Low Blood Sugar Archives - The Life of a Diabetic

Going to Crayola with our Type 1 Four Year Old

April 22, 2020April 23, 2020 Chris Stocker

The area in Pennsylvania we live in is filled with amazing things to do. There is a ton of history in this area and there are a lot of manufacturing plants and businesses that you would never know that are from our small town unless you lived here.

One of those places is Crayola.

Crayola has a few different warehouses in the area and their Crayola Experience which is in downtown Easton, PA. This Crayola Experience is an interactive 4-story adventure. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it.

Not our First Time There

We have been to the Crayola a few times before, but going after our daughter’s diagnosis was going to be a bit different. At the time of writing this blog post, we have been to Crayola with her twice.

Once as a family and then once with just my wife and her while I drove around town with a sleeping baby in the car. Crayola was our daughter’s choice for her reward for getting her bloodwork labs done (in which she passed out and scared the hell out of us, but that’s another blog post!).

The first time that we took her to Crayola after her diagnosis was for her 4th birthday and we did not have a Dexcom or Omnipod yet, so we were checking quite frequently. Looking back on these things we did before having a Dexcom, I don’t know how we did it. I mean, I know how we did it, because we could do it again if needed, but the constant thought of not knowing what her BG is without easily being able to just look at our phones makes me nauseas.

The second time we went to Crayola Experience, it was just my wife and our daughter and that time she was wearing a Dexcom and Omnipod, so it was a lot easier to manage. Except for the fact that she passed out earlier in the day from getting her blood work done and over-correcting her and her BG shooting up into the high 400s.

Keeping Dexcom Phone within Range

There are a ton of things to do within Crayola Experience which means there is a ton of excitement which means blood sugar drops!

One of those fun, amazing activities is the 2-story high indoor playground. Can I just say now that this thing gives me ajida (I have no clue how to spell this word because I never heard of it until I was about 25 or so anyway).

There’s a few reasons why, but one, my kid is pretty clumsy and I know she’s going to fall or trip on something inside the playground, which is just part of growing up, but I hate watching it happen.

Also, I have been freaked out by germs before Coronavirus. I understand that there are germs everywhere in the Crayola Experience, but when she’s inside the playhouse thing, I can’t control her using hand sanitizer or not touching her face and mouth.

The next reason is Dexcom sharing. We didn’t want to put the Dexcom in her pocket or even in the little fannypack thing we have from SP I Belt.

I didn’t want to take the chance of it falling it while she was playing and not knowing and another kid picking up an iPhone and walking away with it. So, for that reason, my wife was standing as close to the playground as possible to make sure that we would not lose connection.

Some people may be reading this thinking that we are a bit obsessive over the Dexcom, and you are 100% correct. If I have the technology and she’s wearing it and going through the process of it getting inserted, then why the heck would I not utilize it at all times?

Packing Juices and Snacks

Crayola Experience does not allow any food, drinks or snacks inside. We always carry a doctor’s note with us for situations like this. They searched the bag and allowed us to bring in juices and some candy. One thing they will not let in is peanut butter. Luckily, none of our snacks are peanut butter related.

The first time that we went to Crayola after her diagnosis, which was without a Dexcom as I mentioned previously, when we checked her she was right around the low 100s, so we knew she was going to need something soon. This was getting very close to lunch time so we were hoping we could finish the current activity we were doing and just have her eat lunch and potentially not even need a bolus.

That didn’t work out. She went even lower and we had to check her BG again and had to give her a juice. Luckily, we were able to bring in our own juices. I didn’t see any vending machines anywhere around, other than at the cafeteria which was nowhere near where we were.

Our entire goal is to make sure that our daughter can do everything she would have done before she had diabetes. Since she has been to Crayola before she was diagnosed, we didn’t want this trip to be any different. This time was actually better for her, she got to have a juice in the middle of the trip when the last time she wasn’t allowed to have any juice or snacks brought in!

