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I did something really, really stupid - went to the ER
11 years ago
First, the backstory.
For the past several years I've been trying hard to eat healthier.
When I was diagnosed prediabetic in 2002, I decided to cut out the highest glycemic foods like doughnuts, cake and cookies, though cake eventually came back for special occasions like birthdays.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with dangerously high triglycerides, so I switched to a largely low-fat diet. No more alfredo, seldom any fried foods, and low-fat ice cream.
Since I have a lifelong sugar addiction, I've tried to space out my sweets too - trying not to eat too many at once or too many in a day, and spacing them between healthy high-protein meals. if
When I got my new smartphone in January, I started to fill out the tellsubway.com questionnaire in-store whenever I ate at Subway regularly twice a week. My reward was a cookie, and much of the time (since I filled out the questionnaire without leaving the store) they gave me two. I try to eat only one cookie, and put the other in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to eat it the next day.
And when I go grocery shopping, I buy Ritter Sport chocolate bars - these big bars of 16 pieces that can be split into three servings. But I have a bad habit of eating an entire bar at once. I used to buy three bars a week. But after eating them too fast too often, I now only buy two bars a week. And after still eating them too quickly, I started putting them in the kitchen cabinet after I bought them, and trying to eat them at least over a few days.
Yesterday (Saturday) was my regular grocery shopping day, when I went to eat at Subway then buy groceries. My inner voice of wisdom told me to save the cookies for later, but...I ate them both before shopping was over. I bought the two Ritter Sport bars, and that same inner voice told me to put them in the cupboard out of easy reach so I could judiciously have them later, but...I took them into my bedroom with me. After an hour I had eaten one of the bars. Then an hour or so later (about midnight) I had eaten the other. Soon I had the familiar symptoms of a blood sugar spike - nausea, tremors, cold sweats and a pounding heartbeat. Normally if this happens, I lie down flat in a blanket for greatest comfort, and ride out the symptoms until my blood sugar dips the other way, and then I take care of it.
But this time, the high blood sugar symptoms persisted for hours. Deep into the wee hours of the night. And I felt no more comfortable, and it felt really serious. I texted my dad and told him the symptoms. At first he was angry for being woken up, and told me to drink water and flush it out of my system. Then, looking up on webmd about high blood sugar, I read about another symptom - sweet-smelling breath, which would mean diabetic ketoacidosis which really is a medical emergency. I woke up my dad again to smell my breath, and he said it smelt normal, and went back to bed. A few minutes later, he came back and apologized for being cranky (I had woken him up in the middle of the night, afterall), and asked if I needed to go to the emergency room. I wasn't sure. But after a little while, he said he would take me to the emergency room, and I reluctantly agreed.
I felt so ashamed. I kept saying "I screwed up" and "I'm so sorry," until he told me that that part is passed. We arrived at the ER, I was brought to one of their waiting rooms, and I was told to sit on the bed. I went through my symptoms (I've been to the ER before for completely different things, so I kinda knew what to do), and they read my blood sugar (it was a little high), and they drew more blood to test, and connected me to a heart monitor. They then connected me to an IV, gave me fluids, and drugs to relieve my symptoms and bring my blood sugar back down. I had gone in there expecting to be told I have full-blown type 2 diabetes, but they told me they didn't think it was that bad yet. I was released after a good hour, and went back to bed, feeling very embarrassed and still kinda crummy.
I just woke up, and the first thing I ate was a protein bar. I'm still uncomfortable, but it feels more under control than it did before. I just need to eat high-protein, low-sugar foods, drink enough water, and get some rest, and inform someone if I have any other serious symptoms.
For the past several years I've been trying hard to eat healthier.
When I was diagnosed prediabetic in 2002, I decided to cut out the highest glycemic foods like doughnuts, cake and cookies, though cake eventually came back for special occasions like birthdays.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with dangerously high triglycerides, so I switched to a largely low-fat diet. No more alfredo, seldom any fried foods, and low-fat ice cream.
Since I have a lifelong sugar addiction, I've tried to space out my sweets too - trying not to eat too many at once or too many in a day, and spacing them between healthy high-protein meals. if
When I got my new smartphone in January, I started to fill out the tellsubway.com questionnaire in-store whenever I ate at Subway regularly twice a week. My reward was a cookie, and much of the time (since I filled out the questionnaire without leaving the store) they gave me two. I try to eat only one cookie, and put the other in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to eat it the next day.
And when I go grocery shopping, I buy Ritter Sport chocolate bars - these big bars of 16 pieces that can be split into three servings. But I have a bad habit of eating an entire bar at once. I used to buy three bars a week. But after eating them too fast too often, I now only buy two bars a week. And after still eating them too quickly, I started putting them in the kitchen cabinet after I bought them, and trying to eat them at least over a few days.
Yesterday (Saturday) was my regular grocery shopping day, when I went to eat at Subway then buy groceries. My inner voice of wisdom told me to save the cookies for later, but...I ate them both before shopping was over. I bought the two Ritter Sport bars, and that same inner voice told me to put them in the cupboard out of easy reach so I could judiciously have them later, but...I took them into my bedroom with me. After an hour I had eaten one of the bars. Then an hour or so later (about midnight) I had eaten the other. Soon I had the familiar symptoms of a blood sugar spike - nausea, tremors, cold sweats and a pounding heartbeat. Normally if this happens, I lie down flat in a blanket for greatest comfort, and ride out the symptoms until my blood sugar dips the other way, and then I take care of it.
But this time, the high blood sugar symptoms persisted for hours. Deep into the wee hours of the night. And I felt no more comfortable, and it felt really serious. I texted my dad and told him the symptoms. At first he was angry for being woken up, and told me to drink water and flush it out of my system. Then, looking up on webmd about high blood sugar, I read about another symptom - sweet-smelling breath, which would mean diabetic ketoacidosis which really is a medical emergency. I woke up my dad again to smell my breath, and he said it smelt normal, and went back to bed. A few minutes later, he came back and apologized for being cranky (I had woken him up in the middle of the night, afterall), and asked if I needed to go to the emergency room. I wasn't sure. But after a little while, he said he would take me to the emergency room, and I reluctantly agreed.
I felt so ashamed. I kept saying "I screwed up" and "I'm so sorry," until he told me that that part is passed. We arrived at the ER, I was brought to one of their waiting rooms, and I was told to sit on the bed. I went through my symptoms (I've been to the ER before for completely different things, so I kinda knew what to do), and they read my blood sugar (it was a little high), and they drew more blood to test, and connected me to a heart monitor. They then connected me to an IV, gave me fluids, and drugs to relieve my symptoms and bring my blood sugar back down. I had gone in there expecting to be told I have full-blown type 2 diabetes, but they told me they didn't think it was that bad yet. I was released after a good hour, and went back to bed, feeling very embarrassed and still kinda crummy.
I just woke up, and the first thing I ate was a protein bar. I'm still uncomfortable, but it feels more under control than it did before. I just need to eat high-protein, low-sugar foods, drink enough water, and get some rest, and inform someone if I have any other serious symptoms.
Good luck with it. :)
At least you got checked out, diabetes, type 2 in particular runs in my family.