I was very lucky that a passing motorist stopped when I held up my hand to indicate I was in trouble and needed help. He drove me the last half mile and I made it home where I immediately consumed carbs to bring my sugar up.

 

This very scary event provided an important lesson for the future…to NEVER GO ON A WALK WITHOUT CARRYING PORTABLE SUGAR.

 

Due to the back pain I’ve had over the past two months, I had been unable to do my daily walks and was just getting back to my previous level of 4-5 miles per walk. Yesterday seemed like the perfect day to push from my previous 2.5 mile walks to 4 miles. When I left home, my BG was 117 so I entered a temp basal rate of 50% so that I wouldn’t go low. About halfway through my walk I sensed that my sugar was rapidly dropping, but I didn’t have any life savers or other forms of sugar with me!

 

As I climbed the hill toward home my low became very frightening. I used Reiki on my liver to coax it to deliver glucose into my system and I stopped several times to rest and deeply breathe. During my last stop, I had severe tunnel vision as the landscape appeared to be drifting away from me. That unnerving symptom triggered me to suspend my pump. At this point I swallowed my pride and gave up my goal of completing the 4 miles. I stood along the side of the road and flagged down a pickup truck headed toward my home. He knew in an instant that I was in trouble and I told him I wasn’t drunk even though I’m sure I looked like I was.

 

Rich Herrington drove me to my door and I wobbled my way into the house where I loaded up on carbs. Although my BG was only 59, this was one of the most severe lows I’ve ever had. My full consciousness came back in about 30 minutes and I next lay down for a recovery nap.

 

I have previously shared that it takes my body more than 24 hours to recover from a severe low and this episode was no exception. At more than 27 hours since the low, I’m now feeling pretty good. I am grateful that I’ve never gone unconscious in my 31-year diabetes journey, but this is the closest I’ve ever come.