I remember reading a thread on this before but I’m too low for my brain to figure it out
I went low on my train ride home and got off the first stop that I could. I normally have a ton of skittles in my work bag but took them out at work, so on my commute home I ended up being low (~40s) for like a half hour. So, when I got off the train I went to the 7/11 ASAP as possible. My vision was all blurred like flash bulb vision and it was crossing so I had to close one eye to be able to see straight and I’m squinting because of contacts… start staring at all the food, knowing I just need skittles but I have that hunger now … that deep hunger where it’s like I could eat 5 family size pizzas… so grab a family bag of skittles. Need water to get them absorbed quick… stare at all the water options… maybe this one … no that one … that’s expensive… yes that one. Water for my skittles. O wow those pretzels look so good. I need a low snack for later. (Getting in line to pay). Shoot those pretzels look better. Omg wow these cookies too (squinty eye starts twitching. Cashier lookin at me). I need to eat my skittles but I think he’ll be mad if I don’t pay first (makes eye contact with squinty eye goin crazy) uhhh ok yes credit card.
Two DIFFERENT kinds of chocolate covered pretzels, the expensive kind of water (for absolutely no reason!) and some cookies I’m looking forward to diving into
Then I sat at Starbucks writing this with one eye open, looking so insane
O ya! It makes me wonder what’s happening physiologically to cause that insane hunger that ensues, and that hunger for me can last awhile even when I’ve come up from sustained lows or really sever lows
Depending on how low I go and symptoms I eat before I pay - not waiting for the line to move. I’ll pull out my “Diabetes Card” if they give me problems - member since 1986.
Haribo Golden Bear gummy bears are a pretty good source of glucose syrup, sugar and dextrose (glucose). The gelatin in them is also good for fingernail and hair growth in my experience - unintended result. Put them on your diabetes hypo-playlist.
The results of shopping while low are a lot like shopping while stoned - though not as relaxed and carefree. I prefer the latter if I get the chance…
Also - I can’t usually enjoy the store’s “muzak” while hypo.
I know it can be hard when you have to self treat alone, and it seams like the whole worls is staring at you like you must be crazy. You are in fact getting in touch with your inner animal. Embrace your inner animal and let it help you survive.
PS depending on how many carbs it takes you to get back to normal, I follow a trick I learned at a Red Cross First Aid Training class. Keep a can of Coca Cola with you. The corn suryp in liquid form will enter your blood stream the fastest. When I get really low, I have found that I can need as much as 60 grams to get me back to a point where I can figure out what went wrong.
Smarties. They are made with Dextrose which the body doesn’t have to metabolize to raise your blood sugar. Sucrose, syrups and table sugar will bring up your sugar, but they take longer. So will chocolate, but the fat in chocolate slows the absorption.
Compare the nutritional information on the (expensive) glucose tablets from the pharmacy with the Smarties in the candy aisle. If you didn’t know which was which, you can’t tell the difference from the label.
I buy 5-pound bags of Smarties from Amazon and it lasts for months. I always have a few rolls in my pocket, in my car, in my wife’s purse, and in various places around the house for those times that I go low. They are 6-grams of carbs and three rolls (18g) will get me from the 60’s to the 90’s in about 5-10 minutes.
If you want a great one for getting strange looks, imaging being a biker getting into a rest stop and realizing your getting low. You start making the long walk (that seams like it takes forever) to the vending machine. You try to get the children that are clustered around looking at all the snacks they could get, but don’t have the ability to make a decision quickly. Then a parent, seeing that you are shaking and sweating assume the worst about you (it’s the usual you’re a biker so you must be unworthy to be near their children). If you ask them to make a selection or allow you to make one, you are instantly that evil biker that spoke to their children.
So when the kids are finally out of the way, and you finally get to get the machine give you what you need. The police show up and ask is there a problem sir? You know that you made some parents nevous being near their children. This is when you pull the diabetes card. This is when you tell the officer that the reason you look so scary is because you’d asked the children to make a decision so that you could get a snake to fix the medical problem you’re having. This is when you tell them that you’re not trying to scare the parents and that you just needed a little food.
The best look is when the parents get an explanation from the officer, and then they realize the mistake they’ve made, and they make the walk of shame over to you to apoligize for jumping to conclusions about you based on they way you look.
It gets even better when after you get better, and you get back on the road. You ride down the road about ten miles and see the mom and kids on the side of the road with a flat tire, and you stop to change it for them.
As a biker, we never leave anyone stranded. It’s just the rule of the road.
♀ Because of squinty eye
I’m so glad you guys understand