Our entire goal is to make sure that our daughter can do everything she would have done before she had diabetes Click To Tweet

How do you prep for doing fun activities like this?

Do you carry a doctor’s note places that don’t allow food or snacks in? Or do you just say my child (or myself) have Type 1 Diabetes and I need to bring this in?

Please comment on this post or head on over to Facebook or Instagram to continue the conversation.

Swim Lessons and Diabetes

April 20, 2020April 20, 2020 Chris Stocker

We were late to the swim lesson game. We didn’t start swim lessons until after she was 4 years old. She knew how to do some basic stuff in a pool just from our own lessons of teaching her in the pool.

We decided that we wanted to do real swim lessons at our local community center. Of course we had to take extra steps and precautions with her type 1 diabetes.

Meeting with the Teacher Ahead of Time

When we signed her up, we explained to the community center that she had Type 1 Diabetes and wanted to speak directly to the teacher so we could talk to her about symptoms of lows and diabetes in general.

It’s important for us to meet with any teacher beforehand to discuss diabetes and to go over signs and symptoms of a low blood sugar. We also wanted to make sure that it was going to be OK for us to be in the pool area for the swim lessons.

We don’t plan on being helicopter parents forever, but diabetes was still new to us and so were swim lessons.

We don't plan on being helicopter parents forever, but diabetes was still new to us and so were swim lessons. Click To Tweet

The teacher was very responsive to learning and caring of making sure to keep a closer eye on our daughter.

Dexcom for the Win

Luckily, she was using a Dexcom during the swim lessons. We were able to track her blood sugars from the bleachers and know which way her blood sugars were trending. This was huge for us.

I’ve heard so many stories (and myself included) about swimming just tanking a blood sugar. My blood sugar drops quick soon after being done swimming. It doesn’t hit me right away, but everyone is different.

We would do a finger BG check beforehand just to ensure that the Dexcom was accurate.

Monitoring Dexcom

The swim lessons were in an indoor swimming pool, so there were bleachers next to the pool. Perfect for parents who wanted to be close by and watch their kids closely during swim lessons.

Some parents just dropped their kids off and left and some stayed but weren’t really paying attention and then there was us. The parents who were watching every movement.

I wasn’t watching to make sure she was swimming properly and following directions, I was purely watching to look out for symptoms of a low or something diabetes related.

We were also monitoring her Dexcom closely. There were times in the bathtub and pool that her Dexcom would lose signal, so we were monitoring it to look for trends in case it did lose signal.

Lower Blood Sugars Later

As I mentioned above, when I swim, my blood sugar doesn’t tank immediately, but it does go down pretty quickly after I am done. I wasn’t sure how swimming would effect my daughter, so we were thankful to have the Dexcom.

Her blood sugars stayed pretty stable during swim lessons, so we didn’t have to worry too much about it. The swim lessons were at 6 pm, so we ate dinner beforehand and then went to swim.

I think that helped because instead of her spiking after dinner, we went to swim lessons, so it equalled out.

We did start to see her blood sugars slowly go down after we came back and when we were getting ready for bed and also after she went to sleep.

To not have to worry about lows in the middle of the night, we typically ended up giving her a small snack before bed.

We were not comfortable enough with temp basals on the Omnipod at that time, so we didn’t use them. Now, we are much more comfortable with the Omnipod to do it.

It was a lot of stress, but the more she swam, the more comfortable we were with it.

How do you handle swimming and blood sugars? Do you drop quickly during or after? Or both? What strategies do you use?

Please comment on this post or head on over to Facebook or Instagram to continue the conversation.

Her First Birthday Party Since Diagnosis

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020 Chris Stocker

Shortly after her diagnosis, her birthday was right around the corner. With all the newfound stress of managing her Type 1 Diabetes, we barely put any thought into what kind of birthday party she was going to have.

She decided that she wanted to have a bowling party. So, that’s what we did.

I’ve been to a million bowling parties before. I know what bowling parties entail.

Pizza.

