To all,
Within the past six months or so it seems I have been having these "blackouts" where I have anywhere from 20 minutes to three hours of no recollection of a part of the day. It has happened about a half dozen or so times, these last couple at work. My co-worker told me I was asked to send a simple email, which is something that I do multiple times on a daily basis, and I could not figure out how to send one. I spent a half hour in front of the computer trying to figure this out. I don't remember any of this, but he asked me many times if my blood sugar was OK and I told him it was fine. I know that it was right around 50 or so for a chunk of the day. I knew I should have popped a glucose tablet or two, but I just kept getting lost in time and getting pre-occupied. I can realize during some of these times that I can get confused very easily and am extremely short tempered. But I don't realize till my BG is back up that I said some of things I said and I can't figure out how I could not send the simple email. My question here is this related to the diabetes, and if so, I would appreciate some feedback with some stories of you guys coping with this, and how you took on the situation to fix this. Thanks everyone!
Barney
I'll be first.
YES it's related to diabetes. TAKE A GLUCOSE TAB! Or three or five! Keep them on your desk, along with something like the glucose gel that your coworkers can give you if they find you unconscious!
PRIORITIZE your health above your job. Diabetes is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but that doesn't mean there aren't intangible repurcussions. Think about it--if you can't perform your job because of your diabetes, your boss might not be able to fire you, but you have created a doubt in his mind that you can't fully do your job. Your reputation is on the downward slide, whether or not your boss says anything or takes any action.
JUST. EAT. A. TABLET.
YOUR BG IS TOO LOW---KEEP IT HIGHER---ALSO HAVE GLUCOSE TABS WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES---TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THIS---GOOD LUCK.
I've always been very vocal about my diabetes, especially to co-workers. For the most part they've all be very open and understanding. I recall one time I threw a hissy fit at my boss. Completely blew my top. Turned out I was very low at the moment and really had my emotions running amok. I called him immediately when I figured out what was going on, and he rushed to me to help me get my BG back to normal. I'm still amazed at his understanding and help.
I've found that diabetes is not a thing to hide. Sure you'll run into a few folks that don't handle it well. But that's OK, because it's on them to cope with their own personal issues, not you. I've also never used my diabetes as an excuse. And everyone who knows me well, knows that I don't stop anything within reason for my diabetes.
I often answer lots of questions about my diabetes. I love answering them. I also talk about what they should watch out for, and why. Like big emotion swings, or stumbling/fidgiting and ask me how I'm doing. I've also run into an employeer that didn't work with me and my diabetes. Found a new job quickly. There's just no time in life to deal with folks like that.
Good luck on your control issues. I've been through times with low BG unawareness and it's no fun. Work on the control a bit, and talk to your doc about why this might be occuring. Once you get back closer to norm, you will re-gain the ability to notice low BG.
Barney..i think this can easily be configured to low blood sugar..i agree with the comments above by Scott..these things have happened to me with my girlfriend, when my sugar gets low, very irratable and not remembering what to do..i just relaxed on my insulin basal and watched out for the lows 6hours after exercise...fight the good fight