Did they notice? Was it obvious that something was... off? Did they wonder why I got so quiet? That I was saying stupid things?
I had tested at 110 mg/dL shortly before lunch. A and I drove to Wendy's to pick something up. I may have felt it before we walked into the cafeteria at work, but I can't really remember.
I felt it as I started eating. We were sitting with J, whose 7-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 just over a year ago. It was mild, though, and I fooled myself into thinking it would go away.
Complex carbs. I had no fast sugar. It kept me from saying anything, from getting up to look for sugar, from asking for help. I knew J would understand the urgency. But it didn't feel urgent. It felt... foggy.
I ate and listened while A talked to J and B. I laughed at the right times, but felt an intense need to fill the silence when it came. It was like I had a migraine, like there was a warped lens in front of my eyes and a water bubble in my ear.
And it was telling me to lie down and go to sleep.
We sat and talked and J began to peel an orange. I couldn't keep my eyes off the orange. Fast sugar. It would help. Just one wedge. That's all I needed.
But it wouldn't let me blow its cover. It wouldn't let me ask. It wouldn't let me show my vulnerabilities.
I worried that I wouldn't be able to walk if A was ready to go back to our building before it passed. But it still wouldn't let me reveal my weakness.
I was OK. The carbs caught up to me. It wasn't that bad. But I still wondered if they could tell. Was I acting differently? Could they see the slight shake in my hands? Did my voice sound different? Did they notice?
sounds like my life, why are we so embaressed/ashamed to admit we are not "normal"
well defined!! I have these types of lows often, because i do not feel the "warning signs" before i am close to passing out! I usually treat with Orange Juice, then sit down, in case it gets worse. I see my position as an opportunity to teach people what they might see, hear and notice from me, in case they ever need to know in order to assist someone else who is close to passing out or needs sugar and can't respond, like you talked about!! Thanks for posting!!
This happens to me quite often. Yes, it does become a teachable lesson each time it occurs when I'm out with friends. Thanks for sharing.
I think they might have noticed, but I can only fill in the blanks with my own personality. I mean, if you couldn't take your eyes off my orange, even if I did not have diabetes, I would have suspected the orange was keeping your attention for some reason.
After slowly waving the orange up and down, left and right, and then in circles, if your one good eye followed it all the way I would tell you in your good ear that you could just have my orange because you were having low blood sugar... well, actually it wouldn't matter if you had diabetes, I'd give my orange to anyone who was truly that interested. :-)
When I get a low sugar or feel it coming on I suspend my pump and try to get something with protein/sugar in it. Milk works fast and is better than juice. Sometimes it's just a matter of suspending the pump for 30 minutes and I'm feeling better but try and eat a little something. Hope this helps.