Diabetic Coma

By kiki

                                              

7-2-14

I just woke up from a nap, and earlier this morning, I woke up from a diabetic coma. Fortunately for me, my son James was still home to call the paramedics who helped me cheat the Grim Reaper; pity him!

7-3-14

Yesterday life threw me a curve as a reminder not to take it for granted. Unfortunately, the curve came in the form of a diabetic coma around 5:00 in the AM after giving myself 38 units of insulin.

I just remember bringing Sammie the turtle from outside where I had put him to eat and putting him back in his 20-gallon water tank, and as I did that, I remember toppling the water cooler that sits next to the tank. The next thing I remember was waking up with a blurring vision and seeing James and a bunch of strangers, men, and women, looking at me as I lay in bed. Still. not entirely out of the coma, I asked James, "James, who the hell are these people?" he replied, "Pops, these people are paramedics; you went into a diabetic coma because your sugar level dropped to 30" I couldn't believe that so I said, "James if my sugar was 30 I wouldn't be talking to you right now!" 

A paramedic then told me, "sir, (I hate it when people call me 'sir') your sugar level was indeed 30; so I gave you a shot to bring your sugar level up, but that shot will wear off fast, so you need to drink some orange juice and eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, I told him that I would drink the orange juice and eat a jelly sandwich, but no peanut butter, I hate the stuff. Luckily we had both, and James fetched them for me …One of the paramedics told me they would like to take me to the hospital, so I nixed that idea. He then handed me a paper to sign stating that I refused to go to the hospital; I signed the paper. As the paramedics were leaving after making sure I was going to be alright, one said, "call us again if you have any more trouble" "Thanks, we will," James replied

I then asked James what had happened and how and where he found me. He told me that he had, like he does every morning open the door to our bedroom so that Chata, our English bulldog, could go out to the backyard to do her personal business (a sliding door in our bedroom faces the backyard). He said he noticed that I wasn't in bed with my laptop but thought I might be on the patio computer. He said he had closed the door, but that something just didn't seem right to him, so he opened the door again and looked around the room (our bedroom is good size, so it's not hard to get lost in it, especially with all the junk we have in it) as he looked around he noticed me draped over Sammie's water tank. He dragged me to bed and, simultaneously, yelled out to his wife Veronika to call 911, she did, and that's why I am here to write this today.

I want to thank James and Veronika for calling the paramedics who saved my life and my wife Connie for looking after me, but most of all, I want to thank God for giving me another round at life so I can spend it with my family and friends, Thanks, God!

P.S

What caused my sugar level to go down so low? I suspect that perhaps I shot myself with the wrong insulin; not sure, but I can't think of anything else that could cause my sugar level to go that low…I use two different types of insulins. I inject 38 units of Lantus, which is slow-acting insulin, first thing in the morning, and that is supposed to work all day. Then, I inject HumulinR, fast-acting insulin, before every meal, six, ten, and sixteen units, respectively…

I suspect I injected the HumlinR instead of the Lantus first thing in the morning…Gotta be more careful with that stuff!!!