Wasted Time

Today's post is short, as I've been spending the past couple of days studying for an upcoming organic chemistry exam. Remind me not to take any more summer courses.

Have you ever wondered how much time a low blood sugar wastes?   I can’t do most things when I’m low (or at least, I can’t do them well).  I can never fall asleep because upsetting thoughts always seem to fill my head, and if I do fall asleep I have nightmares.  I can’t focus so studying, blogging or reading is out of the question.  Obviously exercising is a definite no, since it would not only make me drop lower, but I’d also run the risk of injuring myself in a bout of low-induced clumsiness.  The only thing I can, and must, do is eat and drink juice, which gets pretty annoying when it’s 2am and there is only 5 hours left of sleep in the night.  

 Any time that I’m low, it takes a minimum of 15 minutes till my blood sugars are up enough to function properly.  If I’m low 5 times a week, that means I waste approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes every week being low.  That’s 5 hours a month, 60 hours a year and 600 hours a decade.  That is a lot of time.

Aside from the constant testing, carb ratio calculations, insulin administration and doctor appointments, hypoglycemia is just another way that diabetes consumes time.  That time does add up, and it does put extra strain on diabetics in other aspects of our lives.  Which is why it is important to recognize all that time spent on managing our diabetes, and congratulate ourselves for doing that on top of all the other stresses of life.  This disease is tough, and it can certainly get me down, but if I let it, it can also give me a sense of achievement.  Because of, or in spite of, diabetes, I can be triumphant on a daily basis by acknowledging the fact that each day I am actively taking care of my health.