I remember a family member saying that it only took a minute to check my BG, and ask me what was the big deal about having diabetes. I still remember that years later. I wish they understood more about diabetes, and now they have passed away, they will never know, and I can never explain to them that they misunderstood.
- What do I do first?
- Use the glucometer
- Make a meal
- Respond to how hungry I feel
- Just eat
I am hungry, but I am waiting for my friend to come back from the grocery store, so I am waiting and waiting. It must be busy at the store this first day of the year. I feel really hungry as he walks in. I know I should have used the glucometer, but I am just hungry so I go see what he bought. I find some cereal, raspberries and milk,so I prepare that. I walk upstairs worrying that the cereal is going to get soggy. Should have seen my number first but I was excited about the fresh fruit. I live on two floors but use the same glucometer, a Freestyle, because that is the one my Endo links into her computer.
I get upstairs and get the glucometer and bring the cereal. I drop the picker thing and the sticks. I pick them up and I feel low. I get some blood out of my finger and the stick in the machine but I am so nervous about being low and the number I am going to see that I pull the stick out too soon. I start over. The number is 82 so why am I feeling so low? I want to eat at the kitchen table but the cereal is soggy enough. I eat it fast because I feel like I am starving, and after five minutes I am done and ten minutes later I still feel low. My breakfast didn't work out well, so I am still feeling low and trying not to be upset because I had a hard time. Now I am waiting until I feel better and I know I ate enough but will I remember to take my shot and the right one if I don't do it right away? I feel brain dead, so I wrote this blog hoping that I don't forget the insulin. I have to wait so I don't take the wrong kind. I feel bad, then better and take the pen, blue, Novolog and I know it is right because this has happened so many times before. At least I did not forget after all that work and the soggy cereal and all that.
At this point I realized I should have taken my BG first then went down when I heard the door open,with my pen, and then make the cereal and ate at the table. Umm, now my question is will any normal person understand why it takes more than a minute to do all this. No
Breakfast is over. I wonder if "normals" as I call them with regret, eat breakfast with this much stress? This is a holiday, and a day off. Imagine when I am in a hurry to get somewhere, or trying to eat out and counting on others to bring the food and how long is that going to take, and am trying to figure this all out while conversing with the people I am with. I am ponder as this type of scenario begins again if I should go in the bathroom, or just do my thing on my lap? I also am wondering how long it will take for me to stop acting stupid from the glucose changes every time this happens and how I am going to act when things don't go well like today. . . if they do or don't, I never know.
What do you do first? Does it change with the circumstances you are in? I need some funny stories. I feel better now. I want to forget breakfast and hope for a great lunch. . .