MY SCARIEST DIABETIC MOMENT AT WDW

[tink2dw]

I have had type II Diabetic for 2yrs. I'm a 48 yr old,over weight Female with a Knee Injury since last Oct.2000. that's my history! My dream for 5 years, to go to WDW!! DREAM CAME TRUE!! I'm just back from 15 days in Orlando!

I prepared for this trip I got Teva Curcuit sandles for my feet as well as taking my everyday SIMPLE shoes,I bought a great new tank top and shorts type swim suit,I bought clam digger shorts.

We, my Dh and Dd and I headed out with enough needles,insulin,test kit with it's supplies. I had done some reading here about how WDW can affect your Blood sugar and I thought I was ready!! even though I wasn't sure how my knee would do.

I did well while my oldest daughter and our Grand-DD were with us. We were at a slow pace with the Baby, she's just one year old. Even though I got Food Poisioning and it took a day and a half to sleep it off.

But 2 days later I was even worse off!

I had been using a wheel chair off and on due to my knee. My Dh was pushing me,but he has syatica down his left leg and it was hurting, so I was pushing him. Even though it was a montimental effert for me,but I was being very brave. But then my DD 14, started stressing over something that caused me to get stressed out,too. Well, I needed to eat something I could feel it,But everyone just wanted to get back to the room.

And IT IS SO HARD to judge how far it is out to the car From the Parks. MK is 3 times longer than AK.
So, we get lost getting back to the All Stars and Wind up On 192 at the $1.00 toll booth where we have to pay again to get Back to WDW.

Finally we get back and all I want is to drop into bed!! But I need to take my insuin and eat so I grab a couple of snacks and inhale them and fall a sleep.

But my Dh is shouting that I didn't do my insulin and I'm trying to figure if its too low, do i still do my insulin. Well I try to do a finger stick but for the life of me I can't get the Blood on the stick all of a sudden.
So,Dh is helping but it's not enough blood but i'm out of it. By the time we get another test done my blood sugars 45 and NO ONE KNOWS WHAT TO DO!!

Dh is yelling I need to eat but I can't,DD is trying to Remember what I told her to do,if I ever get this way, Dh isn't listening,somehow he's on the phone saying it will cost $95.00 to go to the Hospital.I tell him I don't need the hospital.

But now I know I'm bad off, really bad off, I can't think what to do I'm too confused!!

DD finds my Glucose Tablets and shoves one between my teeth and thats what helps turn the corner,I eat 2 more and finally I know things are returning to normal I eat some cheese and to bring my blood sugar to a normal level and KNOW I WAS LUCKY. THAT WAS TOO,TOO CLOSE!!

Dh promoses to listen when I say I need to eat!! and I promose not to let things get this bad!!! And to test sooner!!

I only have one other small prombem,I need a needle and the first aide station has one they can give me,problem solved!!

TEST,INSULIN,EAT!!!!!and FIGURE IN THE EXTRA WALKING AND THE HEAT!!! TRY NOT TO BE A DOPE!!!!

 

[SueM in MN]

I'm glad things worked out, but how scary.
I have another piece of advice for next time: Make a card that lists exactly what to do in what circumstances. Make sure you have one and also that your companions carry one. That way, if you are not able to direct what needs to be done, they won't be left wondering what it was that you would do if you could.
Pixie dust to you.

SueM in MN
Co-Moderator of disABILITIES

 

[piratesmate]

...having the instructions written out & kept with your supplies would be a great help. It's always tough to remember what to do in an emergency!

I've been diabetic for almost 30 years & have had many, many hypoglycemic episodes over the years, despite being on the pump. My husband & kids are accustomed to what to do and even so, we still have our "panic" moments. When your sugar gets that low, it can become difficult to 'force' yourself to eat - just to make the effort to get it to your mouth seems too much - or, you keep thinking "I'll do it in a second, just give me a second..." My husband used to yell at me when I got like that. It only made me more determined to wait. (Obviously, I wasn't thinking clearly!) I've talked to quite a few other diabetics who get like this. We seem to focus on something & can't break the concentration - like a brain short. We've found that it helps a great deal to have him just hand me something to eat without commenting/harassing/etc when he notices that I'm getting too low.

My reason for sharing this? Let your family know that as sugar gets too low like that, that some people have difficulty with their responses. It isn't anything personal & calm persistence usually works better than getting upset & excited.

 

[lisapooh]

Faster and quicker than glucose tablets is icing gel. Just squirt it in the diabetics mouth. Too icky sweet to consume normally but when in need. Also keep emergencey snacks everywhere. I keep peanut butter or cheese cracker in my car, my purse and my backpack. Noone wants to stop. Fine Pull them out and EAT.

