Woke up to 8 paramedics around my bed

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8 is a tad abnormal. Usually a crew is 3 (2 paramedics or EMT's and a driver, who may also be an EMT or Paramedic).

The good news is recovery from low blood sugar is very fast. and very complete,, In the O/P's case it might have taken a bit longer due to the depth of the Hypo (Hypoglycemia, Low blood sugar) but it can be as fast as 15 minutes.

I have been low a few times.. Thankfully not ever that low (like 50 on the glucometer Only one time lower than 50 in fact and I was ALREADY in the hospital when that happened.. I figured it out, did a quick test on my meter, the Nurse was summoned, she re-tested (Hospital rules, they can not take my word for it) and the babysitter for my roommate brought the cure.  At that level.. the "Cure" was a nice snack.

One of the big problems we had a few years back was caused by multiple things. Back around the 1990's Animal Source insulin became scarce.. Everybody was switched to "Human".. "Human" carries a far higher risk of Hypoglycemia (I have done the research, several small studies, ALL BUT ONE suggests this is a problem, taken together they make one large study confirming the theory.. Oh the one that failed to conclude more testing needed was paid for by Lilly,, they make "Human" insulins).

Added to that was the DCCT early results (Diabetes Complications and Control Test) Which concluded "Lower (HbA1C) was better, Lower was better... But the early release failed to add "But too low is bad" so doctors started advising lower and in some cases they wanted A1C's in the 5.x range (US standard) 6.x is safer. and what I shoot for.

This was all discussed at great length on the Compuserve Diabetes Forum .. Back when it was Compuserve (not an AOL web property) alas much of that is gone today...  but this observation I can attest to.

In the first 14.5 years I worked for the State of Michigan, Starting Feb, 1977, I dispatched for just the Detroit Freeway system, around 70 miles of freeway. in that time we had ONE diabetic go hypo on the freeway.. Just one, but he did it twice, and the fact that he was driving a Midas Motor Home may well have saved his life the 2nd time.. The Troopers (the first time) Firgured out he needed medical help but were not sure what.. So we ended up not waiting on EMS. I had a Detroit Dispatcher direct my troopers to Henry Ford Hospital ER entrance (I did not yet know the city well enough) .. The second time one of the first troopers was passing Radio Room when he heard "Midas Motor Home",  This time I knew how to get to Henry Ford ER (Same hospital).

IN 1991 we went to central dispatch, My area of "interest" grew by about 2x freeway wise. and this is when the perfect storm of a worse insulin and the DCCT early release came together,  For about a year (Till they put an artical in the Wall Street Journal advising "But too low is bad") we were averaging better than one highway hypo a MONTH.. And unlike the guy in the Midas.. They were NOT pulling over, They were crashing into bridges, other cars, Work zone barricades and so on.. We even lost a couple cause during a bad storm we could not get food to them fast enough. 

So yes.. Be careful.

NOTE: The above observations were hand carried to a university medical department in London, and resulted in yet another study.  I was E-mailed the preliminary findings which were a bit scary. However I never heard any more.. (The prelm results were raw data but much of it may have needed exclusion due to what happens after death).

So.. Now you folks have a bit of an idea of the kind of research I do when motivated :)  Fun isn't it.

 
ArdraF said:
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. 
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The only thing longer than his rig runs on railroad tracks. ;D
 
That's what we figured, Tom.  Methinks he's at max length!

ArdraF
 
Sounds like you went into a tails spin hover, but came out okay. As they say in aviation, any crash landing that you walk away from is a good landing.  Get well!!
 
As a former paramedic myself, one of the hardest punches I've ever taken in my life was from a patient coming out of a diabetic coma.

Glucose was headed in and I was checking pupils for any response.  Apparently as soon as I touched their eyelid, the glucose started working.  Scared the patient enough to give me a solid upper cut right to my chin. My patient apologized profusely after they realized what had happened but I earned the nickname "Rocky" around the firehouse.

