Sigh... Stoooopid!

Treatment
1

Ever get complacent?

Your routine is working pretty well, good/excellent control, hypos aren't happening, weeks go by.

So, you start to slack off on some important things -- like making sure you've replaced your rescue sugar if you have a hypo.

My preferred rescue it skittles, or apple juice. So, I have little bags of 15 skittles each distributed throughout my life. Nightstand, glovebox of all cars, desk at work, my wife's purse, gym bag, and... my laptop case / diabetes bag (I got a black Adorn shoulder bag -- love it).

Well I guess some time back I consumed all the skittles in my bag. My truck's having service, so I'm in a rental. Something went way off the rails this morning, and while I'm driving to work (30 min, was about halfway there) the G4 starts screaming.

Take a look, O M G, 62 and double down arrows. Upon the instrumentation warning, I noticed that indeed I was feeling the beginnings of hypo.

Took the next exit from the freeway, pulled over, and started searching through my bag. Nothing. Now I'm getting the double-nickels klaxon alarm from the G4. 52.

Still fully functional, but now really feeling it. Shaky. Hyper. Hungry. Nothing in my bag. NOTHING!!

found a gas station quickly, and inhaled a full-sugar Coke. 39g of sucrose. Told the guy what was going on, that I was going to go sit in my car for a bit, but would he check on me in 15 minutes? Good guy, no problem.

Spent the next half hour watching it drop all the way to 48, with all the attendant badness, before it started back up. By the time I was in the 90s
again, I was feeling pretty good (relatively speaking), told the attendant I was good and thanks, and continued on to work.

DON'T GET COMPLACENT. Make sure your supplies are always stocked, everywhere you need them to be. A "situation" can occur at any time, even when your D has been fooling you into thinking you've got it nailed.

2

A month or two ago I woke up in the middle of the night at 1.8 (32 mg/dl) and could not find ANYTHING in my apartment. I'd been planning on picking up glucose tablets the next day. Didn't plan on having a bad low at 2 AM!

It took a good 10-15 minutes of looking before I finally found a random bottle of unrefrigerated, probably-expired apple juice behind my microwave oven that I'd got at a conference and forgot to toss. I chugged that down in about two seconds and, thankfully, it was enough.

For a moment that night I had seriously thought about my glucagon kit. Never used one before, and wasn't sure if I was even coordinated enough to draw it all up, but if I had to choose between that and passing out ...

Needless to say, since then I've been more careful to make sure I always have something in my apartment. And I've gotten into a routine of checking glucose tablets in my purse (I carry two of the small tubes) each evening to refill them, if necessary.

3

Sometimes it just happens. I understand the idea of complacency, and recently replaced the expired juice boxes in my car. But, it happens.

Many years ago (over 20) I was driving home up I95 from Richmond to DC, was hungry, felt weird, so I got off the highway (it was a totally unequipped company car as my "supplies" were in the trunk,) but that never registered.

After turning around in several parking lots, driving over some curbs, I found a KFC. Coke, and then some very high carb food. Sat there for over an hour until I was at a point to leave.

Still frightens me, and I understand it was not safe for me or other drivers. I still take a lot of courage for my ability to adjust and survive, even in bad situations.

I understand the idea of stupid, but still believe as a T1 that things can never be 100% perfect everyday all the time. Stuff happens. I can try to be smart all the time, but a sneaky low blood glucose can change all my plans.

5

Wow Jen! 32! thank the stars that forgotten juice box was behind the nuker... Great story, btw. Further illustrates that PWD have so much to keep together, 24/7.

6

Oh man, that was without the crutch of a CGM that have me plenty of warning! One thing about D, we accumulate a lot of interesting experiences, or at least "interesting"after time has softened the initial trauma.

7

interesting... my keys are always in my pocket. it's cheap enough I may give it a go; I generally avoid stuff like that for my keys because I don't like big lumps in my pocket -- but that looks doable.

8

That was without anything. The insulin I took was NPH. No pump, no CGM.

Things are easier now, but also more complicated. The technology is fantastic, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

9

Lately I've forgot snacks in my purse and also money to get them from a vending machine or something and it's a REALLY BAD IDEA when lately my blood sugar just decides to drop into the low 70's out of nowhere. My mind is in like 10 places at the moment (Finishing this class, getting ready for clinicals, thinking about insulin pump crap, finishing up my cosplays for an anime convention coming up in April, etc) so I don't think about it enough . I have glucose tablets if I actually go hypo but I need a snack with me and it's a matter of not being an idiot.