Woke up to 8 paramedics around my bed

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HueyPilotVN

HueyPilotVN

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
Posts
3,289
Location
Lake Havasu City, AZ
About 4:00 this afternoon I woke up to a sea of paramedics surrounding my bed. 

My first thought was that I was dead and surrounded by all these folks trying to get a response from me.

I quietly looked from one face to another as I tried to figure out what was happening.

I actually could have talked to them sooner, but I was not sure that I could even talk.

What I eventually discovered was that I had gone into a diabetic coma from low blood sugar.  It took them quite a while and an IV full of sugar solution to raise my blood sugar from "27" to over 100.

My blood sugar meter gave me an error code last night and I was not sure of my blood sugar level.  I took my normal insulin shot this morning, but I worked all day rearrainging the contents of the Stacker and did not eat enough evidently.

I think that the 911 call by Renae and the arrival of all the emergency vehicles definitely got the RV Resort humming.

I think that I will lay low for a couple of days.

I did not think that 9 people would fit in the bedroom of the DP.
 
I do not plan on ever making that mistake again.  I already got a new meter.

A word of warning to others, If not for Renae and if I had been alone, I would not be here now.

Renae said I acted like I was drunk and goofy before I passed out.

Well I never drink sprits but I have been known to  act "Goofy"
 
Whoa Bill!  Gotta keep that blood sugar up (not to state the obvious).  :)  I have seen folks amid diabetic attacks driving "drunk" almost, and later having no memory of what they had been doing.  Glad you are okay and yeah... lay low and take some time off. 
 
HueyPilotVN said:
I do not plan on ever making that mistake again.  I already got a new meter.

A word of warning to others, If not for Renae and if I had been alone, I would not be here now.

Renae said I acted like I was drunk and goofy before I passed out.

Well I never drink sprits but I have been known to  act "Goofy"
Click to expand...
When I got a headache that would not go away I ended up calling 911. The next thing I remember after dialing the phone was waking up in a hospital and they were drilling holes in my head. If I had not called 911 on my smart phone with a GPS the ambulance would have never found me and I would be worm food. This is why I encourage everyone to always carry a cell phone. I owe my life to mine.
 
Bill,

I am really glad to hear you are OK.

I've printed out all the postings of your war exploits and shared them with my diabetic husband who, like yourself, is also a Vietnam Vet. He enjoyed them immensely.

He was in the Army.  His unit was the 1st of the 92nd Artillery stationed in Pleiku from 1967-1968.  He was the unit's supply sergeant.

Thank God for Renae being there! She did a fantastic job from the sound of it.

Please take care so you can keep those war stories coming. They've brought many a smile in this household!

With kindest regards,
Dianne
 
Thank You Diane and all the others who responded to the post.

Renae did a great job in distinquishing between the normal "Goofy" me and the low blood sugar Goofy me.

She said she wished that she had it on video as it was quite different and almost entertaining because it was so out of character.

The paramedics knew just what to do as soon as they checked my blood sugar.

I was going to make some funny comments to the paramedics when I woke up and they were trying to elicit a response from me, but I was not sure that they were not a bunch of ghosts come to collect me at first.

A side comment for Gil,  I am sure that he probably knows this but a Viet Nam Vet with type 2 diabetes is usually eligible for a 30% disability from the VA which usually is enough to cover your medicine copay.

For me to tell any more war stories would probably involve making them up as my memory is about tapped out on the ones I do remember, but thanks
 
Glad to know you are doing well.  Take good care of yourself.  We hope to cross trails with you guys again soon.

THE BigLarry
 
Error codes are fairly common on Glucometers.. Just Re-test.. I've occasionally had to go to as many as 3 or 4 tests before I got it right.. On the first test I'm never quite sure but on the 2nd I often put the blood on the strip too soon.

You can also get error codes for "Beyond the range of the meter" in both directions.. Good to have the manual handy so you can translate the codes.
 
The only time I've had an error code on my One Touch is when the drop of blood is too small and doesn't reach all the way down to the sensors.
 
I wish you a speedy recovery (and accurate readings)  ;D

I can picture your trailer, with the weight of all those people making it tilt and appear askew.

Slow down and enjoy today.

Life is long.

Death is short.

Angels looking out for you (and me).

Take good care of yourself. Seriously.
 
Glad to hear you're doing ok. How scary for Renae (you apparently were too out of it to be scared). We're still figuring out our winter route to pass close to you and drop off the RV parts.

Stay safe.
Wendy and Mike
 
8 Paramedics? Wow you must be special ;) Around here you'd get one or two. As a former medic our standard protocol for known diabetic unresponsive would've been check sugar and treat accordingly. Fortunately someone knew your preexisting condition, saved you from a hit of narcan first. Not always fun having a run for an unknown/unresponsive patient. I've run more of these than I care to remember.
I've had a few where  the patient was in a travel trailer bathroom. Glad to hear your outcome was good.
I got a lot of ambulance stories from over the years.

A little advice though you probably already know and do this, keep a list of meds, dosages, past medical history pasted on the fridge or some place easily noticed. It's a lot easier for responders to be able to find out what's going on quicker.
 
The most paramedics I've ever had was three but I guess we've had some budget cuts around here.  Worst was when they hauled me off to the EM - cold and no springs!

I'm Type I diabetic.  I use FreeStyle Lite for my meter and strips - uses small drop of blood from just about any part of the body.  Rarely have a problem.  EMT's used the old fashioned meter and strip that requires a full drop of blood from finger and out of curiosity one of the EMT's checked my meter's results with theirs and found little difference. 

After 40 years of diabetes, my problems are probably different from yours but here's a suggestion:  When you have a significant difference in your routine such as a light meal or a heavy work load, set your alarm clock to go off at around 2:00am, check your blood sugar, and if it shows close to "75" at that point, you might want to eat a glucose tablet.  You might wake a little on the high side in the morning, but you'll sleep without worry. 

Ask you doctor or ignore all this if you are Type II.



 
    Guess it is becoming the poster desease of RVrs, glad that you had someone handy or it could have been very serious.  I'm just into insulin, so far I've had no problem with low sugar, but that day will undoubtedly come.  However, I do note a big difference on readings on days that I eat light or work at some type of manual labour.
    Take it easy, treat Ranea to a night out, she deserves it.  Chat with you around the Virtual Campfire, when we both get there at the same time.

Ed
 
Glad you came out of this on the green side Sarge. I have a lot of sympathy for anyone with diabetes, having to do the constant checking and diet restrictions is more than a PITA. After my transplant they told me i had developed diabetes after the surgery, fortunately after 6 months it just went away and now I am back to as normal as I will ever be. That 6 months of constantly checking and getting it wrong, shots and not being able to eat anything I did before was as depressing as the rehab. Be careful Sarge, dirt doesn't taste good and the green grass is much prettier.....Will
 
Bill, you just never do anything half way do you?!?  ::) Seriously we're so happy you're still with us - and that Renae was there to make sure of it.  Interestingly just about two hours before reading your comment we were down at the local shopping center and saw a huge truck-based motorhome pulling a really long trailer like your stacker.  We were commenting that it might have been as long or longer than yours.  Take a few days off and enjoy the green grass and your good fortune!

ArdraF
 
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