We've been called out more than a few times to respond for medical assistance during a DUI stop.  Plenty of those have been hypoglycemic patients. 
 
I mentioned the man in the Midas Motor home.. He tried to slug it out with two fully uniformed Michigan State Police Troopers..  HINT: Bad Idea. You will not hurt them and you WILL hurt yourself.. And that is BEFORE they react.....

Different story: This guy was not drunk, Hypo or in any kind of medical distress.

He just did not like the idea of going to jail on an outstanding misdeamenor warrant.  So he hauled off and hit that trooper in the solar Plexis hard as he could..... Hitting that flack vest had about the same effect as hitting a concrete wall... Only 1: Hitting the wall is not A FELONY and 2.. The wall does not hit back. 

(hey, I'm makeing them shorter.. the stories that is).  Oh well.

Thankfully the troopers figured out the diabetic needed doctors not jail. Unlike the guy in this story.
 
Bill, I was involved with interviewing a couple for a possible move to Holbrook all weekend and missed this posting. So, "Thanks, God; and, since you still have something that involves Bill, when he awakens each morning may his focus be on seeing you at work in the world around him and Renae and his place in your plan for the day. . .cause he relies in you Lord. How did you get down to the Colorado and Havesu City so fast?
 
HueyPilotVN said:
.....
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
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Really glad you came out of it ok, hopefully with no lasting ill-effects!
I've been thinking a lot about you and your helicopter stories lately.  I'm half way through a book titled "Black Cat 2-1".  Just today at lunch I read a chapter about his VIP flight memories, relates to some of what you told....http://www.blackcat2-1.com/
 
oh, about the 8 medics....
around here, they alway roll a fire engine along with the ambulance.  I don't know for sure how many guys that is, but it's a lot.
 
The only lasting ill effect is the sense of embarassment of letting it happen.  In my defense, my blood sugar meter was giving me an error code.  It is very hard to self diagnosis your blood sugar level.  I used to think I could, but I discovered that I really cannot.  I went ahead that morning and took my normal amount of insulin in two injections, (150 cc one shot ot 100 and one shot of 50).  I ate breakfast at Dennys, but did not eat more than about 1/2 my plate and then worked all day organizing the contents of the Stacker.

Renae says I started acting like I was drunk.  I really do not remember anything after sitting down to rest for awhile.

About the Black Cats.  As I recall they were a unit near Saigon.  The call sign Black Cat 21 was pretty much the normal way of idenifying your ship.  We used the unit name followed by either the last three digits of your tail nimber or the one or two digit that designated the position of the person in the Aircraft.  For instance the number "6" was always the Commanding Officer.  When I flew with the Squadron Commander we were called Blackhawk 6.  Black Cat 21 was probably a platoon leader.
 
Glad you are fine now.
We also battle the blood glucose situation here with the Wife.

The last time she was in the hospital I got upset because staff did not give her the AM shot.
They showed me her level and said do not automatically assume she need one. Go by the meter.

After that she managed to get it 95% diet controlled and the A1C came back at 5.4 last time.
It has been lower.

Blood Glucose is a problem that few really understand unless they deal with it daily.
Hope you stay controlled.
 
Glad you made it through Bill.  I just came home from the hospital yesterday and now have a heavy Prednisone prescription for the next few days.  Monday I suddenly developed severe chills that I could not stop the shaking even with multiple coats and blankets.  Wife checked blood pressure and pulse. BP was fairly normal but pulse was 133 so she dumped me  in the car and off we went to emergency room. I was still shaking an looking like an Artic snowman when we went in and saw at least 90 people sitting there and waiting at 10:30 at night. 

I just  about gave up hope and decided to go back home but the receptionist told me to stay because I was number 2 (!!!) on the list to go in.  Seems they knew what my symptoms were indicative of and they took me back in just a couple more minutes and got me into a room (others were laying on gurneys in the hall).  I have bad COPD and am also Type II Diabetic.

