The scare.

Thanks for being patient with me while I recovered from my trip. Jet lag took more out of me than I expected, but I have finally caught up on sleep. I went to Tennessee to pick up my pups last weekend and man, did I sure miss them. It was one of the best weekends with my family, and my niece said my name for the first time. I’m so thankful for the time I am able to spend with my family. Anyway, here’s part one of my trip overseas. I figured I’d start with the first day sharing the scare I experienced thanks to diabetes. 

I have very few problems with diabetes, very few hiccups. I’m grateful, truly, because I know not everyone is as fortunate. When I planned my trip across the world, diabetes wasn’t a fear. It crossed my mind — and I was prepared with supplies and planning — but it wasn’t something I was overly concerned with.

We landed after 24 hours of travel. My blood sugars hovered close to 200 most of the flight, which I was comfortable with considering higher elevations cause me drop. I lost two pump sites in Singapore to the heat and another two once we made it to our island of destination. It was incredibly hot; I was pouring sweat and nothing would stick — even with Tegaderm (tape). Our first night on the island, I woke up around 3 a.m. with a blood sugar of 345. I double-checked against my meter and saw a 412 staring back at me. I bolused and crawled back in bed. I never fully went back to sleep and remained in the 400s despite several corrections. After a breakfast of noodles, I bolused a little more than usual to compensate for the high and the meal.

An hour later, I was dizzy and light-headed. I couldn’t decide if it was the heat or a high, so I checked again. 480. I tested for ketones and was positive. It was in that moment I began to panic. Realizing I was in a country without western medicine or endocrinology, realizing I was in a land where rice and noodles were primary food sources, realizing how quickly something could go wrong with a 500 blood sugar and ketones. I completely panicked.

I was prepared medically. I had a back-up pump, plenty of Humalog, syringes and even Lantus. I wasn’t prepared emotionally. I felt tremendous fear and began to play every possible worst-case scenario in my mind. I posted a short, non-descriptive sentence on Facebook merely asking for prayers. I cleaned my skin and sat in front of a fan until I cooled completely. Then I changed my site and waited, drinking an ocean of water in the meantime.

A few hours later, the new site seemed to be working. I was slowly coming down. I checked my Facebook post from earlier and found dozens of friends who’d commented, each one sharing prayers for me. Between those words, my mother’s calming voice and texts from a couple of D-moms, I was completely humbled.

I’ve learned when you’re following God’s will, sometimes the devil works his way into any crevice he can find. I had several cracks, but I’d prayed over them and tried to plug those holes before leaving. I expected him to attack, but never expecting him to attack my health through diabetes. I guess it’s because I have so few issues at home, I didn’t expect to have any overseas. The devil is sneaky, and he goes for the holes and cracks you forgot to plug — like diabetes.

I think I had a perfect storm of events that first day. The noodles were cooked in a sweet sauce, plus my site was kinked and I was high before the day even started. It was hot, and I wasn’t prepared for the high or for ketones thousands of miles from home. I wasn’t prepared mentally for the realization of exactly what could go wrong so far away from home.

There was a moment when I realized exactly how dangerous the situation could become and exactly how quickly things could turn. It was in that moment when my mother reminded me how many people, around the world, were praying for me. With those comforting words and prayers, I found peace and calm. My panic subsided, as did my high blood sugars. By afternoon, I was back in range and my ketones had disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief, even though the high symptoms lingered for a few hours. The rest of the trip was perfect. Diabetes behaved, and I modified my diet where needed.

The day’s events put a small amount of fear in my mind. Each bite of food I ate, I considered first. It took some of the joy out of experiencing new foods and tastes, but I still tried most things placed in front of me. I paid a little closer attention to my numbers, but I’m not sure that’s such a bad thing. I was cautious more so than usual, but my diligence paid off and everything was fine. Diabetes, for the first time in many years, humbled me. My perspective changed, and my heart grew toward those without access to care and supplies.

Thank you for your prayers. I heard them; I felt them. They worked. More to come on the trip later…