Ton of Bricks
Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 8:05AM Last night I had a low that hit me hard. It was only a 54 according to the One Touch but it felt a lot worse. I was rocking back and forth trying to open my tube of glucose tabs (watermelon) all the while trying not to fall over onto my pillow.
When my wife woke she grabbed a couple of granola bars and I inhaled them. I don’t remember going back to sleep but I must have because I woke this morning to my alarm blaring and my head spinning.
Fifteen minutes before I need to leave for work and I just woke. How was I going to pull this off? I need to shave, shower, get dressed, get my son to summer school and get to work in time to open up before everyone else gets there.
Yeah, I skipped the shave.
The shower was quick although I felt like I was filled with mud. My body is moving as if I was dreaming and for those who have seen Inception, I checked my totem, we’re good. I made it to work on time but keep feeling as if each step I take is making an imprint in the ground. Like a giant robot on the beach or something. Why did this 54 hit me like a freight train?
My first thought was that my BG was crazy high because of overtreatment but I was surprised to see my BG before the shower was 169. High yes, but not crazy high.
So now I will drag. Probably snap at people, reply “ugh alright” when people ask how my day is, and generally be in a crappy kind of mood.
Why can’t I work for a type 1 who would say, “Dude sleep in, I understand. Come in when you are 100%.” I wish. People just don’t get it. They can’t get it.
To them I should be used to this stuff. It should be no biggie. But Diabetes doesn’t think so. It wants to be noticed. It wants to remind me what it did last night and how much I can underestimate what a number feels like.
Alright Diabetes, I get it. You got away with screwing up my day but this is just one battle lost in a long line of battles to come.
I plan on winning all of those.
Reader Comments (11)
I've taken a day off when I've had a crazy blood sugar night. Usually I just tell my coworkers that something's wrong with my pump and I feel like ass and they let it ride.
Sorry you're feeling crappy. Hope the rest of the day (and week) is better.
Ugh
I lost a day recently because of a pump failure. I spent the night ridiculously high and woke with a 428 sugar and needed to wait for the new pump to arrive. I'm guessing my Lantus went bad because of the heat.
My boss joked that I just needed a "mini vacation" at which point I wanted to punch him in the face. I really, really wish EVERYONE could experience 1 low and 1 high just to see how crappy they really are and what we plow through on a daily basis.
That sucks man. Sorry you're dragging.
The part that hit me most in this post? The part where you talk about people thinking we should be used to all of this. I had never thought about that, but you're right.
Have a chill day, to the best of your ability.
This is why a) like being self employed - I am my own boss - I understand my ups/downs with BG's <lol>. Having to drag my sorry behind into work when I had to commute used to be really fun - and of course like you - they - the "NoRmAl" folks don't get it. Trying to explain it to them makes me become a right nasty cow (I guess in your case it would be a bull?).
Take er easy today mate! Pull out the didgeridoo and chill ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g592I-p-dc&NR=1&feature=fvwp ).
I think we all can sympathize with this post because we've all been there. It's still a disease afterall and although we can work through 99% of it, sometimes we need a serious rest. Sometimes we need to pull out the D-card and take a day off to rest and recouperate. A major crash or a day of persistent highs is AWFUL and wrecks havvok on our bodies sometimes and we can't help that part of the disease. I try not to forget just what's happening in my body when I have a major crash, its just physiological terror.
I'm sure most of our bosses who know we have type1 can't do anything but comply when we need an f'n day of recovery.
good post, I appreciate it
Heck, *I* have called in sick after helping G through a night-time low or other d-related crap. Not much, mind you, but more than once. Luckily, I have worked for people who understand enough.
Days like that are the worst, but I hope they don't happen often for you!
I don't know what your work is like, but I think it's worth going and talking to your boss about taking sick days when this happens. I try not to take sick days, but I have more than once for a similar problem and am lucky enough to have bosses that are understanding when I need to due to being up all night treating a low. It's better to have you take a day off here and there, than have you at work being unproductive!
Sorry you lost this particular one and it kicked your day full of bricks, but you have a great attitude about winning the rest down the road. I don't work for any Type 1s, but my boss and few coworkers are very understanding and it's typically not any problem to work from home where I can be in my own little post-High or Low world. I don't like doing it at all, but it's nice to have a boss who wants to listen and tries to understand and give me whatever flexibility is needed. And not ever throwing it back at me. But I've never had that kind of flexibility before and am used to the non-understanding or inflexibility. It sucks. Hope the BGs stabilize soon, George. Best your way.
I hate those. They really do a number on you physically and they take every bit of engery you have and you feel like total crap for a few days. NOT FUN! (((((HUGS!!!!)))))
HATE when that happens! Walking around in the post blood sugar low, semi "high," haze SUCKS. Hang in there and feel better!
This post from Allison over at Lemonade Life speaks to this issue.
http://lemonadelife.com/2010/04/talk-like-a-textbook-not-a-diary/
Just call in sick. Diabetics can be sick just like normal folks. Although, I still struggle with oversharing at work.