Diabetes, Waiting Out A Low Blood Sugar And Recalling The First 3 Circles of Hell

I originally published this post on February 19th, 2013. 
Had a nasty low blood sugar of 44 at 3:29 a.m. this morning that woke me up from a restless sleep. I waited it out, drained my bottle of juice and all sorts of weird shit went through my head while I waited for normal to return.

This post from 2013 has been on my mind since breakfast. Hope you can relate. 
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Every now and then weird shit pops into my mind, whether it's a commercial jingle from back in the day, an obscure movie reference, or facts I wasn't even aware I'd remembered or actually knew - until they popped out of my mouth.
Durning my low blood sugar last night, long ago facts from a college List class popped into this List major's head and made for some interesting D analogies. 
And even though it's a strange pairing at first glance - I think it actually makes sense. 
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You know when your blood sugar's low right before you start to make dinner so you drink some juice and then you try your best to "wait it out,"  because you don't want to ruin your dinner?

But "waiting it out" doesn't work so you eat saltines with peanut butter & strawberry jam, because you live  by yourself and you're self sufficient, and you want to stay alive & this particular low makes you feel vulnerable in all all of the above areas.

But even with waiting, your blood sugar feels like it's still in the 3rd Circle of Hell, where according to Dante, the gluttons are punished by lying in a vile freezing slush and are guarded by a 3 headed hound named Ceberus - think Fluffy from Harry Potter. 

Which actually makes sense -  because I do feel like I’m being punished for my insatiable hunger - And I’m starting to break into a cold sweat. 

And then I wonder out loud: Why the hell am I remembering Dante’s Circles of Hell at a time like this?  

Seriously, WTF?

Why does my brain remember such obscure facts at the weirdest and most inopportune of times? I don’t get it.

I don't know, maybe my brain pulls out long forgotten facts to take my mind off moments that are scary. 

I’ve left Hell's Third Circle and some how I've made it to the 2 Circle of Hell, where the "lustful souls are tossed about in a violent storm without any hope for rest." 

And again, this actually makes sense because I feel battered and like this stormy low is never ending.

I feel like my blood sugar will never go up and shove more peanut butter and jam covered saltines in my mouth because my lips are numb & I know that's not a good thing. 

I try and wait the low out and I sit at my computer and type what’s happening and what’s going through my head and for the life of my I can't believe that in this low blood sugar haze I’m thinking about Dante’s Inferno.

I didn’t even get an A in that class - I think I got a B, and honestly, I haven’t thought about that class since I took it!

I still think about my John Milton class from time to time - I did my Major Authors paper on Paradise Lost - And got a B in that class - And I remember being really happy about that because if anyone had told me that I would spend an entire semester studying and writing about John Milton and getting a B in the class, I wouldn't have believed them.... But I digress. 

Which leads me to Limbo - Dante's First Circle of Hell - that's where I am right now - In limbo - where Dante says the unbaptized & virtuous pagans live. 

And at this moment I really can relate to those virtuous pagans - I am one of them after all. Right now I’m praying to the Diabetes Gods to bring my blood sugar back up from the beneath surface so I can breath again. 

And now I've come up for air... I feel better and sick all rolled into one. 
My blood sugar has gone up fast, too fast for comfort. It’s gone up from 62 to 90 and then 25 minutes later ( and an hour and 10 minutes after the low) it’s now 164.

I'm tired and do a correction bolus, my head hurts and my dinner plans of a roast beef sandwich on Esekiel bread with Pacific Hearty Tomato soup & and broccoli sautéed in olive oil and garlic will have to wait for another night. 

I have a headache and my stomach is full and I feel terrible. 

This low has left me tired and little teary eyed and I’m annoyed at my body in all its dimensions. 

Next time my blood sugar drops I hope my brain recalls something more pleasant - Dante & his 9 Circles of Hell are total downers - even if you're only recalling the first 3.

So.... Any weird facts or memories float through your mind during a low or high blood sugar haze?  

I Have A Case Of The Blood Sugar Blahs

I have a case of the Blood Sugar Blahs.... Basically for the past 24 hrs my blood sugars have been blah, which have me feeling blah. Not a terribly severe (there’s that word again,) case but not necessarily “Blood Sugar Blah Lite", either. 