Pooh Bear

 

[mamajoan]

Piratesmate, I am sooo glad to hear you say that you get confused and a bit determined during a glucose reaction. I have been IDDM for a long time, I was diagnosed with hypoglycemia unawareness about 5 years ago. I thought I was losing my mind before the endocrinologist put a name on my symptoms... rather lack of symptoms of hypoglycemia before it was tooo late( I would get below 20 before noting hypoglycemia) The worse thing my family can do is yell at me to eat when I am going "down" I get combative and refuse to eat anything. Now they just hand me a glass of milk and a couple glucose tabs and say" have a snack" I get very, very confused during an insulin reaction. I get lost... it is so scary. I think it is what I hate most about diabetes. Thanks for letting me vent guys.. I have felt more support just reading all the posts on diabetes here on the dis boards than anywhere else. It is nice to know that you are never alone.

 

[teri]

You know what? I am very glad that you are still around! We need you here! Take good care of yourselves... that includes telling your family member what to do and writing it down.

DIS disABILITIES Discussion Board FAQ under construction!
"My brain takes a vacation just to give my heart more room..."
teri@iluvdisney.com

 

[MaryT]

I am glad to hear you are ok, and I'm glad to hear of others who have been through this too. My mother has been diabetic for about 43 years - and just this past weekend we had yet another scary episode. She lives 300 miles away from me, and I called her on the phone Sunday morning. I could tell she was basically out of it - when I asked her where Dad was, she'd tell me she didn't know (he was at church), then tell me to 'hold on a minute', then hang up. At least she'd answer the phone the next time, but then when I kept telling her to eat, she'd say she was fine - what was wrong with me (this is very common - that combativeness is no fun). At this point she told me to hold on - but didn't hang up the phone. I called my sister, who lives a mile away, but my 13 year old niece was the only one home. Not knowing what else to do, I had her run the mile to my Mom's house and told her to give my mom some orange juice or coke, or to rub sugar on her gums if she wasn't responding (although I've been able to deal with these episodes since before age 6, my niece hadn't had to do this before). I told my niece to call me when she got there, but I forgot my mom had not hung up the phone, so when my niece tried to call, she could get no dial tone. Fortunately, she got my mom to drink some juice, and my Dad got home shortly after. My mom is fine. I think it scared my niece though, and now I feel a bit bad about calling her - but from 300 miles away I wasn't sure what else to do. Anyway, I'm sorry I rambled - it just makes me feel less alone when I read that other people are having these same things happen.

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Wow! That was a scary story. I'm a brand new Type II diabetic, and petrified of having a low blood sugar episode. I've been on medication for a month, and so far have only had two "episodes" of low blood sugar. One time it got down to 50 and I was shaking so much I could barely test my blood sugar. I called my poor husband at work and asked him to call me back in 1/2 hour (I was working from home) to make sure I wasn't passed out somewhere, and I ate a snack. Unfortunatly, I was shaking so much while on the phone with him that I forgot to turn it off, so 45 minutes later my dear husband came barging in through the front door expecting to find me lying in a heap, and I was sitting at my PC eating a sandwich, and wondering why he never called back. The second time was at the Gym. I felt ill, popped a few life savers, and was fine.

My problem is that any time I feel the least bit off I start worrying that my blood sugar is too high or too low. Does this feeling ever go away? I mean I don't mind having to stick my finger when I feel icky, but will I eventually learn to tell the difference between actual blood sugar problems and a simple case of nerves, for instance?

Kathy

 

[piratesmate]

"but will I eventually learn to tell the difference between actual blood sugar problems and a simple case of nerves, for instance?"

To some extent you do learn the difference - but there are times you will be flat out wrong! It's best to just test. When a person becomes 'hypoglycemic unawares', the usual response is to treat first, test later. It's always easier/better to go back & take insulin if you were wrong & it was too high, than to assume it's high & be wrong!

It's good to know that there are other people out there with the same problems. Sometimes, when talking to the doctor, I feel like I'm the only one who ever tells him this stuff! I recently switched from my endo (who USED to be terrific - til a couple of years ago when he started talking like I was "out there"). My doctor now is an internist & takes me seriously.

 

[tink2dw]

It is scarey when you don't know what your blood sugar is doing!! THIS is the first "unaware low" that I have had!! Before I would feel icky then the sweat would pour like someone was drizzing water over my head.

Then I would grab peanuts or a candy bar. At home I try to keep cottage cheese in supply,cuz protien seems to work faster and milder than a lot of sugar.

The other Furstrating thing was DH would not listen when I said "I NEED TO EAT!!!" he heard she wants to buy $10.00 of food now and then will need Dinner anyway!! and thats another $40.00.

SO, after that I took charge!! If I needed food I went and Bought it!! No,questions ask!! so,Please carry enough money to get what you need when YOU NEED IT!!!

But at WDW all we had was sugary snacks which I grabbed two of and inhaled,but it was like I hadn't even eaten and the Confusion hit fast!! I remember sitting in the bathroom wondering if I was going to pass out and Die,but in a very detatched way!! and that scared me more!!

I learn so much from reading your posts!! And It does help to know that we aren't alone!! And That we can support each other!!

[This message was edited by tink2dw on 04-17-01 at 03:37 AM.]