My Sister Helps with a Scary Low
This story isn't about me... in fact, I've never met the subject of this tale.
My younger sister Sarah called me the other day, left a voicemail saying, "Kelsey, I have a story I have to tell you." She did not sound happy, rather a bit weary. I called her back right away.
Sarah is a graduate student in agriculture at Cal Poly SLO. The other day, one of her classes took a field trip to San Jose, CA. On the drive she began chatting with a classmate, I'll call him B. B has type 1 diabetes. Sarah and B spent an hour talking about diabetes. Sarah found this really exciting since she hasn't had many conversations with other people who have type 1. (My family is quite interested in diabetes and all I have to deal with... I've only recently starting sharing more of my experiences with them.)
A few days later... Sarah, B and the rest of their class are in lab. Some of their lab equipment isn't working, so they take an hour break until it's fixed. Sarah comes back to see B laying on one of the lab tables. She gently tries to wake him, because it's time to start their experiment. He doesn't respond.
"Uh, guys? How long has B been sleeping?"
"He's been out a half hour or so."
Sarah notices that B is drenched in sweat even though the lab is freezing. She's not sure what this means. She wonders whether he is high or low. Again, Sarah shakes B, harder this time. He turns to face her and has the scariest look on his face. She's really disturbed by his expression.
"Hey, did B say anything before he fell asleep?" Sarah asks her classmates.
"Uh... he said he hadn't eaten in awhile. I think he might just be hung over, he went out last night."
It clicks.
"Okay, he's low. We need to get something sugary in him."
The professor enters and says he has some juice bottles. Class members run to get the juice while the professor calls an ambulance. They struggle to make sure B is aware that they're trying to give him juice. When Sarah provides the bottle, B grabs it. He knows that he needs it. Two bottles are gulped down with some assistance.
The ambulance arrives within 5 minutes (must be on campus). They squirt glycogen in his mouth and test his blood. 36 mg/dl. The students are asked to leave so B can recover in peace.
Sarah told me this story practically all in one breath. We agreed that it was good she was there, otherwise no one may have questioned B's sudden nap. This event made me think... family and friends of type 1 diabetics are a great resource to all of the other type 1s out there. As alert as Sarah was, I realized there were things I could educate my family about, so they could be even more helpful in an emergency. We all know that sweatiness means a low, but do our family and friends? Alcohol the night before was another clue... one that non-diabetics wouldn't know.
It would be wise to clearly explain the symptoms of hypoglycemia to our family and friends, so they can help us in an emergency, or another diabetic they come across in their everyday life.
I was so proud of my sister for helping another diabetic in need! Great job Sarsies :)
My younger sister Sarah called me the other day, left a voicemail saying, "Kelsey, I have a story I have to tell you." She did not sound happy, rather a bit weary. I called her back right away.
Sarah is a graduate student in agriculture at Cal Poly SLO. The other day, one of her classes took a field trip to San Jose, CA. On the drive she began chatting with a classmate, I'll call him B. B has type 1 diabetes. Sarah and B spent an hour talking about diabetes. Sarah found this really exciting since she hasn't had many conversations with other people who have type 1. (My family is quite interested in diabetes and all I have to deal with... I've only recently starting sharing more of my experiences with them.)
A few days later... Sarah, B and the rest of their class are in lab. Some of their lab equipment isn't working, so they take an hour break until it's fixed. Sarah comes back to see B laying on one of the lab tables. She gently tries to wake him, because it's time to start their experiment. He doesn't respond.
"Uh, guys? How long has B been sleeping?"
"He's been out a half hour or so."
Sarah notices that B is drenched in sweat even though the lab is freezing. She's not sure what this means. She wonders whether he is high or low. Again, Sarah shakes B, harder this time. He turns to face her and has the scariest look on his face. She's really disturbed by his expression.
"Hey, did B say anything before he fell asleep?" Sarah asks her classmates.
"Uh... he said he hadn't eaten in awhile. I think he might just be hung over, he went out last night."
It clicks.
"Okay, he's low. We need to get something sugary in him."
The professor enters and says he has some juice bottles. Class members run to get the juice while the professor calls an ambulance. They struggle to make sure B is aware that they're trying to give him juice. When Sarah provides the bottle, B grabs it. He knows that he needs it. Two bottles are gulped down with some assistance.
The ambulance arrives within 5 minutes (must be on campus). They squirt glycogen in his mouth and test his blood. 36 mg/dl. The students are asked to leave so B can recover in peace.
Sarah told me this story practically all in one breath. We agreed that it was good she was there, otherwise no one may have questioned B's sudden nap. This event made me think... family and friends of type 1 diabetics are a great resource to all of the other type 1s out there. As alert as Sarah was, I realized there were things I could educate my family about, so they could be even more helpful in an emergency. We all know that sweatiness means a low, but do our family and friends? Alcohol the night before was another clue... one that non-diabetics wouldn't know.
It would be wise to clearly explain the symptoms of hypoglycemia to our family and friends, so they can help us in an emergency, or another diabetic they come across in their everyday life.
I was so proud of my sister for helping another diabetic in need! Great job Sarsies :)
posted by Kelsey @ 10:03 AM
5 Comments:
At 8:49 AM,
Michko said…
This is exactly why I've been saying for a long time that we need not keep our disease a secret from those around us.
At 10:48 AM,
Christine said…
I'm glad you sister knew what to do, though a little confused by the squirting glycogen in the mouth bit. Must mean glucose.
Give your sister a high five! And maybe tell her to always assume low glucose when something like that happens.
At 3:07 PM,
Kelsey said…
Thanks Megan... I'm sure it was glucose. I am not too familiar with glycogen, I've luckily never had to use it!
At 6:33 PM,
If not a mother... said…
That is awesome. My MIL helped an older man a few years ago at the grocery store who was definitely having a hypoglycemic episode. (Mind you, she was a RN once upon a time, too, but she knew more from her son's experiences what was going on.)
At 6:41 PM,
BetterCell said…
Thank your sister Sarah from me. Having had lows in the 20's and 30's over the years since the age of 6, I know what B. must have been experiencing. You have an observant, compassionate and great sister. It probably "runs in the family".
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