Here's what went down: I went out Saturday night with 2 friends (and their families) who were celebrating both their mutual birthdays. Cut to Sunday morning when I woke up with a pizza and birthday cake hangover &  blood sugar of 391 -  even thought I went to bed with a blood sugar of 160 plus a correction bolus. #damndiabetes

Needless to say, I wasn’t happy. But pizza a birthday cake happen from time to time and I did what needed to be done & in the form of a combo correction/cover my morning coffee bolus and went on with my day.

 Still, my numbers were wickedly  slow to go down.  Actually my numbers barely went down at all and by lunchtime I reached for the big guns and ended up doing a 24 hr temporary basal rate  of 1.7 units an hour on "Ye Olde Insulin Pump." 

And even with all that extra faux pancreas juice,(and a site change) my numbers held fast in the 160’s all last night and today I can’t get a way from a blood sugar of lower than 158. 

Me thinks this is a bit more than pizza/birthday cake extended high and more like diabetes is effing with me just because it can, type of a situation Or maybe it has to do with it being Monday, but whatev, this too shall pass .

And I know I’m not the only one who’s ever dealt with the Blood Sugar Blahs.... So I have that going for me. 

Riddle me this: How do you guys push past the Blood Sugar Blahs without banging your head against the wall or breaking your glucose meter and insulin pump because  all the blood sugar frustration has given you the overwhelming urge to smash said items into a million pieces? 

How Many Times Have You Tested Your Blood Sugar Today?

So it's Friday and I thought just for shits and giggles I'd ask you to post how many times you've tested your blood sugar today. And look, there's no right anwer to this question and this is a judge free zone - No one is going to call you out on your testing.... or there lack of.
This is just a question of the day type of thing.
And if you feel like posting your actual blood sugar numbers, great! 
If not, that's great too!
And since I can't ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself, I'll start the ball rolling.
So far I've tested three times today and my numbers were:
146
147 (I know, weird.)
126
Have I officially logged these numbers??? That would be negatory.
And while I'm being honest, guess who forgot to bolus for dinner last night and ended up with a #bgnow of 330 before she went to bed last night??
Here's a clue: Her first name rhymes with "belly" and her last name rhymes with "eunuch"!
Your turn!

Blame It On The Rain

Yesterday should have been easy, a piece of proverbial cake so to speak.

I had a Dr's appointment and a work appointment scheduled in the early morning hours and both went smoothly. I should have been able to make it back to my desk around 1:30.
Instead, I sat on the Walt Whitman Bridge for a good hour, in a torrential downpour - along with hundreds of other cars, as the lightening and thunder boomed around me.
The rain fell so hard I couldn't see the car in front of me - it was like driving through a carwash, except it wasn't. I was nervous, I was hungry, and I was scared to death!

I ate a few slices of dried mango and a hand full of almonds (I'd tested before I started driving & my blood sugar was 90), and I never took my eyes of the road.
As I finally crossed over the bridge I saw a five car accident and stopped complaining. Traffic was still at almost a complete standstill. I continued to inch towards my final destination with WXPN 88.5 FM for a companion, and listened to some French themed music to celebrate Bastille Day. FYI, French Rap and Edith Piaf ROCK.

Then, a warning about flash floods in my general vicinity via the Emergency Broadcast System freaked me out, and the next 30 miles seemed like 300.

I was actually driving into the storm, not away from it- because apparently, that's how I roll. After another hour of white knuckled driving at a snails pace, I said "screw it" and pulled into a diner, parked the car, and made a run for the entrance.

I was soaking wet (the umbrella didn't help,) and slid into a booth. I was super hungry and wanted a cheeseburger, but ordered an eggwhite Spanish omelet and tested again. 194 - "THANK YOU STRESS."

And like Milli Vanilli, I "blamed it on the rain."

Pasta La Vista, Baby!

Day Four of Diabetes blog week is all about CARBS, as in do you eat them? As in to "carb" a little, "carb" a lot, or "carb" every now and then.

I love carbs, always have, always will. There are some challenging carbs that I can absolutely achieve "Blood Sugar Nirvana "with. Examples can be found HERE and HERE.

However, there are some carbs that drive me nuts- both mentally (with the diabetes math of it all) and physically - with the stratospheric blood sugars of it all.

Drastic measures needed to be taken.

I "broke up" with pasta - it had to be done.

I originally wrote this post in August of 2009 - but it absolutely fits for today's assignment. Enjoy!

Dearest Pasta:

It’s not that I don’t love you- of course I love you – we’ve had some great times together.
You and I grew up together after all- we have a long history.

Who can forget the amazing Lasagna of my childhood, which will live in my heart forever?

