Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Low low low your boat

Emma had a low tonight just before her bedtime snack. It wasn't a horrible low...but it was a low none the less. She was 3.4, which is 61 for my American friends. She was actually in the bath playing around after I had finished washing her and she just stopped all of the sudden, looked up at me and said, "Umm...yea I think I'm low." I almost started laughing just because of the way she said it. Like it was just so matter of fact. Just like someone saying, "Yea, it looks like rain today." Anyway, I went in the kitchen to get her meter and we checked to find out she was in fact 3.4 and I brought out the juicebox. She thought this was just the coolest thing ever that she was being allowed to drink juice while sitting in the tub. Well, once the juice was finished I took her out and started to dry her off. I noticed the typical blank stare with the dark circles under her eyes and a slight shake to her hands still. I asked her if she was ok or if she still felt low. She told me that she thought maybe the food just hadn't kicked in yet and it was making her still feel low. It made me want to cry. Honestly it really did bring tears to my eyes. On the one hand I hate that she speaks of these things so matter of factly...it breaks my heart...it makes me so sad that this is just another part of her existence. On the other hand, I suppose I am glad that she is so accepting of it...that it doesn't really upset her...she just recognizes it, we treat it, and we move on with our day.
I personally am not diabetic. I have been tested though and was told that I am hypoglycemic. I have a tendency to have low blood sugar situations. So, I can completely relate to how it feels. I despise that yucky, gross, awful feeling that comes with a low. In my situation though, if I am low I can just eat and drink anything in sight until that feeling goes away...and let me tell you, that is EXACTLY what I do every time...even though I am usually not hungry or thirsty when it happens, I just eat and eat and drink and drink until that disgusting feeling goes away. There was one really bad time actually where I was nauseous, dizzy, seeing black spots everywhere, and had to crawl to the kitchen to get something...anything to eat...just to make it stop. It was awful...i couldn't really think straight either...so I grabbed the bowl of sugar I use to spoon into my coffee in the morning. I just kept shoveling spoonful after spoonful of sugar into my mouth while leaning against the kitchen counter. After Emma's low tonight, i just kept thinking about how she doesn't have that option. She can't sit there and shove whatever food she can find into her mouth when she's low...she can't keep eating or drinking until that gross feeling of the low goes away...or else she would skyrocket the other way and have a ginormous high blood sugar number. She just has to drink a juicebox and sit there....waiting...wallowing in that horrid feeling...waiting for the food or drink "to kick in." I hate that she has to endure that. I'd give anything to be able to take that away from her. Lows are awful. This is one of the many many reasons why Emma is my hero. She is matter of fact about it...she follows the steps to fix the situation...and she hasn't complained a single time about any of it. I know it may sound weird...but I look up to her...I admire her...I would give anything to be even half as strong as she is.

4 comments:

  1. You are as strong as she is. How do you think she learned to be that way? From watching her Mom. And wait a minute, are you telling me there's a metric way to measure blood sugar? And you referred to the 61 for your 'American friends'. Didn't you used to be one of us?

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  2. LOLOL Phil...i am still an American friend...I just didn't feel right about putting something like "My fellow Americans..." I felt too much like George W. Bush...lolol.

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  3. Emma sounds like a gem! Joe too...with the matter-of-factness. The other day he was like 24...and he is there in the middle of a frozen lake chomping on glucose tabs like it was no "biggy". This is truly a life less ordinary for sure!

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  4. Our kids sound like they are a lot alike. Colin is very matter of fact as well and as proud as I am of him I wish it was me everyday and not him. Colin often has lows in the bath if he has one after dinner, he loves the juice in there too :) You are a wonderful Mom, keep your chin up I'm right there with ya.

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