I am writing this blog post about a year after this all happened, but from my recollection, we did not have pizza after her diagnosis because that food is the devil. 16 years into diabetes and I can’t figure out how to bolus for that food.

But, this was her birthday party, so she was going to have pizza, snacks and a cupcake. Nothing was going to stop that.

This was also our first time going bowling since her diagnosis, so we weren’t really sure how her blood sugars were going to react to that particular activity. She was not using a Dexcom yet, so it was manual finger checks to make sure her numbers were good.

The party started off great. The plan was to bowl for an hour and a half and then food and gifts for the final 30 minutes. I obviously don’t remember the specifics a year later, but from what I remember, she did go low during the bowling portion of the party.

There was a lot of excitement, bowling, playing games in between their turns and the perfect recipe to drive a blood sugar straight down. Good thing there were a ton of juices that we had on hand for the kids.

Pizza

Bolusing for pizza, and also for cupcakes in this situation was going to be tough. She was not on an insulin pump at that time, so we had to give the bolus amount for both at the same time. We knew the pizza was going to take longer to break down and would raise her blood sugar at least an hour or two after she ate, so we were OK with giving the full bolus amount upfront.

Also, it’s pizza. It’s one of the only foods that she eats quickly.

Cupcakes

The cupcakes were homemade, so we were confident on knowing the carb count on them. Well, to the best we could calculate. My wife is all about baking her own cakes and cupcakes now for special occasions so that we can count the total amount of carbs and then break it down per serving that she breaks them down into.

Running Around

After eating pizza and cupcakes, there were balloons in the party room, so that means only one thing. Running around chasing and hitting balloons like a maniac. The running around in the party room after bowling was definitely the highlight of the party and much more active.

She went low again, but again, she doesn’t get to drink juice too often, so it was a great opportunity to allow her to enjoy some juice on her birthday.

I think that we checked her blood sugar probably two additional times during the “running around” phase of her party. Later that night, she skyrocketed, which I knew was going to happen, but we took it all in stride and corrected as needed.

Clean Hands

Obviously this one takes on a whole new meaning in today’s world that we live in, but clean hands has always been something that we obsessed over. Now, with Type 1 Diabetes, we became quickly obsessed with her not getting sick. Cold or flus took on a whole new level for us.

Let’s face it, bowling alleys are disgusting. My wife grew up in a bowling alley. By that I mean her mom and dad bowled in leagues for years, her mom manages the biggest bowling alley in South Florida and my wife worked there for 5-6 years also. So, I know all about bowling alleys and the hands that go into the bowling balls, people not washing their hands, and how impossible it is to keep it clean.

While trying to just enjoy her birthday party, I couldn’t help but constantly watch her closely every time she touched her face (which if you know our daughter, is like 100 times a minute).

It was a success

Luckily, no illness came after the party. And overall, the party was a huge success. She had fun. It was the first time she had a chance to play with all of her friends and cousins since her diagnosis. She had a great time and that’s all that mattered.

It was also the first time that we really had a chance to see other adults as well and of course the questions about diabetes and what she can and cannot do started to roll.

If you’re enjoying the blog being back, please leave a comment or share on Facebook. Feedback is what keeps this thing moving along.

NuGo Slim Protein Bar Review

April 8, 2019April 8, 2019 Chris Stocker 5 Comments

Ever since my diagnosis in 2004, one of the biggest issues that I’ve had in my diabetes management are spikes in my blood glucose levels after meals. Because of this, snacking in-between meals has always been difficult. The primary reason of why it’s been difficult is because, even though I need a snack, I’m trying to bring my blood glucose levels down, so a snack may just keep them spiked (if it’s not a typical low-carb snack, which sometimes I want something other than low-carb).

I have tried so many different granola bars, fruit bars, nuts, this, that and everything else in the middle, and I just couldn’t seem to find something that worked great for me.

Then I found NuGo Slim.

So, here is exactly what I was looking for. Something high in protein and fiber and low in carbs.

