I was an idiot

[colormist]

Well, I had a craptastic weekend. Saturday was my "Laura's going to test the limits of her hypoglycemia" day.

Unknowingly I went out for a two hour walk without eating for six hours. I ate breakfast at 8am, then I decide to walk around town with my pug and visit a few yard sales. My town was having a huge yard-sale weekend, so I had lots of places to walk to. It was about 80+(F) outside and I (for some odd reason) decided to wear jeans and a dark t-shirt. My pug, Curly, overheats easily, so I brought ice water with me.

It was about 3pm and my fifth pit-stop under a maple tree to cool down when I realized how screwed it was. I was about 10 blocks from my house, without a phone, and had left my glucose tablets at home. I could only walk about 2 blocks before having to take a 15 minute break in the shade so Curly would cool down and not pass out from heat exhaustion.

I was sitting under the tree, getting shaky, and thinking how soft the sidewalk was. How wonderful it would be to just take a nap under that tree.... That's when I started thinking rationally and realized that sleeping under a tree was not a normal thing and would probably cause someone in a nearby house to call an ambulance. And, in fact, if I didn't get home NOW and get some food that I probably wouldn't get home, period.

So, doing the next best rational thing (next to walking two blocks to Dairy Queen and getting some french fries and an ice water) I throw my 22lb pug into my bag, throw my bag over my shoulder and begin stumbling my way home.

I really can't believe how horrible my tunnel vision gets when I have hypoglycemia. I was only focused on walking to my house. I even walked by a gas station, where I could have (again) picked up some chips and water, but I forged onward. I'm sure I looked like a crazy druggie, stealing someone's dog.

Lessons learned:
1. stop trying to over-exercise
2. stop wearing socks with those shoes, they give me blisters
3. my dog can fit into a canvas bag
4. my dog likes fitting into a canvas bag
5. ALWAYS BRING GLUCOSE TABS WITH ME
6. CELL PHONE, I have it, so I need to keep it with me.
7. Sleeping under trees is not an option
8. Gas stations and Dairy Queens have food and water, I need to remember this in case of future emergencies.

[guest]

Smarties & sweet tarts are a LOT less expensive and just as effective as glucose tabs...

Keep a few packages in your tote, purse, pocket, etc. stash 'em everywhere!

[Tammy]

As for Lesson #2 - BandAid now makes this really great product for blisters. It's just like it's European twin, Compeed. It's like a thick, sticky, medicated band aid. It stays on, unlike a regular band aid that always rolls up into my socks in very uncomfortable ways, and it gets rid of that blister unbelieveably fast. And this is coming from the worlds slowest healer.

I didn't realize you gained tunnel vision with hypoglycimia. Interesting. I'll remember that for future thoughts.

And..........did you find anything interesting at the yard sales to make it worthwhile?

[julienc]

I'm getting really curious about our guest and bits of wisdom.

Come out, come out wherever you are!!!

Colormist, I'm sorry for your bum weekend.

[sarahk]

Mike:
That's pretty bad--I was rear-ended while driving to work Friday morning-about 3 blocks from my house-in our beloved Mini Cooper-which held up much better under the circumstances that I though it would (I was hit pretty hard), then Sarah didn't get the part time teaching job she really wanted....craptastic.

If you like craptastic, try chillaxin' or chillax--- for instance, after all that walking, you decided to chillax under a maple tree...or your pug was chillaxin' under the maple tree--or, when someone is all out of control: "Dude, just chillax'!"

On an HFI note, Ethan tried baby banana food, really like it, and didn't get sick

As far as that suggestion of keeping smarties and sweettarts instead of glucose tabs, in theory that works, but Sarah will eat the smarties and sweettars too quickly, where as glucose tabs don't (usually) get eatin' like candy.

blisters: try Mole Skin--they sell it in the drug store-they are thick fuzzy band aid like products.

[colormist]

That's my problem with smarties and sweettarts, if I have them, I'll eat them. Maybe if I just keep the sweettarts in my cute little glucose tube and trick myself into thinking they're medicine...

Tammy, that was just about the worst part. I bought some plastic ribbon (for wrapping presents) and a necklace that I may or may not tear apart and rebuild. Otherwise, for two hours of walking and 10 yard sales, I didn't get much of anything. I didn't know about the bandaide brand of blister-cover thingies. I have used moleskin, but (again) didn't bring it with me.

I still say the guest is a magical HFI gnome.

