I volunteer at a bookstore during weekend retreats. The store gets really busy on Sundays since there is a Mass and family members come to the Mass and always end up in the bookstore to buy something for their loved ones making the retreat. So, on Sundays, someone from the kitchen comes in and asks if we want a plate of food. Today, they came in and asked if we wanted a plate and my daughter (who was there to help me) and I both said yes. There was turkey and cornbread dressing with green beans. They said the plates would be coming right now. So I dosed to cover the cornbread dressing, then got busy and promptly forgot about it. About 40 minutes later I dropped a ring on the floor and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to make myself bend down and get it. I looked at my daughter with what she said was a "weird" look on my face because I couldn't make myself bend down. Suddenly I got extremely hot and shaky and I realized what it was. All I said was blood sugar and my daughter immediately got my meter...43. I started eating glucose tabs, but since I didn't feel any improvement I freaked. We had customers so my daughter had to stay with the register. I decided to go to the kitchen to get a coke. I could barely walk, I was sweating profusely, I couldn't make a logical sentence come out of my mouth, but thankfully I ran into someone who knows I am diabetic and I just told her I needed a coke and she got it.
It took a while, but I finally got up to 120. I really thought the symptoms would go away once I started to rise again, but they don't. It was nearly an hour before I wasn't shaking and a little longer than that before I could find all the right words. It was a careless mistake on my part...one that I plan not to repeat. I don't care if I have to eat cold food, from now on I won't be dosing until I see the food. (I have an unusually long time to start...almost an hour from the time I dose until my blood sugar starts to decrease so I always dose then wait 30 minutes to eat.)
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As hard as it was to go through, that's a valuable lesson to learn! I do hate lows, though.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that. I'm glad that you made it through alright. Lows are scary.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the low. If you can time it so you inject about 10 minutes before you eat that's ideal. Otherwise you insulin won't really start acting until your blood sugar is already high. If you're worried about going too low try injecting with some insulin 10 mins before and then the remainder once the food arrives. This really only works if you have a pump.
ReplyDeleteDenise, it really was...it was so funny, I was talking to Ron (the engineer who runs a diabetes list who is helping to set up my dosing) and I was so arrogant about dosing, because I NEVER go low. I kept telling him he was worrying for nothing and BAM!! Made me catch a grip.
ReplyDeleteScott, seriously all I kept thinking about was "boy Scott was right" as I remembered reading on your blog before that you didn't care about the fact that you might eat something that was too much, you just wanted to feel better. That is exactly how I felt. In my head, I knew that if I ate three tabs, I'd get there, but all I wanted was to feel better. I literally panicked. I HATE not being in control and that is what I felt...like I had no control.
Bernard, the only problem with injecting only 10 minutes before I eat is that it would be nearly 40 minutes after I begin eating before the insulin would kick in. I have an unusually high time to start...nearly 50 minutes. The 30 minute lead time normally works...I just have to eat to prevent the low. I still can't believe I never even thought of the fact that I had dosed and needed to eat. I could have easily gone to the kitchen to get food. It just never occurred to me, even though my daughter was grumbling about them forgetting us.