Editor's note: This post was written in the early hours of the morning last night after experiencing an unfavorable low blood sugar.
I just had one of “those” lows. You know the type I’m guessing.
If strength can be found in honesty and sharing, here goes…
This is my Dexcom graph for the last 12 hours.
She’s a real beauty, huh? Not exactly the kind of sugars you want to see — especially while attempting to get a good night’s rest!
Post-ride 2011 — Can you tell how exhausted I am here?!?! : )
How I came to learn about the Tour de Cure…
In 2011 I participated in my first ADA Tour de Cure. A friend I used to work with, Janae, was deeply involved with the event and loved everything about it. She told me all about being a Red Rider (rider w/ diabetes) and convinced me that the Tour de Cure was something I needed to do. She also talked to me about the volunteer opportunities available and encouraged me to help out. I was sold. I signed up for the Tour only a few short weeks before the ride. I also started volunteering my time to help make the ride better for all fellow people with food allergies.
Therefore, if the amount of glucose supplied by the blood falls, the brain is one of the first organs affected. In most people, subtle reduction of mental efficiency can be observed when the glucose falls below 65 mg/dl (3.6 mM). Impairment of action and judgment usually becomes obvious below 40 mg/dl (2.2 mM). Seizures may occur as the glucose falls further. As blood glucose levels fall below 10 mg/dl (0.55 mM), most neurons become electrically silent and nonfunctional, resulting in coma. These brain effects are collectively referred to as neuroglycopenia. (link to article).
‘Dead in bed’ syndrome refers to unexplained deaths in young people with Type 1 diabetes. Research shows little definitive evidence as to the cause of this very rare phenomenon. There is a small amount of published evidence looking at the condition. One possible theory has been a link to hypoglycaemia (hypo) during the night. It is suggested that this may compound an abnormal heart rhythm, which can cause death.” (link to article).
I had a scary experience last night. I was sleeping and everything was going fine… so I thought. Since experiencing significant stress from caring for my critically ill cat the last few weeks, I have been completely exhausted and had no problem quickly falling into a deep slumber.
Editor’s note: This is a guest blog post written by my loving husband and biggest supporter, Jaim. We just celebrated our four year wedding anniversary in December.
45… is that bad?
This was my response as my date pricked her finger and pressed it against an electrical device she had pulled from her purse.
We were walking back from a restaurant where we’d had a nice meal and stayed a while to listen to the music. I didn’t realize when we left I was about receive a sobering lesson on the effects of dinner & a beer on someone who’s pancreas doesn’t function like it’s supposed to.