And the Spaghetti & meatballs of my youth- simply delicious, AND surprisingly musical.

You stirred my performing aspirations-I kid you not my friend!

As a precocious 4 year old, I ‘d break into song every time a bowl of S & M (Gimps, mind out of the gutter- I’m referring to Spaghetti & meatballs for god sakes) would appear in front of my place, I’d start to sing ”On Top of Old Smokey," because it would make my dad laugh.

Ah, good times… good times….

Dearest Veggie Penne Pasta in a white wine sauce of my mid 20’s- you were the first dish that I could make on my own that people actually wanted seconds of!

As a culinary dish, you were the one who gave me confidence to hone my cooking skills. Thank you for inspiring me!

But honestly Dearest Pasta -we’ve grown apart and I’ve found that having you in my life, (not to mention on my plate) on a very limited bases works much better for me.

It’s NOT YOU–it’s ME. I’m the one who’s changed. YOUR great and I will miss you- especially whenever I hear the immortal words:
“On top of old Smokey, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball, when somebody sneezed.”

It’s just that my tastes buds now veer towards Spaghetti Squash covered in my fabulous Diablo Sauce with grilled salmon burgers sans the bun, and baked Chicken Parm sans the pasta.

Don’t take it personally-I just can’t seem to achieve “Blood Sugar Nirvana” where your concerned.

I’ve found that whenever we get "it on" and you’re my main dish, you make me physically tired (and not in the good way) and all types of bloat like.

My numbers are elevated for hours if not days.

You’ll still appear at meals- but only ON OCCASION, as a side dish and in a low carb version.
Trust me, LESS IS MORE these days and people will be impressed with your new attitude.

From one “Hot Dish” to another,

Pasta La Vista Baby!
Kelly K

What's The Point of This Post? I Don't Remember -Damn Lows!

So I eat Greek yogurt just about every morning (5 days out of 7) for breakfast, and about 4 days out of 7 for lunch. It's quick, it's easy, it tastes pretty fabulous, is 0% fat and it's super easy to bolus for.

This morning I had my coffee and Blueberry Greek yogurt, followed by a strawberry Greek yogurt and fuji apple for lunch. Then I decided to run out and do a few quick errands before I went back to do the ever so dreaded paperwork my job requires.

Any who, as I was about to walk into the CVS I began to feel low, like really low. Like can't feel my lips because their so freaking numb & I'm afraid to speak low.
I made a beeline for a place those of us in the Tri-State area know as Wa-Wa. A convenience store whose coffee is the stuff that legends are made of and whose sandwiches are pretty darn tasty if I do say so myself.

I needed to eat and was annoyed because I'd just ate 25 minutes earlier. Did I mention that the OCD part of my brain that's been obsessed with reading labels was like - NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP!

So in my low blood sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup Police haze, I went to the freezer section of Wa-Wa, grabbed a Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream bar that was coated in milk chocolate, jam packed with 21 grams of carbohydrates and 22 grams of fat (which of course totally negated the two no fat yogurts) and ingredients that were all recognizable, mostly one syllable and all easy to pronounce, and proceeded to pay $2 and some change to treat my low.
Did I mention it had no HFCS?

Current BG an hour later is 120 and I'm still feeling shaky.
What's the point of this post? I don't really remember. DAMN LOWS!
But thanks for listening anyway!!

Blood Sugar Magic Super Terrific Elixir - Cures Diabetes and Makes You Love Long Time - Only $49.99 Plus Shipping & Handling

"Drink this magical elixir that not only cures what ails you, but will make you super terrific and smart as well. Freeing you from the Sugar Betes and giving you blood sugar magic, while allowing you to attract the opposite sex, and letting you love long time!"

This picture reminds me of all the ads that all of us have received regarding health claims and magical diabetes cures. My spam box is filled with ads touting magic berries, raw food diets, things only grown deep in the South American Jungle, or centuries old ancient Chinese secret that make the pancreas work again and restore vigor. All promise a cure for the low, low, median price of $49.99 plus shipping and handling.

I want options, I want things that actually work, and I want a cure.

Not the BS that is constantly getting thrown our way by the Snake Oil Salesmen looking to make a buck off people who want to be well. These fly by night cures are offered by fly by night companies who take the money and run.

Please keep in mind that I'm not talking about the Endo's , researchers, pump companies, or drug companies.

For now, beware of magical cures and claims that seem to good to be true.
Hope the above pic made you laugh, and think.