Kristian Hedberg

I knew that I hadn't checked my blood sugar in hours. Last time I did, I was 100 so I just didn't worry. I enjoyed a small dinner, judging my carbs to perfection. I carried on with my night.

Right before I fell asleep, I thought I should check my blood sugar just to be safe. I was feeling a little funny, minor thirst, minor nausea. I checked at 502. I haven't been above 500 in over a year.

I bolused like normal, wondering if my infusion set was the problem. I had changed it earlier, but I blew it off since I was 100 after lunch (and hours after the set change). I set an alarm to wake me up in two hours to make sure I was heading down.

I woke up on my own within an hour and a half, feeling the effects of the high more so. 424. Another bolus. Another alarm set.

An hour and a half later, I woke up on my own again. I was dying for the extra thirty minutes of sleep, but I checked anyway. 451. I bolused with an injection this time, adding on half a unit. The alarm was set for two hours later. I hoped to be down and finish this night of terror.

Another hour and a half later, I was 382. Why wasn't I coming down? I know that ketones (which I never test so I can only guess that I had them) require more insulin than your normal bolus, but this was getting ridiculous. I drank some water, nauseated but forcing it down. I bolused again with an injection. This time I didn't even set an alarm, I just wanted sleep.

Within five minutes, I was throwing up. Stupid ketones! Stupid diabetes! I couldn't even make it to the bathroom. I was feeling faint, cold sweats almost. But I knew that I had just checked. I was high, despite my body telling me that I was low.

Finally, I fell back asleep, still not setting an alarm. Two hours later, I woke up and checked at 232. At least I was under 300, but I still couldn't figure out why I wasn't coming down. I changed the infusion set to make sure I was at least getting good basal rates.

An hour later, I was 261. An hour after that I was 243. I just kept bolusing with the syringe (adding an extra unit each time), drinking water, hoping that it would come down. I was still feeling faint, still nauseous, and exhausted.

Finally, I just checked at 139. I ate some sugar free Jell-O and drank more water. I still don't feel like the ketones are out of my system, but I'm pushing through. I'm scared to eat anything with carbs in case my body decides to soar back into the 200's or worse.

I hate that I didn't get to sleep a full night. I hate that I loaded my body with insulin. I hate that the ketones soared through my body all night long. I hate that I missed work because I couldn't even move. I hate diabetes. I hate my life today because of diabetes.