Here is some information from NuGo about their healthy protein bars:

NuGo is the only company to make REAL Dark Chocolate coated protein bars for many lifestyles. NuGo’s REAL Dark Chocolate melts in your mouth, releasing a luscious flavor. Other ‘dark chocolate’ protein bars substitute unhealthy palm kernel oil for the natural cocoa butter, raising the melt point above body temp, making it waxy and too sweet.

NuGo Slim contains 16-18g protein, 5-6 grams net carbs, and has a tested and verified very low glycemic index of 24-29 to help avoid blood sugar spikes. These gluten-free, low sugar bars are sweetened with luscious real dark chocolate and chicory root fiber without using maltitol or artificial sweeteners. Four flavors are vegan and Kosher Pareve: Crunchy Peanut Butter, Espresso, Toasted Coconut, and Chocolate Mint. http://www.nugonutrition.com/products/slim/

Read and sign the petition created on change.org by NuGo Nutrition to create a FDA standard for dark chocolate.https://www.change.org/petitions/dark-chocolate-food-labeling-tell-the-fda-to-stop-the-deception

So, why am I so bullish on these NuGo Slim bars? Simple.

Steady Blood Sugar Levels

They help me when I need a snack and and most importantly, there’s no blood sugar spikes and they help maintain a steady blood sugar. Here are a couple of Dexcom screenshots to show my blood sugar graphs before and after eating NuGo Slim.

Here is a Dexcom screenshot from when I don’t eat a Low Glycemic index snack or foods. You can see the crazy spikes which then lead to a rapid decline which just makes my body feel like absolute crap!

Flavors of NuGo Slim Bars

So far, I’ve had a few different flavors:

Crunchy Peanut Butter

Brownie Crunch

Vegan Chocolate Mint

Other Flavors Include

NuGo Slim Sample Pack

NuGo Slim Sample Pack – Vegan

COUPON CODE – USE CODE “DIABETES” for 15% off NuGo Slim through June 30, 2019

Low Glycemic Index

As you know, I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. I also do not claim to fully understand how the body works and how exactly the glycemic index works, but I do know the basics. For example, foods with low glycemic index have much less of an effect on blood sugar levels, especially post meal spikes.

NuGo Slim bars have a low glycemic index of 24-29, verified by GI Labs of Toronto.

When I decided to sample and try these products, I wanted to wait until a time where my blood sugar was not jumping all around, up and down, so that I could get a good gauge on what the bar would actually do. As you saw in the Dexcom screen grabs above, my blood sugar did not spike after eating.

Why is that?

Chicory Root Fiber

NuGo Slim bars use a Chicory Root Fiber, which according to the NuGo website;

Has virtually no effect on blood sugar levels because it doesn’t absorb or digest until it reached the large intestine.

Another important reason as to why I have enjoyed the NuGo Slim bars is because I am NOT a fan of sugar substitutes. I try to eliminate any forms of sorbitol, maltitol, or anything else. The sugar substitutes are typically used to help avoid a blood sugar spike, but there are a plethora of other negatives about using them.

NuGo Slim bars contain NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS!

Energy, Energy, Energy

I am awake about 18-19 hours a day. I am working on getting a better amount of sleep, but currently, that’s just where my life is at. During these times between meals where I need a snack, I tend to get a bit low on energy as well. That is another reason why I’m loving these bars. With about 16-18g of protein in each bar, they help sustain your energy, and I sure need that!

If you are looking for an in-between meal snack, a protein bar for breakfast, maybe before or after a gym workout, then I highly recommend the NuGo Slim bars.

Where to Buy NuGo – NuGo Store Locator – Find NuGo Nutrition

Find out where you can pick up NuGo protein bars at a location near you! NuGo Nutrition makes the finest, healthiest, most delicious protein bars and snacks available.

COUPON CODE – USE CODE “DIABETES” for 15% off NuGo Slim through June 30, 2019

The Feeling of Guilt at 3:00 AM

May 9, 2017May 9, 2017 Chris Stocker

Last week I posted a VLOG episode that started out with a 3:00 AM low blood sugar that required my wife to go downstairs to get some apple juice for me. Unfortunately, the same thing happened last night. I woke up around 3:15 AM to use the bathroom and I instantly started to feel lightheaded, sweating a lot and just discombobulated (first time I ever typed that word).

