A small breakthrough just happened for me.
I’m sitting here, low (64 mg/dl, for the record), and feeling every bit of it. I’m shaky, panicked, jittery, hungry, unsettled, and a bit scared.
I have treated, with a few of those bite sized candy bars (Snickers and Milky Way) from my neighbors cube (yes, she has the best candy dish in the office, and yes, she would just HAVE to be MY neighbor).
Now I’m supposed to wait. I’ve never been good at waiting, and in fact often over treat. Now I know a little bit better why I do what I do.
My thoughts were working through this low, and hit a crucial question.
“Ok, I’m low.” and “I feel scared” and “I’m safe. There’s food and people around, plus I’ve already treated.” and “Don’t freak out” and “you can wait it out”.
Then the killer question; “But what if it’s not enough?”
The panic hit me so hard that I could literally feel it. The urge to pour my neighbor’s candy dish right down my throat, wrappers and all, was almost unstoppable.
What if it’s not enough?
I need to figure out how to work through that question and arrive at a solution my brain won’t sabotage the next time I’m low.
[…] But, I wasn’t thinking like that. I was thinking about how panicky I felt, and how satisfying and reassuring it would be to chomp down that brownie. I knew it would be overkill, and as I was fingering the edge of the wrapper, ready to tear down right where the seams come together, I thought “you don’t need this”, and “put it back, it’s to much”, and “what about working on not panicking?”, and “remember the helicopter“. […]
Hi Scott,
My solution to this (which everyone else above me may have already said…if so, sorry), is I just try to test often. Every 15-20 minutes. Good luck…it took me a long time to figure out that it does get better, and if it doesn’t, then I can treat more.
Las night I woke up at 12:35am and felt funny. Got up and poked the finger 57 so I got out the OJ and a small 3 ounce glass. I filled it up and thought boy that sure was good. I thought to my self sould I have another which is what I would normally have done but instead I waited for 10 minutes and checkied it again and it was at 67. I poured another half a glass drank it and went back to bed. No problem the rest of the night. Checked the BS at 6 in the… Read more »
This is such a tough one. With the help of my husband, I have figured out exactly how many fast-acting carbs (glucose tabs, life savers, etc) I need and pre-arranged them in mini baggies. This way I no longer have to worry about “thinking” when going low and remembering how many carbs I ingest. Sometimes I DO need more, than my pre-measured servings, but usually I am on target. My body is not going through some changes due to kidney failure, so I am recalibrating all over again. I know it’s a moving target. Best.
Low blood sugar impedes logical thinking. For sure.
I think it’s a repition thing. Try waiting it out once. Then try it again. Then again. Then again. After the 10th or 15th or SOMTHINGth time, it’s just what you do without having to think about it.
You could also try meditating on it while your bg is normal. Repeat it as though it were a mantra. (OK, maybe that’s going overboard!)