December 6, 2000
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Fallon, Nevada, USA:
I have not been diagnosed with diabetes, but have been borderline all my life. I am a 28 year old Caucasian woman, weigh 110 pounds, and I am 5 feet 3 inches tall. The other night, I woke up with violent vertigo and nausea that lasted 11 hours before I went to the ER. I was diagnosed with labyrinthitis and given several prescription medications, which have seemed to calm the effects. Before I left the hospital, the doctor told me that the my urine sugar was high which could indicate diabetes. I had had nothing to eat for 22 hours. At the time of the beginning of the violent vertigo, my hands drew to my chest a little and curled (not quite into a fist), and my face clenched. My hands and arms were numb to the elbows, my toes were clenched, and my legs numb to the knees. My face was numb as well. This lasted about five to ten minutes ( I cannot tell you exactly since I was so much in pain).
I know you are probably not allowed to make a diagnosis on the computer, but does this sound like a seizure? The ER doctor seemed not concerned, but it was a very scary ordeal. I am seeing my regular doctor in follow-up.
Answer:
I am glad you will be seeing your doctor. I think you need to come to some conclusion on whether you have diabetes or not. When I hear the term “borderline diabetes”, my first inclination is to suspect the patient really has diabetes. However, there are specific diagnostic criteria which can be used to make or refute the diagnosis. Therefore, there is no reason to use a term like borderline diabetes. You either have it or you don’t. If you have it, you need to obtain treatment for the problem. Your physician is the best person to talk to in this regard.
Whether you had a seizure or not is hard to say without seeing it. I would doubt it, but you are correct when you say that it is hard to diagnose medical problems by e-mail.
JTL