I instantly staggered out to my work desk where I keep a bag of Starburst Jelly Beans (thanks after Easter sales). But they just weren’t doing the job.

As I sit on the edge of the bed trying to not make a lot of noise with the bag of jelly beans because I don’t want to wake up my wife, I hear her say, “Do you need some juice?” My initial thought in my head was, “absolutely I need some because this is a bad low.” But, then that feeling of guilt sets in. The feeling that I don’t want my wife to have to get out of bed, go all the way down the stairs to the kitchen, fill up a glass of juice, bring it back upstairs and then have to try and fall back asleep. I’d much rather her just lay there and sleep.

So, I first answered her with a, “no, I’ll be fine. The jelly beans should do the job.” But I ate 1/3 of the bag already and I’m not feeling any better. I need something to react quick! Juice is what’s going to do it. But, I still don’t want her to have to wake up and get out of bed, this is my low blood sugar, not hers.

starburst jelly beans for low blood sugars Then I somehow started to do some basic math in my head. I had my pump off for dinner because I needed to do a site change and didn’t feel like doing it until after I took a shower. So, I took an injection for dinner, then took an injection for a snack and a correction and then put my pump back on and didn’t adjust my temp basal at all. So, I realized I had a lot of insulin in my body and I needed to feed it some sugar.

So I finally gave in, “actually, I’m going to need some juice, I’m sorry. Can you please get me some? Sorry”

If you could see the speed of which my wife jumps out of bed to get downstairs to get my juice, you would think she’s starring in the new Wonder Woman movie.

As she came in with the juice, Kool-Aid last night, I said thank you and sorry again. Her response is always, “stop saying sorry, it’s fine.”

But it’s not.

I always have the same feeling of guilt every time this happens in the middle of the night. If I can make it downstairs myself, I will, but some times these lows have me extremely light headed, it’s extremely dark, 2 baby gates to step over, it can be tricky for someone fighting with a low.

I feel a sense of guilt every time I wake my wife up bc of middle of the night low blood sugars Click To Tweet

Even after I’m starting to feel better (which usually means I’m going to go high soon because I over-corrected, which I always do in the middle of the night), she doesn’t fall back asleep until she knows that I’m good to go.

This is what it’s like to have a life partner that’s with you through thick and thin and there for you for every low and also my short-tempered highs as well (we’re still working on those situations).

I’m not sure the guilt will ever go away, but the guilt quickly turns into thankfulness and appreciation.

Low Blood Sugars Affect Us All

August 16, 2013August 16, 2013 Chris Stocker

Getting a low blood sugar in the middle of the night really does affect all the people in the house. I have had a low blood sugar a few nights in a row and it sucks when I do because I feel bad because it wakes Amanda up. She’s a teacher and with school starting back up again, she needs to get up around 5:30 – 6:00 and when I wake up at 2-3 a.m. with a low blood sugar making noise to get candy or to go out into the kitchen to get some OJ, she always wakes up and stays awake a bit to make sure that I am feeling ok.

This low blood sugar then affects her sleep and trust me, she needs her sleep.

During wedding week when all of my family was here I had a low blood sugar at my house before we were leaving to head over to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. At this time, I had my parents, grandmother and her husband, and a few others in my house. I tested and mentioned that I was having a low blood sugar and I needed some juice. My mother and grandmother kicked into action real quick. Mother got the juice, grandmother made a half of sandwich. Then for the next 30 minutes they were both asking me if I felt fine, was everything ok, did I need something else, etc.

This is yet another way that shows how much diabetes affects not just the person living with it, but those that surround them and I’d like to give a big thank you to all of those people.

