Today’s post is brought to you by ACT1 Member, Lesley!
They are back again – the wicked low blood sugars have been making invited trips back into my life. I’ve always eaten relatively well (“relatively” being the operative word here), but since my wedding is in three months it’s time to get serious. As a result, my blood sugars have been amazing for the most part, but the frequent low blood sugars are creeping back in. It’s really frustrating that I am doing something good for my body and this is how it reacts. Clinically, I understand what’s going on but in the general scheme of the world, it just seems so unfair.
My first specific frustration is that because my blood sugars were usually running in the 140-160 range, I start to feel symptoms of low blood sugar at around 100. This means that I check my blood sugar more frequently so that it doesn’t drop too low AND so that I can treat at the proper time. This equals using more testing strips which equals…going over the allotted amount from my mail order company.
Then I get annoyed because the lows don’t go away as quickly as they used to. Usually I would check my sugar and it would be in the 50′s or 60′s, I would have three deliciously chalky glucose tablets, wait 15 minutes and be a-okay. Now I’ve found myself treating and treating and before I know it, its 45 minutes later, I’ve consumed about 200 extra calories and my sugar is high. Sweet.
(no pun intended.)
I was home in St Louis last week doing insane wedding planning with my fiancée and my parents. One night, my sugar dropped down to 40 without me even realizing. My parents are amazing but live in a different city and no longer know the day-to-day routine of my Diabetes. I announced to my parents in a shaky and nervous voice that my sugar was 40 – my mom poured me orange juice, and together, they sat on the couch and they both proceeded to stare at me. I was conscious but my eyes were glazed over and I just couldn’t refocus them. My eyes were locked somewhere off in the distance. My parents kept calling my name and I just sat there – what’s weird though is that I was conscious enough to note two things: I wanted to write about this situation in a blog for ACT1 and that my parents were being really irritating staring at me like I was in a museum.
I am sticking with the diet this time (uh, unlike other times…) and I’m willing to deal with the low blood sugars and the highs that result from overtreating them. They are just so irritating, draining and frustrating. Don’t we deal with enough?
UGH it is so frustrating to have negative repercussions of a really wonderful effort!! I’m sorry about the crappy lows, but CONGRATS on the amazing bgs, and it makes me really happy to hear that you thought of the ACT1 blog… i hope it was a little solace
Also, do you have a cgm? I don’t, but seems like it could help you with catching the lows.
Lesley I am so bummed that the lows are attacking you right now but it doesn’t surprise. Diabetes is nothing, if not,great at timing things to really mess with you the most. Do you temp lower basal till you get back to normal? I find it really does help me, though I won’t say it always works.
How creepy is it when you are low and people stare at you? I hate that!! I know they are concerned and maybe it just seems more annoying because we areout of it but it really gets me.
Keep up the good work sweetie. Give yourself room to screw up though, you are only human. Oh and you are getting married in three months!!! Your nerves effect your sugars and if you are not at all nervous, you are crazy lol.
Great post Lesley! I always love reading what you write!