That pulse got them going and with a set of xrays the doc told me he thought I have mild pneumonia  in each of my lungs and it was his opinion that a bacteria infection had traveled into my blood stream from the lungs giving me two of the three indications of Sepsis which, if not treated quickly, can be deadly.

So they admitted me to the hospital at 4am and started pumping me with antibiotics and steroids (Prednisone) but had to also keep giving me insulin shots to hold down the steroid effects on my blood sugar.  I did not know that between the hours of 4 am one day and 8 am the next day you could have people in and out of your room on no longer than 30 minutes intervals.  No sleep but I also felt like I was in lala land too.  I am told I watched the World Series game one but I only remember hearing some guys yakking about base hits and pitching.  Evidently the regimen worked pretty good that by day 2 I felt very good again.  They had definitely narrowed the problem down to a bacterial blood infection and felt that I needed rest that could best be done at home with more Prednisone and an antibiotic for a few days.

The one thing I learned is that you never want to be in a hospital if you expect to get rest.  With heart monitors, IV tubes and constant staff visits (they came in a 3 am to put ice in my glass!).  It was only when the doctor came to check me out that she told me that Sepsis can be deadly in older people if not attacked quickly. 

The Prednisone is raising my blood sugar. I am normally in the 110-115 range (with oral meds daily) and tonight it is 361 but the med course for that steriod ends Sunday.  But I do feel good and I learned a lot about my COPD also.  The Pulmonary Clinic sent over a rep who tested me and signed me up for some Pulmonary Respiratory classes and exercises (to deal with the COPD) and covered by Medicare.

Bill, you were lucky to have Renae about to sound the alarm and I was lucky my wife was here as she was normally at a bell choir practice that night and it was cancelled.  Hospital also set me up with followup appointments next week with my family doctor (who is in their system) and he called me personally today to check up on me.  I feel fortunate to have good medical services located nearby.  Stay well Bill.

Bill
 
That "acting goofy or drunk" stage of Hypoglycemia is a warning that your blood sugar is low.  I was a Police Officer for my entire career and for 10 years and EMT, before the Fire Dept. took over EMS from the Police.  My other half is a Fire Dept. Paramedic, retiring in December.  I ran on many patients, who others told us, were acting in just that manner, and you knew even before arriving, what you had.
One time, we had a major MV collision, called for the Fire Dept., the Engine arrived, Ambulance arrived, and the Battalion Chief, came down the road in one of the Dept. SUVs, lights and siren on, driving about 25 mph, all over the road, like he was drunk, drove past the accident scene, and where the road curved, he drove straight into the woods.  He wasn't injured, but we also never knew, until that day, that he was a diabetic, and was experiencing low blood sugar.
It can happen anytime, even while driving an RV.  So keep on top of that sugar, and be careful.  Glad it worked out well for you this time.
 
And the other side of the coin, one of my brothers didn't answer the phone for 3 days and when my little brother went over yesterday afternoon to check on him, all the EMS in the world was no help. Autopsy will hopefully tell us the story, but when you live alone, things can happen and there's no one to call for help in time.

Think about it if you live alone and let someone know who can check on you often when you don't feel good. One of us talked to Tom every week or so, but between our phone visits something happened. Maybe he didn't even know something was coming on, because that happens too. 60 is too young.

Ken
 
27 is pretty low.  You're a lucky man.  The lowest I've ever gotten was 40 and it effected me for days.


When I was working on the software design team for a glucose meter I tried to get them to display 'L0' or 'HI' when the result fell out of range.  I don't remember why they didn't do it but it still seems short sighted.  ERRnn means next to nothing to someone who's hypo.

Always keep your meter and glucose tabs nearby!
 
Ken,

I am in complete agreement with what you said.

What a SAD situation. We are very sorry to learn of the passing of your brother. 60 is so young.

May he rest in peace.

Dianne
 
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