Yes, I am thinking about next year when he will wake up at 6:30 and need to be at school for a 7:00 am workout, will he have the patience to wait out the low and face the coaches wrath? It will be interesting.
Well you are getting looked at because the person waiting for a parking stop is wondering why it is taking so long for you to start your car and leave. I find that if you keep a bag of Cotton candy in the car that will help raise your BG fast or if it is cold where you are you can keep 12oz bottles of juice in your trunk. I have Orange juice in my trunk but the cotton candy works a lot faster for me. Just remember to eat some protein before your BG start falling back down. I would suggest going back inside where there are other people around to notice you if you pass out from your BG falling to low. Because there has been some who have passed out in their vehicle and died. Please always keep something sweet in your car just in case your BG drops you can eat or drink that before it drops to low.
Hi @1668880, thank you for all the advice!
In the case of my college campus parking lot (the main culprit), it would be about a 15 minute walk or a 15 minute wait for a bus then a 5 minute bus ride to get back to civilization, so it’s not really a valid option to head back. I would call emergency services if I thought I was in real danger though, I have previously had warning signs prior to passing out.
I most certainly do!
Please consider what could happen if you do not get the warning signs. I used to get them and now I don’t. I have been alert and answering questions at a BG of 32. My answer to the question being asked did not make sense so my co worker told me to test my BG and when I did I was at 32 and if it was not for him I would have just taken off driving in my work van and who knows what could have happened. So please check your BG before leaving the college campus for the parking lot.
I have a CGM on all the time, so I do know what it is before I leave campus. It sometimes drops on the way there! Rest assured, I am aware of the dangers of the situation and do my best to prevent issues.
Your situation with your coworker sounds pretty scary, I’m glad you didn’t end up driving that low!
That’s good advice, but the 15 minutes of walking in many cases for us can be the difference between 100 and 60. 15 minutes is a long time when things are changing. The CGM helps with trends for sure. But a finger stick and treatment before driving if low is also a good course of action.
While EH has also lost some hypoglycemic awareness over the years, he’s still on his own often and far from civilization now and again. In that case, your advice of carrying sugar is great - that is what he does. And it works out. Better to over treat a little than to go dangerously low, I suppose.
But I would not give people advice to never be alone. That would take away, at least in our case, independence and a feeling of being unlimited that would make EH’s life have less quality.
ETA I would be the fretting-over-the-smallest-thing type if left to my own devices. But EH reminds me regularly that’s not the best course of action for our family. And he’s happy thinking of diabetes as not limiting. So I try to respect his viewpoint. Clearly sometimes it is limiting. But if I chase him around and nag him it becomes much more so.
are you always getting into your car at the same time? perhaps this is a basal issue?
i have this happen to me often enough to understand what a PITA it can be. on the weekends when i want to walk over the Manhattan Bridge with my husband into Chinatown for brunch, i MUST MUST MUST do a lowered TB (70% - 80% ) 2 full hours BEFORE i even leave my house. i need to have a BG of over 100 to take the walk without crashing. ultimately, if i can get my BG up to 120, i am safe to go, but otherwise i end up crashing mid-way over the bridge.
i even have to do a lowered TB just to walk around my neighborhood!
No, most days I have to go into lab after I’m done with class, and how long I’m there really varies based on what needs to be done, so the time at which I see this phenomenon really depends. I’ve also noted it over several quarters/differing school schedules, so I don’t think it’s an issue of my basals being too high.
A lowered temp basal would probably help if I was better at guessing when I will be done for the day
i need at least 2 hours of a lowered TB before it kicks in. i hear/read about others only needing 1/2 hour, but for me, well, i got to wait it out. i end up with pockets full of glucose tablets and candy in my bags and my pockets, etc, to prepare for all emergencies. sometimes i even pack a tiny bottle of juice to take with me wherever i am going. and i hate waiting for my BG to come back up to a safe level to complete my walk home. it can be very frustrating.