An impromptu note on the joys of Hypoglycemia

Twenty minutes ago my blood sugar was 190 and rising (arrow going straight up on my Freestyle app, now entering diabetic macular edema, toe amputation and kidney failure). Why is it 190 and shooting up from 15 grams of carbs with a 4 unit cartridge of insulin I took 30 minutes ago?!?, I think. I guess the powder from my 4 didn't get into my system effectively?? So I take some more insulin. Well, it just can't ever be good, can it? In a literal instant, my sugar is 73 and dropping (arrow straight down, brace for impact and swift death) and I'm praying the glucose tablets kick in in time for me to live.

I was at the park maybe a month ago and the same thing as today happened except it went really low, into the 40's, and that's when I really start feeling it. I couldn't walk anymore, the sun felt like all of its energy was laser-pointed on me and I had already taken all of the glucose tablets in my backpack. I looked for a bench, but the closest one (just across the road, but in that moment also seemingly as difficult to get to as crossing the Sahara desert) was occupied. So in this paradoxical mixture of panic and extreme lethargy, I found myself sitting against a jagged wooden column that separated the path from the road, thinking this looks totally normal, right? Everyone stops for a moment of repose here right next to the road on some broken shells and rocks. My husband was already on his way, speeding with a Gvoke and coconut waters in tow, because my app is linked to his phone. Luckily, it was the weekend and we live a mile from the park. I didn't have a Gvoke in my backpack and I obviously should have.

Liquids have always raised my blood sugar the fastest. Drinks with carbohydrates are integral to my survival and I incorporate them into my blood sugar regulation regimen on a daily basis. Coconut water, full sugar Gatorade (which spikes sugar so quickly with such a relatively small amount of the drink I wonder if it should be marketed to anyone but insulin-dependent diabetics solely as a Hail Mary death preventative), "G2" lower sugar Gatorades, and non-alcoholic beers. Non-alcoholic beers by WellBeing Brewing are good; Athletic Brewing which is based in Connecticut is also good. I like these because they're natural, essentially just grains in a bottle. I read a NY Times article in 2018 that said German gold medal-winning Olympians drink a lot of non-alcoholic beers, and that's when I became interested in them. I buy them at Total Wine near my house. The girl working at the checkout asked me about them and I told her about the NY Times article. "Wow, I didn't think we sold anything healthy here," she said. 

How can I get across to so many that they really, truly don't want to be diabetic? At times I feel I am the devastating manifestation of our wayward track away from a sustainable farm-to-table lifestyle, an intelligent, communal relationship with our Mother planet.