Heatwaves and Hypos: Woken Up by Low Blood Sugar

I'm not sure what woke me up first. Was it the hum of the oscillating fan? Or the cool sting of air on my sweaty leg? I lay there for a moment. In the dark. Halfway between sleep and awake.

Was I feeling the after-effects of another day of heatwave? Or something else?

Recognizing symptoms of hypoglycemia

As I became more aware of my body, I realized I wasn't just feeling sweat on my exposed leg. From my head to my toes, I was feeling clammy.

I was feeling the "something else."

I took a deep breath and told myself I needed to get up. I couldn't just lay there and let the fan's breeze work on evaporating the droplets on my skin. I needed to check my glucose level.

Springing into action

As the harsh fluorescent bathroom light assaulted my eyes, I reached for my glucometer. Before I even got the test strip out, I started to wonder what I had in my room to treat a low. And where were they? Not everything made it back into its place after I had cleaned the day before.

I thought to myself, "Just focus. Poke your finger and get enough blood out to take a reading. You don't want the frustration of having to check twice."

Gummies, I have gummies. Where did I put them? They're not on the tabletop.

Looking for my gummies: a fast-acting carbohydrate

Gummies are my go-to for quickly getting my glucose level back up. Someone once asked me what my "favorite" thing to use to treat a hypo was. I remember that I corrected them. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but it's my go-to because who has a favorite anything when it comes to plunging glucose levels?

It seemed like a silly question, then. Right now, in the middle of checking, it seemed like an odd distraction. I looked down at the glucometer screen. It displayed 62-inch-high digits. It's not the lowest reading I've ever seen.

My thoughts went back to gummies. "Where are they? I need to get a couple into my system before this number gets any lower."

Lower? Was my reading going lower? I had no way of knowing. There's no trend in a single number. I would have to check again in 15 minutes to see what changed. But right now, my head felt like it was in a swirl. "Just find the gummies!" that voice in my head told me.

I return to my room and start digging in the basket of things that have yet to be put away.

Trying not to panic

My mind raced. If they're not here, where else could they be? Maybe I should just go down to the kitchen and find something there. I wondered why I didn't have some glucose tabs in my diabetes supplies bag. That would make the most sense. I just need to do that, but why didn't I do that?

"Oh, there they are."

I found the bag of gummies and pulled it open. I gaze at the red, yellow, orange, and blue fish shapes. Which one do I want first? "IT DOESN'T MATTER! Just grab two and eat them!" There's that voice again.

I grab two gummies, pop them in my mouth, start chewing, and salivate. Then, I make my fatal error.

I turn the bag of gummies around and start reading the nutrition label. How many gummies are in a serving? How much did I eat? I didn't eat enough to make a serving. I put more gummies in my mouth. How many was that? Did I add enough to make a serving or a whole serving?

As I think about this, I'm still eating more gummies. "STOP! Chew and swallow what you have," I thought. I sit on the edge of my bed and take a deep breath.

Checking my glucose level again

How long has it been since I checked my glucose level? Where's my glucometer? Did I bring it with me, or is it still in the bathroom?

My glucometer is on my bed, by my side. I pull out a test strip and poke my finger.

"Why did I even go low?" I reflected on the day:

• My bedtime reading was in range. In fact, all my readings during the day were in range, in tight range.
• Did I get dehydrated in the heat? I tried not to, drank extra water and iced tea.
• Did I overexert myself? No. It was a hot day, so I limited my movements.
• Did I skip eating? No. In fact, I ate heavier than usual because we went out instead of cooking dinner.

Why did I go low? I don't know. The answer isn't obvious.

I take another deep breath. I just know that when I check again my glucose level will have shot up. How high? There's nothing I can do about it now. I'm just grateful I stopped slipping into hypoglycemia.