Sunday, December 20, 2009

At Death's Door

I have not been able to blog the last few days because of a major set back. I have two health problems that are causing conflicting issues with the new diet. I have gastroparesis. And this issue is greatly helped by the raw food diet.
But I have also been diagnosed with hypoglycemia. This part of me is having issues. Yesterday was a terrible day. I felt icky and just plain sick. So I camped myself out on the couch. It is less depressing than being in bed. My feet felt frozen, so I walked back to my bedroom to get some socks.
Crash and burn. I passed out by the doorway. My husband had to carry me back to the couch where I remained for the duration of the day. After my husband got back from my daughter's dance recital (which I had to miss because I couldn't even walk on my own), I decided that something felt really wrong. I had the impression to test my blood sugar. My husband got my tester and...
The batteries were dead. So he had to call around to find the special size required (AAAA). They cost $4 per battery. After he got back and got everything ready, we tested. The results. Not so good.
My blood sugar levels were at 36. For those of you who don't know blood sugar levels (like me before talking to my cousin who is a paramedic), you should be in the ER if it drops below 50. And if it drops below 40, it can be fatal or put you in a comma. Prolonged periods of blood sugar below 40 can cause brain damage.
I didn't know any of this when we found out the levels. I just knew that it was too low. So I popped a couple of glucose tablets and waited half an hour to test again. My blood sugar raised to 40. It took us over two hours to get my blood sugar up to an acceptable level.
I was more than humbled when I was finally alert enough to take things in. I called my cousin to ask just how bad that blood sugar reading is. He asked if I was in the hospital. I told him no, and he insisted that I check my levels until it was up to a good level and suggested a few things to eat to make sure that the levels didn't drop again in the middle of the night.
Today, the realization hit me. I could have died yesterday. I could have left my husband and daughter with a big whole in their lives. God has spared me. He saved me for a special purpose.
It is very humbling to know that I could have died. I felt like I might for a while. My heart was hammering so hard in my chest that I could hardly focus on anything else. It was the most terrifying experience of my life.

To top it all off, I have lost eleven pounds in one week. I hope the doctors find something soon. I didn't have the weight to lose to begin with. In the past month I have lost a total of 16 pounds. I feel like I am waisting away to nothing. Something needs to change. And fast.

3 comments:

  1. I'm diabetic and my mom's been diabetic for over 50 years. I completely understand the issues with the blood sugar. I hope your body adjusts to the new diet quickly! Fruit will help keep your blood sugars up but I'm not sure how much the diet will allow you of fresh fruit. ~hugs~ and hang in there!

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  2. Hi there! I just found your blog. My 2 year old son has gastroparesis (idiopathic), so I'm definitely interested in your raw food journey. I'm sorry to hear about your recent setback with your blood sugar! My mom has diabetes and hypoglycemia, and I know how bad it can be when your blood sugar drops that low. I'm so glad you're okay and I wish you all the best!

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  3. Hello, I found your blog through a friend who was following me in a old blog of mine. I just wanted to let you know that I hope your struggle gets better soon and barnes and noble and borders have excellent raw non cook books. I have soo many. I was on the raw diet as well but fell off the wagon from having a set back myself. I hope things work out for you and if you dont mind I would love to follow your blog

    Hope you get better
    B

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