It’s going to be a short post today, as my bed is calling and my body is itching to comply! Four days ago, I wrote a post that walked through the process of dealing with an overnight of extreme high and low blood sugars. Although a common problem for Type-1 Diabetics, it’s not necessarily something that SHOULD happen, if one maintains proper control.
When something like what happened to me last Saturday takes place, there’s generally an underlying reason. Either you’ve gone radically off your usual food regiment, have indulged in something you usually wouldn’t, or you’re sick. In my case, I’m happy/not happy to report that it’s the latter.
As I’m sure my fellow T1D’s can agree, we generally catch every little bug that zips past us, on account of the lovely immune system we have. Although I had a bit of a headache on Sunday, I really didn’t notice a difference. But when Monday hit, I started to note the tell-tale signs that something was amiss. My sinuses decided to close up shop and become impenetrable, to air or anything else, my throat decided to mimic the feeling that’s usually reserved for a stiff shot of Fireball (but a lasting feeling as opposed to temporary) and my head thought it would be a good idea to see how well I could function through my day without proper balance by making my head spin, non-stop.
Folks, I’m not the “man flu” type of guy… Sure, I’ll bitch, whine and complain about being sick with the best of ’em, but I still get things done. On Monday morning, I still got my son up, ready for school and to his bus. I still ran errands and still did things around the house. Despite how it sounds, I’m actually not bragging; this is just my typical day. But yesterday, my system decided to double down and increase its efforts to make me feel like I had been struck by a freight train. I think the worst part of it, was swallowing my pride long enough to acknowledge that I should skip karate and allow my body to rest.
This morning, my voice is slowly walking away from the party and although my blood sugars are sitting at an awesome 6.8 mmol/L, my body is racked with pain and nausea has set in. Lovely. Although I have no issues with the whole “adulting” thing, I think the remainder of my day (at least until I go pick up my son from the bus) will include making a fort with a blankie on the couch, maybe watch some Hell’s Kitchen with my wife, and see how long I can become unconscious for.
As important as staying driven and motivated may be, it’s also just as important to listen to your body and allow it to rest when needed. Otherwise, you could be looking at twice the amount of recovery time that you’d typically need. Stay hydrated, test your blood sugars often and make sure to eat something, despite your lack of appetite. Stay healthy, folks! ☯
