish, couldn't think, just wanted to lie down and sleep.

[arlenecarol]

My conversion chart only goes up to 600 mg/dl. Eeek!

Hello and welcome to this wonderful forum by the way.

I was diagnosed following diabetic pregnancies so I was never that high. I was never sick either before being diagnosed. I had already adopted a healthy lifestyle. The highest I've been was because of steroids, prescribed to me for a severe allergic reaction. 22 mmol/L (395 mg/dl) was my highest during that time and boy! Did I feel siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!!!! And yes the thirst was endless. Also felt sluggish, couldn't think, just wanted to lie down and sleep.


IS there a 'conversion chart' for changing mg/dl to mmol?

I hope you're doin' well now Marie. everything under control, right?

arlene

[Peter Lee]

IS there a 'conversion chart' for changing mg/dl to mmol?
arlene
You can make your own if you have a calculator or a spreadsheet.

To convert from mg/dl to mmol/l divide by 18

To convert from mmole/l to mg/dl multiply by 18

[Middle Aged Man]

Source: http://www.faqs.org/faqs/diabetes/faq/part1/section-9.html

What are mg/dl and mmol/l? How to convert? Glucose? Cholesterol?

There are two main methods of describing concentrations: by weight, and
by molecular count. Weights are in grams, molecular counts in moles. (If you
really want to know, a mole is 6.23*10^23 molecules.) In both cases, the unit
is usually modified by milli- or micro- or other prefix, and is always "per"
some volume, often a liter.

This means that the conversion factor depends on the molecular weight of the
substance in question.

mmol/l is millimoles/liter, and is the world standard unit for measuring
glucose in blood. Specifically, it is the designated SI (Systeme
International) unit. "World standard", of course, means that mmol/L is used
everywhere in the world except in the US. A mole is about 6*10^23 molecules;
if you want more detail, take a chemistry course.

mg/dl (milligrams/deciliter) is the traditional unit for measuring bG (blood
glucose). All scientific journals are moving quickly toward using mmol/L
exclusively. mg/dl won't disappear soon, and some journals now use mmol/L as
the primary unit but quote mg/dl in parentheses, reflecting the large base of
health care providers and researchers (not to mention patients) who are
already familiar with mg/dl.

Since m.h.d is an international newsgroup, it's polite to quote both figures
when you can. Most discussions take place using mg/dl, and no one really
expects you to pull out your calculator to compose your article. However, if
you don't quote both units, it's inevitable that many readers will have to
pull out their calculators to read it.

Many meters now have a switch that allows you to change between units.
Sometimes it's a physical switch, and sometimes it's an option that you can
set.

To convert mmol/l of glucose to mg/dl, multiply by 18.

To convert mg/dl of glucose to mmol/l, divide by 18 or multiply by 0.055.

These factors are specific for glucose, because they depend on the mass
of one molecule (the molecular weight). The conversion factors are
different for other substances (see below).

And remember that reflectance meters have a some error margin due to
both intrinsic limitations and environmental factors, and that plasma
readings are 15% higher than whole blood (as of 2002 most meters are
calibrated to give plasma readings, thus matching lab readings, but this
is a recent development), and that capillary blood is different from
venous blood when it's changing, as after a meal. So round off to make
values easier to comprehend and don't sweat the hundredths place. For
example, 4.3 mmol/l converts to 77.4 mg/dl but should probably be quoted
as 75 or 80. Similarly, 150 mg/dl converts to 8.3333... mmol/l but 8.3
is a reasonable quote, and even just 8 would usually convey the meaning.

Actually, a table might be more useful than the raw conversion factor, since
we usually talk in approximations anyway.

mmol/l mg/dl interpretation
------ ----- --------------
2.0 35 extremely low, danger of unconciousness
3.0 55 low, marginal insulin reaction
4.0 75 slightly low, first symptoms of lethargy etc.
5.5 100 mecca
5 - 6 90-110 normal preprandial in nondiabetics
8.0 150 normal postprandial in nondiabetics
10.0 180 maximum postprandial in nondiabetics
11.0 200
15.0 270 a little high to very high depending on patient
16.5 300
20.0 360 getting up there
22 400 max mg/dl for some meters and strips
33 600 high danger of severe electrolyte imbalance

Preprandial = before meal
Postprandial = after meal

More conversions:

To convert mmol/l of HDL or LDL cholesterol to mg/dl, multiply by 39.
To convert mg/dl of HDL or LDL cholesterol to mmol/l, divide by 39.

To convert mmol/l of triglycerides to mg/dl, multiply by 89.
To convert mg/dl of triglycerides to mmol/l, divide by 89.

To convert umol (micromoles) /l of creatinine to mg/dl, divide by 88.
To convert mg/dl of creatinine to umol/l, multiply by 88.

[mike65]

Someone should sticky this thread, I was wondering what those American numbers meant!

Mike.

[RobH]

I'm really lazy, I use this handy calculator - http://www.onlineconversion.com/blood_sugar.htm

[Belinda]

This is all I have....





European/American conversion chart of blood sugar levels




20......1.1......130......7.2......225.....12.5... ...340.....18.9
30......1.7......135......7.5......230.....12.8... ...350.....19.4
40......2.2......140......7.8......235.....13.1... ...360.....20.0
50......2.8......145......8.1......240.....13.3... ...370.....20.6
55......3.1......150......8.3......245.....13.6... ...380.....21.1
60......3.3......155......8.6......250.....13.9... ...390.....21.7
65......3.6......160......8.9......255.....14.2... ...400.....22.2
70......3.9......165......9.2......260.....14.4... ...410.....22.8
75......4.2......170......9.4......265.....14.7... ...420.....23.3
80......4.4......175......9.7......270.....15.0... ...430.....23.9
85......4.7......180......10.0....275......15.3... ...440.....24.4
90......5.0......185......10.3....280......15.6... ...460.....25.6
95......5.3......190......10.6....285......15.8... ...480.....26.7
100....5.6......195.......10.8....290......16.1... ...500.....27.8
105....5.8......200.......11.1....295......16.4... ...520.....28.9
110....6.1......205.......11.4....300......16.7... ...540.....30.0
115....6.4......210.......11.7....310......17.2... ...560.....31.1
120....6.7......215.......11.9....320......17.8... ...580.....32.2
125....6.9......220.......12.2....330......18.3... ...600.....33.3