Confessions of a Mad Diabetic, Part II

Man, I just can't eat like I used to. And believe me, I surely used to.

I noticed early on in this process that eating too many sweets will give me a really strong head buzz and rush, so of course I've been modifying my diet in accordance with ADA (American Diabetic Association) guidelines -- more veggies and lean meats; less breads, peas, corn, and carbohydrates. Carefully, carefully with the sugars and fruits.

But the volume I can eat has decreased markedly as well; quantity as well as quality. As recently as last Christmas we put on our traditional Christmas Eve feast of chicken wings, roast beef, garlic bread, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, etc, etc . . . this year we were stuffed with just the garlic bread and wings. The chips, dips, peppermint ice cream, and shrimp scampi are all still in the refrigerator unopened (until tonight!)

Starting last night I'm working three midnight shifts in a row to fill in for our vacationing regular night shift nurse. These are the first night shifts I've worked regularly since becoming diabetic, and present some unusual problems. For Instance: After 8 months of trial, error, and accomodation to my new metabolism, I've managed to get my blood sugar under pretty good control (roughly 100-130 every morning.) That's primarily because I eat a certain controlled amount of food at three regular meals a day, and take my medicine twice a day.

So what happens when your nights become days and days become nights?

For starters, I wake up at 1pm after 3 hours of sleep shaking and doubled over in cramps. You guessed it -- took my medication before bed but forgot to eat. Had to make lunch, which took two hours out of my sleep cycle to do before I could sleep. Then when I woke up at 6pm, my blood sugar was sky-high.

And now I'm really missing that two hours of sleep at 10pm as I get ready for work.

It's amazing how much one little thing can upset your life. Lose that precious ability to regulate your blood sugar, and watch those dominoes come tumbling down.

~~JD~~