Manually Logging my BG’s

January 16, 2013January 16, 2013 Chris Stocker 3 Comments

The other day I decided that it was time to manually log my blood sugars again, along with the calorie and carb intakes. I feel that by writing them down, I am able to hold myself more accountable for them and I am a bit more aware of the numbers and certain trends. When I don’t log, I may know that my sugars have been trending high, but I don’t know exactly why or what the trends are. Read More

How Low Can You Go?

January 7, 2013January 7, 2013 Chris Stocker 8 Comments

Unfortunately, I am not talking about doing the limbo, I am talking about blood sugars. The reason that I am writing this is because last night brought about the lowest blood sugar that I have had in my 9 years of having diabetes. At least, the lowest that I have recorded by testing my blood sugar. I have been doing a lot of testing with my insulin to carb ratios and basal rates and measuring out the food instead of just guessing, so I am going low a lot lately. Last night was a bad one.

After eating dinner and even having a bowl of Frosted Flakes as a snake before bed, I tried to go to sleep around 10:30-11:00, which is way too early for me. But don’t worry, I didn’t stay asleep for very long, because I was woken up at about 1:30 a.m. with a low blood sugar. I don’t usually test my sugar when it’s low, because I know it’s low, so I just try and treat it and test later. This time, I decided to test my blood sugar before drinking down two big ole’ glasses of orange juice. The meter said, 41. That is the lowest blood sugar that I have ever had. I had one at 45 a few years ago, but nothing lower than that.

It took me 2 glasses of orange juice, 7 munchkins (they were left over from Sunday breakfast) and a granola bar. After I felt good enough to allow myself to go back to sleep, I woke up 6 hours later and my blood sugar was 161. So, even after all that sugar that went into my body, I didn’t even really over-treat the low like I do every single other time.

What is the lowest blood sugar that you ever had?

Juicebox to the Rescue

October 12, 2012October 12, 2012 Chris Stocker 3 Comments

Last week I started using Apidra again, at least for a little while. I sort of have a mix and match bag of insulin right now. A little Apidra, a bit of Novolog and some Humalog sprinkled here and there. I am not switching back and forth, but once I’m out of Apidra, I will move to Novolog until that is gone and so on and so forth. Thanks to an angel of insulin, I have some extra insulin for about a 1-2 month supply. Let’s get back on topic.

Since, I was using Apidra again, my bg was going low in the morning time because I needed to adjust my basals again. As I have written about before, I use less insulin, smaller basal rates, when I am using Apidra, which is why I want to use it. I went through a whole bag of the super-sized Skittles within 3 days because of the lows that I was getting. Now, if you haven’t eaten about 4 handfulls of Skittles in a while, then you may not know, but your jaw completely locks up and it’s nearly impossible to continue to chew. I knew that I needed a different form of sugar, so I decided that I would go buy some more orange juice. The problem with the orange juice though is that I drink it even when my bg isn’t low because I just love orange juice. Read More

One Heck of a Dexcom Ride

August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 Chris Stocker 1 Comment

The other day I went on one heck of a Dexcom ride. I don’t like roller coasters because I have a serious fear of heights and have a firm belief that my death will come by way of a poisonous snake bite or a roller coaster coming off the tracks. Therefore, I avoid roller coasters. However, I cannot avoid those diabetes blood sugar roller coasters at all times. Even though I try to, they still occur.

I haven’t had one in a while, but boy did I have one on Wednesday. Tuesday night I was high, near the 300’s. By the time I woke up in the morning, I had it down to about 120-ish. Then I ate lunch and it went back up. Right before dinner I went low to about 60-ish. I was going to be eating chicken and rice, so I figured I would wait until halfway through my meal to take my insulin because I didn’t want to go super low while I was eating. That’s when the steep increase at the beginning of the coaster started. I went from a bg of 70 to a bg of 370 in under an hour. I have NEVER gone that high, that fast. In fact, I didn’t even think it was possible. If it wasn’t for testing my blood sugar to make sure my Dexcom was giving me the right numbers, I would have never believed it. Read More

Category: Low Blood Sugar