The (LOW)-Down of My Life

I wouldn’t say I’m a shopaholic, but like any other girl I could definitely use a trip to the mall.  Today my trip took me to the local shopping center where my mom, my sister, and I went bathing suit shopping.  While we went shopping for clothes, my blood sugar went shopping for some sugar.  I was low almost five times during this trip, constantly telling my mom that I had to test once again.  Something about shopping makes my numbers drop. 

Although I am writing about this now like it’s a bad thing, I know that my decision between being high and low is an easy one (although, to be right in the middle would be perfect…but then, I wouldn’t have diabetes.  Thinking about that now sounds really nice, doesn’t it?).  When my blood sugar is high, I’m crabby (I admit it; I certainly am not the sweetest candy in the jar).  I am thirsty and constantly having to go to the bathroom because of the water (pleasant, huh?).  I usually get headaches when my blood sugar is over 250 which of course adds to the fun (sarcasm).  When I’m low, I am a lot nicer, happier and hungrier.  Today, after all my lows and before dinner, I was absolutely famished.  I don’t know for sure if it was because of all the 50s and 60s today, but it’s a pretty good guess and I’m usually right about my guesses J (just kidding, I’m never right!).  Sometimes when I am very low my hands shake a little and I start sweating like a pig (okay, not really like a pig…more like a diabetic who has reached 30 or 40).  The way I mostly define my lows is by a weird feeling in my legs.  I used to tell people that they started to feel numb, but I don’t think that is what I am feeling anymore.  It’s just unexplainable and strange.

So now that I have defined what highs and lows feel like to me, I feel like writing about something else.  How about I write about one of my all-time favorite stories concerning my diabetes?  This story is set in the MPR (multi-purpose room) of my old school where a couple classes were crowded in to do who knows what.  I was sitting down with my friends feeling that strange sensation in my legs that I recognized as feeling low.  So, I pulled out my trusty glucose meter and pricked my finger, suddenly hearing some noise behind me, something that sounded a lot like, “Ewwwww!”  I looked through my peripheral vision behind me and saw a group of older boys smirking and laughing in my direction.  I immediately knew that the disgust I saw in the boys’ eyes was coming from the blood I was pulling from my finger.  Being the sweet and innocent girl I am, I did what any 10 year old girl would do; I squeezed my finger harder, gushing way more blood than needed just for the fun of it.  I could hear the chorus of disgust from the idiotic boys behind me grow louder and louder.  And I, a big smart alec, laughed in delight.

Another story that gives me quite pleasure to tell (sarcasm), all starts at school again, involving one of my teachers who I was not a fan of after this event.  For a reason I don’t even remember, a mother in my class brought all the students a bunch of treats and candy.  And although I have made it clear to many people (including the people on this blog J) that I can eat candy, the mom brought me sugar-free crap (excuse the bad language).  Not only does sugar-free candy have loads of sugar-alcohols that would have made me sit on the toilet all night (that’s a nasty thought, huh?...sorry!).  But sugar-free treats is a knockoff of the real stuff, WHICH I CAN EAT!!!  I decided I would just tell the teacher who passed out the treats that I did not need, let alone want, the “special” candy.  So I told her, and guess what she did?  She took me outside and told me this, “Can you just take the candy?  I don’t want the mom to feel bad.”

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(cricket cricket)

Can you seriously believe that a teacher would tell me to take candy that tasted like crap (there’s that naughty word again!) just so a mom who assumed I couldn’t eat candy wouldn’t feel bad?  REALLY?!  ARE YOU SERIOUSLY KIDDING ME?!  I cringe while I type this, reliving the wrongness of it all.  That’s all I am going to say for now because it could get pretty nasty if I continue.  J

So as you can tell, us diabetics share some lovely stories (cringing in disgust the whole time they speak of them).  I cannot tell you how much these stories irritate me, but I feel good to share them.  So thanks to the people who read this blog and let me vent.  Everyone needs to vent sometime or another.  Diabetics--we need to vent just a little bit more.