Mike, that' horrible! I love minis! I can't imagine getting rear-ended. I'd probably just cry. I'll have to try chillax. I also like to use 'fantabulous'.

Fred, I also get the same way. I'm just focused on me-me-me-me-me-food, which can be dangerous because then I'll eat ANY food and rest anywhere (i.e. sidewalk). I haven't noticed my temperament deteriorating, but I should ask my husband. He would notice better than I would. I still can't believe that some doctors didn't believe in hypoglycemia. I had a hard enough time convincing my doctor & geneticist that I HAD hypoglycemia. I don't even know what to compare it to. It kind of reminds me of the movies when you see someone lost in the desert, how they stumble along and look miserable.

[lisa]

OMG, Nate totally gets that way sometimes. He will stand in one place and scream that he needs food NOW (usually SweetTarts or Smarties, but sometimes it is bread) and if you don't get it for him right away, sometimes he just lays down and goes to sleep. It doesn't happen as much as it used to, but I know he's gone beyond when he doesn't just try to get it for himself. It's a good thing you made it home! I keep a stash in my car, his lunchbag and my purse like our "gnome" has suggested and it has come in handy more than once.

I guess it seems different when it happens to you personally. For me, I never had the problem until I got preggo with my first. Since then, if I don't eat protein regularly, I get shaky, break into cold sweats, my hands shake and I get a headache. Never went to the doc to be diagnosed, but always assumed it was some sort of hypoglycemic reaction. Even though I may not be able to walk very well at that point, I can still focus enough to get somewhere and take care of it myself.

[julienc]

Fred, I love how you said your "temperament deteriorates".

Not long after we were married, my husband had to have a gentle talk with me about how FEISTY I become when I'm hungry. Of course, at the time I had no idea what caused it, I just knew that I would get really PISSED and need food on the spot. Too funny.

I'm getting better at recognizing it, but at times I still drop into hypoglycemic mode with the shakes. Not too much with the tunnel vision, though. I do get a bit dazed and confused.

I try to carry Smarties in my purse, but I also eat them much too quickly and then don't have them when I need them. Where does one buy glucose tablets?

[colormist]

Target! In the diabetic section near the pharmacy.
They're not too expensive and I tend to only eat one at a time.

They probably have them at Walmart, Kmart, Meijers, etc as well.

[julienc]

That is funny, Fred. I know I wouldn't like those Smarties at all!!!

If you PM me your address, I'll mail you some of the US version so you can give them a taste.

[Tammy]

Fred, I know we've run across other things that are different on your northern side, but you must have a LOT more self-control than I have. I would have been screaming........What are you eating that chocolate for??? lol...

[colormist]

LOL@Tammy

Oh Fred, you're missing out. Julie, you have to send him the HUGE ones, too! The huge ones are the best. They're like, solidified pixie stix. OR, old sweettarts.

[julienc]

Gosh, I haven't seen the huge ones in ages. Where do you find them?? I agree - those are the best!

[colormist]

They have them at the local coffee shops and gas stations. I always make sure to buy them when I see them.

[Tammy]

So Fred, How did you finally come across the fact that our smarties are not like yours?

[guest]

I just found the HUGE ones at Joanns Fabric, but I noticed that it says "may contain corn syrup solids". Does anyone know if these are safe? I noticed the Smarties suckers say the same thing. I tried emailing the company a couple of times and no response, and I can't find a phone number to contact them. They look so good. What do you think?

[Guest]

Hi, It's me again. I just posted about the HUGE Smarties, but didn't write Smarties. So here is the question again.

I just found the HUGE Smarties at Joanns Fabric, but I noticed that it says "may contain corn syrup solids". Does anyone know if these are safe? I noticed the Smarties suckers say the same thing. I tried emailing the company a couple of times and no response, and I can't find a phone number to contact them. They look so good. What do you think?

[colormist]

So long as they're the dry, powdered kind, you should be okay.

Corn Syrup, in general, is a bit of a thorn in our side. Sometimes it's sweet, sometimes it's just a thickener. Usually it'll say High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), but sometimes it just says Corn Syrup. And sometimes it says corn syrup solids. If I had some smarties with me, I'd check the label to see if they were the same or not.

[julienc]

I have some little Smarties on me, and the wrapper says "may contain corn syrup solids".

I think the big ones are okay.

[colormist]

LOL@ Fred.

Fred doesn't know Smarties. If you live in the US, they're okay. If you live in Canada, they're chocolate.