Thursday, October 12, 2006
How Low Did I Go?
With blazing eyes you see my trembling hand.
--Led Zeppelin (The Wanton Song)
Although I'm only "pre-diabetic" and don't have cystic fibrosis related diabetes (CFRD), I'm in the habit of checking my blood sugar. A majority of the time I don't have any problems with it, but just to be safe, I check intermittently and especially when I feel a little out of whack. Last evening was one of those out of whack moments.
Throughout most of the day I'd felt hungrier than usual. I dismissed this as being a favorable sign that I was getting my typically ravenous appetite back, and remedied it with food. I suppose my food selections weren't quite adequate to keep up with my body's actual needs, because by the time I got home from work I was feeling a little woozy. I opted to lie down, thinking maybe I had just "overdone it" a bit during the day.
The wooziness (is that a word?) continued to the point where I began to feel like I was maybe having an anxiety attack or something. I couldn't concentrate, my heart was pounding, I was having a cold sweat...and my hands were trembling fiercely.
Aha! My hands tend to tremble a bit anyway from all the medications I am on, but this was noticeably different--at least a 7.0 on the Richter scale of manual quaking. The shakiness tipped me off that maybe I should check my blood sugar. I got out my trusty glucometer, inserted a test strip, pricked my finger and applied the blood sample and waited for 5 short seconds.
The readout on the screen confirmed why I was shaking so badly. My number was 22.
22?! Good heavens, that's a problem!
I hauled myself downstairs and retrieved the orange juice from its resting place in the refrigerator door. I didn't even bother to use a glass or close the fridge. I just stood there guzzling down the juice, praying that it would kick in quickly and the yucky feeling I was having would subside. Brad came home just at that moment and I told him what was going on. He ushered me to the couch and proceeded to bring me food for the next several minutes until I felt better. What a guy!
I'm happy to say that I recovered quickly and my blood sugar returned to a normal range without any problems. I'm not quite sure why it dipped as low as it did, but at least it came back up easily. The whole episode served to remind me that it's in my best interest to EAT EAT EAT to provide my crazy system with the fuel it needs to function as normally as possible.
Dangers of Hypoglycemia (from Texas A&M AgNews)
Throughout most of the day I'd felt hungrier than usual. I dismissed this as being a favorable sign that I was getting my typically ravenous appetite back, and remedied it with food. I suppose my food selections weren't quite adequate to keep up with my body's actual needs, because by the time I got home from work I was feeling a little woozy. I opted to lie down, thinking maybe I had just "overdone it" a bit during the day.
The wooziness (is that a word?) continued to the point where I began to feel like I was maybe having an anxiety attack or something. I couldn't concentrate, my heart was pounding, I was having a cold sweat...and my hands were trembling fiercely.
Aha! My hands tend to tremble a bit anyway from all the medications I am on, but this was noticeably different--at least a 7.0 on the Richter scale of manual quaking. The shakiness tipped me off that maybe I should check my blood sugar. I got out my trusty glucometer, inserted a test strip, pricked my finger and applied the blood sample and waited for 5 short seconds.
The readout on the screen confirmed why I was shaking so badly. My number was 22.
22?! Good heavens, that's a problem!
I hauled myself downstairs and retrieved the orange juice from its resting place in the refrigerator door. I didn't even bother to use a glass or close the fridge. I just stood there guzzling down the juice, praying that it would kick in quickly and the yucky feeling I was having would subside. Brad came home just at that moment and I told him what was going on. He ushered me to the couch and proceeded to bring me food for the next several minutes until I felt better. What a guy!
I'm happy to say that I recovered quickly and my blood sugar returned to a normal range without any problems. I'm not quite sure why it dipped as low as it did, but at least it came back up easily. The whole episode served to remind me that it's in my best interest to EAT EAT EAT to provide my crazy system with the fuel it needs to function as normally as possible.
Dangers of Hypoglycemia (from Texas A&M AgNews)
Comments:
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I'm standing here with my husband reading your blog. Drink lots of water! We're both praying for you and your husband even though we don't really know you. It's really interesting learning about CF. It takes a strong person to keep such a good attitude like you do. Just letting you know you have another couple of readers and strangers to pray for you.
Carlye and Andy
Carlye and Andy
Carlye and Andy,
God is pretty incredible isn't he? I am always encouraged when I am able to connect with fellow believers through something as humble as a little blog. Thank you for your prayers. You have been in mine as well. You seem like the kind of couple who really knows what it takes to have a good marriage and that's exciting to see.
Blessings to you both, and thanks again!
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God is pretty incredible isn't he? I am always encouraged when I am able to connect with fellow believers through something as humble as a little blog. Thank you for your prayers. You have been in mine as well. You seem like the kind of couple who really knows what it takes to have a good marriage and that's exciting to see.
Blessings to you both, and thanks again!
<><
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