I am forcing 2 friends to go with me to Wisconisn Dells this summer. One friend wasn’t a fantastic street medic last time and I was a very bad diabetic. I was running low every night for weeks. Then I upped the anti and added a hot tub AND a sauna into the mix. Of course, there was swimming. That ended in a 2AM ambulance ride in the middle of the night.
I would have figured it out on my own…eventually, but one of my friends just panicked and called 911. The medics got there fast. They tried to give me a banana but I didn’t grasp it well and it fell on the floor. It might have gotten a little smashed into the carpet.
My friend is getting pretty old. He’s 75 years old. It’s amazing that he will go to a waterslide park to begin with. He’s not a friend that knows a lot about diabetes. He’s never seen me incapacitated by low BS before, even though I’ve known him for 20 years, and it scared him to death. He picked me up from the ER right away even though there was a terrible blizzard that night. He did great.
Now, I’m superstitious about the Dells. Wisconsin Dells feels omionous. I’m gonna try and lean into that dread and embrace it. We will do the Ghost boat the first night there. https://www.dellsghostboat.com/
Take liquid glucose and yes it will be OK to run high while on the run in the sun, in the Tub or at the water slide at the first bump, and you are 14 feet in the air (or a little less).
This is the nations largest waterslide park. Can’t be too careful. You run up and down those stairs. It could easily take me out again. Run high.
I should train for this - use fear in a productive way - over prepare by getting a season pass to a small, cheap local pool and getting adjusted to using those muscles. Maybe a wave pool. I’m nervous because I might be walking along the edge of what is reasonable for me to do.
@mohe0001 my mantra in a strange place is “glucose gels are my friends”. I don’t leave home without them. Yes, I’m an overprepared weirdo, but I of all people can not afford to show up in the er doing St Vida’s dance. That would be the end of my drivers license. I’m cautious. I don’t take chances. So I carry gel packs because I can actually somehow get those open when I’m low. I’ve seen the teeth prints, like a rat in desperation trying to get the dextrose. Not pretty, but whatever. At that point whatever works right?. It’s primal at that point. And to top it off, i don’t remember any of it. I remember the after effects of the seizures. I remember the black closing in as I tanked. I think I remember punching the crap out of several fireman - why? iDK. I remember a searing pain in my chest and waking up 16 hours later with wires everywhere in a strange place and lots of noise. I remember somebody in a colorful outfit showing me a drivers license with a hole in it and the blessed peace as I passed out. I remember my jaw being sore and every muscle in my body feeling like I had run a marathon.
I don’t like that experience. It has happened too many times. I carry glucose gels because s****“” happens.***
@mohe0001 protect yourself. Plan for the worst hope for the best. Don’t forget what I did. Please.
Swimming does a number on me. I’m gonna train for this event. I’m gonna bring a friend from highschool is is very good in an emergency. She’s super practical and always has snacks. I’m gonna fill the hotel room to the brim with snacks.
What sucks is that you can’t bring snacks into the waterpark. I might need a bag full of snacks. I’m certain they will allow glucose tabs. It’s gonna be hard. I just need to train for this by running up and down the steps at the single waterslide at my local pool maybe.
Waterparks are hard because you can’t really have your sensor or pump on you. It’s more challanging than extreme skiing for that reason.
At least I scheduled a day at Wizard Quest to recover AFTER the waterslide park. The driving really scares me. https://www.wizardquest.com/ That will decrease some risk. Plus it will be summer. Last time, we went in the winter and there was a blizzard. Both of us just almost started crying, we were so scared driving. It was death defying on the roads. I was doing that thing where you brace for impact with your arms and legs inside the car because you are so conviced that impact is imminent. We couldn’t have been going much more than 10 miles per hour, if that.
You just never know what to expect for weather here. Yesterday it was 80 degrees. Tonight it will drop below freezing.
I always wear my medical ID bracelet and put my snacks with my medical supplies. It helps remind anyone who might inspect my bag that it’s medicine. You probably won’t end up eating in the pool, and I’m sure they’d rather no one needed an ambulance! You could also look into a waterproof pouch on a belt to wear, and keep some glucose gels in it so wherever you are you have something.
You can prep your friend to help advocate for you too. My husband is always ready to fight when we’re going through the bag search at concerts – but they’ve never batted an eye at my snacks. (Except for one security guard who thought I was vaping, because of the little cloud of glucose tube dust. )
My scariest low was also a hot day in the water. I had been somewhat high before getting in the pool and corrected before jumping in. Big mistake, because the heat and exercise made that insulin work too well. I knew I felt funny so I got out to check my BG… but I was so confused that my Dexcom app didn’t have any readings (thick concrete separating it from my sensor), and my fingers were wet and pruney so I couldn’t get my strips to read right, and my hands kept slipping trying to open my fruit snacks… Luckily I was with my oldest friends who have known me since childhood diagnosis. They saw me acting funny and asked me what I needed, but I was just so confused by everything that I couldn’t communicate. They ran inside to get me a soda and kept reminding me to “just drink” whenever I would stop to try to explain my confusion. Now they know that incoherent blabbering and thinking something totally unrelated is the most important thing ever… is a symptom of a severe low haha. Thank goodness for good friends!
I don’t trust a teenage lifeguard to know what a medical alert tag is. I write “Diabetic” in permanent marker on my forearm where they can’t miss it.
I got one of those. It’s a large park. I’m not gonna leave unattended medical devices next to the pool where any toddler can pick them up. I’m just gonna be seperated from them the majority of the time. I’d leave an unattended $20 manual meter at the bottom of the slide so I don’t need to walk 1/2 a mile back to a locker in order to check. The meter might be a practical solution.
Most of my friends from HS and undergrad are EMT trained. They know the drill. I have been instilling the fear of God into some of them for 30 years that if they call 911, I’ll kill them. They can street medic their way out of anything without help from ‘the authorities.’ Elderly Rob needs backup for an adventure like this. I’ll bring my own street medics this time.
EXACTLY. The heat is a force to be feared. Water is a force to be reckoned with. It’s a perfect storm.
Yup. This is a real risk. It can’t be business as usual corrections. I’ve done a number of days at the wave pool with my friend Stacey (who I am bringing) and some days that’s a LOT of continuous physical exersion where I just need to suspend insulin delivery completley for several hours.
Stacey will recognize this instantly.
Rob aint the best at this. He will need backup. That was my mistake during the last Dells trip. I underestimated the amount of roadtrip risk. We really pushed the limits of what was possible. He had an AMAZING time, but I’m honestly a little concerned this activity is beyond HIS physical capabilites as well, by virtue of the fact that is 75 years old. His job will be to take care of himself. My job will be to take care of myself.
We will struggle to keep up with Stacey. She is in really good shape. Our only hope to keep up with her is that she just recently recovered from cervical cancer. She might not be in her typical peak condition. She sometimes gets a little tierd. That gives us a fighting chance of keeping up, but she means business at waterslide parks.
I’ve been to lots of waterslide parks with both of these two. If you haven’t seen this documentary, it is worth a watch. Waterparks used to be a lot more dangerous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqg48h_uKYM
The goal is to push the limits of what is possible, in the name of fun and excitment, right up to the line, without anybody getting transported by ambulance. Stacey is well aware that is my goal and is already a little apprehensive. It’s a delecate balance. Last trip, I went over the line. This time, I have the benefit of that experience. I can pull it off, but I will need to train for this.
That sounds like a wild trip. Honestly, good call bringing friends who can react fast. Hypos in those settings can get risky quick. Hope the next Dells run goes smoother.
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