Today’s topic for Diabetes Blog Week is “Making the Low Go.” This topic is especially relevant today because I woke up low and had to treat it before I could get on with my normal routine.
This morning, I woke up and had that weak/dizzy/awkward feeling that comes with being low. I practically fell down the stairs to check my bloodsugar. It was 58. 58 is not REAL low, so I was a little surprised that I was feeling so bad, but I was probably lower while I was still asleep and it had come up a little by the time I woke up. Anyway, I grabbed a glass out of the cabinet and the milk out of the fridge. I poured about 1.5 cups, and practically chugged it with a Lactaid tablet in the first gulp. I went back upstairs and attempted to get on with my routine. Needless to say, waking up low set me back several minutes, so I was late to work. (I guess I should say I was later to work than normal… I’m usually running a few minutes late!)
Now you’ve already read what my snack of choice is for treating a low at home: milk. Sometimes it’s soy milk and sometimes it’s cow milk, depending on what’s in the fridge (I stock soy if my husband is away for work for a while but cow if he’s around). If I’m really low, I’ll mix in some Hershey’s chocolate syrup to kick it up a notch.
When I’m not at home, my snack of choice varies. Sometimes it’s the granola bar I keep in my purse. At work, it is usually the fruit snacks I keep in my desk. I prefer something liquid (milk is good because it has carbs to bring up my bloodsugar immediately and protein to keep it up) but carrying a liquid is my bag is not always practical. Fruit snacks usually raise my bloodsugar faster, but don’t always do a good job of keeping it where it should be. And granola bars work, but at a slower rate, though they do keep it up decently well. Sometimes juice will do the trick, but I don’t usually drink juice so I don’t really keep it in the house. I usually tell people to pour Coke into my mouth if I pass out somewhere. But Coke really isn’t a great choice for raising a low because I’ll probably drink too much and have a rebound high afterward. (which is alright if I’m literally passed out from a low!) Thankfully, that hasn’t happened recently! In fact, I can’t remember the last time I passed out from being low–and that’s a good thing!
So, there you have it! Check back tomorrow for Day 3!
